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CMP FH2 Campaign #18: The Rising Sun Battle #6: Kwajalein The Problem with the Friendly Fire Kwajalein 1944 The US Army dedicated about 25% of its strength to the pacific, about 22 divisions and associated air forces. The remaining 75% was focused on the European and Mediterranean theaters, but the Army was by no means an after thought in the Pacific Theater. Operation Flintlock conducted in the Kwajalein Atoll was one of the lesser known battles in the Pacific but it was nonetheless complex, with battles fought on seven main islands scattered over a large area, and made more complex by the by-passed Japanese garrisons that had to be reconnoitered and cleared. The Southern island of Kwajalein was attacked by the 7th Infantry Division of the US Army who had seen action earlier in the Pacific, though the conditions were quite the opposite. They had previously fought in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, on the island of Kiska. During that Operation there were noted friendly fire incidents and therefor later on you see the use of colored panels worn by troops. (click on the image to enlarge) The ID panel finds itself being used en masse for this attack along with the camouflage painted helmet, the shell of which is painted a bright yellow and green with hand woven camouflage nets. Kwajalein by Watchtower The Battle of Kwajalein took place from 31 January-3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Employing the hard-learned lessons of the Battle of Tarawa, the US launched a successful twin assault on the main islands of Kwajalein in the south and Roi-Namur in the north. The Japanese defenders put up stiff resistance, although outnumbered and under-prepared. For the US, the battle represented both the next step in its island-hopping march to Japan and a significant morale victory because it was the first time the Americans had penetrated the "outer ring" of the Japanese Pacific sphere. For the J