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CMP FH2 Campaign #18: The Rising Sun Battle #7: Roi Namur History "The battle of Roi (1 February 1944) saw the US marines captured the main Japanese airbase in Kwajalein Atoll in a single day, after the Japanese defences were almost destroyed by the pre-invasion bombardment. Roi and Namur were to be attacked by the Northern Attack Force (Task Force 53) under Rear Admiral Richard L. Conolly and the Northern Landing Force, made up of the 4th Marine Division (Major General Harry Schmidt). Admiral Conolly commanded the invasion from the command ship USS Appalachian. Admiral Conolly's attack force consisted of three old battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers 10 destroyers, 2 high speed transports (APDs), 3 escort carriers, 12 LCIs and 4 mine sweepers. Roi Island was almost clear of ground cover, as it contained the biggest Japanese airfield in the atoll, with three runways, four turning circles, two service aprons, two hangers, thirty revetments and a control tower. The island is 1,250 yards north-south and 1,200 yards east-west. The airfield on Roi was the HQ of all Japanese air power in the Gilberts and Marshalls. Roi and Namur were connected by a beach on the lagoon side and a causeway half way between the atoll and the ocean. The ocean side was unsuitable for landings, but at high tide the reefs on the lagoon side were under water. The plan was to capture a number of outlying islands on D-Day, then invade Roi and Namur from the lagoon side on D+1 (1 February 1944). Roi was to be attacked by the 23rd Regimental Combat Team, which was to land two regiments side by side on Red Beaches 2 and 3. A wave of LCI(G)s and armoured LVTs would lead the way, with the troops following in amphibious tractor. On 29 January TG 58.2 (Essex, Intrepid and Cabot) attacked Roi-Namur, where the Japanese still had 92 aircraft. The carrier attack quickly eliminated the threat, and no Japanese aircraft were in the air after 0800. The same group attacked again on 30 January."

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