Editing World War II (section)

===Central Pacific===
''"The Japanese fought to win - it was a savage, brutal, inhumane, exhausting and dirty business." - Eugene Sledge.''

In November 1943, U.S. Marines won the [[Battle of Tarawa]]. This was the first heavily opposed amphibious assault in the Pacific theater. The high casualties taken by the Marines sparked off a storm of protest in the United States, where the large losses could not be understood for such a tiny and seemingly unimportant island. The Allies adopted an "island hopping" strategy of bypassing some Japanese island strongholds and letting them "wither on the vine” cut off from supplies and troop reinforcements.

The American strategic objective was to gain airbases to bring Japan within range of the new B-29 Superfortress, a long-range heavy bomber.  This meant capturing the Mariana Islands. Following victories in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands in late 1943 to early 1944, the Allies pushed west. The Japanese base at Truk was neutralized by a massive air raid on February 17 and 18, 1944.

In June 1944, the Japanese committed much of their declining naval strength in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], but suffered severe losses in both ships and aircraft.  Saipan, Tinian, and Guam were liberated soon after.  The fighting was intense, and mopping-up operations continued long after the battle was officially over.  Tinian saw the first use of napalm in the war.