Show ISLANDS STUD PACIFIC BATTLE ZONE 0 00 1000 statute miles azu approximate I 1 Sh ichitO shanghai japan arrant 7 11 midway i 0 9 sara shoto islands chichi jima bonn bonin islands US jb kazan mitori shima japan Mina rasa Ras jima aJima FORMOSA N W capan re japan marcus T fracas bracas Ur acas MARIANAS agri it an Wake US L LUZON U ZON ali LANDS ISLANDS juguan gugu Gu guan an M fanija 1 T man saifan ut sl guam m rota I 1 PHILIPPIN ES algua MARSHALL tv philippines M I 1 C f 0 yap ap e maate 0 0 J AIND NAO O V alein TJ palau I 1 ul y r IS CAROLINE ca 1 ISLANDS M makin f r 0 c I 1 y eq ua ator to ap w admiralty alty BISMAR BISMARCK K aust GILBERT 11 0 o L ebee is Ns mand mandli 7 I 1 W hrc H b AV A ISLANDS AC GU GUINEA ileac iNE ELLICE a 0 II if buna bu naS ISLANDS LANDS s LAS ISLANDS porta ab v 1 l 9 alm OR I 1 av darwin cap G 1 I r vs york CO CORAL HAL SEA FIJI AU S T R suva the south sooth pacific is a constella constellation as of hundreds of islands some of which like the waters around them remain uncharted jap P possession and fortification of at many strat strategic 91 0 islands have given the them key posidio positions for the south pacific fighting any allied march on an tokyo from present bases would necessitate the movement av of troops through these regions region hundreds of islands in pacific lie in path of allies alliese march to tokyo exclusive to alt western newspaper union by the national geographic society the armchair strategist enjoying a few waking hours away from his war production job ob scans a large map of the pacific ocean i w or ar theater in his ears ring encouraging words of president roosevelt to the congress the period of our defensive attrition in the pacific is passing he settles down to work out his own solution to the battle of the pacific how win will the united nations forces reach tokyo will the conquest be step by step backward through the netherlands indies malaya burma the phila philippines P atit lon will it be from interior i china by way of the coast where here japan has been tightening her foothold for or five fite scars will wih it be b by aska way ot of alaska and the aleutians Aleut ians a or r from siberia can it be done across 2 m miles iles of open ocean from mid way at the western edge of the hawaiian islands will it perhaps be across more than 3 miles of ad island studded but little known pacific ll 11 1 1 foun from the pr present ant hadd hard held be id pd positions I 1 t an on an new guinea an and on an G guad us in the Solon solomons sons I 1 first part scene of battle starting from new guinea and guadalcanal Guadal go dalva canal 1 the e maze m z of small but ed strategic mt islands 1 on a map pre resemble the outpouring of a giant pepper shaker in the hands hand of cartographers 9 gone ber berserk serit starting the march Ma laita santa isabel choiseul and the new georgia group with its notorious japanese lip is air it field d at munda on a are r neighbors of guadalcanal Guadal canal in the british protectorate portion of the S solomons I 1 1 amona in the heart of Me melanesia lancio black it stands islands these are large compared to their neighbors of micronesia M ter onesia little islands to the north their inhabitants are a ab ebony any dark da alc unresponsive to attempts at civilizing still inclined to break out ant in spells of mum tribal head hen hunting 1 g first discovered in 1567 they were lost tor for years lu before new exploration confirmed their asna existence tenc american fighting men writing home from guadalcanal Guadal canal rave of the islands lush lash tropical beauty the western portion of the fir first st group belonged belonged 1 to germany beta before the F first lost world orld war and was me mandated to australia in post war settlements II 11 includes large g 1 bouga bougad alls vule and ad I 1 little is buka westernmost t tn ost of the solomons each with a harbor tl that t has 1 sheltered h JI japanese Varese ships lips gathering hs for attach fart farther a er east it includes the sweeping are arc of the bismarck archipelago new britain wa with h the the captive jbv a b base at t a ne new ireland at ald ne new w H hanover 0 ve and th the st matthias and admiralty groups group it includes ids the steaming mountain ous eastern half ot 1 gigantic new guinea with such new hou household schol place names as indomitable port moresby liberated buna captive lae and Sala Salan maua naua just across the equator lies hes micronesia the middle stage of the march the 1500 1 islets mostly of coral formation are scattered I 1 like ike st star dust over ever an are area the size ot i the united states north of their center is guam and to their east are the philippines this entire region fell rather easily to the united states as part of its conquest in the spanish american war unprepared to defend all of it america held ou on to the philippines and G guam am but handed the rest back to spain spam then handed it to Gerro germany arly for 4 aa million dol lars japan seized it from her pre present ii en ally ly pro promptly p aly with the start of war in 1914 at the peace table the allies catra entrusted ltv the c islands in to japan a stipulating that they should not be fortified thus americas america s philippines and steppingstone island of guam became surrounded by a japanese controlled sea islands fortified by japs key island groups in the caro care lines jones the MarSha Mar 1 1 and the man smas anas were secretly fortified r td barred re to foreign visitors the islands remained unknown even to the seasoned globe trotters who hunted for island paradises and knew every corner cor n er of honolulu pago pago and manila ma au 1 I from auch uch aan strong rong bases as t those se on the P palau and it islands japan may have Is launched her attacks attack on an hawaii the philippines tb the e estherla ds indies india and the 1 island neighbors neigh bons neighbors of australia from rota rot a and saifan it was no surer ing military coup 1 to overwhelm and ad cap capture time near by unfortified 0 d guam a ebbe reat the palau group p nearest the a philippines cong combines bures coral and volcanic isles it has b been described as the japanese Ja pinese singapore S seat east of 1 the entire japanese south seas government ern ment live hive of new industry slid and agriculture magnificent fleet and am air base to the northeast yap despite a I 1 poor harbor t or r 1 is a naval a station t isn many islets ile to flot dot the he t 1 40 mile lagoon of ille ideal I 1 for yachting blessed with a we wealth alth of natural color and ad the year round mund even temperature of all 1 1 micronesia ae onesta could be a paradise d S of international abiona fame instead IT it its g great teat lagoon gon w with ith dep deep c water and convenient cono rement gaps gaps in the surround tug mg teat reef provides a perfect haven for the constant traffic of the japa nese ease fleet ee it square miles is the largest single island of the japanese mandate headquarters in the days of spanish rule it contains a 8 blend of all pacific island peoples it has several harbors and fertile soil of volcanic origin in which many true nun dred plants from far parts of the world have thrived still further across toward the fun nel act a eastern edge are the marshalls marchalls Mar some 32 islands and it innumerable ble reels reefs many enc enclosing latting broad well sheltered lagoons closest to honolulu he jul U 2 2300 miles to its southwest S t t they h ey might have been the spir spring in g boards for the pearl harbor attack less than two months after pearl harbor the united states new navy made ihde a brilliant 11 aint surprise said raid that d damaged japanese planes ant and 1 ships at jaquit Maloe lap and in the marshall Mar marchalls marshalls Mar menace shipping nearest st to panama and the macit macd le ic coos coast t a of f america as well as to hawaii the marshalls marchalls Mar threaten the vital amerteen american supply his line to aus ant front from them america could co aid threaten many strategic japanese bases turning southeast across acres the line hav of the japanese M mandate date without leaving micronesia te the nuel vair it strategist r ifield finds IS great so britain britaina Brit ains gil b bert e r group 16 low barren barre atolls ribbons 0 of f coral rock from 1 10 0 to 50 miles long promptly after pearl harbor the japanese seized th the northern gilberts and be began t the work of concertin con converting vertin makin g atoll into t a well equipped base from re which 1 to t launch seaplane raids I 1 on t the ship ping lane fro from H hawaii to A australia the subsequent attack by t the unit it ed states navy on a the makin island construction jim brought the e gilberts their first world wide notice tice today from bases at do darwin and ap on cape york adist australia list a northern ti tips and from guadalcanal Guadal canal flying fortresses fortress 1 1 can an r range in 1 miles mile toward cordI tokyo ak thus th file they can cito guard gas rd sea J lanes and strike Ja japanese ponese ships and bases anywhere ny where in the carolines carohne Mar marchalls Marshat ls and gilberts within the area of the japanese mandate only G guam and the a arv curving he are arc of 1 man anas noto its north are beyond range of deff united nations bases on aust australia tb and rd guadalcanal Guadal canal the marianas mariakas Mari anas lie in the funnel a collector close to its lunchi junction with it its tube last leg to of march rich to tokyo T hl and now naw the strategist enters ante r a the tube a of f t the h a fa tunnel fauthal uthel the third an and d last T leg e 9 of chis his I 1 imaginary 1 1 march on ja lat nut tokyo the be course e is through to g I 1 a sea a where volcanic islands island come and ad go a and coral reefs are a threat to navigation g t kazan ratio miles mile f from a the tokyo Y larig goal Sta 13 a group of va volcanic 1 smi islands units of f which are shown heon hean old aid char charts b by y chamre such names S as sulphur island and submarine Sub V volcano oc an Is island lard |