4th Marine Division

Kwajalein Atoll was the administrative center of the Japanese-held Marshall Islands. The atoll was 73 miles long, with eighteen islands clustered together. During the Battle of Midway radio stations on Kwajalein listened to traffic between Hawaii and Midway.

Even before the Marianas were secure, the Seabees were building airfields for the big B-29 heavy bombers. These bombers started flying from Guam, Saipan and Tinian in August 1944 against precision targets in Japan.