World War Two history remembers the Gilbert Islands for the Battle of Tarawa, the US Marines' first bold amphibious assault against a Japanese stronghold in the Pacific Islands. But there is much more to the WWII story of the Gilbert Islands than a single battle. In addition to the Battle of Tarawa, this book also tells of the periods of Japanese and American occupations, of coast-watching and German raiders. This history of a time and place is also a story of the people involved. In addition to the Americans and Japanese it is also the story of Gilbert and Ellice Islanders, New Zealanders, British, Chinese, German-Marshallese and "Kai Viti" people (British Fiji Citizens), who by one means or another became caught up in the war in the Gilbert Islands. The author has used oral and written accounts of people who were directly involved, as well as official records in archives in Kiribati, Fiji, Tuvalu, New Zealand, the United States and Australia. This is a thoroughly researched, comprehensive and unique account of WWII as experienced in these small and remote atolls of the Central Pacific.

 During the first 10 months of the war in the Pacific, Japan achieved air supremacy with its carrier and land-based forces. But after major setbacks at Midway and Guadalcanal, the empire's expansion stalled, in part due to flaws in aircraft design, strategy and command. This book offers a fresh analysis of the air war in the Pacific during the early phases of World War II. Details are included from two expeditions conducted by the author that reveal the location of an American pilot missing in the Philippines since 1942 and clear up a controversial account involving famed Japanese ace Saburo Sakai and U.S. Navy pilot James "Pug" Southerland.

Documents the political, social and military context of the Second World War as it affected Kiribati. Uses oral and written accounts from people directly involved and official records.

Over the course of World War II, two million American military personnel occupied bases throughout the South Pacific, leaving behind a human legacy of at least 4,000 children born to indigenous mothers. Based on interviews conducted with many of these American-indigenous children and several of the surviving mothers, Mothers’ Darlings of the South Pacific explores the intimate relationships that existed between untold numbers of U.S. servicemen and indigenous women during the war and considers the fate of their mixed-race children. These relationships developed in the major U.S. bases of the South Pacific Command, from Bora Bora in the east across to Solomon Islands in the west, and from the Gilbert Islands in the north to New Zealand, in the southernmost region of the Pacific. The American military command carefully managed interpersonal encounters between the sexes, applying race-based U.S. immigration law on Pacific peoples to prevent marriage “across the color line.” For indigenous women and their American servicemen sweethearts, legal marriage was impossible; giving rise to a generation of fatherless children, most of whom grew up wanting to know more about their American lineage. Mothers’ Darlings of the South Pacific traces these children’s stories of loss, emotion, longing, and identity—and of lives lived in the shadow of global war. Each chapter discusses the context of the particular island societies and shows how this often determined the ways intimate relationships developed and were accommodated during the war years and beyond. Oral histories reveal what the records of colonial governments and the military have largely ignored, providing a perspective on the effects of the U.S. occupation that until now has been disregarded by Pacific war historians. The richness of this book will appeal to those interested the Pacific, World War II, as well as intimacy, family, race relations, colonialism, identity, and the legal structures of U.S. immigration.

In October 1944, the US prepared to invade the Philippines to cut Japan off from its resource areas in Southeast Asia. This is the first in a two-part study of the October 23-26 Battle of Leyte Gulf, which resulted in a decisive defeat for the Japanese.

A pictorial history of US assaults on these Japanese-occupied islands during World War II. This book in the Images of War series covers the dramatic events that befell both the Gilbert and Ellice Pacific island groups using a wealth of photos and informed text. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Gilbert Islands were occupied by the Japanese, who built a seaplane base at Butaritari. In August 1942 this base was attacked by the US 2nd Raider Battalion, also known as Carlson’s Raiders. As a result the base was reinforced and a second built at Apamama. Betio Island on the Tarawa Atoll became the main Japanese strong point. Operation Galvanic, the US assault on Butaritari, Apamama, and Betio, was launched in November 1943 by the 2nd Marine Division and the 27th Infantry Division. While short in duration, the Betio battle has the dubious distinction of being the most costly in US Marine Corps history. Enriched by the author’s in-depth knowledge and access to superb contemporary images, this book is ideal for both historians and anyone interested in the Pacific War. “An excellent overview of the battle for the Gilberts.” —Air Power History

A study in amphibious warfare that describes how the imperfections of American amphibious doctrine, first revealed at Tarawa and Makin, were corrected in the highly successful landings on Kwajalein and Roi-Namur.