Battle of Peleliu

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The Battle of Peleliu was a brutal World War II clash in the Pacific Theater, marked by fierce Japanese resistance and heavy American casualties during the U.S. campaign to capture the island’s strategic airfield.

Aliases (1)

Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
battle
awardAssociated Medal of Honor recipients from U.S. forces
belligerent Imperial Japanese Army
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
campaign Palau Islands campaign
casualtiesAndLosses over 1,700 Americans killed
over 10,000 Japanese killed
over 8,000 Americans wounded
very few Japanese prisoners taken
characteristic extensive use of fortified caves and tunnels by Japanese forces
extremely heavy American casualties
fierce Japanese resistance
intense close-quarters combat
commander Kiyoshi Kimura
Kunio Nakagawa
Roy S. Geiger NERFINISHED
William H. Rupertus
conflict Pacific Theater of Operations
controversy strategic value later questioned by historians
countryInvolved Empire of Japan
United States
endDate 1944-11-27
followedBy Battle of Leyte
location Palau
Peleliu
notableFor high casualty rate within 1st Marine Division
one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific for its size
notableUnit 1st Marine Division
1st Marines Regiment
5th Marines Regiment
7th Marines Regiment
81st Infantry Division
objective capture Peleliu airfield
secure flank for MacArthur’s return to the Philippines
operationName Operation Stalemate II
partOf Pacific War
World War II
precededBy Allied campaign in the Mariana Islands
result American victory
U.S. capture of Peleliu
startDate 1944-09-15
tacticalFeature Umurbrogol mountain ridge
heavily fortified coral ridges
theaterCommander Chester W. Nimitz
Douglas MacArthur
year 1944


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