On this day in history, 4 December 1943, the U.S. conducts airstrikes against Kwajalein Atoll in preparation for the invasion of the Marshall Islands.

Although the invasion itself was not set to start until 31 January of 1944, the pre-invasion strikes helped soften the Japanese resistance on the islands.

The planning and execution of the Marshalls campaign helped to restore faith in the American military planning capabilities after operations such as Tarawa, nicknamed “Bloody Tarawa” for the loss of American life due to poor information and planning.

The efficiency and success of the Marshalls invasion enabled Nimitz to move up the timetable for subsequent campaigns by as much as six months and lent more troops to these operations, providing more manpower and hastening Allied victory in the Pacific.

Sources:
Naval History and Heritage Command
U.S. Army
Image: National Archives photo from the Naval History and Heritage Center

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