The Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign was a series of engagements fought from August 1942 to February 1944, in the Pacific theatre of World War II between the United States and Japan. They were the first battles of a large-scale offensive across the Central Pacific by the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps .

About 4,000 kilometers southwest of the Hawaii Islands, the Marshall Islands represented part of the perimeter of the Japanese Pacific empire. The former German colony was given to Japan after the closure of WW1, and had since been an important part of both offensive and defensive plans of the Japanese Navy.

See all 5 maps of Marshall Islands in World War II. Marshall Islands in World War II Interactive Map

History Map of World War II: The Pacific. The Marshall Islands: Kwajalein Atoll February 1944.

Soldiers of the U.S. 7th Infantry Division attack a Japanese blockhouse on Kwajalein. The Battle of Kwajalein was fought as part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It took place 31 January – 3 February 1944, on Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

WW2 Japanese Military Base, Maloelap Atoll (Google Maps). The Maloelap Atoll is part of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. In 1939, the Japanese built a seaplane base and landplane Taroa...

Map of Roi-Namur during World War II. The causeway is roughly centered. An SBD Dauntless flies patrol over USS Washington and USS Lexington during the Marshall islands campaign.

Map Collection Pacific Islands 1943-1945 The following maps are from "Pacific Islands" [Geographical Handbook Series]. Great Britain. Admiralty. Naval Intelligence Division, 1943-1945.

Behold this extraordinary artefact—an exceptionally scarce and museum-worthy relic. Dated 1943, this remarkable combat air target assault map of Kwajalein Island bears the distinguished stamp of "CONFIDENTIAL."

United States Hydrographic Office July 1943 map of the Marshall Islands showing distances and bearings between major island groups. 1944 United States Navy chart of Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. 1944 United States Navy chart of Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands.