Airfields that played a pivotal yet fleeting part of America’s campaign against the Japanese Empire in World War II are now being refitted for service as the Pacific is potentially set to become a theater of war in the world’s next big conflict.
Airstrips on the islands of Peleliu and Tinian are being reconditioned for modern use after decades of dormancy. Major steps have been taken in the last few months to make these islands ready for military aircraft, according to France24.
The plans were first announced in April as part of the military’s growing focus on the Pacific region.
The airfield on Peleliu was originally a Japanese construction.
Imperial forces on the tiny island numbered some 10,000 before the American amphibious invasion in 1944, according to Task and Purpose. To dislodge them, 50,000 American Marines and Army soldiers threw themselves against the entrenched enemy, resulting in one-third of the force dead or injured.
This was one of the costliest amphibious assaults of the war in the Pacific.
Cameras were rolling as U.S. forces worked the island over with heavy bombardments and landed men ashore.
The footage of the landing craft heading toward the beach at Peleliu is really something else.
“BOMBARDMENT OF PELELIU, BEACHHEAD SCENES, SHIPS OFF SHORE @USNatArchives NAID: 77562Local ID: 428-NPC-5567″#history #ww2 pic.twitter.com/zBisgNckjF
— OTD Military History (@OTDCanMilHis) August 30, 2024
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The island airstrip provided air coverage and served as a vital link in the island chain strangling the empire. Eventually, the progression of the war rendered the airfield virtually useless, and it was soon overtaken by nature.
On June 22, after months of hard work, the U.S. military marked a “triumphant return” to the island by landing a C-130 on the resurfaced runway.
“For the first time since its recertification in June, a military fixed-wing aircraft has touched down on the historic Peleliu airstrip, marking a significant and triumphant return to this iconic World War II site, on June 22, 2024,” the Marine Corps announced in June.
The USMC called the mission to make the runway operational a “critical” part of the military’s positioning in the Indo-Pacific region.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command shared photos of America’s return to this historic airfield, hinting at what is to come as the Pacific becomes more militarized.
.@PacificMarines aircraft land on a newly designated airstrip on the island of Peleliu, demonstrating the #USINDOPACOM #JointForce ability to adopt emerging concepts to support and defend the #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.
📍 #Palau
📸 LCpl Hannah Hollerud pic.twitter.com/f9VsOyZD79
— U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (@INDOPACOM) June 25, 2024
According to France24, the U.S. military is also eyeing the nearby island of Tinian.
Like Peleliu, Tinian’s tiny airstrip last saw use in the heat of World War II. The airfield on Tinian is not yet operational.
The two islands sit some ways off the Chinese coast, giving America even more assets to confront the rapidly-growing superpower. The United States has been forced to rethink its force allocation and global commitments as uncomfortable truths about the rise of Beijing are becoming clearer than ever.
These islands may not prove to be make-or-break holdings in any future conflict, but they provide the American military more flexibility and strength when push comes to shove in the Pacific.
