World War II: Attack in the Pacific - Guam 1941

The attack on Guam came only a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The island's defending force was significantly undergunned against the 5,500 troops from Japan's South Seas Detachment. We spend a little time talking about the amusing way Guam came into US possession, attempts to fortify Guam, and the Japanese attack on the island.

Thanks to Audible, we can give you a free audiobook! I have included my book recommendation at the end of each episode, but don’t feel obligated to select my suggestion. This offer is available to any of the tens of thousands of audiobooks offered by Audible. Regardless if you decide to continue your membership with audible, this book is yours to keep forever.

References: 

  • Beevor, A. (n.d.). The Second World War. United States: Little, Brown.

  • Clifford, J. H. (1914) History of the pioneer marine battalion at Guam, L.I., and the campaign in Samar, P.I. 1901. [Portsmouth, N.H., Chronicle Job Print] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/16009660/.

  • Commager, H. S., Miller, D. L. (2010). The Story of World War II: Revised, Expanded, and Updated from the Original T. United Kingdom: Simon & Schuster.

  • Higuchi, W. (2013). The Japanese Administration of Guam, 1941-1944: A Study of Occupation and Integration Policies, with Japanese Oral Histories. United Kingdom: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.

  • History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II.: Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, by F. O. Hough, V. E. Ludwig and H. I. Shaw, Jr. (1958). United States: Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.

  • Johnson, L. W. (1942, July). Guam - Before December, 1941. U.S. Naval Institute, 68/7/473.

  • Mott, F. L. (1941). American Journalism: A History of Newspapers in the United States Through 250 Years, 1690 to 1940. United States: Macmillan.

  • Report on Need of Additional Naval Bases to Defend the Coasts of the United States, Its Territories and Possessions, House Document No. 65, 76th Cong., 1st sess., 27 December 1938

  • Rottman, G. L. (2013). Guam 1941 & 1944: Loss and Reconquest. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.