The US Army 77th Infantry Division sustained 841 casualties (177 dead, and 662 wounded). Cyril J. O'Brien served in a line company with the 3d Marines, 3d Marine Division, on Bougainville, and then as a Combat Correspondent in the battles for Guam and Iwo Jima. The American garrison was defeated by Japanese forces on 10 December, which resulted in an occupation until the Second Battle of Guam in 1944. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was the impetus for the United States’ entrance into World War II. Violent battle footage shows the US forces retaking the island of Guam after they had lost it to the Japanese. The First Battle of Guam was an engagement during the Pacific War in World War II, and took place from 8 December to 10 December 1941 on Guam in the Mariana Islands between Japan and the United States. The island was defended by a small, lightly armed garrison of sailors and Marines. Attacks on British Empire possessions in the Pacific, beginning with an attack on Hong Kong almost simultaneous with the Pearl Harbor attack, brought the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand into the conflict. The III Amphibious Corps sustained 6,875 casualties (1567 dead, and 5,308 wounded).

Published 8:21 PM ET, Sat August 12, 2017. The attack crippled most of the U.S. Pacific fleet’s battleships and started a formal state of war between the two nations. Guam was secure by August 10. Landing troops were commanded by Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC. Battle of Guam, (21 July–10 August 1944), World War II event. Foreword to CMH Edition. 2 The Americans lost over 1,700 men and the Japanese lost over 18,000. Guam is the largest of the Marianas, 30 miles (48 km) long and 9 miles (14 km) wide. In attacking Guam, U.S. forces were not only acquiring a fine harbor and a number of airfields to use in future operations, but were also liberating U.S. territory—Guam had been captured by the Japanese in 1941. Japan suffered over 19,000 casualties on Guam between August 1944, and the end of the war. The Battle of Guam: 1941 Part of the plan of the Empire of Japan during World War II was to capture Guam.

1 of 7 US troops stop to eat on the road to Agana, the capital of Guam, August 10, 1944. The Battle of Guam was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Guam in the Mariana Islands from July 21, 1944 to August 8, 1944. Originally an American possession, the island of Guam had been lost to the Japanese during the opening days of the conflict in 1941. The First Battle of Guam was an engagement during the Pacific War in World War II, and took place from 8 December to 10 December 1941 on Guam in the Mariana Islands between Japan and the United States. The first battle of Guam took place Dec. 8-10, 1941. Share. Invasion of Guam: July 21-August 10, 1944 On July 21, 1944, in Operation Stevedore, Task Force 53, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard L. Connolly, USN, landed the Third Marine Division and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, along with the U.S. Army 77th Infantry Division on Guam. The Battle of Guam was fought July 21 to August 10, 1944, during World War II (1939-1945). Casualties on Guam. They were … Guam: Operations of the 77th Division (21 July-10 August 1944) is one of a series of fourteen studies of World War II operations originally published by the War Department's Historical Division and now returned to print as part of the Army's commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of that momentous clash of arms.These volumes, prepared by professional … The American garrison was defeated by Japanese forces on 10 December, which resulted in an occupation until the Second Battle of Guam in 1944. As elsewhere, Guam’s Japanese garrison fought practically to the last man. By March of 1941, the Empire of Japan was already flying photo reconnaissance over the island. By September of that year, the plans for an invasion of Guam were completed. A look at Guam during World War II. The stunning pictures show the American struggle to reclaim Guam after it was seized by Japan in 1941.