July 21, 1944 – Guam Liberated and Activation of Station Able

July 21st is celebrated as Guam Liberation Day, the day when Americans came ashore in 1944. Alaska’s Aleutian Islands were liberated in 1943, and the Philippines would be liberated by the early part of 1945. The Japanese formally surrendered Sept. 2, 1945.

The island of Guam in the western Pacific was one of several U.S. territories occupied by the Japanese during World War II, others notably being the Philippines and a portion of Alaska.

The United States acquired Guam and the Philippines from Spain in 1898, following the Spanish-American War.

The first battle of Guam took place Dec. 8-10, 1941. The island was defended by a small, lightly armed garrison of sailors and Marines. They were quickly overrun by the larger Japanese landing force.

The United States didn’t have time to sufficiently mobilize its fleet and resources, as the island fell just a week after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7. The U.S. was much more prepared by the time of the second battle, which took place July 21 to Aug. 10, 1944.