Wildcat Strike

Nimitz’s “island hopping” campaign brought the war to the Palaus by the fall of 1944, with Peleliu being the main objective of Operation STALEMATE. Smaller Angaur island was deemed a viable place to build a base for the logistical support that would be required. With fewer Japanese on …

1944-09-17

WO16

Nimitz’s “island hopping” campaign brought the war to the Palaus by the fall of 1944, with Peleliu being the main objective of Operation STALEMATE. Smaller Angaur island was deemed a viable place to build a base for the logistical support that would be required. With fewer Japanese on Anguar, the Army’s 81st Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Paul Mueller, would get its first taste of combat. Mueller feigned a landing on southern Anguar while his main force, the 321st Regimental Combat Team, landed to the northeast. The small but well-equipped and seasoned Japanese Army force was pushed inward towards the only two urban areas on the island – the small “Middle Village” and the logistical center known as Saipan town.

Saipan Town, Angaur Island

The Battle of Angaur was a battle of the Pacific campaign in World War II, fought on the island of Angaur in the Palau Islands from 17 September—22 October 1944. This battle was part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager which ran from June 1944 to November 1944 in the Pacific Theater of Operations, and Operation Stalemate II in particular. Angaur is a tiny limestone island, just 3 mi (4.8 km) long, separated from Peleliu by a 7 mi (11 km) strait, from which phosphate was mined. In mid-1944, the Japanese had 1,400 troops on the island, under the overall command of Palau Sector Group commander Lieutenant General Sadae Inoue and under the direct command of Major Goto who was stationed on the island. The weak defenses of the Palaus and the potential for airfield construction made them attractive targets for the Americans after the capture of the Marshall Islands, but a shortage of landing craft meant that operations against the Palaus could not begin until the Mariana Islands were secure. Once the assault on Peleliu was "well in hand", the 322nd Regimental combat team (RCT) would land on the northern Beach Red, and the 321st RCT on the eastern Beach Blue, both of the 81st Infantry Division commanded by Major General Paul J. Mueller.

American

Japanese

Scenario Type = Standard