Battle of Angaur

The Battle of Angaur was a WW2 military engagement which took place in the Pacific Theater of Operation. It was fought between US Army's 81st Infantry Division, under Maj.Gen. Paul Mueller, and the Japanese 1,400-men garrison, led by Major Ushio Goto, from September 17 to October 22, 1944, on Angaur.

The amphibious invasion of this island took place almost simultaneously with the Battle of Peleliu. Both Angaur and Peleliu were part of the Palau group of islands, whose capture was part of Operation Forager, which was the code name for the Marianas and Palau islands campaign.

Summary

The Battle of Angaur started on the morning of September 17, 1944, when the 321st and 322nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), of the 81st Inf. Div., went ashore on their respective landing sectors, on Blue and Red Beach. The invasion had been preceded by heavy bombardment carried out by the Battleship Tennessee and the cruisers Columbus, Cleveland, and Denver.

As soon as they had landed, the men of the 322nd RCT pushed quickly inland, advancing half way across the island by evening of the first day. On Blue Beach, however, the Japanese resistance was stubborn, pinning down the 321st RCT on their sector. The following day, on September 18, US carrier-based bomber attacked the Japanese positions on Blue Beach, tearing gaps in the frontline, allowing the 321st RCT's men to breach the Japanese defense.

On September 19, both units reached the enemy pillboxes and bunkers on the southern portion of the island, located near the beach. Nevertheless, it would take more than month to mop up and secure the whole island as the western portion of Angaur bristled with Japanese bunkers and defensive obstacles. From the 1,400 Japanese soldiers, only 70 surrendered to the US Army personnel.

Below, aerial view of Angaur after the battle. You can see Blue Beach on the foreground, on the eastern shore of island.