| Preface | vii |
| Abbreviations | xxiii |
| Introduction: Fast Carrier Operations, 1943-1945 | xxvii |
Part I | The Recovery of the Western Aleutians, June 1942-August 1943 | |
I | Nine Months' Arctic Warfare, 15 June 1942-18 March 1943 | 3 |
1. | Aleutians Situation | 3 |
2. | Bombardment of Kiska, 7 August | 9 |
3. | Adak and Amchitka | 12 |
4. | Bombardment of Attu, 18 February | 19 |
II | The Battle of the Komandorski Islands, 26 March 1943 | 22 |
III | Attu Regained, April-May 1943 | 37 |
1. | Preparations and Approach | 37 |
2. | The Landings, 11 May | 41 |
3. | One Week's Struggle | 44 |
4. | The Final Assault, 19-29 May | 49 |
IV | The Aleutians Secured, May-October 1943 | 52 |
1. | Airfields and S-boats | 52 |
2. | Concentrating on Kiska | 54 |
3. | A Slick Evacuation, 28 July | 56 |
4. | Bootless Bombardment and Bloodless Occupation | 61 |
5. | Aleutians Secured | 65 |
Part II | The Gilbert Islands Recovered (Operation "Galvanic") | |
V | Plans and Preparations | 69 |
1. | The Spider's Web | 69 |
2. | Micronesia in Pacific Strategy | 79 |
3. | Organization and Training | 85 |
4. | Preliminary Operations | 92 |
a. | Fast Carrier Strikes, 1 September-6 October | |
b. | Baker Island Reoccupied | |
c. | Photographic Reconnaissance | |
VI | Logistics Afloat in the Pacific | 100 |
VII | Organization and Approach, November 1943 | 114 |
VIII | Makin, 19-29 November 1943 | 121 |
1. | Plan and Initial Landings | 121 |
2. | Lagoon Landings | 127 |
3. | Makin Taken | 132 |
IX | Japanese Reaction and Counterattack, October-November 1943 | 136 |
X | Tarawa, 19-23 November 1943 | 146 |
1. | The Japanese Defensive System on Betio | 146 |
2. | Plan, Leaders, Approach | 149 |
3. | Betio Assaulted, 20 November | 156 |
4. | "Issue in Doubt" | 163 |
5. | Betio Secured | 172 |
XI | Tarawa and Abemama Secured, 24-27 November 1943 | 175 |
1. | Bairiki to Buariki | 175 |
2. | Abemama | 179 |
3. | Conclusions and Casualties | 182 |
XII | Scouting Submarines and Carrier Strikes, 13 November-8 December 1943 | 187 |
1. | Loss of Corvina and Sculpin | 187 |
2. | Strikes on Kwajalein and Nauru, 4-8 December | 189 |
Part III | The Conquest of the Marshalls | |
XIII | Getting Set for the Marshalls, June-December 1943 | 201 |
1. | Which Marshalls? | 201 |
2. | Amphtracs and Logistics | 208 |
3. | Air and Submarine Preparation | 211 |
4. | Enemy Preparations | 222 |
XIV | Majuro, 31 January-8 February 1944 | 225 |
XV | Kwajalein (Operation "Flintlock"), 31 January-7 February 1944 | 230 |
1. | The Atoll, the Plan and the Approach | 230 |
2. | Initial Landings in the North, 31 January | 236 |
3. | Roi and Namur, 31 January-2 February | 240 |
4. | The Southern Attack Force | 251 |
5. | Initial Landings in the South, 31 January-2 February | 253 |
6. | The Assault on Kwajalein Island, 1-6 February | 257 |
7. | Ebeye and Minor Islets, 2-6 February | 272 |
8. | Conclusion and Comment | 278 |
XVI | Eniwetok (Operation "Catchpole"), 31 January-4 March 1944 | 282 |
1. | Preliminaries | 282 |
2. | Engebi, 17-18 February | 288 |
3. | Eniwetok Island, 19-23 February | 294 |
4. | Parry, 19-23 February | 300 |
XVII | Marshalls' Mop-up, February-June 1944 | 305 |
1. | Development of Bases | 305 |
2. | Neutralizing Enemy-held Atolls | 307 |
3. | Occupation of Minor Atolls | 310 |
XVIII | First Strike on Truk (Operation "Hailstone"), 17-18 February 1944 | 315 |
Appendix I | Forces Engaged in the Capture of Attu (Operation "Landcrab"), 11-29 May 1943 | 333 |
Appendix II | Forces Engaged in Gilbert Islands Operation (Operation "Galvanic"), 10 November-10 December 1943 | 336 |
Appendix III | Forces Engaged in Marshall Islands (Operations "Flintlock" and "Catchpole"), 29 January-23 February 1944 | 343 |
Appendix IV | Forces Engaged in Strike on Truk, 17-18 February 1944 | 352 |
| Index | 355 |