— THREE THEATERS · THIRTEEN ISLANDS —
The Battles of the Pacific
The campaigns where the war was won — and where its relics still remain.
The Pacific War spanned more than three years and dozens of operations across thousands of miles of ocean. This site focuses on three campaign clusters where the documentary record on the ground remains exceptional, and where I’ve personally walked the battlefields: Palau, the Mariana Islands, and the Solomon Islands.
Choose Your Battlefield
PALAU CLUSTER
Peleliu
September – November 1944
73 days · 1,794 US KIA · 10,695 IJA KIA
Operation Stalemate II. The 1st Marine Division at Bloody Nose Ridge, the 1,000-Man Cave, and the controversial campaign that historians still debate.
MARIANA ISLANDS
Saipan
June – July 1944
24 days · 3,426 US KIA · 24,000 IJA KIA
Operation Forager. The turning point that brought B-29 bombers within range of Tokyo. Mount Tapotchau, Death Valley, Marpi Point — and the civilian tragedy that ended the campaign.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Guadalcanal
August 1942 – February 1943
187 days · 7,100 US KIA · 31,000 IJA KIA
Operation Watchtower. America’s first major Pacific offensive. Henderson Field, Iron Bottom Sound, Edson’s Ridge — six months in the green hell that turned the tide of the war.
See Every Site on the Map
Each pin is a site I’ve visited and documented. Click for photos, coordinates, and the story behind what was found there.