Truk is an atoll in the Caroline Islands chain in the Pacific Ocean. It was the home of the Japanese Combined Fleet in World War II, as well as an important airbase (the Japanese equivalent of Pearl Harbor). In 1944, American naval forces attacked the island (Operation Hailstone), sinking 39 Japanese ships, including two cruisers and four destroyers. In addition, American planes destroyed over 250 aircraft. The operation made the base unusable by the Japanese, and the Americans bypassed it.[1] (see Island-hopping)
Categories: [Islands] [World War II]