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RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL
When that war was concluded, Japan, having been on the side of the
victorious Allies, was awardedthe islands lying north of the equator by the
Treaty of Versailles. This was in the form of a mandate to control and
develop these islands, but not to fortify them.
The Japanese established the South Seas Bureau with headquarters ar
Kolonia in Ponape, and divided the mandated territory into six districts.
one of which was the Marshall Islands. Visits to Enewetak were made by
the Japanese Navy and by Japanese traders. Both Enewetak and Ujelang
were administered from Ponape, and the only foreign residents on
Enewetak were a Japanese trader and his two assistants. A weather Station
was established there in the 1930’s, but other Japanese associations with
the atoll languished.
Early in World WarII, the Japanese set out, contrary to the terms of the
mandate, to make Enewetak Atoll a strategic base in their planned
conquestof the Pacific. Japan maintained a guard unit of about 20 men on
Enjebi until December 1942, when construction workers arrived to
construct an airstrip. This was completed in July 1943, and, in October, the
detachment at Kwajalein was moved to Enjebi to act as a maintenance
force. In January 1944, [10 aviation officers and men were billeted on
Enjebi, and 2,686 soldiers were landed on Enewetak to prepare the
defense on the atoll. These were placed on Enjebi, Medren, and Enewetak.
About 1,000 laborers and other noncombatant personnel were also
present. The aviation personnel were to be evacuated to Truk by flying
boat but, for most of them, this operation was begun toolate.42 Noting the
preparations for battle, the 30 dri-Enewetak inhabitants of Enjebi moved
to islands on the eastern reef.
BATTLE OF ENEWETAK: FEBRUARY 1944
Theoriginal U.S plan for invading the Marshalls included amphibious
assaults on strongly defended atolls of the Ratak or eastern chain in order
to secureairstrips there. Air reconnaissance in December 1943 showed the
construction of a Japanese airstrip on Kwajalein Island, so plans were
altered to bypass Wotje, Maloelap, and Mili on the Ratak Atolls, and to
attack the north and south ends of Kwajalein Atoll simultaneously.
Planning included the capture of Majuro Atoll which was very lightly
defended. After securing Kwajalein, Enewetak was to be attacked.
The Marshall Islands operation was code-named ‘‘Flintlock’’ and was
under the overall command of Vice Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. The
capture of Enewetak was considered to be a preliminary step to landing on
Truk farther west and was code-named‘‘Catchpole.’’ Manyof the lessons
learned in the previously completed campaign to capture the Gilbert