The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
|
| Previous: Pomalaa | Table of Contents | Next: Pontianac |
Ponape (158.208E
6.973N) is a relatively large, elevated island in the eastern
Carolines. Rugged and heavily forested, It is about 19 miles (31 km) in
diameter and has a maximum elevation of 2500 feet (760 m). It is surrounded by
a reef and has a good anchorage. The Japanese
invested
fairly heavily in the island, and its inhabitants were moderately loyal
to the Empire.
The island provided hundreds of workers for other
islands. By the
outbreak of war, Ponape had a seaplane
base, and
was
protected by a coastal battery and two antiaircraft batteries. The
Japanese had completed an airstrip
by early 1944 on an islet just north of the island capital of Colonia,
on the north coast of the main island, and were working on a second
airstrip.
On 12 February 1944, six Japanese flying boats staged from Truk through Ponape and managed to
destroy the main Marine supply dumps on newly captured Roi-Namur. The Allies responded with strikes
by 7 Air Force
from Tarawa between 15 and 26
February. The facilities were bombarded by
seven battleships
under Admiral Lee
on 1 May 1944, with air cover was provided by the carriers of
Clark's
TG 58.1. This was mostly a training
exercise, as there were few worthwhile targets left on the island and
the battle line had never before operated as a unit.
The island was then bypassed by the Allied
counteroffensive.
References
Morison (1951, 1953)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2011-2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
