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36-727: Nimitz Hill Annex is located in the hills above the Asan shoreline, in particular the 1944 Liberation of Guam 's Asan Invasion Beach . It is located largely along Guam Highway 6 , known as Halsey Drive as it passes through the CDP. It is bounded to the north by the Asan Inland Unit of War in the Pacific National Historical Park , to the northeast by Asan's Maina community in the Fonte River valley, to

72-519: A formidable challenge for any attacker. Underwater Demolition Teams reconnoitered the beaches and removed obstacles from 14 to 17 July. Despite the obstacles, on 21 July the American forces landed on both sides of the Orote Peninsula on the western side of Guam, planning to secure Apra Harbor. The 3rd Marine Division landed at Asan near Agana to the north of Orote at 08:29, and

108-1488: A month. U.S. naval and air bombardments lasted from 11 to 13 June 1944, involving 216 carrier aircraft and land-based B-24 bombers from the Marshall Islands. On 12 and 13 June 12 Japanese cargo ships and several fishing vessels were sunk. On 27 June, U.S. Navy battleships and cruisers started shelling the island, joined by a U.S. carrier group on 4 July, and two more on 6 July. [REDACTED] United States US Fifth Fleet Admiral Raymond A. Spruance , USN Southern Attack Force (Task Force 53) Vice Admiral Richard L. Conolly , USN Expeditionary Troops Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith , USMC Approx. 48,200 officers and enlisted III Marine Amphibious Corps Major General Roy S. Geiger , USMC [REDACTED] Japan Army Forces Lieutenant General Takeshi Takashina (KIA 28 July) Thirty-First Army Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata (committed suicide 11 August) Approx. 11,500 officers and enlisted Navy Forces 54th Navy Special Police Unit (Capt. Yutaka Sugimoto) (2,300 personnel, including coast defense and AA) Two Naval construction battalions (each 900, 1,800 total) IJNAS ground crews, logistics and maintenance personnel (2,000) Miscellaneous (1,000) Before landing, U.S. forces sought to ensure both air and naval superiority . A total of 274 ships, which fired 44,978 shots from 2-inch and 5-inch guns, supported

144-418: A more difficult landing on 23–24 July. Lacking amphibious vehicles, they had to wade ashore from the edge of the reef where the landing craft dropped them off. The men stationed in the two beachheads were pinned down by heavy Japanese fire, making initial progress inland quite slow. Supply was very difficult for the landing troops on Guam in the first days of the battle. Landing ships could not come closer than

180-676: A prison camp constructed at the same location. The most prominent of the prisoners, Apolinario Mabini , was the first Prime Minister of the Philippines . In 1917, the prison camp was used again to temporarily house sailors from the SMS ; Cormoran , the first German prisoners-of-war taken by the United States in World War I . Five years later, in 1922, Asan Point was converted into a United States Marine Corps camp. However,

216-560: A water recreation area, is located in the southeast of Nimitz Hill Annex. The transmitter for NOAA Weather Radio station WXM85 , programmed by NWS Tiyan , is located here. Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Chester W. Nimitz briefly made his headquarters at the Japanese naval communications center at Fonte Plateau in January 1945. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center was established at Nimitz Hill in 1959, but Typhoon Karen destroyed

252-418: Is a community and census-designated place (CDP) along the western coast of the U.S. territory of Guam . Asan, along with Maina and Nimitz Hill Annex , are the three communities in the village of Asan-Maina . It is known for being the location of the northern invasion beach used by the United States during the retaking of Guam in 1944. Asan lies along the western coast of Guam along Asan Bay , facing

288-503: Is in the school transportation zone for McCool Elementary and McCool Middle School, while Guam High School is the island's sole DoDEA high school. Non-DoDEA public schools are operated by the Guam Department of Education . This United States Navy article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Guam location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Asan, Guam Asan

324-501: The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade landed near Agat to the south. Japanese artillery sank 30 U.S. LVTs and inflicted heavy casualties on the landing troops, especially of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, but by 09:00 Marines and tanks were ashore at both beaches. By nightfall, the Marines and soldiers of the 77th Infantry Division had established beachheads about 6,600 feet (2,000 m) deep. The 77th Infantry Division had

360-603: The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), Asan is in the school transportation zone for McCool Elementary and McCool Middle School, while Guam High School is the island's sole DoDEA high school. Battle of Guam (1944) The Battle of Guam (21 July – 10 August 1944) was the American recapture of the Japanese-held island of Guam , a U.S. territory in the Mariana Islands captured by

396-625: The Japanese home islands with its new strategic bomber , the Boeing B-29 Superfortress . Guam, at 212 square miles (543 square kilometers), is the largest island of the Marianas, with a length of 32 miles (52 km) and a width ranging from 12 miles (19.31 km) to four miles (6.44 km) at different points of the island. It had been a United States possession since its capture from Spain in 1898 until it

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432-715: The Marshall Islands to the east, then once air superiority was gained, close bombardment by battleships , cruisers , and destroyers . Saipan, Tinian , and Guam were chosen as the targets because of their size and suitability as bases for supporting the next stage of operations toward the Philippines , Taiwan , and the Ryukyu Islands . The seaport at Apra Harbor was suitable for the largest ships; and air bases for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses could be built from which to bomb Japan. B-24 Liberators from

468-625: The Philippine Sea . It is surrounded by the Asan Beach Unit and Asan Inland Unit of War in the Pacific National Historical Park . The village lies between Asan Point and Adelup Point . Guam Highway 1 , better known as Marine Corps Drive, provides access to Piti to the west and Maina to the east. Nimitz Hill Annex on the Nimitz Hill highlands inland of Asan is not directly accessible by road. The Asan River flows through

504-534: The Asan Annex. This Asan Annex was used until 1973, only to be converted into an emergency refugee camp for Vietnamese fleeing after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Dubbed Operation New Life , the 110,000 refugees overwhelmed the initial camp at Asan, requiring the construction of a larger camp at Orote Field on Naval Base Guam . In 1976, Typhoon Pamela destroyed all the buildings at Asan Point and their wreckage

540-587: The Japanese from the United States in the First Battle of Guam in 1941 during the Pacific campaign of World War II . The battle was a critical component of Operation Forager . The recapture of Guam and the broader Mariana and Palau Islands campaign resulted in the destruction of much of Japan's naval air power and allowed the United States to establish large airbases from which it could bomb

576-460: The Japanese from slipping through gaps in the line. The Japanese had another stronghold at Mount Santa Rosa, which was secured on 8 August. On 10 August organized Japanese resistance ended, and Guam was declared secure, but 7,500 Japanese soldiers were estimated to be at large. The next day, Obata committed ritual suicide at his headquarters on Mount Mataguac after he had sent a farewell message to Japan. A few Japanese soldiers held out in

612-471: The Marianas could also bomb Iwo Jima and the Bonin Islands , such as Chichi Jima . The invasion of Saipan was scheduled for 15 June 1944, with landings on Guam tentatively set for 18 June. The original timetable was optimistic, however. A large Japanese carrier attack and stubborn resistance by the unexpectedly large Japanese garrison on Saipan led to the invasion of Guam being postponed for

648-485: The actual peak of Nimitz Hill. The Fonte Plateau Unit of War in the Pacific National Historical Park is located in the southeast of the community. The Asan Bay Overlook of the Park's Asan Inland Unit, with its memorials, is accessed through Nimitz Hill Annex. The Libugon Viewpoint, near the eastern boundary of the CDP, offers views over Maina and Agana Heights to Agana Bay . The NRHP-listed Fonte River Dam , often used as

684-525: The area, destroying all pre-war structures in Asan. The bombardment was followed by 180 landing craft bringing Marines to the shore in the face of fierce Japanese resistance. After the end of the Pacific War , the U.S. Navy Seabees maintained a headquarters at Camp Asan at the point until 1947. The residents of Asan who returned to rebuild their homes were moved further away from the coast, creeping up to

720-546: The battle. Five large airfields were built by the Navy Seabees and African American Aviation Engineering Battalions. Army Air Forces B-29 bombers flew from Northwest Field and North Field on Guam to attack targets in the Western Pacific and on mainland Japan. Guam's native Chamorro population had suffered considerably during Japanese occupation, and the Japanese soldiers began to commit atrocities during

756-473: The bombardment. Despite this, the bombardment far exceeded the expectations of the defending forces which were dug in along the coast as they were on Saipan. Many of the bases and guard towers were destroyed. However, artillery pieces entrenched in dense forests, caves, trenches and locations four kilometers or more from the coast were able to escape destruction and became a source of heavy Japanese resistance. Guam, ringed by reefs, cliffs, and heavy surf, presents

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792-519: The bottom of the highlands, renamed Nimitz Hill. From 1948 to 1967, the area around Asan Point became "Civil Service Camp," a small military facility with housing and amenities such as an outdoor theater, tennis courts, and a fire station. In 1968, the number of injured servicemembers arriving from the Vietnam War began to strain the resources of Naval Hospital Guam , and Civil Service Camp was converted into Advanced Base Naval Hospital, also known as

828-754: The camp, and much of the rest of Guam, was demilitarized in 1931 as a result of U.S. isolationism between the World Wars . During the Japanese occupation from 1941, Japanese forces constructed defensive strongpoints at Asan and Adelup Points, as well as the Libugon highlands overlooking Asan Bay. In 1944, the U.S. military chose the Asan Invasion Beach as the northern attack beginning the Battle of Guam . Three battleships, three cruisers, and three destroyers, as well as carrier-based aircraft, bombarded

864-585: The center in 1962. After being rebuilt in 1965, it remained until January 1, 1999, when the center was moved to Pearl Harbor following the Base Realignment and Closure legislation of 1995 . Nimitz Hill is also home to former United States Naval family housing. On August 6, 1997 Korean Air Flight 801 crashed immediately south of the Nimitz Hill Annex area. In regards to the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), Nimitz Hill

900-423: The island, "to engage in delaying action in the jungle in northern Guam to hold the island as long as possible". After ensuring that no significant Japanese forces operated in the southern portion of Guam, Marine Major General Roy S. Geiger started an offensive north with the 3rd Marine Division on the left flank and the 77th Infantry Division on the right, liberating Agana on the same day. The Tiyan Airfield

936-416: The jungle after the fighting on Guam. On 8 December 1945, three U.S. Marines were ambushed and killed. Sergeant Masashi Itō surrendered on 23 May 1960, after the last of his companions was captured. On 24 January 1972, Sergeant Shoichi Yokoi was discovered by hunters on the island. He had lived alone in a cave for 28 years, near Talofofo Falls . Guam was turned into a base for Allied operations after

972-402: The landing. In addition, 13 aircraft carriers participated in the air raid, and 4,283 bombs (weighing a total of 1,310 tons) were dropped from 18 to 20 July, the day before the landings. The heavy bombardment burned all the palm trees on the beach and destroyed every building that could be seen. Experience gained by the Japanese from the invasion of Saipan was used to try to mitigate the effects of

1008-552: The late seventeenth century converted the village into an agricultural settlement, primarily farming taro , rice , and sugar cane . Asan lay along the only real road on Guam, which connected the port at Piti to the capital of Hagåtña . A leper colony established at Asan Point in 1892 was destroyed by the Typhoon of 1900 . The next year, Filipino insurrectionists arrested during the Philippine–American War were placed in

1044-562: The preparation for the invasion. In what became known as the Maneggon March, the Japanese soldiers forced most of the island's population to march into six concentration camps in southern Guam. The sick and starving were left for dead along the way, and Japanese troops massacred about 600 civilians. As many as 2,000 may have been killed during the occupation. Liberation Day continues to be celebrated on Guam every 21 July. Navy Unit Commendation : Four Medal of Honor recipients of

1080-509: The reef, several hundred yards from the beach, and amphibious vehicles were scarce. The 1st Provisional Brigade blocked off the Orote Peninsula on 25 July, and that same night Takashina counterattacked , coordinated with a similar attack against the 3rd Division to the north. The next day, Obata reported, "our forces failed to achieve the desired objectives." Takashina was killed on 28 July, and Obata took over command. On 28 July

1116-500: The two beachheads were linked, and by 29 July, the Americans secured the peninsula. The Japanese counterattacks against the American beachheads, as well as the fierce fighting, had exhausted the Japanese. At the start of August, they were running out of food and ammunition, and they had only a handful of tanks left. Obata withdrew his troops from southern Guam, planning to make a stand in the mountainous central and northern part of

Nimitz Hill Annex, Guam - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-586: The west by the adjacent Nimitz Hill CDP across the village boundary in Piti , and to the south by the Fonte River and uninhabited inland highlands. The Annex includes a military reservation, also named Nimitz Hill, with housing for senior U.S. military officers on Guam. The headquarters building for Joint Region Marianas / Naval Forces Marianas and the NAVFAC Marianas building are nearby, close to

1188-480: The western part of the community. A distinguishing feature is the large grassy park at Asan Point, which is actually across Marine Corps Drive from the community in the Asan Beach Unit of War in the Pacific National Historical Park. Asan is thought to get its name from the CHamoru word hassan , meaning "scarce" or "rare." Before European contact, Asan was primarily a fishing village. The Spanish who colonized Guam in

1224-519: Was captured by the Japanese on 10 December 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor . During the Japanese occupation of Guam , it was not as heavily fortified as the other Mariana Islands such as Saipan that had been Japanese possessions since the end of World War I . But by 1944, Guam had a large Japanese garrison. The United States plan for the invasion of the Marianas, Operation Forager , called for heavy preliminary bombardment, first by carrier aircraft and U.S. Army Air Forces bombers based in

1260-410: Was captured on 1 August. Rain and thick jungle made conditions difficult for the Americans, but after an engagement with the main Japanese line of defense around Mount Barrigada from 2 to 4 August, the Japanese line collapsed. The 1st Provisional Brigade formed up on the left flank of the 3rd Marine Division on 7 August because of the widening front and continued casualties, in an effort to prevent

1296-594: Was removed by the U.S. Navy. The National Park Service acquired the land from the military in 1978, establishing War in the Pacific National Historical Park . In the 1980s, the community of Asan was redeveloped by the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority . While the post-war Asan was a village of winding streets with Spanish-style houses, the redevelopment straightened streets, added sidewalks, and rebuilt most homes in concrete. The Guam Department of Education operates non-military public schools. In regards to

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