NAURU: THE BATTLE FOR NAURU

bombing.jpg (20915 bytes)

A photograph of Nauru taken from a U.S. Liberator B-24 bomber taken
during the raid. The smoke is rising from the three bombed-out phosphate plants.

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A direct hit is scored on one of the three big Japanese phosphate
refining plants on Nauru. This island produces 80% of all Japan's phosphate, which is used
not only for fertiliser but for smoke and incendiary bombs, for drugs, plastics and rustproof metals.

landing.jpg (24089 bytes)

Returning to Funafuti after the raid on Nauru, a B-24 Liberator
lands on a palm-fringed landing strip. Funafuti was the U.S. base set up by
the Marines in the Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu), southwest of the Gilberts (now Kiribati).

burning.jpg (36398 bytes)

A Liberator burns up after a Japanese attack on Funafuti,
about 4 a.m. on the morning after the big American raid on
Nauru. Another destroyed U.S. Liberator is at the left of the picture.

cleanup.jpg (37690 bytes)

Marine medical corpsemen removed the body
of one of the five men who were killed when a Japanese
bomb landed in an area on Funafuti occupied by Air Force personnel.

taildamage.jpg (27209 bytes)

The rudder of a Liberator shot away in the
battle over Nauru. Other planes had flat tyres,
perforated tanks, and punctured hydraulic systems.

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Wounded Americans are prepared for air evacuation
to the nearest hospital. Some of them were wounded in the
U.S. attack on Nauru, others by the Japanese attack on Funafuti.

wreckage.jpg (45312 bytes)

The wreck of a Liberator
on Funafuti after the Japanese attack.

parade.jpg (22793 bytes)

At Hickam Field, Hawaii, a month later, more than
300 officers and men who participated in raids were decorated.


This Web site details a raid made by the Seventh Air Force Command of the United States Air Force stationed in Hawaii on the Japanese occupied island of Nauru during World War 2. The plane first proceeded to the island of Funafuti some 900 miles from Nauru where the U.S. had established a base. Two days after arriving in Funafuti, the raid on Nauru was undertaken and was successful beyond all expectations. The Japanese Phosphate Manufacturing Plant had been completely destroyed and it would be many months before the Japanese could restore their destroyed machinery involved in the refining of the phosphates. The following day, the Japanese retaliated by attacking the U.S. base on Funafuti on two occasions and two U.S. bombers were destroyed.

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