Different islands produced very different costs: lightly held objectives could fall quickly, while heavily fortified ones demanded major preparation. Majuro fell in a day without casualties, providing a sharp contrast with contested landings elsewhere in the Marshalls. At Kwajalein, bombardment reportedly reduced a garrison of roughly 3,000 to only a few hundred able to contest the coast. Battleships including Colorado, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania, supported by cruisers, destroyers, and carriers, supplied that exceptional fire superiority. Elsewhere, roughly 8,000 Japanese personnel could tie down about 47,000 attackers, showing the economy of force achieved even when a fortified island ultimately fell.
Notable Point · 1:15:38-1:18:30
Marshall Islands bombardment reveals the price of overcoming forts
American victories depended on enormous naval and air firepower that destroyed much of the defending force before the landings.