US aircraft return to site of major World War II battle

Business Insider reported on June 26 that a C-130 military transport plane landed at the airport on Peleliu Island on June 22. This was the site of the fierce Battle of Peleliu in 1944, when 1,800 American soldiers were killed and more than 8,000 were wounded, while the Japanese force suffered more than 10,000 casualties.

The US Marine Corps said it was the deadliest amphibious operation of World War II, as 50,000 troops attempted to seize the island from Japanese defenders.

The US Marine Corps Engineers in Palau have been working to restore the airport since that battle. It was the first time in 80 years that a US military fixed-wing aircraft had landed on the runway on Peleliu Island. Observers saw the event as a sign that Washington wants to expand its military presence in the region.

"The landing of the C-130 on this runway after many years opens up the hope of starting a new chapter in the prosperous future of Peleliu island," said Peleliu Governor Emais Roberts.

A US C-130 transport plane lands at the airport on Peleliu Island on June 22.

US MARINE CORPS

Peleliu is an island belonging to the Republic of Palau. The US is lobbying for exclusive access to the island, given its strategic importance in the current US policy in the Indo-Pacific.

In March, US President Joe Biden renewed the agreements and announced a $7.1 billion aid package for Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. This gives the US access to their land, sea and air territories. Palau citizens can also work, study and join the US military under Washington’s programs.

US officials have been looking to restore former airfields. Last year, the US surveyed Tinian Island (Northern Mariana Islands), a US territory, when an airfield there was heavily used during World War II.

Hawaii is a US territory that NATO cannot protect.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/may-bay-my-tro-lai-noi-tung-la-chung-nhan-tran-danh-lon-trong-the-chien-2-1852406261231081.htm