which island was considered the stepping stone for an invasion of the japense main land

Question

nurali · Answer

They needed ones big enough for airfields and sheltered lagoons. Tarawa was the first one, then Eniwetok and Kwajelein in the Marshall Islands. They decided to bypass Truk which was the Japaneses major Naval Base in the Central Pacific. They jumped straight to Guam, Tinian and Saipan. Originally they were going to bypass the Philippines and go to Formosa, but MacArthur demanded that the US retake the Philippines before they moved on. His prestige was on the line. After that they needed a fighter base and an emergency landing base for the B-29's so Iwo Jima came into the picture. Then Okinawa was invaded as a staging area for the invasion of the home islands.

nurali · Answer

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