ORDER OF BATTLE // February 17, 1944
Operation Hailstone
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 939 estimated
Empire du Japon
350
Medium-confidence figure
États-Unis
589
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
Operation Hailstone was a large-scale U.S. Navy air and surface assault on Truk Lagoon in February 1944, targeting what had been a major Imperial Japanese Navy base in the Pacific. The operation was part of the broader American offensive drive against Japanese naval power in the Pacific theater. Japanese casualties reached approximately 4,500, reflecting the scale of losses inflicted on forces defending the lagoon. By striking directly at Truk, U.S. forces degraded a key node in Japan's Pacific defensive perimeter, supporting the wider American campaign to advance across the central Pacific.
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