The U.S. bombardment to retake Guam killed 1,170 Chamorros.

Evidence

The battle to retake Guam began in July 1944 with one of the war’s longest and largest naval bombardments. The bombardment, which planners designed to weaken Japanese defenses before an amphibious assault, showed little concern for the local population. Ironically, many Chamorros survived the bombing only because they were in concentration camps and not in their villages. By the time the U.S. military had regained control of Guam, some 1,170 Chamorros were dead. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 240

Categorization

• SHARE: The irony that concentration camps saved Chamorros from their own liberators’ bombs is a striking detail worth sharing with anyone interested in the Pacific War.