On this day in 1944, the U.S. Marines fight their way ashore at Peleliu in the Palau archipelago in Micronesia. American commanders expect the island to fall in a day; the Japanese stubbornly resist for two months. 12,000 of the defenders are killed; U.S. losses top, 2,000 dead.

On this day in 1944, the U.S. Marines fight their way ashore at Peleliu in the Palau archipelago in Micronesia. American commanders expect the island to fall in a day; the Japanese stubbornly resist for two months. 12,000 of the defenders are killed; U.S. losses top, 2,000 dead.
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