Attack, Occupation, Liberation

The Japanese conquest of Guam began on December 8, 1941, an hour after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A small force of U.S. Marine and Navy personnel, joined by members of the local Chamorro Insular Force Guard and Naval Militia, opposed the overwhelming Japanese invasion, but after two days the defenders were forced to surrender. During the two and one-half year Japanese occupation, the Chamorros had possessions confiscated and were subjected to indoctrination on the "Spirit of Japan." The people of Guam endured rationing, forced labor, beatings, executions, and near the end, concentration camps. On July 21, 1944, 55,000 Americans landed at Asan and Agat beaches. After a deadly struggle, U.S. troops freed the interned Chamorros and secured the island on August 10, 1944.