I have been to a remote island: Marcus Island (AKA Minami Torishima or South Bird Island). It’s about midway between Midway and Japan and is a triangular heap of coral hundreds of miles away from other isolated islands and more than 1,000 miles from the Japanese mainland.
The longest leg of the triangle is the one on which the runway is and it’s 4,500 feet long. One could walk around the perimeter of the island in about 30 minutes even on the loose coral. One can also observe all kinds of things from civilization washed up on the shore: mostly fishing equipment but also things like women’s shoes.
During World War II, the Japanese had 5,000 soldiers stationed on the island. They must have all been standing in formation at attention, that’s the only way you can fit that many people on the island. The United States bypassed the island during its Pacific Campaign.
I have been to a remote island: Marcus Island (AKA Minami Torishima or South Bird Island). It’s about midway between Midway and Japan and is a triangular heap of coral hundreds of miles away from other isolated islands and more than 1,000 miles from the Japanese mainland.
The longest leg of the triangle is the one on which the runway is and it’s 4,500 feet long. One could walk around the perimeter of the island in about 30 minutes even on the loose coral. One can also observe all kinds of things from civilization washed up on the shore: mostly fishing equipment but also things like women’s shoes.
During World War II, the Japanese had 5,000 soldiers stationed on the island. They must have all been standing in formation at attention, that’s the only way you can fit that many people on the island. The United States bypassed the island during its Pacific Campaign.