The Battle of Guam (21 July – 10 August 1944) was the American recapture of the Japanese-held island of Guam, an American territory in the Mariana Islands captured by the Japanese in the First Battle of Guam in 1941 during the Pacific campaign of World War II. The battle was a critical component of Operation Forager. The recapture of Guam and the broader Mariana and Palau Islands campaign resulted in the destruction of much of Japan's naval air power and allowed the United States to establish la