Marines revive historic ‘Sledge’ airfield on Peleliu in Pacific pivot
Eight decades after the U.S. military took the small island in ferocious fighting, the aged airstrip is back in service.
NICHOLAS SLAYTON
POSTED ON JUN 24, 2024 5:37 PM EDT
In 1944, the tiny island of Peleliu was the site of the some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, as Marines and Army soldiers fought to seize an airfield carved into its coral rocks. Saturday, that legacy was revisisted as Marines began flying again from Peleliu, this time with an eye towards its value in the modern Pacific theater.
A Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules tanker assigned to 1st Marine Air Wing touched down on Peleliu June 22. It was a major milestone for the U.S. Marine Corps’ ongoing efforts to restore and update military installation in the Pacific, many of which have World War II roots. The airstrip was officially recertified earlier this month.
The fight for Peleliu was one of the bloodiest in U.S. history as almost 50,000 Marines and Army soldiers pried the tiny island away from 10,000 Japanese soldiers. Nearly one of every three Americans that landed at Peleliu was killed or injured, the highest rate of any amphibious landing of the war, according to the Marines.
“Today is a historic moment as we land a Marine Corps aircraft on the ‘Sledge’ runway,” Maj. Christopher Romero, commanding officer of Marine Corps Engineer Detachment Palau (MCED-P). “This remarkable achievement demonstrates the strategic importance of our mission and our dedication to regional stability and security.”
https://taskandpurpose.com/history/marines-airstrip-peleliu/
