Operation Hailstone: The US Navy's Devastating 1944 Raid on Truk Lagoon

Operation Hailstone: The US Navy's Devastating 1944 Raid on Truk Lagoon

Operation Hailstone, the two-day carrier assault launched 82 years ago this week, demolished Japan's largest overseas naval installation and sent more than 40 ships beneath the waves.

Pacific War, 1944: Hellcats Down 30 Fighters in Opening Minutes of Operation Hailstone

In February 1944, the United States Navy struck one of Japan’s strongest bases in the central Pacific. The target was Truk Atoll, a large lagoon in the Caroline Islands that served as a key anchorage for Japanese warships and aircraft. American planners saw it as a serious threat to future operations as they advanced across the Pacific. On February 17, 1944, carrier aircraft from Task Force 58 launched a surprise attack that would change the bal…