Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis
Eniwetok Atoll, the target assigned to Admiral Hill's task group, lies 330 nautical miles northwest of Kwajalein.8 It is a typical Central Pacific coral atoll with a circular reef surrounding a lagoon, which at its widest point is seventeen miles from east to west and twenty-one miles from north to south.
The initial move of the island hopping campaign came in the Gilbert Islands when US forces struck Tarawa Atoll. The capture of the island would allow the Allies to move on to the Marshall Islands. Understanding its importance, Admiral Keiji Shibazaki, Tarawa's commander, and his 4,800 men heavily fortified the island.