Gilbert and Ellice Islands until 1977. A protectorate was generally established over this area (but not over these islands) by the Pacific Islanders Protection Act of 1857 and then in 1877 for the Western Pacific Territories. The sixteen islands of the Gilberts were declared a British Protectorate by Captain Davis R.N., of between 27 May and 17 June 1892. The Ellice Islands were declared a British Protectorate by Captain Gibson R.N., of , between 9 and 16 October of the same year. The British Western Pacific Territories (BWPT) were administered by a High Commissioner resident in Fiji. A Resident Commissioner, Charles Swayne, was appointed
United States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific Area HAWAII ISLAND KAUAI ISLAND MOLOKAI ISLAND OAHU ISLAND JOHNSTON ATOLL LINE ISLANDS MARIANA ISLANDS GUAM ISLAND SAIPAN ISLAND TINIAN ISLAND MARSHALL ISLANDS MIDWAY ISLANDS .* Detachments deployed for use in Battle of Midway PHOENIX ISLANDS RYUKYU ISLANDS VOLCANO ISLANDS 1, United States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific Area During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the Central Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, excluding the Philippines, Australia, the Netherlands East Indies, the Territory