Gilbert and Ellice Islands Ellice Islands", which replaced laws created during the BWTP. The Phoenix Islands were added to the colony in 1937. Banaba Island (Ocean Island) remained the headquarters of the colony until the British evacuation in 1942 during the Pacific War when Ocean Island and the Gilbert Islands were occupied by the Japanese. The United States forces landed in Funafuti on 2 October 1942 and on Nanumea and Nukufetau in August 1943 and constructed an airfield on each island and other bases. The atolls of Tuvalu acted as a staging post during the preparation for the Battle of Tarawa and the Battle
Pacific Ocean Division Pacific Ocean Division The United States Army Corps of Engineers Pacific Ocean Division (POD) is an Army organization providing Military and Host Nation Construction services, and civil works in the American states and territories in the Pacific: Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Projects include navigation, flood damage reduction, shore protection, and environmental restoration. The division is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Division Commander is directly responsible to the USACE Chief of Engineers. The Pacific Ocean Division has four districts: "This page incorporates public domain text from the United States Army Corps of