It started here

This shallow stretch of idyllic Pacific ocean is where US forces first landed on Peleliu; called 'Orange beach', the US Marines arrived here at half eight in the morning on September 15th, 1944. Unlike previous battles in the Pacific, the Japanese opted not to put all their effort into defending the perimeter of the island, so while the marines faced resistance here, it was only going to get worse when the advanced into the island's interior.

Map of Peleliu, here.

The full story on my blog.