Truk as Gibraltar of the Pacific
January 2nd, 2009 From
>To: mahan@microworks.net
>Subject: Re: Truk as Gibraltar of the Pacific
>Date: Thu, 13 Nov 97 19:30:05 GMT
>From: salvin@ocslink.com
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>
>
> > >I’m searching for proofs that Truk was actually called the > Gibraltar of the
> > >Pacific. Some people have told that some island off California got that
> > name,
> > >and I dimly remember a discussion on one list. Can anyone cite > from a book
> > or
> > >webpage or article the use of Truk as Gibraltar of the Pacific?
> > >
> > >Thanks,
> > >Tim
> >
> > Funny, I’ve heard the term used to refer to Rabaul. It was such an obvious
> > reference it could have been made unofficially by a number of people. Truk
> > was a nice base ok. Lovely sheltered lagoon and well defended by ground
> > troops. Didn’t serve as well as the real Rock though, did it?
> > Eric Bergerud, 531 Kains Ave, Albany CA 94706, 510-525-093
>
>I can’t give a specific cite to Truk being the `Gibraltar of the >Pacific’, but
>I think it arose from the pre-war propaganda build-up about the `secret’
>Japanese bases in the Pacific. It was commonly believed that the >Japanese were
>turning thier Mandate Islands into fortresses. In actuallity, bases >like Truk
>proved to be adequate bases, but far from fortresses during the war.
>
>IIRC, Prados talks about this in his _Combined Fleet Decoded_.
>
>—-
>
>Steve Alvin
>Department of Social Sciences
>Illinois Valley Community College
>
>salvin@ocslink.com