The battle for Peleliu, from 15 September to 27 November 1944, was a particularly bloody one during the Pacific Campaign. This tiny island 800km east of the Philippines, now part of Palau, had to be captured to protect the American right flank. Many Landing Vehicles Tracked (LVT) were used in the initial amphibious assault, and so devastating was the Japanese resistance that 60 LVTs and DUKWs were destroyed within the first hour of the landing.