DIMENSIONS OF HUNGER IN WARTIME: CHUUK LAGOON, 1943–1945

Abstract

ABSTRACT In war, deaths from disease and famine usually exceed combat deaths, and civilian suffering from food and other shortages extends far beyond the battlefield. This article uses historical and anthropological approaches, especially oral histories, to describe the experiences of Chuukese during the height of the Pacific War. Chuuk (formerly “Truk”), which had been under Japanese civilian rule before the war, served as a support base in the first years of war. In 1943, Micronesia's strategic role changed and Chuuk was strongly garrisoned in preparation for anticipated Allied invasion. Some 38,000 Japanese civilians, laborers, and troops, along with approximately 10,000 Chuukese, spent the remainder of the war under military rule, isolated and under continual air attack. The human and natural resources of Chuuk Lagoon were strained to support this inflated population, with lasting effects. Islander memories of these years emphasize personal and social responses to the stresses of food shortages.