U.S. MARINES ON PARADE
This 1945 photo shows U.S. Marines marching in a victory parade down Main Street in Wailuku in celebration of the end of World War II.
The Marines were part of the Fourth Division stationed on Maui between 1943 and 1945. The Fourth Division participated in some of the fiercest battles in the Pacific including the Marshall Islands, Saipan and Iwo Jima.
Article Photos
U.S. MARINES ON PARADE
— Photo from the archives of the Maui Historical Society/Bailey House Museum
After Iwo Jima, the Fourth Division returned to Maui in order to be re-equipped and train replacements for the heavy casualties it had suffered. The next planned mission for the division was an anticipated invasion of Japan itself.
The Imperial Japanese government announced its surrender on Aug.14, 1945 and V-J Day (the formal surrender on the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Harbor) took place on Sept. 2, 1945. The parade took place during this time period, most likely on V-J Day.
- Historical text by Fred Woodruff, Bailey House volunteer
