Piti Guns: A Silent Sentinel of WWII

Piti Guns, located in the village of Piti, Guam, is a unit of the War in the Pacific National Historical Park. The site features three Vickers-type Model 3 140-millimeter coastal defense guns manufactured in 1914 by the Japanese. These guns were installed in the hills above Piti during the final months of the Imperial Japanese occupation as part of a fortification effort to defend against American ships and landing craft. The Chamorro people were forced to carry the heavy guns up the steep terrain.Each gun weighed over 12,000 pounds and had a range of approximately 10 miles, capable of firing six to ten rounds per minute. The guns were strategically positioned to defend Asan Beach and Apra Harbor. However, the fortification efforts were never fully completed, and the guns were not operational when the United States Armed Forces retook the island on July 21, 1944. As a result, none of the three guns were ever fired in combat.The Piti Guns site is freely accessible to the public and offers a short, steep trail through a mahogany forest. The mahogany trees were planted around 1928 as part of the Guam Agricultural Experiment Station. The trail provides views of Apra Harbor, the Orote Peninsula, and Piti Village. Visitors are advised to stay on the trail and avoid climbing on the historical structures.