Ramba uchinyora ndima iyi - Umambo hweJapan hwakapinda muMaluku pakutanga kwa1942 sechikamu cheDutch East Indies Campaign yeHondo Yenyika II, ichidzinga maDutch kubva mudunhu iri. Halmahera yakava nzvimbo yechiteshi chengarava cheJapan paKao Bay. Makore maviri gare gare, mauto eU.S. navavakidzani vavo vakatanga Hondo yeMorotai
muna 1944; kubhomba chitsuwa chacho muna August uye kuchipinda muna September. Mauto oUmambo hweJapan paMorotai akaramba aripo kusvikira muna 1945 asi akakundikana kudzinga vapambi veAllied. Muchikamu chokupedzisira cha 1944, vanhu 61 000 vakamhara paMorotai. Zvikamu zviviri muzvitatu zvacho vaiva mainjiniya, avo vakakurumidza kugadzira zvivako zvaisanganisira zviteshi zvengarava uye nhandare mbiri dzendege pamwe chete nenzvimbo huru dzokuchengetera mafuta. Kuzvipira kwepamutemo kweVaviri veMasoja eJapan kwakaitika paMorotai musi wa9 Gunyana 1945. MuJapan wokupedzisira akaramba ari muhondo, Private Teruo Nakamura (Amis: Attun Palalin), akawanikwa neIndonesian Air Force paMorotai, uye akazvipa kune imwe nzvimbo yekutsvaga musi waDecember 18, 1974.