World War II Pacific: Battles and Campaigns from Guadalcanal to Okinawa 1942-1945 (WW2 Pacific Military History Series)

by Daniel Wrinn

  “Deafening screams, bullets whizzing around us, the reek of death and smell of Japanese gunpowder permeated the air. I was full of fear and hate and the desire to kill. I believed the Japanese were a savage animal, a devil, a beast, not human. The only thought I had was to kill, kill, kill—until finally, it ended.”

  That was the mayhem General Holland Smith predicted as the final spastic effort of the Japanese. And it came in the early morning hours of July 7. The pivotal moment in the Battle for Saipan. The Japanese tactical objective was to smash through Garapan and Tanapag, reaching down to Charan-Kanoa. It was a fearful charge of fire and flesh, primitive and savage. Some of the Japanese troops were only armed with rocks or with a knife mounted on a pole.

  This banzai charge also hit the 105th Infantry dug in for the night on the main line of resistance. With the regimental headquarters directly behind them, the 105th left a five-hundred-yard gap between them which they planned to cover by fire. The Japanese found this gap, poured through, and headed pell-mell for the regimental headquarters. The men of the frontline battalions fought bravely but failed to stop the banzai onslaught.

  Behind the 105th were three artillery battalions of the 10th Marines. The gunners couldn’t set their fuses fast enough, even when cut down to five-tenths of a second, to stop the Japanese enemy on top of them. They lowered their muzzles of their 105mm howitzers and spewed ricochet fire by bouncing shells off the ground. Many of their other guns couldn’t fire at all because the Army troops ahead of them mixed in with the Japanese attackers.

  Marines in the artillery battalions fired every type of small weapon they could. One of their battalions was almost wiped out when the battalion commander was killed. The cane fields to the front swarmed with enemy troops. Guns were overrun, and Marine artillerymen, after removing their guns’ firing locks, fell back and joined the fight as infantry.

  As the firestorm broke on the 105th, men of the nearby 165th Infantry were ordered “to stand where they were and shoot Japs” without moving forward. By 1600 that afternoon, after coming to the aid of the shattered 105th, the 165th was still three hundred yards short of making contact.

  Savage hand-to-hand fighting took the momentum out of the Japanese surge. They were finally stopped by the 105th, less than eight hundred yards south of Tanapag. By 1800, the lost ground had been regained.

  A shocking day of casualties. The 105th Infantry’s two battalions took 917 casualties while killing 2,291 Japanese. One Marine artillery battalion had 127 casualties but had accounted for 322 of the enemy. The final count of the Japanese dead reached a staggering total of 4,321, some due to shell fire, but the vast majority were killed in the banzai charge.

  During the bloodshed, there were countless acts of bravery. Recognized and later awarded the Army Medal of Honor for leadership and “resistance to the death” were Army Colonel William O’Brien, commanding a battalion of the 105th, and one of his squad leaders, Sergeant Tom Baker.

  While most attention was centered on the bloody coastal battle, the 23rd Marines attacked a strong Japanese force well protected by caves in an inland cliff. The key to eliminating them was truck-mounted rocket launchers, lowered over the cliff by chains attached to tanks. Once lowered to the base, their fire, supplemented by offshore rocket gunboats, snuffed out the remaining enemy resistance.

  The next day on July 8, saw the beginning of the end. The Japanese spent the last of their manpower on banzai charges. It was now time for the final American mop-up. LVTs rescued men of the 105th Infantry who’d waded out from the shore to the reef to escape the Japanese. General Holland Smith placed most of the 27th Infantry Division back into reserve. He then put the 2nd Marine Division back in the line of attack with the 105th Infantry attached. Together with the 4th Marine Division, they swept north toward the end of the island.

  Along the coast was a bizarre spectacle that presented a macabre end to the campaign: Japanese troops in the area had destroyed themselves with suicidal rushes from the high cliffs to the rocky beach below. Japanese troops were observed, along with hundreds of civilians, wading out to sea and drowning themselves. Some troops committed hara-kiri with knives or destroyed themselves with grenades. Some officers even used their swords to decapitate their troops.

  Unbelievable Self Destruction

  July 9, 1944

  It was to be the final day of a brutal campaign. The 4th Marines reached Marpi Point on the northern end of the island, while the 6th and 8th Marines came down from the hills to occupy the last western beaches.

  Colonel Chambers watched as this grim scene played out: “We moved along the cliffs and caves, uncovering civilians along the way. Japanese soldiers refused to surrender and would not allow civilians to surrender. I watched as women, some carrying children, stumbled out of the caves toward our lines. They were shot down by Japanese troops in the back. I watched more women carrying children come out to the cliffs that dropped to the ocean.

  “These were steep cliffs. Some women came down and threw their children into the ocean and jumped after them to commit suicide. I watched one group of about nine civilian men, women, and children get into a little huddle and blow themselves up. It was the saddest and most terrible thing I’ve ever seen, and yet I presume quite consistent with the Japanese code of Bushido.”

  Another lieutenant from the same division witnessed other unbelievable forms of self-destruction: “The interpreters were summoned, and they begged using an amplifier for civilians to come forward and surrender. No movement at first. Then people came closer into a compact mass. It seemed to be predominantly civilians, but several uniforms could be seen circling about in the throng—using the civilians for protection.

  “As they huddled closer, I heard a weird singing chant. Then a Rising Sun flag unfurled. Movement grew more agitated. Men leaped into the sea. The chanting gave way to startled cries and then that popping sound of detonating grenades. It was a handful of soldiers determined to prevent the surrender or escape of the civilians by tossing grenades into the throng of men, women, and children. Then the Japs dived into the sea, from which escape was impossible. Exploding grenades shattered the mob into pieces of wounded and dying. It was the first time I actually saw water that ran red with human blood.”

  This kind of fanaticism characterized the Japanese. Not surprising that over 23,800 of the enemy were known dead—with uncounted thousands of others charred by flamethrowers and sealed forever in caves. Only 736 prisoners of war were taken, and of these 430 were Koreans. American casualties numbered exactly 16,612.

  On July 9 at 1615, Saipan was declared secured (although mopping up continued for long after). The 4th Marine division was later awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their outstanding combat performance on Saipan and later assault on the neighboring island of Tinian.

  Legacy of Saipan

  The fighting on Saipan not only caused many American casualties but foreshadowed the bloody fighting that lay ahead in the western and central Pacific. General Holland Smith called it, “the decisive battle for the Pacific offensive and opening the way to the home islands.”

  Japanese General Saitō wrote: “The fate of the Empire would be decided in this one action.” Another Japanese admiral had agreed, “Our war was lost with the loss of Saipan.” This was a truly strategic strike for victory in the Pacific War.

  The proof of these vital decisions was demonstrated four months later when one-hundred B-29 bombers took off from Saipan bound for Tokyo. There were other significant results. The US had secured an advanced naval base to deliver punishing strikes close to enemy shores. Emperor Hirohito was forced to consider a diplomatic settlement of war. General Tojo, the premier, and his entire cabinet fell from power on July 18—nine days after losing Saipan.

  The lessons learned in this grisly campaign would be applied to future amphibious operations. Flaws would be analyzed and corrected. The clear need to improve aviation support for ground troops led to better results in the Philippine Islands and Oki
nawa and Iwo Jima. Artillery spotting missions flown by the Marine Observation Squadron (VMO-2 and -4) set a pattern for the use of light planes in the future.

  Naval gunfire support was also closely reviewed. General Saitō wrote, “If there were no naval gunfire, we could have fought it out with the enemy in a decisive battle.” But over 8,500 tons of ammunition were fired by US Navy ships. The trajectory of the flat naval guns proved somewhat limiting, as the shells didn’t have the penetrating and plunging effect needed against Japanese strongholds.

  Lessons learned from the supply confusion that marred the early days on the beaches had improved little since the days of the Guadalcanal landing. The logistic problems arose because: once a beach was in friendly hands, ships unloaded as quickly as possible and sailors in the landing craft hurried to get into the beaches and back out again. Supplies were spread all over the beach, partly because of the enemy’s artillery and mortar harassing fire on the beaches but also because of the Marine Corps’ hard-driving rapid attack.

  Estimates of resupply requirements were way too small. For example, a shortage of radio batteries was never corrected. There was insufficient time to sort and separate equipment and supplies adequately. This caused mix-ups with Marine uniforms getting into Army dumps, an Army supply showing up at Marine dumps.

  After the beach chaos at Saipan, the Navy decided to organize a permanent shore party for the future. It would be responsible for the movement of all supplies from the beach to the dumps and then the later issue to the divisions.

  The tactical lessons learned were also new to the Pacific war. Instead of assaulting a small atoll, the fighting had been one of movement on a sizable landmass, further complicated by a maze of caves and Japanese defensive systems. The enemy had defended caves before, but never on such a huge scale. On Saipan, these caves were both man-made and natural. Often, the vegetation gave them excellent camouflage. Some caves had steel doors which could be opened for an artillery piece or machine gun to fire and then withdraw before return fire could destroy them. Flame-throwing tanks proved useful in reaching these caves, but the range was limited on Saipan. This was improved for future operations.

  The challenging experiences on Saipan led to a variety of changes that saved American lives in future Pacific campaigns. Losing the island was a strategic strike from which the Japanese would never recover—while the United States pressed forward to ultimate victory.

  General Holland M. Smith

  Born in 1882, General Holland Smith became one of the most famous Marines of World War II. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 1905 and assigned overseas. He served in Nicaragua, Santo Domingo, Philippines and with the Marine brigade in France in World War I.

  In the early 1930s, he concentrated on developing amphibious warfare strategy and tactics. Soon after the outbreak of war with Japan in 1941, he received a key position—command of all Marines in the Central Pacific.

  Described by a fellow Marine officer as, “medium height, maybe five feet nine and somewhat paunchy. His once black hair is now gray. His once close-trimmed mustache, scraggly. He wore steel-rimmed glasses and smoked cigars ceaselessly.”

  He had one other feature that characterized him: a temper so fierce that he earned the nickname “Howling Mad” Smith—his close friends knew him as Hoke

  His fierce temper would usually emerge as irritation at what he felt were inadequate performances. One famous example was his relief of Army General Ralph Smith on Saipan. A huge inter-service uproar ensued.

  After his 41 years of active service, he was awarded four Distinguished Service Medals for his leadership in four successful amphibious operations. He retired in April 1946, as a four-star general. General Smith died in 1967 at a US Naval Hospital in San Diego. He was 84 years old.

  General Harry Schmidt

  General Schmidt was born in 1886 and entered the Marine Corps as a 2nd lieutenant in 1909. By an extraordinary coincidence, his first foreign duty was in Guam in the Mariana Islands—where he would return thirty-three years later under vastly different circumstances. He led the 4th Marine Division on the assaults in the Marshall Islands at Roi-Namur, and then onto Saipan in the Marianas.

  He served in Mexico, Philippines, Cuba, and Nicaragua (where he was awarded a Navy Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor). Combined with repeated stays in China, it was a truly diverse overseas career. A fellow Marine officer described him as, “a Buddha, a typical old-timer Marine. He was regulation, he’d been to China, an old establishment regular Marine.”

  At the end of World War II, he was decorated with three Distinguished Service Medals. He retired in 1948 after nearly 40 years of service as a four-star general. General Schmidt died on February 10, 1968 and is buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.

  General Thomas Watson

  General Watson was born in 1892 and began his military career in 1912. He was a fully qualified member of “the Old Corps.” After his commission in 1916, he served in a variety of Marine assignments in China, the Caribbean, and the United States.

  A brigadier general and commander of Tactical Group-1 built on the 22nd Marines, he led his men in the conquest of Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands in February 1944. He earned a Distinguished Service Medal and his 22nd Marines were awarded a Navy Unit Commendation.

  In April 1944 he took command of the 2nd Marine Division. In June he directed his men in the conquest of Saipan and then the Tinian Islands, receiving his second Distinguished Service Medal.

  He had the nickname, “Terrible Tommy.” Watson’s impatience is depicted by fellow General Wallace Greene: “He wouldn’t tolerate for one minute laziness, stupidity, incompetence, or any failure in leadership. His temper and correcting these failings would be fiery,” as both Army and Marine officers learned at Eniwetok and Saipan.

  He retired in 1950 and passed away in March 1966 as a lieutenant general.

  Navy Lieutenant John Craven

  The two types of noncombatants attached to Marine units were the Navy Chaplain Corps and Navy Medical Corps. When Marines were in combat, they were well attended to in body and soul on the front lines.

  Navy Lieutenant John Craven of the Chaplain Corps earned a Bronze Star for his actions under fire on Saipan. He later wrote: “In combat we were to go from place to place, unit to unit, starting out early in the morning and going until dark. We’d just visit one unit after another and have a brief service. We had some Testaments and small hymn books I could carry in my map case. We’d gather a few men together in a bomb crater, and I would have one service after the other. There were times we had fourteen of those in one day—especially on Sunday.

  “We took turns at the cemetery. Each chaplain from different units would go down and take his turn for burials. We had a brief committal service for each man as they brought the bodies in. I tried to keep up with all the men in our units. Where they were if they were in the hospital. I worked closely with the sergeant major, and it was amazing how we could keep up with these men. Especially how and when they were killed and where they were buried.”

  Lieutenant Craven kept a notebook which listed all the casualties. He kept that notebook current day-to-day. At night he’d compare notes with the regiment sergeant major. It helped all the chaplains to know who and where the casualties were. These casualty reports were also some help to the sergeant major because it would verify the reports that he got.

  When Chaplain Craven and other chaplains returned to the rear areas of their units, they’d write letters to the families of everyone killed in the regiment and added their letters to those of the commanding officers.

  Chaplain Craven used a special type of ministration. He had a canvas gas mask carrier slung over each shoulder. In one carrier he had Scotch whiskey and the other was filled with fried chicken. As he knelt by each young, frightened, and wounded Marine, he’d usually get asked, “Am I going to be okay?”

  Chaplain Craven would always answer, “You sure will be,” as cheerfull
y as he could muster. He’d then ask the wounded Marine if he’d like a wing or a drumstick. The young Marine would be so surprised he’d forget about his present circumstances. Then Chaplain Craven would ask if he wanted to wash it down with a swig of Scotch. Most Marines couldn’t believe what they were hearing with the hell of confusion, noise, and death surrounding them.

  A young doctor tending to the Marine wounded on Saipan later wrote: “Lieutenant Craven probably saved more young lives from dying of shock than will ever be known.”

  2nd Marine Division

  This division was activated as part of the 2nd Marine Brigade in part of the Fleet Marine Force on July 1,1936. A year later the brigade deployed to Shanghai, China and then returned in 1938 to San Diego, California.

  On February 1, 1941, this unit was re-designated as the 2nd Marine Division. The component regiments were the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 10th Marines. They brought with them impressive histories of service from Mexico (Veracruz), World War I in France, and the Caribbean.

  Elements of the division served in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack. Then onto Samoa, before the full division was sent to the Guadalcanal campaign. They continued to the bloody battle on Tarawa, where they were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation before continuing to Saipan, Tinan, and ultimately Okinawa.

  The 2nd Marine Division Patch

  Marines from the 2nd Division wore this patch on Saipan. It was designed and approved in November 1943. It has the USMC official colors of scarlet and gold. The insignia has a spearhead shaped scarlet background with a hand holding a lit golden torch. The numeral 2 is superimposed in scarlet on the torch and the hand is encircled by five white stars arranged as the Southern Cross constellation. It was under this that the division’s first Pacific War combat took place at Guadalcanal.