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

by Daniel Wrinn

  He went to France in July of that year and commanded a squadron of the 1st Marine Aviation Force. After the Great War, he continued his education at the Army Command School in Fort Leavenworth in 1924 and then to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, from 1939 to 1941.

  In August 1941, he became the commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and led it at Guadalcanal during the hard days from September to November 1942.

  After returning to Washington in 1943, he was made Director of Aviation until General Charles Barnett’s death when Geiger was rushed out to the Pacific to assume command and direct the landings at Augusta Bay, off of Bougainville, on November 1, 1943.

  He was the first Marine aviator to lead a large ground command, re-designated as III Amphibious Corps in April 1944.

  General Geiger led this organization in the liberation of Guam in July 1944, then onto Peleliu and then as part of the 10th Army in Okinawa’s invasion.

  In July 1945, at the end of the Okinawan operation, General Geiger assumed command of the Fleet Marine Force at Pearl Harbor. In November 1946, he returned to Marine headquarters in Washington and died in January the next year.

  General Allen Turnage

  Commissioned in 1913, Turnage was sent off to France as commanding officer of the 5th Machine Gun Battalion in the 5th Marine Brigade. After serving honorably in the Great War and returning to the US, Turnage was given an assortment of duties from sea duty and overseas assignments.

  In 1935, he reported as the director of The Basic School in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. When World War II began, he commanded Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, and its training center. He was responsible for the organization and training of two regimental combat teams slated for duty with the 3rd Marine Division.

  In September 1943, he became commander of the 3rd Marine Division. General Turnage led the division in the landing at Bougainville and the recapture of Guam.

  At the end of the war, he became assistant commander of the Marine Corps. General Turnage’s last assignment was the command of Fleet Marine Force at Pearl Harbor.

  He retired in 1948 as a four-star general at just under 57 year old. He died peacefully in October 1971.

  General Andrew Bruce

  Andrew Bruce was a native of Missouri and a graduate of Texas A&M in 1916. In June 1917, he was commissioned as an Army second lieutenant. His involvement with the Marine Corps goes back to the Great War when he fought in France at Verdun and in the Aisne-Marne offensive at Soissons. He hiked into Germany with the rest of the 2nd Division and became part of the occupation force.

  After returning from WWI, he had a mix of command, staff, and school assignments. At the beginning of World War II then Colonel Bruce headed the Army’s tank destroyer school at Camp Meade in Maryland.

  Bruce assumed command of the 77th Infantry Division in May 1943. The division first saw combat along with the 3rd Marines and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade on Guam. Afterward, they landed at Leyte Gulf in the Philippines to assist in that operation.

  General Bruce’s 77th Infantry Division again fought with Marines landing on April 1, 1945, at Okinawa. Bruce’s 77th and the Marine 1st Division joined in once again to assault the enemy’s front lines. General Bruce retired as a three-star general and died peacefully in 1969.

  General Lemuel Shepherd

  In his final year at the Virginia Military Institute, Lemuel Shepherd had not yet graduated when he was commissioned into the Marine Corps for the Great War. He sailed off to France as a junior officer in the Marine’s 4th Brigade. He saw considerable action in the war. He was wounded twice at Belleau Wood. After recovering from his injuries, he rejoined his regiment in time for the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives.

  Shepherd served in the Army of Occupation in Germany. After returning home, he became aide to the commandant and served at the White House.

  During the period between wars, he had a mix of staff, school, and command assignments. He assumed command of the 9th Marines in March 1942, taking them overseas as part of the 3rd Marine Division. Upon his promotion to flag rank in July 1943, he was assigned to the 1st Marine Division as assistant division commander.

  He participated in Operation Backhander, the Cape Gloucester operation. He then assumed command of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in May 1944 and led them in Guam’s landings and liberation.

  After Guam, General Shepherd received a second star, took command of the 6th Marine Division, and took part in the Okinawan landings.

  Shepherd commanded the Fleet Marine Force in the first two years of the Korean War and then was chosen to serve as the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

  General Lemuel Shepherd lived to the ripe old age of 94 and died peacefully in 1990.

  General Robert Cushman

  Robert Cushman was a 29-year-old colonel, commanding the 2/9 Marines on Guam. He was awarded the Navy Cross for his extraordinary heroism during the months of July and August in 1944.

  Part of his citation reads: “His battalion was ordered to seize and hold a vigorously defended and organized enemy point that had been holding up the advance for days. Colonel Cushman repulsed many Japanese counterattacks and directed the attacks of his battalion. He exposed himself fearlessly to enemy rifle, mortar, and machine-gun fire in order to remain on the front lines and get first-hand knowledge of the enemy situation.

  “After three days of bitter fighting, culminating into a heavy enemy counterattack that pushed back the flank of his battalion, he led a platoon into the gap, and placing it in for defense—repelled the enemy forces. His inspiring leadership, devotion to duty, and courage contributed to the destruction of one Japanese Battalion and the rout of another.”

  On January 1, 1972, General Cushman became the 25th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Four years later, Cushman retired and General Louis Wilson, who commanded a company of Cushman’s 2/9 Marines on Guam, became the 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

  Heroes on Guam

  When Captain Louis Wilson served as the commanding officer of a rifle company attached to the 2/9 Marines at Fonte Hill on Guam on July 26, 1944, he was tasked to take that portion of the hill within his zone of action. Captain Wilson started his attack in midafternoon and pushed up the rugged, open terrain against horrific machine gun and rifle fire for nearly 400 yards before successfully capturing his objective.

  He took command of other disorganized units and motorized equipment in addition to his own company. He also organized night defenses in the face of continuous hostile fire. Although wounded three times in five hours, he completed his disposition of men and guns before retiring to the company command post for medical attention.

  Soon after, the Japanese launched a series of savage counterattacks that lasted all night. He rejoined his unit and repeatedly exposed himself to a merciless hail of shrapnel and bullets. He dashed fifty yards into the open to rescue a wounded Marine lying helpless on the front lines.

  He fought fiercely in hand-to-hand encounters. He led his men in a brutally waged battle for over ten hours, resiliently holding his line and repelling the fanatical enemy counter thrusts until he destroyed the last efforts of the hard-pressed enemy early the next morning.

  He reorganized a seventeen-man patrol and advanced upon a strategic slope that was essential to the security of his position. He boldly defied intense mortar and machine-gun fire, which killed thirteen of his men, and advanced relentlessly with his patrol’s remnants to seize the vital ground. By his truly heroic leadership, daring combat tactics, and bravery in the face of impossible odds, Captain Wilson succeeded in capturing and holding strategic high ground in his sector. He was essential to the success of the regimental mission and in the destruction of over 300 Japanese troops. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his conspicuous gallantry and risking his life above and beyond the call of duty.

  Private First Class Frank Witek served with the 1/9 Marines during the Battle of Finegayan on Guam on August 3, 1944. After his rifle platoon
was stalled by surprise heavy Japanese fire from hidden positions, Private First Class Witek bravely remained standing to fire a full magazine from his Browning automatic rifle at point-blank range into a depression housing Japanese troops. He killed eight enemy troops and enabled the greater part of his platoon to take cover.

  During his platoon’s withdrawal, he again remained and safeguarded a wounded comrade, courageously returning enemy fire until the stretcher bearers could arrive.

  He then covered the evacuation by sustained fire, moving backward toward his lines. When his platoon was again pinned down by hostile machine-gun fire, Witek, on his initiative, moved forward boldly to the reinforcing tanks and infantry, throwing hand grenades, and firing as he advanced within five yards of enemy positions.

  He destroyed a hostile machine-gun emplacement and an additional seven enemy troops before an enemy rifleman struck him down. His courageous and inspiring actions helped to reduce enemy firepower and enabled his platoon to keep their objective. Private First Class Witek was a credit to the United States naval service. He gallantly gave his life for his country and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

  Private First Class Luther Skaggs was a squad leader with the mortar section of a rifle company in the 3/3 Marines on the Asan-Adelup beachhead on Guam on July 22, 1944. When a section leader was killed under a heavy mortar barrage shortly after the landing, Private First Class Skaggs took command and led the section through intense fire for over 200 yards to a position where they could deliver effective coverage.

  He bravely defended the critical position against strong enemy counterattacks. Private First Class Skaggs was critically wounded when a Japanese grenade was lobbed into his foxhole and exploded, shattering the lower part of his left leg. He quickly acted and applied an improvised tourniquet. He propped up in his foxhole and returned enemy fire with his rifle and hand grenades for eight hours.

  After the enemy had been destroyed, he crawled, unassisted, to the rear. Calm and uncomplaining throughout this period, Private First Class Skaggs was a heroic example of courage and resilience to other wounded men. For his courageous leadership and inspiring devotion to duty, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

  Private First Class Leonard Mason served with the 2/3 Marines also on the Asan-Adelup Beachhead on Guam on July 22, 1944. He suddenly took fire from two enemy machine guns less than fifteen yards away while clearing out hostile positions, holding up the advance of his platoon through a narrow gully. Mason, alone and completely on his own initiative, climbed out of the gully and moved parallel toward the rear of the enemy position. Although fired upon immediately by hostile riflemen from a higher position and wounded in the arm and shoulder, Private First Class Mason pressed forward. He reached his objective when he was hit again by a burst of enemy machine-gun fire. This caused a critical wound to which he later succumbed. With a valiant disregard for his own life, he persevered and cleared out the hostile position. He killed five Japanese and wounded another before rejoining his platoon.

  This heroic act in the face of certain death enabled his platoon to accomplish its mission and reflects the highest credit upon Private First Class Mason. He gallantly gave his life for his country. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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  Operation Stalemate

  1944 Battle for Peleliu

  Seizing “The Point”

  On September 15, 1944, five infantry battalions of the 1st Marine Division embarked in amphibian tractors. They clambered across 700 yards of coral reef to smash into the island of Peleliu.

  Marines in the amphibian tractors (LVTs) were told the operation would be tough but quick. A devastating amount of naval gunfire had been unleashed before their landing.

  The 1st Division Marines still had grim images of their sister division, the 2nd’s bloody attack across the reefs at Tarawa—two months earlier. But the 1st Division Marines peered over the gunwales of their landing craft and saw an incredible scene of blasted and churned earth along the shore.

  Geysers of smoke and dust caused by exploding bombs and large-caliber naval shells gave the Marine’s hope. Maybe the enemy would become quick casualties from the pre-landing bombardment. Or at least, they’d be too stunned to react and defend against the hundreds of Marines storming the beach.

  Ahead of the Marines were waves of armored amphibian tractors mounted with 75mm howitzers. They were tasked to assault any surviving enemy strongpoints or weapons on the beach before the Marines landed. Ahead of these armored tractors, naval gunfire was lifted toward deeper, more dug-in targets. Navy fighter aircraft strafed north and south along the length of the beach defenses—parallel to the assault waves. Their mission was to keep the enemy defenders subdued and intimidated on the beach as the Marines closed in.

  Naval gunfire was shifted to target the ridge northeast of the landing beaches and used to blind enemy observation and limit Japanese fire on the landing waves. This ridge would later be known as the Umurbrogol Pocket (or just the Pocket) and was one of two deadly unknowns to command planners.

  The other unknown was the natural traits of the Pocket. Aerial images showed it as a gently rounded north-south hill that commanded the landing beaches 3,000 yards distant. From these early images, this elevated terrain was camouflaged in jungle scrub, almost entirely unaffected from the preparatory bombardment and artillery fire directed at it.

  But instead of a gently rounded hill, the Pocket was a complex system of sharply uplifted coral knobs, ridges, valleys, and sinkholes. It rose 300 feet above the island and offered superb positions for tunnels and cave defenses. The enemy had made most of what this terrain provided during their extensive occupation and defensive preparations before the Allied assault.

  Another problematic issue for the Marines was the plan developed by Colonel Nakagawa, the Japanese commander of the force on Peleliu and his superior, General Inoue on Koror Island. The Japanese defense tactics had changed considerably from their defeats on Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester.

  Instead of depending on spiritual superiority, Japanese defenders would use their bushido spirit and banzai tactics to throw Allied troops back into the sea. Japanese forces would delay and try to bleed attacking Marines as long as possible. The enemy planned to combine the devilish terrain with a resolute discipline. Japanese soldiers would only relinquish Peleliu at a horrible price in blood to the Marine invasion. This wicked surprise marked a new and vital change to Japanese defensive tactics compared to what they employed earlier in the war.

  Nothing during the trip to the beach revealed any elements of the revised Japanese tactical plan. They bounced across a mile of coral fronting the landing beaches. Amphibian tractors passed several hundred mines intended to destroy any craft approaching or running over them. These mines were aerial bombs detonated by wire control from observation points on shore. But the preliminary bombardment had disrupted the wire controls and the mines did little to slow or destroy any assaulting tractors.

  As the LVTs neared the beaches, they came under fire from mortars and artillery. This fire against moving targets generated more anxiety than damage, as only a few vehicles were lost. But this fire did show that the preliminary bombardment had not eliminated the enemy’s fire capability. Even more disturbing was when the leading waves of LVTs nearing the beaches were hit by heavy artillery and anti-boat gunfire from concealed bunkers on the north and south flanking points.

  Enemy defenses on White Beach 1 were especially deadly and effective. The 3/1 Marines under Colonel Steve Sabol were in a savage beach fight with no means of communication to understand the situation. Japanese guns knocked out several amphibian tractors carrying essential control personnel and equipment.

 
The mission of seizing “The Point” had been given to Captain George Hunt (a decorated veteran of the New Britain and Guadalcanal campaigns). Hunt developed his plans, which entailed specific assignments for each element of his company. These plans were rehearsed until every Marine knew his role and how it fit into the company’s strategy.

  H-hour on D-Day brought heavier than expected casualties. One platoon was pinned down all day in beach fighting. Survivors wheeled left as planned, onto the flanking point. While they advanced, they pressed their assault on several enemy defensive emplacements. Pillboxes and casements were carpeted with small arms fire, and smoke from demolitions and grenades.

  The climax came when a rifle grenade hit the gun muzzle and ricocheted into a casement, setting off explosions and flames. Enemy defenders ran out of the rear of the block house with their clothes on fire and ammunition exploding in their belts. Marines waited in anticipation of the enemy’s flight and cut them down with small arms fire as they burned alive.

  Captain Hunt’s Marines held the Point, but his company was reduced to platoon strength with no other nearby units. Sketchy radio communications got through to bring in supporting fire and a desperately needed resupply. One LVT made it to the beach before dark with mortar shells, grenades, and water—evacuating casualties as it departed. This ammunition made all the difference in that night’s brutal struggle against a determined enemy’s attempt to recapture the Point.