The Pacific

by Hugh Ambrose

  238 LRP. Dr. Sledge says this incident took place after his unit had been pulled back from its farthest point of penetration, but this could not be so. All other accounts have King being pulled back after nightfall.

  239 Thomas Stanley to Lt. Col. James Rogers, August 21, 1980, SCAU.

  240 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 69.

  241 Thomas Stanley to Lt. Col. James Rogers, August 21, 1980, SCAU; Hank Boyes to Sledge, January 28, 1980, SCAU; 3/5 Record.

  242 Comments of Col. Harold Harris, p. 130, Box 2 of 5, RG 96, SCAU (hereafter Harris Comments); 3/5 Record.

  243 Hank Boyes to Sledge, January 28, 1980, SCAU; Naval Gunfire Report, Palaus [sic] Operation, p. 4, October 14, 1944, A4-8, Box 298, RG 127, NARA.

  244 R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection.

  245 3/5 Record, p. 3.

  246 Hank Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

  247 KPI.

  248 R. V. Burgin interview, Playtone Collection; Richard Higgins interview, author's collection.

  249 Harris Comments; 3/5 Record, p. 3.

  250 KPI.

  251 Sledge mentioned this decision in several letters he wrote during the completion of his manuscript, including his letter to Walter McIlhenny dated May 31, 1977 (SCAU).

  252 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 80.

  253 R. V. Burgin interview, Playtone Collection. Bucky Harris also describes a "friendly fire" incident at this location in Harris Comments.

  254 D- 2 Journal, 1st Marine Div., Peleliu, RG 127, Box 299, NARA.

  255 Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

  256 G-2 Report No. 5, September 19, 1944, III Amphibious Corps, A4-16, Box 298, NARA.

  257 Harris Comments, p. 132.

  258 3/5 Record, p. 4; Special Map.

  259 KPI.

  260 Harris Comments.

  261 Army Report of Japanese Defenses, Box 305, NARA; 3/5 Report, p. 4.

  262 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, " To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU.

  263 Photograph of Lt. Col. Austin Shofner on Peleliu, Peleliu Collection, Still Pictures Branch, NARA.

  264 In USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. IV, p. 58, Garand and Strobridge say the jungle "cloaked the contours beneath and defied all attempts of pre- invasion aerial reconnaissance." See also General Harris to Stumpy Stanley, July 17, 1981, SCAU.

  265 Harris Comments; Stanley to Sledge, " Thoughts on Bucky's Notes," August 17, 1981, SCAU.

  266 Garand and Strobridge, USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. IV, p. 94.

  267 D-2 Journal, 1st Marine Div., Peleliu, RG 127, Box 299, NARA.

  268 Harris Comments; 3/5 Record.

  269 G-2 Report No. 5, September 19, 1944, III Amphibious Corps, A4-16, Box 298, NARA.

  270 Ibid.

  271 3/5 Record, p. 5; R. V. Burgin interviews, author's collection.

  272 R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection.

  273 Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

  274 R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection. Sledge wrote on p. 102 of With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa that the lieutenant (Hillbilly Jones) called battalion HQ and spoke to Major Gustafson. It's possible, but it is outside the normal chain of command. This is what R. V. Burgin, who used a telephone regularly, recalled.

  275 3/5 Record.

  276 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, "To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU. Stanley and Sledge were both sharply critical of the USMC's casualty figures and went to great time and expense to come up with their own, based upon official records and buttressed by interviews with their comrades.

  277 USS Hornet (CV- 12) War Diary, 1-30 September, 1944, NARA; After Action Report, VB- 2, The National Museum of Naval Aviation.

  278 USS Hornet (CV-12) War Diary, 1-30 September, 1944, NARA.

  279 Annex G--Phase II--Special Action Report--Palau Operation, p. 1, Box 298, RG 127, USMC Geographic Files, Peleliu.

  280 Sledge to Walter McIlhenny, May 31, 1977, SCAU: "As a young Marine P.F.C., a 60mm mortarman in K-3-5, during World War II, I carried a book of Kipling's poems, which included his 'Prelude.' The theme of the poem was constantly in my mind [on Peleliu]."

  281 3/5 Record, p. 6.

  282 LRP.

  283 Sledge to Stanley, January 16, 1984, SCAU.

  284 G-2 Report No. 5, September 19, 1944, p. 3, III Amphibious Corps, Box 298, NARA.

  285 Commanding General, III Amphibious Corps to CMC, 18 October 1944, "Defective Ammunition," Box 298, RG 127, USMC Geographic Files, Peleliu, NARA.

  286 3/5 Record; Harris Comments, pp. 132-133.

  287 Harris Comments, p. 134.

  288 Unit Report, 26 September 1944, No. 11-44 0800 25 September to 0800 26 September, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  289 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 103.

  290 Conner, The Spearhead, p. 19.

  291 Ibid.

  292 Ibid. p. 23; Charles Tatum interview, Playtone Collection.

  293 Gen. Gordon Gayle interview, November 22, 2006, author's collection; Thomas Stanley, "Peleliu Veterans--A Roll of Honor with K-3-5 at the End of Okinawa," unpublished MS, undated, SCAU.

  294 Stanley to Sledge, August 17, 1981, SCAU.

  295 3/5 Record, p. 6; Harris Comments, p. 134. Both of these accounts are clear about the battle. Sledge recalled it differently, but it's obvious he did so without consulting the 3/5 Record--and he also almost certainly received the Harris record too late in his writing process to include it.

  296 Harris Comments, p. 134. Harris Comments disagree slightly with 3/5 Record; the author chose Harris's account, since the night obviously meant so much to him.

  297 Harris Comments, pp. 134-135, 136.

  298 Commanding General, III Amphibious Corps to CMC, 26 May 1945, p. 2, Army Intelligence Report, Box 306, NARA.

  299 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 106.

  300 R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection.

  301 Ibid.; Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

  302 Unit Report, 26 September 1944, No. 11-44 0800 26 September to 0800 27 September, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  303 William "Bill" Leyden interview, Playtone Collection. Bill Leyden could not say for sure when this event occurred. However, it had taken place on a hilltop or ridge. Since Starlight Hill was the only hill Bill encountered before he was wounded on Ngesebus, the correlation was strong enough to merit inclusion of the story here.

  304 3/5 Record, p. 6.

  305 Harris Comments, p. 135.

  306 Unit Report, 28 September 1944, No. 11-44 0800 27 September to 0800 28 September, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  307 Harris Comments, p. 136.

  308 3/5 Record, p. 6.

  309 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, " To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU.

  310 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 104.

  311 While not an official tally, this statistic comes from the manuscript "Chock to Chock." Written by the veterans of VB-2, it includes a list of the members and those who were killed in action.

  312 3/5 Record.

  313 Comments of 1st Division Monograph (Peleliu) by Lt. Col. L. W. Walt, USMC, RG 127, Box 6, NARA.

  314 Ibid.

  315 Unit Report, 29 September 1944, No. 11-44 0800 28 September to 0800 29 September, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  316 R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection.

  317 Sledge, With the Old Breed, pp. 116-117.

  318 Unit Report, 29 September 1944, No. 11-44 0800 28 September to 0800 29 September, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  319 Naval Gunfire Report, Palaus [sic] Operation, pp. 5, 6, October 14, 1944, A4-8, Box 298.

  320 Ordinance Report, Palau Operation, by Corps Ordinance Officer, p. 5, 24 October 1944, Box 298, NARA.

  321 Unit Report, 29 September 1944, No. 11-44 0800 28 September to 0800 29 September, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  322 3/5 Record, p. 9, Special Map.

  323 Eugene Sledge was highly critical of the USMC's casualty figures. He and Thomas Stanley labored mightily to develop t
heir own. In this case, Stanley came out with the numbers cited here. Sledge used the figure of eight KIA and twenty-four WIA for the company.

  324 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 125.

  325 R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection; Stanley to Sledge, March 1980 (day unknown), SCAU.

  326 Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

  327 Harris Comments, p. 136.

  328 Unit Report, 2 October 1944, No. 16-44 0800 1 October to 0800 2 October, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  329 Harris Comments, p. 137.

  330 1-7 Marines War Diary, p. 16.

  331 Unit Report, 3 October 1944, No. 17-44 0800 2 October to 0800 3 October, CT-5, file A6-3; 1-7 Marines War Diary, p. 16; 3/5 Record, p. 11.

  332 1-7 Marines War Diary, p. 18.

  333 3/5 Record, p. 11.

  334 Ordinance Report, Palau Operation, by Corps Ordinance Officer, p. 9, 24 October 1944, Box 298, NARA.

  335 Special Map; 3/5 Record, p. 11.

  336 1-7 Marines War Diary, p. 18.

  337 Henry "Hank" Boyes to Sledge, December 16, 1979, SCAU.

  338 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, " To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU.

  339 D-2 Journal, 1st Marine Div., Peleliu, RG 127, Box 299, NARA.

  340 Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

  341 E. B. Sledge, "Lecture to the Squadron Officer School," 1993, SCAU.

  342 3/5 Record, p. 11.

  343 Eugene Sledge to Dear Mother and Father, February 5, 1945, SCAU.

  344 1-7 Marines War Diary, pp. 19-20.

  345 Sterling Mace (K-3-5) interview, author's collection.

  346 Unit Report, 5 October 1944, No. 17-44 0800 4 October to 0800 5 October, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  347 1-7 Marines War Diary, pp. 19-20.

  348 3/5 Record; Thomas "Stumpy" Stanley, " To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU. Stanley compiled a different total for this day, as is often the case. His figures are seven WIA and one KIA.

  349 Harris Comments, p. 137.

  350 Report on Fitness, 18 August 1944 to 30 September 1944, signed by Colonel Harris, Shofner USMC File, NRC.

  351 Harris Comments, p. 137; General Bucky to Stumpy Stanley, July 17, 1981, SCAU.

  352 Field Order No. 1-44, CT-5, In the Field, 5 October 1944, Box 305, Peleliu, USMC Geographic Files, RG 127.

  353 3/5 Record, p. 13; Unit Report, 8 October 1944, No. 20-44 0800 7 October to 0800 8 October, CT-5, file A6-3.

  354 Unit Report, 9 October 1944, No. 21-44 0800 8 October to 0800 9 October, CT- 5, file A6-3.

  355 Harris Comments, p. 138.

  356 Stanley to Sledge, " Thoughts on Bucky's Notes," August 17, 1981, SCAU.

  357 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, "To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU; Captain Flagg War Diary: Peleliu, RG 126, Box 299, NARA.

  358 R. V. Burgin interview, Playtone Collection; Stanley to Sledge, "Thoughts on Bucky's Notes," August 17, 1981, SCAU.

  359 Frank O. Hough, The Assault on Peleliu (Washington, D.C.: USMC Historical Branch, 1950), p. 162. This book states that 3/5 was near the division CP.

  360 Gen. Gordon Gayle interview, author's collection.

  361 Shofner, "WWII Memories," pp. 83-84. Shofner claimed that he developed this response. His claim is hard to prove, since it is obvious from the available testimony that many officers came up with the same solution. It is likely that the practice began with line company officers, who noticed the tourists in their zone of action.

  362 Daily Diary of John Wesley "Deacon" Tatum, author's copy courtesy of Tatum Family.

  363 G-2 Report No. 5, September 19, 1944, p. 3, III Amphibious Corps, A4-16, Box 298, NARA.

  364 Derrick Wright, The Battle for Iwo Jima (Phoenix Mill, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited, 1999), p. vii.

  365 Harris Comments, p. 141.

  366 Shofner, "WWII Memories," pp. 82-83. Shofner's descriptions of this incident include a lot of rich detail. The author, having examined the memoir composed late in Shofner's life against the written record, concluded that some of his descriptions had become embroidered a bit.

  367 Unit Report, 12 October 1944, No. 25-44 0800 11 October to 0800 12 October, CT-5, file A6-3.

  368 The unit diary of 3/5 lists their location on October 12 as Wattie Ridge. The same location was listed in the USMC Historical Division's The Assault on Peleliu, p. 137, as "Waddie Ridge." This example, while not the most consequential, is apt for explaining the many small discrepancies found in the unit reports of 3/5.

  369 Richard Higgins interview, author's collection.

  370 Sledge to Walter McIlhenny, May 31, 1977, SCAU.

  371 The representation of Lt. Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley's combat leadership, at odds with the way he is portrayed in Sledge's book, comes from the author's interviews with R. V. Burgin, Ray Wilson, Sterling Mace, and other veterans of K/3/5.

  372 Unit Report, 12 October 1944, No. 25-44 0800 11 October to 0800 12 October, CT- 5, file A6-3. See also Harris Comments, pp. 138-139; the Fifth Regiment CO describes this process at some length.

  373 Commanding General, III Amphibious Corps to CMC, 26 May 1945, RE: Army Intel Report: Peleliu, RG 127, Box 306, NARA.

  374 Harris Comments, p. 140.

  375 Unit Report, 13 October 1944, No. 26-44 0800 12 October to 0800 13 October, CT-5, file A6- 3, NARA. The unit report incorrectly names the ridge--its actual name was Wattie Ridge. The incorrect name is used here because that's what 3/5 called it on the day. The Assault on Peleliu by the USMC Historical Division, a fine reference work, reported that the 75-mm gun was established on Hill 140. The author chose to use Harris's report. The evidence indicates that as many as three 75-mm howitzers were placed on the ridges in this area, but distinguishing exact times and locations is impossible.

  376 The casualty figure comes from the 3/5 record. It is just one of the many instances where it provided a different figure from from the one created by Thomas J. Stanley; see " To the Men of K-3-5," unpublished MS, October 17, 1980, SCAU.

  377 D-2 Journal, 1st Marine Div., Peleliu, RG 127, Box 299, NARA.

  378 Sledge to Henry "Hank" Boyes, July 25, 1970, SCAU; see also note 375 above.

  379 3/5 Record; Unit Report, 15 October 1944, No. 28-44 0800 24 October to 0800 25 October, CT-5, file A6-3.

  380 General Harris to Stumpy Stanley, July 17, 1981, SCAU.

  381 Harris Comments, p. 141.

  382 Harris to Stanley, July 17, 1981, SCAU; Harris Comments, pp. 141, 143.

  383 Annex G--Phase II--Special Action Report--Palau Operation, p. 1, Box 298, USMC Geographic Files, Peleliu, RG 127.

  384 3/5 Record, p. 16; Harvey Lund (K/3/5 corpsman) interview, author's collection.

  385 Stanley to Harris, December 30, 1983, SCAU; Sledge to Stanley, January 16, 1984, SCAU.

  386 Annex G--Phase II--Special Action Report--Palau Operation, p. 3, Box 298, USMC Geographic Files, Peleliu, RG 127.

  387 Rudyard Kipling, "Prelude," Departmental Ditties, 1886.

  388 Annex G--Phase II--Special Action Report--Palau Operation, p. 1, Box 298, USMC Geographic Files, Peleliu, RG 127.

  389 KPI. In this interview, Sledge asserted that he and his friends knew that taking the ridges was unnecessary even as they were taking them. Given the date of MacArthur's landing, however, his assertion seems a trick of memory.

  390 3/5 Record.

  391 3/5 Record, p. 16, mentions the stragglers; R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection. In his book With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (p. 138), Sledge tells the story a bit differently.

  392 Stanley to Sledge, October 7, 1980, SCAU.

  393 Sledge to Henry "Hank" Boyes, July 25, 1970, SCAU.

  394 5th Marine Regiment--Movement Order--Peleliu, No. 1-44 October 24, 1944, p. 1, B13-3, Box 305, RG 127, NARA.

  395 3/5 Record.

  396 Ibid.

  397 Daily Diary of John Wesley "Deacon" Tatum, author's collection; Stanley to Sledge, December 10, 1982, SCAU.
/>   398 Sledge, With the Old Breed, p. 164.

  399 Henry "Hank" Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU; Boyes to Sledge, December 16, 1979, SCAU.

  400 "Americans Invade 2 Major Jap Island Bases," The Mobile Register, September 14, 1944, #133, p. 1.

  401 Sledge to Walter McIlhenny, May 31, 1977, SCAU: " . . . right after we came off Peleliu I began writing notes on what my comrades and I experienced there."

  402 St. Elmo Haney USMC File; Stanley to Sledge, November 30, 1983, SCAU. Hank Boyes said Haney left after two days. Sledge recalled him being on the ill- fated "war-dog patrol" a few days later.

  403 Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley, " To All Hands," 1982, SCAU.

  404 Henry A. "Hank" Boyes to Sledge, January 28, 1980, SCAU.

  405 Sam Menzelos (2d Lt. K/3/5) interview, author's collection.

  406 Harry Bender (K/3/5) interview, author's collection.

  407 USMC Photographs #106562, 106564, and 106565 and their captions (in the Still Pictures Branch of the National Archives) tell this story.

  408 Correspondence of Andrew A. Haldane, Special Collections and Archives, Bowdoin College. The author thanks Steve Moore, Haldane's nephew, for providing him with copies of these documents.

  409 Henry "Hank" Boyes to Sledge, December 16, 1979, SCAU.

  410 Garand and Strobridge, USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. IV, p. 87.

  411 Brig. Gen. Austin C. Shofner, USMC Personnel File, NRC. This file contains copies of his transfer orders. The description of his time with the US Army comes from Shofner's "WWII Memories," p. 82. A note about his memoirs is necessary. Written in 2000, the memoirs reflect the memories of a man who may have had too long a time to burnish them or, as has been suggested by others who knew him, of a man who had a failing memory. In either case, there are overstatements and misrepresentations that can be proven as such. Other assertions found in his memoirs can neither be proved nor disproved at this date. The author has included only those aspects that were independently verified.

  412 Wells, Give Me Fifty Marines, p. 118.

  413 Ibid. p. 134.

  414 Conner, The Spearhead, p. 25; Garand and Strobridge, USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. IV, p. 483.

  415 Tatum, Red Blood Black Sand, p. 112.