“the terrible beating the Marine Corps had sustained in battles like Gradual Canal and Peleliu. “
Huh ?
.
Guadalcanal (correct spelling) was at the time seen as having "saved" Australia. And it demonstrated that an outnumbered band of surrounded Marines could beat well supplied and continually reinforced with imperial naval support "invincible" Japanese in jungle combat. So it was one of the great turning points of the Pacific war. Peleliu was nearly as rough as Tarawa and Iwo Jima but turned out to be an unnecessary sacrifice when plans were changed and the island lost its strategic significance. The Japanese generally fought to the last man and were as vicious and brutal an opponent as any of any age.
That supposedly soft teenage Americans could whip them island by island, absorbing horrible losses along the way, is one reason why the Japanese, who are ever conscious of superior vs. inferior status, bowed down en masse per the command of the Emperor after surrender. They were whipped and they knew it.
Re My recollection: Lewie Puller lost most of his Bn on
Peleliu.
I believe that’s a reference to the terrible toll they paid for those victories.
G.I. Joe was just a toy, wasn’t he?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1918387/posts