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To: Brad from Tennessee

I believe the 27th Division came in on day three or so. They were in some of the bloodiest fighting of the campaign, in places nick-named Death Valley and Purple Heart Ridge. They fought in the tough center of the island with the Marine divisions on either flank. They were also in the front line of the horrible Banzai charge of July 7, 1944. Time and Life were embedded with the Marines, which accounts for these being I think 100% Marine pics.


33 posted on 01/16/2012 2:34:46 PM PST by Cincinnatus
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To: Cincinnatus
I believe the 27th Division came in on day three or so. They were in some of the bloodiest fighting of the campaign, in places nick-named Death Valley and Purple Heart Ridge. They fought in the tough center of the island with the Marine divisions on either flank. They were also in the front line of the horrible Banzai charge of July 7, 1944.

True - my dad was in the 27th and was manning a 37mm anti-tank gun about 50 yards behind the front lines of the Banzai attack. The intelligence reports estimated 200-300 enemy remaining to be mopped up, so large elements of the 27th were diverted elsewhere to help out. It turned out that the intelligence was off by a factor of 10, hence much of the 105th Regiment of the 27th was virtually wiped out before they could exterminate the enemy. Three members of the 27th were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions that day. I shudder to think where we would be now had we conducted a politically correct war as we do today...

41 posted on 01/16/2012 4:57:05 PM PST by awelliott
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