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Posted on 05/20/2004 12:00:18 AM PDT by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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With the Marshall Islands campaign of early 1944, the Marine 4th Division and the Army's 7th Infantry Division moved into Japanese territory for the first time in World War II. The islands, under Japanese control since World War I, offered U.S. forces bases for reconnaissance, combat staging and logistics. They were the next step in the Allied march to the Japanese home islands. 
D-Day in the Marshalls was set for Jan. 31, 1944. On that day, Marines in northern Kwajalein Atoll planned to seize five islands in the vicinity of Roi-Namur, while the 7th Infantry Division hoped to capture four islets near Kwajalein Island. The Majuro Attack Force also targeted four small islands for takeover. All were tactically necessary to the main objectives, scheduled for assault Feb. 1. Combined Navy, Marine and Army forces successfully accomplished all of these missions on D-Day. The islands of Roi and Namur, linked by a short causeway, are so close that they counted as a single target. Roi-Namur was the primary Japanese air base in the Marshalls.  Although many ships of the Northern Task Force were combat veterans, neither the troop transport drivers nor the 4th Marine Division, newly created in August 1943, had combat experience. Additionally, participants in the assault had not been able to rehearse as a unit. This combination of factors made for confusion in the launching of the assault.  "7th Infantry Goes Ashore, Kwajalein Atoll" (1944). Official U.S. Army Signal Corps Photograph, Graflex-Made. Donated by Joseph Garofalo - 121st Seabees, 4th Marine Division. Three days of naval bombardment and air strikes preceded the 4th Marine Division to Roi-Namur. On Feb. 1, ships responsible for fire support and bombardment moved in to extremely close range, maximizing their effectiveness, killing a significant number of defenders, and earning Conolly the nickname "Close-in," along with the gratitude of the troops, who were able to come into the beaches standing up. Navy ships and pilots dropped 6,000 tons of heavy explosives before the Marines set foot on Roi-Namur. Once on the beach, the troops assigned to Roi (the Marine 23rd Regimental Combat Team) advanced rapidly. The Japanese resisted strongly near the airfield's runways, but by late afternoon on Feb. 1 equipment was being landed to repair the airfield for American use. Roi was secured the same day.  Unexploded Jap bomb in crater. There were many of these duds on the island. Picture, George Smith. Capturing Namur, the job of the Marine 24th Regimental Combat Team, proved more difficult. Over half of the assigned transport craft could not be located when it was time to launch the assault. As a result, the timing of the assault waves was off, and units went in piecemeal. Next, the leading waves were halted by tracked landing vehicles that had stopped in the water, throwing everything behind them into confusion. These problems in the water caused a mixup on the beach. Fortunately, the enemy chose not to fight at the water's edge, so the Marines could regroup.  Light tank fires at Jap position on Kwajalein Island as the 7th Division moved in during recent brilliant campaign. Bitter fighting blasted the Japs. Once ashore, the Marines advanced rapidly; at nightfall, only the north shore of the island remained to be captured. The Marines established a defensive perimeter, which the Japanese attacked several times during the night. Fire discipline among the relatively untried troops was not good, and this, rather than the Japanese attacks, posed the greatest danger to the front line. In the morning, the Marines resumed their advance, and by early afternoon held Namur. In the seizure of the northern portion of Kwajalein Atoll, Marine 4th Division casualties were 313 killed and 502 wounded. They defeated an estimated 3,563 Japanese garrison forces, taking only about 90 prisoners. Kwajalein Island was the primary Japanese naval base in the Marshalls.  Two factors combined to make the Feb. 1 landing on Kwajalein among the most perfectly executed of the Pacific theater. First, the 7th Infantry Division trained superbly before it left Hawaii. Second, task force commander Turner was determined that Navy preliminary bombardment, primarily surface, would deliver a thorough pounding to the island's defenders. Turner and his heavy cruisers, battleships and destroyers delivered throughout the engagement, as did Army artillerymen. Four days of struggle were required to subdue the Japanese, but the Army veterans of Attu and Kiska succeeded. Just after 7 p.m. on the fourth day, Corlett, the Army commander, radioed Turner that the island was secure.  What is left of fuel storage tanks. Photo taken by George Smith. In the seizure of Kwajalein Island and surrounding islets, Army casualties included 173 killed and 793 wounded in overcoming an estimated 4,823 Japanese garrison troops. Of these, most were killed or committed suicide; approximately 174 were taken prisoner. The capture of Majuro, intended for use as an air and naval base, occurred without loss of American lives. Early intelligence reports proved erroneous; when Marines from the V Amphibious Corps Reconnaissance Company landed on Jan. 31, they found no Japanese on any of the islands slated for preliminary attack.  The night of Jan. 31, a Marine platoon landed on Majuro Island itself. All but one Japanese had escaped. The 2nd Battalion, 106th Infantry Regiment did not land on Majuro until Feb. 1; then, with an influx of garrison troops, it began converting Majuro into a U.S. air and naval base. The speed with which Kwajalein Atoll fell allowed Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, to move up the timetable for the seizure of Eniwetok Atoll, code named Operation Catchpole.  Catchpole came under the overall command of Rear Admiral Harry W. Hill. The V Amphibious Corps reserve, made up of the 22nd Marine Regiment (reinforced) under Marine Colonel John T. Walker and the 106th Infantry Regiment(reinforced) under Army Colonel Russell G. Ayers, provided the ground forces. On Feb. 18, 1944, the Marines landed on Engebi Island, supported by naval gunfire and by shore-based artillery placed the day before on three adjacent islets. Engebi, which contained the atoll's airfield, was secured that day.  On Feb. 19, the 106th Infantry faced a tougher situation on Eniwetok Island, but after two days of fighting and help from the 22nd Marines' 3rd Battalion, Eniwetok, too, was taken. The 22nd Marines also seized Parry on Feb. 21, closing the action in the atoll. In Operation Catchpole, Marine casualties were 254 killed, 555 wounded; Army casualties were 94 killed and 311 wounded. About 3,400 Japanese died and 66 were taken prisoner.  U.S. forces bypassed four remaining Japanese bases in the Marshalls (Jaluit, Maleolap, Mille and Wotje), cutting them off from reinforcement. After the war, it was learned that of approximately 13,700 Japanese left at these bases, 7,440 died from bombing, disease or starvation. The capture of the Marshall Islands moved American reconnaissance and land-based strike aircraft within range of the both the Carolines and the Marianas, and opened new bases for the U.S. Navy. It caused the Japanese navy to evacuate Truk Island in the Carolines, which was the bastion of Japanese air and naval power in the Central Pacific.  Feels real good to capture the atoll after intense fighting. The rapid victories in the Marshalls gave added momentum to the Central Pacific drive. The low number of casualties--under 3,000 combined for Marines and Army--shows that the lessons that the Marine 2nd Division paid such a high price for at Tarawa were put to good use. Surface and air bombardment and naval gunnery improved in strength and accuracy. Tactics against heavily defended atolls had been changed and improved. The Marshalls assault forces had more and better transportation to the beach as well.
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Quote of the book was from a chief on the CVE Gambier Bay as a couple of the IJN cruisers were closing in on the carrier. "At a boys, were sucking them in to 40MM range"
Sounds like my kind of troop.
Even though not an anti-shipping weapon, that 40mm could do wonders for inferior decorating shipboard.
What was the outcome of that, if you can reveal?
Cowardly Islamic types of today cannot hold a candle to the Japanese combatant of WW-2.
Comparing the Islamics of today to any combat force is a joke. They're good at making loud noises about fighting, killing civilians, hiding behind women and children and terroeist acts. When it comes to a "combat" they get their asses kicked everytime.
Never knew that the USS PENSACOLA was supposed to deliver the Bomb. Learned something new again. :-)
Afternoon CT. I guess compared to some of the other islands like Iwo, Tarawa, Saipan, it may have been considered easy. Doubt the troops on the ground felt that way though.
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LOL! Sounds like a typical American remark when things look bad.
Afternoon Darksheare.
Afternoon.
Nothing much going on here.
The line up for the battle off Samar in Letye Gulf was IJN:
4 BBs, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 11 destroyers.
USN Taffy 3 group had 6 escort carriers, 3 destroyers and 3 destroyer escorts.
The American losses in the Leyte Gulf battle were 1 CVE, the Gambier Bay, 2 DDs, the Johnston and the Hoel and 1DE, the Samuael B. Roberts. Most of the resat of the ships in Taffy 3 suffered damage as well. It should be noted the the CVE St. Lo was also sunk, not by gunfire but was hit by a kamakazie after the IJN had pulled back. Also as a minor point of trivia the Gambier Bay was the only USN carrier to be sunk by naval gunfire during WWII.
IJN losses for the Leyte Gulf battle were, IIRC, 3 heavy cruisers and 4 destroyers sunk as well as 2 of the BBs damaged and trailing oils as well as most of the remaining ships suffering anywhere from major damage to light damage.
I will have to do some research and see if I can track down the damage to the IJN ships, you have gotten my curiosity up now.
Sadly many of the survivors of the 4 sunken ships perished when rescue efforts became confused in the "Fog of War". Most of the survivors were not picked up till after spending 2 plus days in the water.
One of the CVEs in the Taffy 3 group took over a dozen hits from IJN heavy cruisers. As luck would have it the shells were Armor piercing and the thin plates in the CVE's construction were not thick enough to detonate the shells.
Much blame has been placed on Halsey for the near debacle that was Leyte Gulf but the fault must be shared by Nimitz as well . Halsey was given a set of contradictory orders at Leyte Gulf. Not only was he to help protect the landing fleet he was also tasked with the destruction of any IJN fleet units that showed up. When Adm. Ozawa's fleet of decoy carriers showed up north of Luzon, Halsey took off after them leaving the San Bernadino straight unprotected by any of his forces.
Any ways that is Leyte Gulf in a small nut shell.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Afternoon ct. The PC world won't let us rid ourselves of the enemy like we did before. It's a shame and we are paying for it now and I expect it will only get worse.
Thanks alfa6.
Leyte Gulf was another exapmle of an over-complicated plan by the Japanese. You'd think that after Midway they would have caught on. Still it came real close to acheiving some of it's objectives. A small force of very brave men stopped a Japanese victory.
Bloody Peleliu.....only 7 miles long.
On the morning of 15 September 1944, after heavy Navy surface and air preparatory fires, the 1st Marine Division came ashore on the southwest beaches of Peleliu. The Marines met strong opposition but by nightfall held a beachhead nearly two miles long and a mile deep. As elsewhere, however, the Japanese defenders showed no signs of giving up. Although the Marines advanced steadily and took the airfield, casualty rates after five days exceeded 50 percent in some units. By 20 September 1944 the Marines were exhausted, and a stalemate had resulted.
Place of beauty today....
Niiiice pics. My father fought in the Solomon Islands campaign and the Philippines. I've been to Kwajalein, Guam, Okinawa and some other little bumfuk islands in the south Pacific with radar stations of which I can't remember the names. Never made it to the Seychelles, where the USAF had an installation for many years, notwithstanding the socialist government.
Thanks!
They defeated an estimated 3,563 Japanese garrison forces, taking only about 90 prisoners.
In Operation Catchpole, . . . about 3,400 Japanese died and 66 were taken prisoner.
After the war, it was learned that of approximately 13,700 Japanese left at these bases, 7,440 died from bombing, disease or starvation.
MacArthur wasn't in Halsey's 3rd Fleet chain of command. MacArthur had some control over Kinkaid's 7th Fleet but Halsey reported directly to Nimitz.
I agree that it was Fletcher that screwed the pooch at Guadalcanal, not Turner. Turner made the best of a bad situation.
Great book. I jut finished it last week. I was surprised at the number of photos it had that I never seen before, mostly the aerial shots of the Japanese ships.
I guess the Japanese Army knew that even the Japanese Navy called the Bettys "flying lighters".
The Army’s 7th and 98th Sentais and the Navy’s 762nd Kokutai (Air Group) scored some hits on the American cruisers Houston and Canberra, but failed to sink either vessel (they were towed out of the battle zone), and all three units suffered heavy losses.
Damaged HOUSON under tow. CANBERRA in background
IIRC and I probably don't, I think Halsey was sort of loaned to MacArthur for the Leyte landings. Regardless Halsey was given conflicting instuctions and being the hard charging aviation minded Admiral that he was naturally looked on the IJN carriers as the more potent threat.
After the action Nimitz's son was paying his dad a visit at Pearl and the subject of Halsey's orders at Leyte Gulf came up.
Nimitz Jr looked at thew orders and told his dad "You screwed up" more or less.
I will try to locate the story and post the cite for it tomorrow on the thread.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
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