Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
1950
THE COVER OF THIS NARRATIVE shows Marines pitching grenades at the entrenched foe. One grenade is in the air, another is smoking and ready to go.
Chapter | Page | ||
1. | Plans and Preparations | 1 | |
Strategic Situation | 1 | ||
Historical Background | 2 | ||
Saipan | 3 | ||
Japanese Defenses | 8 | ||
Japanese Organization | 10 | ||
High-Level Planning | 13 | ||
Casablanca Conference | 13 | ||
Washington and Quebec Conferences | 15 | ||
Cairo Conferences | 17 | ||
Campaign Plan GRANITE | 18 | ||
JCS Directive of 12 March | 20 | ||
Command Relations | 22 | ||
Logistics and Administration | 23 | ||
Intelligence Information | 25 | ||
Tactical Plans | 27 | ||
Training and Rehearsal | 30 | ||
Movement to the Objective | 34 | ||
Naval Gunfire and Air Bombardment | 35 | ||
Related Covering Actions | 43 | ||
Final Approach of the Northern Attack Force | 43 | ||
2. | D-day--15 June 1944 | 45 | |
Pre-H-Hour Preparations | 45 | ||
Tanapag Demonstration | 47 | ||
The Landing | 48 | ||
RED Beach Action | 51 | ||
GREEN Beach and Afetna Point | 54 | ||
YELLOW Beach and Agingan Point | 55 | ||
BLUE Beach and Charan Kanoa | 58 | ||
4th Division Tanks Land | 60 | ||
14th Marines Land | 62 | ||
General Schmidt's Command Post | 64 | ||
2d Division Tanks | 64 | ||
Minor Enemy Tank Thrusts | 65 | ||
10th Marines' 75mm Pack Howitzers Land | 66 | ||
2d and 24th Marines Land | 66 | ||
Darkness D-Day | 67 | ||
A Noisy and Restless Night | 71 | ||
Reports--Impending Naval Action | 74 | ||
3. | Expansion of the Beachhead | 77 | |
D-plus 1--16 June | 77 | ||
Spruance's Decisions | 77 | ||
6th Marines Consolidate; 8th Captures Afetna Point | 79 | ||
Remainder of 2d Marines Lands | 80 | ||
Artillery Build-Up | 81 | ||
The Push to O-1 | 81 | ||
27th Division Begins to Land | 84 | ||
Night of 16-17 June--Tank Counterattack | 86 | ||
D-plus 2--17 June | 92 | ||
Through Susupe's Marshes | 92 | ||
The Move to Aslito Airfield | 94 | ||
More Corps Troops Ashore | 96 | ||
Night of 17-18 June | 99 | ||
Japanese Air Strikes | 100 | ||
D-plus 3--18 June | 101 | ||
Into the Coconut Grove | 102 | ||
Drive to the East | 102 | ||
Seizure of Aslito Airfield | 104 | ||
Japanese Air Activity | 106 | ||
Night of 18-19 June | 107 | ||
D-plus 4--19 June | 107 | ||
The Approach to Nafutan Point | 107 | ||
The 4th Division Left Progresses | 108 | ||
Active Patrolling | 108 | ||
Artillery Situation | 109 | ||
Rear Installations | 110 | ||
Night of 19-20 June | 110 | ||
Battle of the Philippine Sea | 112 | ||
D-plus 5--20 June | 113 | ||
Surge to O-4 | 114 | ||
The Capture of Hill 500 | 114 | ||
Securing the Cliff | 115 | ||
Punches at the Point | 117 | ||
Night of 20-21 June | 120 | ||
D-plus 6--21 June | 120 | ||
The Pause Before the Northern Push | 120 | ||
Searching the Swamp | 121 | ||
". . .Hold Present Front Lines. . ." | 121 | ||
Night of 21-22 June | 123 | ||
Summary of Medical Activities to Date | 124 | ||
4. | Drive to the North | 126 | |
D-plus 7--22 June | 126 | ||
Intermediate Objective O-4A | 126 | ||
To Tipo Pale's Summit | 128 | ||
Commitment in the Center | 131 | ||
Night of 22-23 June | 132 | ||
Japanese Situation | 132 | ||
Air Activity | 133 | ||
D-plus 8--23 June | 134 | ||
The Introduction to Death Valley | 134 | ||
Operations at Hill 600 | 136 | ||
". . .Focal Points of Combat" | 137 | ||
Night of 23-24 June | 139 | ||
Japanese Plans and Actions | 140 | ||
D-plus 9--24 June | 141 | ||
To Garapan's Outskirts | 141 | ||
The Troublesome Cliff | 144 | ||
To Chacha and Laulau | 145 | ||
General Ralph Smith Relieved | 146 | ||
Night of 24-25 June | 147 | ||
Japanese Thoughts | 147 | ||
D-plus 10--25 June | 148 | ||
Kagman Peninsula | 148 | ||
Failure of a Plan | 150 | ||
Seizure of Mt. Tapotchau | 151 | ||
Stalemate at Nafutan Point | 155 | ||
Night of 25-26 June | 156 | ||
"There Is No Hope for Victory . . ." | 156 | ||
D-plus 11--26 June | 157 | ||
Mop-Up on Kagman Peninsula | 157 | ||
Colonel Stebbins Takes Over 106th Infantry | 158 | ||
By-Passing the Pocket | 159 | ||
"Seven Lives for One's Country" | 161 | ||
Progress in Unloading | 164 | ||
Medical Situation | 165 | ||
Related Raids by U.S. Navy | 166 | ||
5. | Swing to Tanapag | 167 | |
D-plus 12--27 June 1944 | 167 | ||
Japanese Situation on D-plus 12 | 167 | ||
Rapid Progress on the Right | 168 | ||
Important Localities Seized | 170 | ||
Pinch, Shift, Adjust, Consolidate | 171 | ||
Night of 27-28 June | 174 | ||
D-plus 13--28 June 1944 | 174 | ||
Four "Pimples" | 175 | ||
General Griner Assumes Command of 27th Division | 177 | ||
"Hold Present Positions . . ." | 179 | ||
Night of 28-29 June | 180 | ||
D-plus 14 and D-plus 15 (29-30 June) | 180 | ||
Waiting and Patrolling | 181 | ||
Vertical Gap Reduced | 181 | ||
A Successful Ruse | 182 | ||
Nights of 29 and 30 June | 185 | ||
D-plus 16 and D-plus 17 (1-2 July) | 186 | ||
The Limestone Hill | 186 | ||
Gaining Momentum | 191 | ||
The Surge to O-6A | 193 | ||
Nights of 1 and 2 July | 194 | ||
Saito Changes His Defense | 195 | ||
D-plus 18 and D-plus 19 (3-4 July) | 196 | ||
Garapan Seized | 196 | ||
The Thrust to Flores Point | 201 | ||
The Struggle for the Hills | 203 | ||
Change of Direction | 206 | ||
Naval Activities from 27 June to 4 July | 207 | ||
6. | Saito's Last Battle | 208 | |
D-plus 20--5 July | 208 | ||
Tanapag Plain | 208 | ||
From O-7Z to O-8A | 210 | ||
Night of 5-6 July | 212 | ||
D-plus 21--6 July | 212 | ||
The Ditch and the Gulch | 212 | ||
Expansion of the Front | 218 | ||
Night of 6-7 July | 221 | ||
The Banzai Attack | 222 | ||
The 2d Division's Mop-Up of 8 and 9 July | 230 | ||
D-plus 22, 23 and 24 (7, 8 and 9 July) | 235 | ||
To the Shore at Marpi Point | 235 | ||
Naval Activity | 243 | ||
The Crowning Horror | 245 | ||
Maniagassa Island | 246 | ||
7. | Conclusions | 247 | |
Summary | 247 | ||
Naval Gunfire | 247 | ||
Air Support | 248 | ||
Artillery | 250 | ||
Landing Vehicles | 251 | ||
Tanks | 253 | ||
Engineers | 254 | ||
Signal Communications | 256 | ||
Logistics | 256 | ||
Medical | 256 | ||
Japanese Tactical Lessons | 258 | ||
Japanese Strategical Summary | 259 | ||
The Assessment | 261 | ||
Appendices | |||
I. | Bibliography | 263 | |
II. | Chronology | 266 | |
III. | Casualties | 268 | |
IV. | Command and Staff List of Major Units | 270 | |
V. | Kyle's Mission | 275 | |
VI. | Basic Organization--Higher Echelon Task Forces | 278 | |
VII. | Task Organization | 279 | |
VIII. | Japanese Order of Battle | 281 | |
IX. | The Last Days of General Saito | 283 | |
X. | Navy Unit Commendation | 285 | |
XI. | Distinguished Unit Citation | 286 |