The Six Marine Divisions in the Pacific

The Six Marine Divisions in the Pacific PDF Author: George B. Clark
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786427698
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
In the island battles of World War II, the United States Marine Corps came into its own. From a force previously numbering 55,000, the ranks of the Marines swelled to 480,000. With Pacific theater command essentially divided geographically between General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, these forces found themselves under the command of the Army or Navy depending on their particular location. On land and at sea, the contribution which the six Marine divisions made to the Allied victory in the Pacific cannot be ignored. Concentrating on the infantry units, this volume provides a brief history of each of the six Marine divisions which took part in the Pacific conflict. Beginning with a chronology of the war in the Pacific, it succinctly describes each campaign through the eyes of a specified division, focusing on the division's exact movements and actions. Some battles and operations are covered from different perspectives because of the presence of multiple divisions. An initial section contains brief biographical sketches of key players in the Pacific arena. Extensive maps and photographs are also included.

The Six Marine Divisions in the Pacific

The Six Marine Divisions in the Pacific PDF Author: George B. Clark
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786427698
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the island battles of World War II, the United States Marine Corps came into its own. From a force previously numbering 55,000, the ranks of the Marines swelled to 480,000. With Pacific theater command essentially divided geographically between General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, these forces found themselves under the command of the Army or Navy depending on their particular location. On land and at sea, the contribution which the six Marine divisions made to the Allied victory in the Pacific cannot be ignored. Concentrating on the infantry units, this volume provides a brief history of each of the six Marine divisions which took part in the Pacific conflict. Beginning with a chronology of the war in the Pacific, it succinctly describes each campaign through the eyes of a specified division, focusing on the division's exact movements and actions. Some battles and operations are covered from different perspectives because of the presence of multiple divisions. An initial section contains brief biographical sketches of key players in the Pacific arena. Extensive maps and photographs are also included.

Commanding the Pacific

Commanding the Pacific PDF Author: Stephen Taaffe
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
ISBN: 1682477096
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 213

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Book Description
The Marine Corps covered itself in glory in World War II with victories over the Japanese in hard-fought battles such as Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Iwo Jima. While these battles are well known, those who led the Marines into them have remained obscure until now. In Commanding the Pacific: Marine Corps Generals in World War II, Stephen R. Taaffe analyzes the fifteen high-level Marine generals who led the Corps' six combat divisions and two corps in the conflict. He concludes that these leaders played an indispensable and unheralded role in organizing, training, and leading their men to victory. Taaffe insists there was nothing inevitable about the Marine Corps' success in World War II. The small pre-war size of the Corps meant that its commandant had to draw his combat leaders from a small pool of officers who often lacked the education of their Army and Navy counterparts. Indeed, there were fewer than one hundred Marine officers with the necessary rank, background, character, and skills for its high-level combat assignments. Moreover, the Army and Navy froze the Marines out of high-level strategic decisions and frequently impinged on Marine prerogatives. There were no Marines in the Joint Chiefs of Staff or at the head of the Pacific War's geographic theaters, so the Marines usually had little influence over the island targets selected for them. In addition to bureaucratic obstacles, constricted geography and vicious Japanese opposition limited opportunities for Marine generals to earn the kind of renown that Army and Navy commanders achieved elsewhere. In most of its battles on small Pacific War islands, Marine generals had neither the option nor inclination to engage in sophisticated tactics, but they instead relied in direct frontal assaults that resulted in heavy casualties. Such losses against targets of often questionable strategic value sometimes called into question the Marine Corps' doctrine, mission, and the quality of its combat generals. Despite these difficulties, Marine combat commanders repeatedly overcame challenges and fulfilled their missions. Their ability to do so does credit to the Corps and demonstrates that these generals deserve more attention from historians than they have so far received.

The 4th Marine Division in World War II

The 4th Marine Division in World War II PDF Author: John C. Chapin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description


Stay Off the Skyline

Stay Off the Skyline PDF Author: Laura Homan Lacey
Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
ISBN: 1574889524
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
The story of eighty-two days on an island hell

Pacific Warriors

Pacific Warriors PDF Author: Eric M. Hammel
Publisher: Zenith Imprint
ISBN: 0760320977
Category : Iwo Jima, Battle of, Japan, 1945
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, and more recently from the jungles of Vietnam to the killing fields of Iraq, America's "soldiers of the sea" have fought their country's battles with famed valor, skill, and perseverance in the face of long odds. But where did the U.S. Marines earn their reputation as being the "first to fight?" It was on the South Pacific Island of Guadalcanal. There, on August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division stormed ashore to begin one of the most difficult and brutal campaigns of military history, and an unbroken string of victories staged across the Pacific.

From Makin to Bougainville

From Makin to Bougainville PDF Author: Jon T. Hoffman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description


US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1941–43

US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1941–43 PDF Author: Gordon L. Rottman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472802209
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
The outbreak of World War II set in motion a massive expansion of the United States Marine Corps, leading to a 24-fold increase in size by August 1945. This book is the first of several volumes to examine the Corps's meteoric wartime expansion and the evolution of its units. It covers the immediate pre-war period, the rush to deploy defense forces in the war's early months, and the Marines' first combat operations on Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville. It focuses on the 1st, 2d, and 3d Marine Divisions (MarDivs) and the provisional 1st, 2d, and 3d Marine Brigades (MarBdes).

Victory and Occupation

Victory and Occupation PDF Author: Benis M. Frank
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : China
Languages : en
Pages : 968

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Book Description


Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan

Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan PDF Author: John C. Chapin
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
"Breaching the Marianas" by John C. Chapin is a book about the WWII campaigns and Marine Corps history. The book gives a detailed account of what happened on the Mariana Islands of Saipan during the war. Excerpt: "Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan by Captain John C. Chapin, USMCR (Ret) It was a brutal day. At first light on 15 June 1944, the Navy fire support ships of the task force lying off Saipan Island increased their previous days' preparatory fires involving all calibers of weapons. At 0542, Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner ordered, "Land the landing force." Around 0700, the landing ships, tank (LSTs) moved to within approximately 1,250 yards behind the line of departure. Troops in the LSTs began debarking from them in landing vehicles, tracked (LVTs). Control vessels containing Navy and Marine personnel with their radio gear took their positions displaying flags indicating which beach approaches they controlled."

Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II

Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II PDF Author: Combat Studies Institute Press
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781086087291
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 188

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Book Description
"Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II" provides a historical account of how US forces used synchronized operations in the air, maritime, information, and land domains to defeat the Japanese Empire. This work offers a historical case that illuminates current thinking about future campaigns in which coordination among all domains will be critical for success.