Fortitudine Vol 23 No 2 - United States Marine Corps · Marine Corps Hisorical Center Building 58,...

FORTITtJDIiBULLETIN OF THE MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL PROG11HISTORICAL BULLETIN VOLUME XXIII FALL 1993 NUMBER 2

FORMER MARINE ARTIST RECALLS HIS WORLD WAR II SERVICE. SECOND DAY AT S0ISS0NS WAS BRUTALFOR ALREADY HARD-PRESSED MARINES. . . HAL WEINBERGER, WHO CAPTURED THE FURIOUS BAYFLES OFTHE PACIFIC ON FILM. . FOUR NEW HISLDRICAL MONOGRAPHS. . FLIGHT LINES: DE HAVILLAND D.H.4

FORTITIJDIiBULLETIN OF THE MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL PROGh1HISTORICAL BULLETIN VOLUME XXIII FALL 1993 NUMBER 2

FORMER MARINE ARTIST RECALLS His WORLD WAR II SERVICE. . . SECOND DAY AT SoIssoNS WAS BRUTALFOR ALREADY HARD-PRESSED MARINES. . . HAL WEINBERGER, WHO CAPTURED THE FURIOUS BAYFLES OFTHE PACIFIC ON FILM. . . FOUR NEW HISIDRICAL MONOGRAPHS. . . FLIGHT LINES: DE HAVILLAND D.H.4

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release; distribution isunlimited.

PCN 10401220100

Marine Corps Hisorical CenterBuilding 58, Washington Navy Yard

901 M Srreer, SouheasWashingon, DC. 20374-5040

Telephone: (202) 433-3838, 433-3840, 433-3841

DIRECTOR

BGen Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Re)Secretary to the Director. Mrs. Paricia E. Morgan.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Col William J. Davis, USMC

HISTORICAL BRANCH

Head: LtCoI Thomas A. Richards, USMC. Histories Section:

Mr. Benis M. Frank, Chief Historian; Dr. Jack Shulimson;Mr. Charles R. Smih: Cap David A. Dawson, USMC. OralHistory Unit: Mr. Richard A Long. Reference Section: Mr.Danny J. Crawford; Mr. Robert V. Aquilina; Mrs. Ann A.Ferrane: Miss Lena M Kaljo; Mrs. Regina Sroher; Mrs.Shelia Gramblin. Archives: Mr. FrederickJ. Graboske; MissAmyJ. Canrin, Persona/Papers; Mts. Joyce C. Hudson; CplJoshua R. Ford, USMC, Official Papers.

MUSEUMS BRANCH

Head/Officer-in-Charge, Air-Ground Museum, Quantico:

Col Alfred J. Ponnwiz, USMC. Operations Officer. Cap

Chrisopher L. French, USMC. Museums Section: Mr.

Charles A. Wood, Chief Curator, Mr. Kenneh L. Smih-Chrismas, Material History; Mr. John G. Griffihs, Ord-nance; Mr. Joseph E. Payon; SSg Mich Garringer, USMC,Restoration; Mr. Michael E. Sarn, Aeronautics; Mr. RonaldJ. Perkins, Mr. Ronnie D. Alexander, Exhibits; Mrs. NancyF. King, Uniforms; Mrs. Jennifer L. Casro, Registrar, Mrs.Kathryn R. Trout, Programs Assistant. Security: SSgt HurelJ.Ward, USMC; Sg Daryl L. Clark, USMC; Sg Vincen L.

Wrigh, USMC; Sg GuillermoJ. Serra, USMC; Cpl KevinS. Andetson, USMC; CplJose Rodnguez, USMC; CplJeffreyJ. Weins, USMC; LCpI Sean A. Brooks, USMC; LCpl SevenE. Winsky, USMC.

MARINE CORPS MUSEUM UNIT, WASHINGTON, D.C.

E,hibits: Mr.James A. Fairfax; Mr Gordon Heim: LCpl An-hony R. Hicks, USMC; Marine Corps Art Collection: Mr

John T. Dyer, Jr.

SUPPORT BRANCH

Head/Division E,cecutive Officer LtCoI Thomas A. Richards,USMC, Acting. Editing and Design Section: Mr. Robert E.Sruder: Mr. William S. Hill; Mrs. Caherine A. Kerns.Library: Miss Evelyn A. Englander. Administration: lsLtJohn T. Simpson, USMC; SSg John Hudson, USMC; SgExkchart Ratanachaj, USMC, Cpl Michael L Ashley, USMC;Cpl Amanda F. Bernard, USMC; LCpI MichaelJ. Miksovsky,USMC. Security Unit: SSg Ricardo E. Harding, USMC.

Mr. Robert E. SmaderSenior Editor/Editor Formudine

FORTIT[JD INEMotto of the United States Marine Corps in the 1812 era.

Historical Bulletin Volume XXIII Fall 1993 No. 2

This quarterly bulletin of the Marine Corps historical program is published for Marines, atthe rate of one copy for every nine on active duty, to provide education and training in theuses of military and Marine Corps history. Other interested readers may purchase single co-pies or one-year subscriptions (four issues) from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

TABLE OF CONThNTS

Memorandum from the Director: The Second Day at SoissonsBGen Edwin H Simmons, USMC (Ret) 3

Readers Always Write: More Comment on 'Wake' 10

Dual Titles Added to Persian Gulf, WWII History SeriesBenis M, Frank 13

Tarawa Observances Indude Day-long Lejeune EventsCo/Joseph H. A/exander USMC (Ret) 14

Acquisitions: Rare Chinese Civil Decoration is Donated to MuseumKenneth L. Smith-Christmas 15

Artist Gibney Relives World War II Memories on CanvasJohn T Dyer Jr 16

Marine Corps Art from Somalia Shown on Capitol HillJohn T Dyer Jr 18

Historical Quiz: Dates in Marine Corps HistoryLena M. Ka/jot 19

New Books: Military Art Volumes Prominent Among New IssuesHeather Sroufe 20

He Was the Marine Behind the Camera: Hal WeinbergerGySgt David Vergun, USMC 21

Answers to the Historical Quiz: Dates in Marine Corps History 25

Mentioned In Passing: Gen Hogaboom Dies; WWII Vet Was HQ Chief of StaffBen is M. Frank 26

Answers to Historical Quiz: Marines and Helicopters 27

Flight Lines: de Havilland D.H.4Michae/ E. Starn 29

World War II Chronology, 1941-1945: June-August 1944Robert V Aquiina 31

Guidance for Command Historians: Knowing Chronology's UsesMakes it Easier to Write

Capt David A. Dawson, USMC 32

THE COVER

A letter from Marine Corpc Art Curator John T. Dyer, Jr., to former Marine artist RichardM. Gibney and others, asking for contributions of sketches, drawings, or paintings to sup-port an exhibition in honor of the 50th anniversary of World War II, began a process inwhich Gibney revisited graphically all of the personal major events of his wartime service.Now, 50 works of art he subsequently created have been organized into a solo show at theMarine Corps Museum, recently opened by the Assistant Commandant, (len Walter E. Boom-er. Some of the paintings, and a recounting of the experiences that inspired them, appearbeginning on page 16. Before the war in the Pacific, of course, Marines fought in Francewith the American Expeditionary Force of World War I. In his continuing assessment of theCorps' involvement in that war, BGen Simmons provides "The Second Day at Soissons," alook at one of the most harrowing days of the war, beginning on page 3. Finally, unit histori-ans who produce command chronologies will find some useful advice beginning on page 32.

Fortitudine is produced in the Editing and Design Section of the History and Museums Division. Thetext for Fortitudine is set in 10-point and 8-point Garamond typeface. Headlines are in 18-point or24-point Garamond. The bulletin is printed on 70-pound, matte-coated paper by offset lithography.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, shington, D.C. 20402.

2 Fortitudine, Fall 1993

HISTORYAND MUSEUMSDIVISION

Marine Corps Historical CenterBuilding 58, Washington Navy Yard

901 M Street, SoutheastWashington, D.C. 20374-5040

Telephone: (202) 433-3838, 433-3840, 433-3841

DIRECTOR

BGen Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret)Secretary to the Director. Mrs. Patricia E. Morgan.

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Col William J. Davis, USMC

HISTORICAL BRANCH

Head: LtCol Thomas A. Richards, USMC. Histories Section:

Mr. Benis M. Frank, Chief Historian; Dr. Jack Shulimson;Mr. Charles R. Smith; Capt David A. Dawson, USMC. OralHistory Unit: Mr. Richard A. Long. Reference Section: Mr.DannyJ. Crawford; Mr. Robert V. Aquilina; Mrs. Ann A.Ferranre; Miss Lena M. Kaljot; Mrs. Regina Strother; Mrs.Shelia Gramblin. Archives: Mr. FrederickJ. Graboske; MissAmyJ. Canon, Personal Papers; Mrs. Joyce C. Hudson; CplJoshua R. Ford, USMC. Official Papers.

MUSEUMS BRANCH

Head/Officer-in-Charge, Air- Ground Museum, Quantico:Col Alfred J. Ponnwitz, USMC. Operations Officer CaptChristopher L. French, USMC. Museums Section: Mr.Charles A. Wood, Chief Curator, Mr. Kenneth L. Smith-Christmas, Material History; Mr. John G. Griffiths, Ord-nance; Mr. Joseph E. Payton; SSgt Mitch Ga.rringer, USMC,Restoration; Mr. Michael E. Starn, Aeronautics; Mr. RonaldJ. Perkins, Mr. Ronnie D. Alexander, Erhibits; Mrs. NancyF. King, Uniforms; Mrs. Jennifer L. Castro, Registrar, Mrs.Kathryn R. Trout, Programs Assistant. Security: SSgt HurelJ.Ward, USMC; Sgt Daryl L. Clark, USMC; Sgt Vincent L.Wright, USMC; Sgt GuilkrmoJ. Serra, USMC; Cpl KevinS. Anderson, USMC; CplJosc Rodriguez, USMC; CplJeffreyJ. Weins, USMC; LCpI Sean A. Brooks, USMC; LCpl StevenE. Winsky. USMC.

MARINE CORPS MUSEUM UNIT, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Erhibits: Mr. James A. Fairfax; Mr. Gordon Heim; LCpI An-thony R. Hicks, USMC; Marine Corps Art Collection: MrJohn T. Dyer, Jr.

SUPPORT BRANCH

Head/Division Executive Offlcer LxCol Thomas A. Richards,USMC, Acting. Editing and Design Section: Mr. Robert E.Struder; Mr. William S. Hill; Mrs. Catherine A. Kerns.Library: Miss Evelyn A. Englander. Administration: lstLtJohn T Simpson. USMC; SSgt John Hudson, USMC; SgtExkchart Rattanachai, USMC; Cpl Michael L. Ashley. USMC;Cpl Amanda F. Bernard, USMC; [Lpl MichaelJ. Miksovsky,USMC. Security Unit: SSgt Ricardo E. Harding, USMC.

Mr. Robert E. StruderSenior Editor/Editoc Fortitudine

FORTIT[JD INEMotto of the United States Marine Corps in the 1812 era.

Historical Bulletin Volume XXffl Fall 1993 No. 2

This quarterly bulletin of the Marine Corps historical program is published for Marines, atthe rate of one copy for every nine on active duty, to provide education and training in theuses of military and Marine Corps history. Other interested readers may purchase single co-pies or one-year subscriptions (four issues) from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.

TABLE OF CONThNTS

Memorandum from the Director: The Second Day at SoissonsBGen Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret) 3

Readers Always Write: More Comment on 'Wake' 10

Dual Titles Added to Persian Gulf, WWII History SeriesBenis M. Frank 13

Tarawa Observances Indude Day-long Lejeune EventsCol Joseph H. A1exander USMC (Ret) 14

Acquisitions: Rare Chinese Civil Decoration is Donated to MuseumKenneth L. Smith-Christmas 15

Artist Gibney Relives World War H Memories on CanvasJohn T Dyer Jr 16

Marine Corps Art from Somalia Shown on Capitol HillJohn T Dyer Jr 18

Historical Quiz: Dates in Marine Corps HistoryLena M. Kaljot 19

New Books: Military Art Volumes Prominent Among New IssuesHeather Sroufe 20

He Was the Marine Behind the Camera: Hal WeinbergerGySgi David Vergun, USMC 21

Answers to the Historical Quiz: Dates in Marine Corps History 25Mentioned In Passing: Gen Hogaboom Dies; WWII Vet Was HQ Chief of Staff

Benis M. Frank 26

Answers to Historical Quiz: Marines and Helicopters 27

Flight lines: de Havilland D.H.4Michael E. Star,s 29

World War II Chronology, 1941-1945: June-August 1944Robert V Aquilina 31

Guidance for Command Historians: Knowing Chronology's UsesMakes it Easier to Write

Capt David A. Dawson, USMC 32

THE COVER

A letter from Marine Corps Art Curator John T. Dyer, Jr., to former Marine artist RichardM. Gibney and others, asking for contributions of sketches, drawings, or paintings to sup-port an exhibition in honor of the 50th anniversary of World War II, began a process inwhich Gibney revisited graphically all of the personal major events of his wartime service.Now, 50 works of art he subsequently created have been organized into a solo show at theMarine Corps Museum, recently opened by the Assistant Commandant, (len Walter E. Boom-er. Some of the paintings, and a recounting of the experiences that inspired them, appearbeginning on page 16. Before the war in the Pacific, of course, Marines fought in Francewith the American Expeditionary Force of World War I. In his continuing assessment of theCorps' involvement in that war, BGen Simmons provides "The Second Day at Soissons," alook at one of the most harrowing days of the war, beginning on page 3. Finally, unit histori-ans who produce conmiand chronologies will find some useful advice beginning on page 32.

Fortitudine is produced in the Editing and Design Section of the History and Museums Division. Thetext for Fortitudine is set in 10-point and 8-point Garamond typeface. Headlines are in 18-point or24-point Garamond. The bulletin is printed on 70-pound, matte-coated paper by offset lithography.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, shtisgton, D.C. 20402.


HISTORYAND MUSEUMSDIVISION

Memorandum from the Director

The Second Day at Soissons

T HE GROUND TAKEN in the first dayat Soissons far exceeded French ex-

pectations. The commander of the FrenchTenth Army, Gen Charles ("The Butcher")Mangin, delighted with the success of hisforeign troops, ordered a continuation ofthe attack to begin at 4 a.m. on 19 July1918. For the U.S. 2d Division the objec-tive would be the Soissons-Chateau-Thierry Road.

At 10 p.m. on the 18th, MajGenJamesG. Harbord, USA, commanding the 2dDivision, had advanced his headquartersto Beaurepaire Farm, taken earlier that dayfrom the Germans. He had outrun hiscommunications. There was no telephonewire to the rear. At about 2 a.m. a Frenchstaff officer brought him the XX Corps at-tack order for the following day. Harbordsummoned the 6th Regiment's command-er, LtCol Harry Lee, to his headquarters.

The troops called their regimental com-mander "Light Horse Harry," but therumor, which he did nothing to dis-courage, that he was a direct descendentof Light Horse Harry Lee of Revolution-ary War fame was unfounded. Now 46years old, he had been commissioned inthe Marine Corps in 1898 after seven years'service in the District of Columbia Nation-al Guard. As had most officers of hisgeneration, he had smelled gunpowder inminor altercations in such places as Cuba,the Philippines, Nicaragua, Haiti, andSanto Domingo and had served at sea ina string of battleships. He had been withthe 6th Regiment since its activation atQuantico the previous August and hadmoved up to command after Col Alber-tus W. Catlin was grievously wounded atBelleau Wood ["Catlin of the 6th Regi-ment," Fortitudine, Spring 1993]. Lee was

BGen Simmons

of stocky build; he had a strong nose, arather imperious manner, and somethingof a reputation as a boxer and wrestler.

T HE 6Th MARINES, as corps reserve,had moved up to Beaurepaire Farm

early on the afternoon of the 18th. Asthen-Sgt Gerald C. Thomas of the 75thCompany, 1st Battalion (he would retireas a four-star general), later rememberedthe move:

"The next morning [18 July 19181, old'Johnny the Hard' sent for me at daybreak.He said, 'There's a ration dump back downthe road about half a mile or a mile

You take a detail, and get all thechow you can carry.' I called for half adozen men from each company, and wewent back down. All the dump had wascorned willy, which was very bad becausethere was no water, but we picked up what

"The First Day at Soissons" appeared in the Summer 1993 issue of Fortitudine.

Manned by poilus, French soldiers, andaccompaniedby a motor-cycle outrider French tanks make their way to the front in the

Soissons sector in July 1918. MajGen Harbord's US. 2d Divi-sion and its Marines fought as a part of France's Tenth Army.

S

',4.iI

•'.

.c�e.. :' -

Memorandum from the Director

The Second Day at Soissons

T HE GROUND TAKEN in the first dayat Soissons far exceeded French ex-

pectations. The commander of the FrenchTenth Army, Gen Charles ("The Butcher")Mangin, delighted with the success of hisforeign troops, ordered a continuation ofthe attack to begin at 4 a.m. on 19 July1918. For the U.S. 2d Division the objec-tive would be the Soissons-Chateau-Thierry Road.

At 10 p.m. on the 18th, MajGen JamesG. Harbord, USA, commanding the 2dDivision, had advanced his headquartersto Beaurepaire Farm, taken earlier that dayfrom the Germans. He had outrun hiscommunications. There was no telephonewire to the rear. At about 2 a.m. a Frenchstaff officer brought him the XX Corps at-tack order for the following day. Harbordsummoned the 6th Regiment's command-er, LtCol Harry Lee, to his headquarters.

The troops called their regimental com-mander "Light Horse Harry," but therumor, which he did nothing to dis-courage, that he was a direct descendentof Light Horse Harry Lee of Revolution-ary War fame was unfounded. Now 46years old, he had been commissioned inthe Marine Corps in 1898 after seven years'service in the District of Columbia Nation-al Guard. As had most officers of hisgeneration, he had smelled gunpowder inminor altercations in such places as Cuba,the Philippines, Nicaragua, Haiti, andSanto Domingo and had served at sea ina string of battleships. He had been withthe 6th Regiment since its activation atQuantico the previous August and hadmoved up to command after Col Alber-tus W. Catlin was grievously wounded atBelleau Wood ["Catlin of the 6th Regi-ment," Fortitudine, Spring 1993]. Lee was

BGen Simmons

of stocky build; he had a strong nose, arather imperious manner, and somethingof a reputation as a boxer and wrestler.

T HE 6Th MARINES, as corps reserve,had moved up to Beaurepaire Farm

early on the afternoon of the 18th. Asthen-Sgt Gerald C. Thomas of the 75thCompany, 1st Battalion (he would retireas a four-star general), later rememberedthe move:

"The next morning [18 July 1918], old'Johnny the Hard' sent for me at daybreak.He said, 'There's a ration dump back downthe road about half a mile or a mile

You take a detail, and get all thechow you can carry.' I called for half adozen men from each company, and wewent back down. All the dump had wascorned willy, which was very bad becausethere was no water, but we picked up what

"The First Day at Soissons" appeared in the Summer 1993 issue of Fortitudine.

Manned by poilus, French soldiers, and accompanied by a motor-cycle outrider French tanks make their way to the front in the

Soissons sector in July 1918. MajGen Harbord's US. 2d Divi-sion and its Marines fought as a part of France's Tenth Army.

we could . . . . We got back. . . and we

had our chow. Along about eight o'clockin the morning we were in pretty goodshape . . . so Hughes moved out. We fol-lowed him right up the road

Thomas was referring to Maj John A.("Johnny the Hard") Hughes, commanderof the 1st Battalion, consisting of the 74th,75th, 76th, and 95th Companies. Hugheswore the pale blue ribbon of the Medal ofHonor for services as a company com-mander at Vera Cruz in 1914. It was said,and it may have been true, that he hadreceived his nom de guerre in SantoDomingo. Shot through the leg, he re-portedly called for a pair of wire-cutters toclip off the jagged edge of the protrud-ing bone.

"We had a very scenic day:' rememberedThomas. "I'll never forget it. We were hor-ribly short of water. The horses and menhad drunk up all the wells for milesaround, and there was no water. We sentoff details with canteens, and they weregone eight or ten hours before they couldcome back with their canteens full. Thatday lancers and cuirassiers, the beautifulFrench cavalry, would go loping by. Theanillery was displacing forward, at the gal-lop. On the side of the road the walkingwounded were coming back .

"About three o'clock in the afternoon

our regiment moved forward and deployedon the side of a hill. Down in front of usand off to the left was a line of artillerypieces as far as you could see standing hubto hub. I never saw anything like it, be-fore or since. The word was, 'We're goingto attack.' We deployed .

"Then the word came, 'Stand fast.' Theytold us that we were deployed too far tothe rear, and that the 23d Infantry was onthe road in column right behind us. Theypassed through us. As they went by youcan imagine what they said to us. Theyloped by and went on toward the villageof Vierzy.

after the 23d went by, I saw thegreatest spectacle of the war. The Frenchformed up for a mass cavalry attack

There were about 6,OuO of them,and they formed up on a plateau aboveus . . . . For some reason they didn't getthe word to move forward. Finally the Ger-mans threw some shells in among them,and they began to mill around. They alljust drifted away."

T HE MARINES of the 6th Regimentwere spectators, not participants, in

the events of the 18th. The night was fairlywell over before LtCol Lee received the di-vision attack order for the following day.That was at 3 a.m. on the 19th at Har-bord's headquarters. The 6th Marines,

reinforced with the 6th Machine Gun Bat-talion, would take over the whole divisionfront. The artillery preparation was to be-gin at 6 a.m. Passage of lines would be at7 a.m. The 6th Marines would advance ona frontage of about 2,500 yards. The 1stBattalion, 2d Engineers, and the 4thMachine Gun Battalion were to constitutethe reserve. All heavy tanks remaining atthe disposition of the division commanderwould be placed under orders of the at-tack commander. All light tanks would beheld in division reserve.

The battalion commanders were calledto regimental headquarters in the fieldsouth of Beaurepaire Farm at about 4:30a.m., given maps, and told to report toLtCol Lee, who had gone forward to Vier-zy to set up his P.C. (Post of Command)in the railroad station. It was understoodthat the attack would be at 8 a.m.

Early in the morning on the 19th, Har-bord sent a lengthy message to Command-ing General, XX Corps. The pith of it was:

With the exception of theSixth Marines, kept out of thefight as Corps Reserve yesterday,and the Second Regiment of En-gineers, which are armed with ri-fles, every infantry unit wasexhausted in the fight yesterday.It was necessary, therefore to


Soon to be promoted to lieutenant colonel, Maf Thomas Ho/-comb, in the foreground center rides at the head of his column

oJ troops oJ the 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, in France in June1918. He would one day be Commandant of the Marine Corps.

ft

—S....

:•

we could . . . We got back. . . and wehad our chow. Along about eight o'clockin the morning we were in pretty goodshape . . . so Hughes moved out. We fol-lowed him right up the road

Thomas was referring to Maj John A.("Johnny the Hard") Hughes, commanderof the 1st Battalion, consisting of the 74th,75th, 76th, and 95th Companies. Hugheswore the pale blue ribbon of the Medal ofHonor for services as a company com-mander at Vera Cruz in 1914. It was said,and it may have been true, that he hadreceived his nom de guerre in SantoDomingo. Shot through the leg, he re-portedly called for a pair of wire-cutters toclip off the jagged edge of the protrud-ing bone.

"We had a very scenic day:' rememberedThomas. "I'll never forget it. We were hor-ribly short of water. The horses and menhad drunk up all the wells for milesaround, and there was no water. We sentoff details with canteens, and they weregone eight or ten hours before they couldcome back with their canteens full. Thatday lancers and cuirassiers, the beautifulFrench cavalry, would go loping by. Theartillery was displacing forward, at the gal-lop. On the side of the road the walkingwounded were coming back .

"About three o'clock in the afternoon

our regiment moved forward and deployedon the side of a hill. Down in front of usand off to the left was a line of artillerypieces as far as you could see standing hubto hub. I never saw anything like it, be-fore or since. The word was, 'We're goingto attack.' We deployed .

"Then the word came, 'Stand fast.' Theytold us that we were deployed too far tothe rear, and that the 23d Infantry was onthe road in column right behind us. Theypassed through us. As they went by youcan imagine what they said to us. Theyloped by and went on toward the villageof Vierzy.

after the 23d went by, I saw thegreatest spectacle of the war. The Frenchformed up for a mass cavalry attack

There were about 6,OuO of them,and they formed up on a plateau aboveus . . . For some reason they didn't getthe word to move forward. Finally the Ger-mans threw some shells in among them,and they began to mill around. They alljust drifted away."

T HE MARINES of the 6th Regimentwere spectators, not participants, in

the events of the 18th. The night was fairlywell over before LtCol Lee received the di-vision attack order for the following day.That was at 3 a.m. on the 19th at Har-bord's headquarters. The 6th Marines,

reinforced with the 6th Machine Gun Bat-talion, would take over the whole divisionfront. The artillery preparation was to be-gin at 6 a.m. Passage of lines would be at7 a.m. The 6th Marines would advance ona frontage of about 2,500 yards. The 1stBattalion, 2d Engineers, and the 4thMachine Gun Battalion were to constitutethe reserve. All heavy tanks remaining atthe disposition of the division commanderwould be placed under orders of the at-tack commander. All light tanks would beheld in division reserve.

The battalion commanders were calledto regimental headquarters in the fieldsouth of Beaurepaire Farm at about 4:30a.m., given maps, and told to report toLtCol Lee, who had gone forward to Vier-zy to set up his P.C. (Post of Command)in the railroad station. It was understoodthat the attack would be at 8 a.m.

Early in the morning on the 19th, Hat-bord sent a lengthy message to Command-ing General, XX Corps. The pith of it was:

With the exception of theSixth Marines, kept out of thefight as Corps Reserve yesterday,and the Second Regiment of En-gineers, which are armed with ri-fles, every infantry unit wasexhausted in the fight yesterday.It was necessary, therefore to


Soon to be promoted to lieutenant colonel, Maf Thomas Ho/-comb, in the foreground center rides at the head of his column

oJ troops oJ the 2d Battalion, 6th Marines, in France in June1918. He would one day be Commandant of the Marine Corps.

make the attack this morningwith one regiment, the Sixth Ma-rines, supported by a battalion ofthe Engineer Regiment, a forceconsidered by me as inadequateto the task, but no other wasavailable.

The 6th Regiment moved out fromBeaurepaire Farm at 6 a.m. Working itsway up through the ravine the columnreached Vierzy without loss. Lee, at therailroad station in Vierzy, issued orders se-quentially to his battalion commanders asthey arrived. The 1st Battalion (Hughes)was to go in on the right, the 2d (Hol-comb) on the left, and the 3d (Sibley) wasto follow in support.

T HOMAS HOLCOMB, a future Com-mandant, commanding the 2d Bat-

talion, had been promoted to lieutenantcolonel. He had orders to turn his battal-ion over to Maj Robert L. Denig and moveup to regimental second-in-command,but he elected to stay with his battalionduring the attack. Denig went along as anobserver.

Maj Berton W. Sibley, commanding the3d Battalion, was a thin, handsome officerwho had arrived in Quantico in August1917 for duty with the 6th Regiment. Hehad served in the 1st Vermont Infantry inthe Spanish-American War and was com-missioned in the Marine Corps in July1900. He had served in such places asCuba, the Philippines, and China, andhad done well at Belleau Wood.

Actual passage of lines through the po-sitions held by the 3d Brigade of Infantrywas at 8:25 a.m. The terrain was much likethat around Belleau Wood. The Germanpositions were about a kilometer away,across open fields. The ground was prac-tically level, no cover, except for the waist-high wheat. The wheat was now moregolden than green and the poppiesseemed less bright than on the fields ap-proaching Belleau Wood.

As Sgt Thomas remembered the ap-proach march:

"The next morning, the 19th ofJuly, weformed right up soon after daybreak.We moved down into the Vierzy Ravine,and then went forward, past Vierzy. Mybattalion came up out of the Vierzy Ra-vine and deployed on the edge of a wheatfield. The Germans, who were over on theright on a hill, spotted us, They wereabout 1,800 yards away, but they started

Maj Robert L. Denig joined the 2d Bat-ta/ion as an observer after LtCo/ Ho/combe/ected to stay with his men for the batt/e.

throwing machine gun bullets at us.I could see Holcomb's battalion come outof the orchard way off to our left anddeploy and move out . . . We lay there,and after a while we heard rumbling. Itwas the tanks. . . . When the tanks passedthrough, the command came, 'Forward.'We got up and started going with them."

M AJ LIrnroN W. T WALLER, JR.,commanding the 6th Machine Gun

Battalion, used two machine-gun compa-nies, the 15th and 77th, in the attack andtwo, the 23d and 81st, in support. Hiscompany commanders got their orders at7:45 am. for an attack that was to beginat 8:30 am. One company had to coverthe whole front until the other three couldget into position.

Maj Sibley reached Vierzy at about 8:15.Lee ordered him to follow the 1st and 2dBattalions at a distance of about a thou-sand yards. The 3d Battalion was to be fol-lowed by the 1st Battalion, 2d Engineers(Army), in reserve. Sibley understood thathe was to be supported by both the 15thand 77th Machine Gun Companies, whicheach had been reinforced by additionalplatoons from the 23d and 81st Compa-nies. Sibley put all four of his companies,each in column of platoons, on line: the97th on the right, the 84th right center,the 83d left center, and the 82d on the

left. He also had weapons section of Head-quarters Company. The Stokes mortarsand the 37mm guns were somewhere tothe rear with the regimental train, so themortarmen and gunners were assigned toSibley as extra riflemen.

Standard tactics for the "square" infan-try battalions of World War I called for twocompanies in the assault, two companiesimmediately behind in support. In Hol-comb's 2d Battalion, the 80th Companywas the left flank assault company with the96th Company following close behind insupport. To their right, similarly disposed,were the 78th and 79th Companies. Tall,lanky Don V. Paradis was a 21-year-old in-spector for the Detroit City Gas Companywhen war was declared. Now he was a vete-ran sergeant in the 80th Company andusually served as a runner for Holcomb.There were no tactical radios. Officers car-ried pads of field message forms. Messageswere scribbled in pencil on the forms andrunners carried them in the buttoned left-hand pocket of their blouse or shirt. Thelocation was specified so that the messagecould be found if the messenger becamea casualty.

SGT PARAL)IS remembered that the 80thCompany reached the jump-off line

at about 7 a.m. and then was ordered tolie down in the wheat field and wait forthe tanks to come up. There was no signof any heavy tanks, but four small tankscame up over the ridge behind them andstarted down the slope. The 80th and 96thCompanies had not dug in. Caught by theshelling and machine gun fire drawn bythe tanks, they could only hug the groundand take it. All four tanks were knockedout. GySgt John Schrank was killed aboutten feet from Paradis:

"The medics started to bandage himand First Lieutenant Clifton Cates took hispulse and said, 'Don't bother, he's dead.'

Gen Clifton B. Cates, another futureCommandant, was a lieutenant in the96th Company, 2d Battalion. Administra-tion in the brigade was haphazard and itwasn't clear to him if he were a first lieu-tenant, still a second lieutenant, orperhaps even a captain. In 1967, heremembered the opening of the secondday at Soissons this way:

"So we formed for the attack and wewere supposed to have had, I think it was,eight little old French tanks. So there westayed for an hour or an hour and a half

Foithudine, Fall 19935

make the attack this morningwith one regiment, the Sixth Ma-rines, supported by a battalion ofthe Engineer Regiment, a forceconsidered by me as inadequateto the task, but no other wasavailable.

The 6th Regiment moved out fromBeaurepaire Farm at 6 a.m. Working itsway up through the ravine the columnreached Vierzy without loss. Lee, at therailroad station in Vierzy, issued orders se-quentially to his battalion commanders asthey arrived. The 1st Battalion (Hughes)was to go in on the right, the 2d (Hol-comb) on the left, and the 3d (Sibley) wasto follow in support.

T HOMAS HOLCOMB, a future Com-mandant, commanding the 2d Bat-

talion, had been promoted to lieutenantcolonel. He had orders to turn his battal-ion over to Maj Robert L. Denig and moveup to regimental second-in-command,but he elected to stay with his battalionduring the attack. Denig went along as anobserver.

Maj Berton W. Sibley, commanding the3d Battalion, was a thin, handsome officerwho had arrived in Quantico in August1917 for duty with the 6th Regiment. Hehad served in the 1st Vermont Infantry inthe Spanish-American War and was com-missioned in the Marine Corps in July1900. He had served in such places asCuba, the Philippines, and China, andhad done well at Belleau Wood.

Actual passage of lines through the po-sitions held by the 3d Brigade of Infantrywas at 8:25 a.m. The terrain was much likethat around Belleau Wood. The Germanpositions were about a kilometer away,across open fields. The ground was prac-tically level, no cover, except for the waist-high wheat. The wheat was now moregolden than green and the poppiesseemed less bright than on the fields ap-proaching Belleau Wood.

As Sgt Thomas remembered the ap-proach march:

"The next morning, the 19th ofJuly, weformed right up soon after daybreak.We moved down into the Vierzy Ravine,and then went forward, past Vierzy. Mybattalion came up out of the Vierzy Ra-vine and deployed on the edge of a wheatfield. The Germans, who were over on theright on a hill, spotted us, They wereabout 1,800 yards away, but they started

Maj Robert L. Denig joined the 2d Bat-talion as an observer after LtCoI Ho/combelected to stay with his men for the battle.

throwing machine gun bullets at us.I could see Holcomb's battalion come outof the orchard way off to our left anddeploy and move out . . . . We lay there,and after a while we heard rumbling. Itwas the tanks. . . . When the tanks passedthrough, the command came, 'Forward.'We got up and started going with them."

M AJ LIYrLE'ION W. T WALLER, JR.,commanding the 6th Machine Gun

Battalion, used two machine-gun compa-nies, the 15th and 77th, in the attack andtwo, the 23d and 81st, in support. Hiscompany commanders got their orders at7:45 a.m. for an attack that was to beginat 8:30 a.m. One company had to coverthe whole front until the other three couldget into position.

Maj Sibley reached Vierzy at about 8:15.Lee ordered him to follow the 1st and 2dBattalions at a distance of about a thou-sand yards. The 3d Battalion was to be fol-lowed by the 1st Battalion, 2d Engineers(Army), in reserve. Sibley understood thathe was to be supported by both the 15thand 77th Machine Gun Companies, whicheach had been reinforced by additionalplatoons from the 23d and 81st Compa-nies. Sibley put all four of his companies,each in column of platoons, on line: the97th on the right, the 84th right center,the 83d left center, and the 82d on the

Ith. He also had weapons section of Head-quarters Company. The Stokes mortarsand the 37mm guns were somewhere tothe rear with the regimental train, so themortarmen and gunners were assigned toSibley as extra riflemen.

Standard tactics for the "square" infan-try battalions of World War I called for twocompanies in the assault, two companiesimmediately behind in support. In Hol-comb's 2d Battalion, the 80th Companywas the ith flank assault company with the96th Company following close behind insupport. To their right, similarly disposed,were the 78th and 79th Companies. Tall,lanky Don V. Paradis was a 21-year-old in-spector for the Detroit City Gas Companywhen war was declared. Now he was a vete-ran sergeant in the 80th Company andusually served as a runner for Holcomb.There were no tactical radios. Officers car-ried pads of field message forms. Messageswere scribbled in pencil on the forms andrunners carried them in the buttoned left-hand pocket of their blouse or shirt. Thelocation was specified so that the messagecould be found if the messenger becamea casualty.

SGT PADIs remembered that the 80thCompany reached the jump-off line

at about 7 a.m. and then was ordered tolie down in the wheat field and wait forthe tanks to come up. There was no signof any heavy tanks, but four small tankscame up over the ridge behind them andstarted down the slope. The 80th and 96thCompanies had not dug in. Caught by theshelling and machine gun fire drawn bythe tanks, they could only hug the groundand take it. All four tanks were knockedout. GySgt John Schrank was killed aboutten feet from Paradis:

"The medics started to bandage himand First Lieutenant Clifton Cates took hispulse and said, 'Don't bother, he's dead.'

Gen Clifton B. Cates, another futureCommandant, was a lieutenant in the96th Company, 2d Battalion. Administra-tion in the brigade was haphazard and itwasn't clear to him if he were a first lieu-tenant, still a second lieutenant, orperhaps even a captain. In 1967, heremembered the opening of the secondday at Soissons this way:

"So we formed for the attack and wewere supposed to have had, I think it was,eight little old French tanks. So there westayed for an hour or an hour and a half

Fortitudine, Fall 19935

An officer of the 96th Company, 2dBat-talion, 2dlLt Clifton B Cates, wears a gasmask and holds a grenade in the trenches.

waiting for the tanks to arrive. By thattime, we were getting not only artillery firebut indirect machine gun fire. . In fact,one hit the back of my shoulder. I thoughtsomebody had hit me with a rock. I final-ly pulled it out and it was a red hot bullet.I went over to Major Holcomb and yelledto him, 'Well. I got the first blessé. Here'sthe first wound,' and I handed him thisbullet and he dropped it, it was still hot.

"Well, anyway we finally got underwayand started the attack with these little oldtanks. By the way, this artillery had killedthe noted Yale runner, Johnny Overton,at that time while we were waiting. Andthe attack got underway. It was the mostbeautiful attack that I have ever seen. Asfar as you could see, up to the right, therewere just waves and waves of men extend-ing up two miles, I guess.

T HE JOHNNY OvinoN WHOM CATES

mentioned was a fellow Tennessean,now a platoon commander in the 80thCompany. John W. Overton, Class of 17,

would be remembered as Yale's best long-distance runner in many years. Before join-ing the Marines in the summer of 1917,he had set a new indoor record of 4:16 forthe mile. He arrived in France with the119th Replacement Company, was sent toofficers' school at Gondrecourt, and aftera bit of seasoning in the Vosges with the42d Regiment, French Chasseurs, was as-signed to the 80th Company in the lastdays of Belleau Wood.

"Our company moved out in two waves,about fifty yards between waves," remem-bered Sgt Paradis. As Holcomb's runnerhe stayed close to his commander. "Ourbattalion headquarters, consisting ofabout thirty men also moved in two waves,just back of the 80th Company's secondwave. It was about a thousand yards to theGerman lines and as we started forwardthe German shellfire concentrated just acouple of hundred yards in front of theirlines. The concentration was so great thatit seemed like a black curtain, and itseemed to me that Colonel Holcomb washeaded for the thickest and blackest partof that German line."

The 80th Company had a new com-mander, Capt Egbert T Lloyd, a smallman. As a bit of bravado copied from En-glish and French officers, many Marineofficers left their Colt .45s in their holstersand went into the attack carrying crook-handled canes. Paradis could see Lloydthrough the smoke with the first wave,swinging his cane, and urging his menforward.

T HE AYFACK MOVED out in perfect viewof the Germans. By now MajGen Ba-

ron Von Watter, commanding the oppos-ing XIII Corps, had firmed up his new linealong the Chateau-Thierry Road with therelatively fresh 46th Division. (The 14thand 47th Divisions had been so badlymauled on the 18th that a few days laterthe 47th was permanently broken up andits pieces absorbed by the 14th.) West ofTigny was the 49th Division.

The American artillery preparation wasinadequate. The battle was a hop-scotchkind of thing; crossing the wheat fields toreach the dubious shelter of the woodlots.The pace, because of the necessity of fol-lowing the allotted French tanks, was slow.Of the 54 French tanks that had begunthe battle the day before, only 28 were stilloperational. During the morning 11 morewould be knocked out. The German ar-

tillery, its observers in "sausage" balloons,laid down a devastating fire. The slaugh-ter was taken up by the waiting Maxims.

"The day was scorching hot:' remem-bered Sgt Martin ("Gus") Gulberg of the75th Company, 1st Battalion, on the rightflank. Until April 1917, Gulberg had beena stock clerk in Chicago. "We reached ourplace in line about 9 a.m. and formed forthe attack in an open wheat field, with theenemy artillery pounding us. Some of ourmen were hit before we got started. Thewhistle blew and we were off behind a pla-toon of whippet tanks. These tanks werea great help to the infantry in cleaning outmachine gun nests, but I would rather takemy chances without them rather than fol-low them, because they draw artillery fire:'

G ULBERG WENT FORWARD a few

hundred yards, felt a sting in hisright leg, cut away his breeches, and foundtwo holes where a machine gun bullet hadgone through the flesh. He took three orfour steps and was knocked down byanother hit, this one in the left leg. Hetried to get up but couldn't move his leftleg. He dropped all his equipment excepthis canteen and his pistol and hugged theground. His canteen was empty. He tooka canteen from a corpse and found thatit was also dry. He looked at his wristwatch. It was 10 a.m.

After a gain of about one kilometer theMarine line had halted. The right of theline was stopped in front of Tigny, the left

Famed Yale long-distance runner JohnnyOverton, serving as a Marine platoon com-mander, was killed in the day 'cfirst hours.

6 Fortitiedine, Fall 1993

An officer of the 96th Company, 2dBat-ta/ion, 2cfLt Clifton B Cates, wears a gasmask and holds a grenade in the trenches.

waiting for the tanks to arrive. By thattime, we were getting not only artillery firebut indirect machine gun fire. . . . In fact,one hit the back of my shoulder. I thoughtsomebody had hit me with a rock. I final-ly pulled it out and it was a red hot bullet.I went over to Major Holcomb and yelledto him, 'Well. I got the first blessi. Here'sthe first wound,' and I handed him thisbullet and he dropped it, it was still hot.

"Well, anyway we finally got underwayand started the attack with these little oldtanks. By the way, this artillery had killedthe noted Yale runner, Johnny Overton,at that time while we were waiting. Andthe attack got underway. It was the mostbeautiful attack that I have ever seen. Asfar as you could see, up to the right, therewere just waves and waves of men extend-ing up two miles, I guess.

T HE JOHNNY OVER1ON WHOM CATES

mentioned was a fellow Tennessean,now a platoon commander in the 80thCompany. John W. Overton, Class of '17,

would be remembered as Yale's best long-distance runner in many years. Before join-ing the Marines in the summer of 1917,he had set a new indoor record of 4:16 forthe mile. He arrived in France with the119th Replacement Company, was sent toofficers' school at Gondrecourt, and aftera bit of seasoning in the Vosges with the42d Regiment, French Chasseurs, was as-signed to the 80th Company in the lastdays of Belleau Wood.

"Our company moved out in two waves,about fifty yards between waves," remem-bered Sgt Paradis. As Holcomb's runnerhe stayed close to his commander. "Ourbattalion headquarters, consisting ofabout thirty men also moved in two waves,just back of the 80th Company's secondwave. It was about a thousand yards to theGerman lines and as we started forwardthe German shellfire concentrated just acouple of hundred yards in front of theirlines. The concentration was so great thatit seemed like a black custain, and itseemed to me that Colonel Holcomb washeaded for the thickest and blackest partof that German line."

The 80th Company had a new com-mander, Capt Egbert T Lloyd, a smallman. As a bit of bravado copied from En-glish and French officers, many Marineofficers left their Colt .45s in their holstersand went into the attack carrying crook-handled canes. Paradis could see Lloydthrough the smoke with the first wave,swinging his cane, and urging his menforward.

T HE ATTACK MOVED out in perfect view

of the Germans. By now MajGen Ba-ron Von Watter, commanding the oppos-ing XIII Corps, had firmed up his new linealong the Chateau-Thierry Road with therelatively fresh 46th Division. (The 14thand 47th Divisions had been so badlymauled on the 18th that a few days laterthe 47th was permanently broken up andits pieces absorbed by the 14th.) West ofTigny was the 49th Division.

The American artillery preparation wasinadequate. The battle was a hop-scotchkind of thing; crossing the wheat fields toreach the dubious shelter of the woodlots.The pace, because of the necessity of fol-lowing the allotted French tanks, was slow.Of the 54 French tanks that had begunthe battle the day before, only 28 were stilloperational. During the morning 11 morewould be knocked out. The German ar-

tillery, its observers in "sausage" balloons,laid down a devastating fire. The slaugh-ter was taken up by the waiting Maxims.

"The day was scorching hot:' remem-bered Sgt Martin ("Gus") Gulberg of the75th Company, 1st Battalion, on the rightflank. Until April 1917, Gulberg had beena stock clerk in Chicago. "We reached ourplace in line about 9 a.m. and formed forthe attack in an open wheat field, with theenemy artillery pounding us. Some of ourmen were hit before we got started. Thewhistle blew and we were off behind a pla-toon of whippet tanks. These tanks werea great help to the infantry in cleaning outmachine gun nests, but I would rather takemy chances without them rather than fol-low them, because they draw artillery fire?'

G ULBERG WENT FORWARD a fewhundred yards, felt a sting in his

right leg, cut away his breeches, and foundtwo holes where a machine gun bullet hadgone through the flesh. He took three orfour steps and was knocked down byanother hit, this one in the left leg. Hetried to get up but couldn't move his leftleg. He dropped all his equipment excepthis canteen and his pistol and hugged theground. His canteen was empty. He tooka canteen from a corpse and found thatit was also dry. He looked at his wristwatch. It was 10 a.m.

After a gain of about one kilometer theMarine line had halted. The right of theline was stopped in front of Tigny, the left

Famed Yale long-distance runner JohnnyOverton, serving as a Marine platoon com-mander was killed in the day 's first hours.

6 Fortitiedine, Fall 1993

at La Raperie. A gap had opened betweenthe 1st and 2d Battalions.

At 8:55 am. Sibley received a messageby runner from Lee telling him to rein-force the line in the center, using two com-panies in waves and two in local support.Sibley sent the 84th Company in to theleft of the 1st Battalion and the 83d Com-pany to the right of the 2d Battalion tofill the reported gap. The 97th and 82dCompanies remained in support.

A T 9:50 AM. Sibley reported to Leethat his attacking line was moving

forward. By 10:30 his two assault compa-nies had pushed forward almost to theBois de Tigny north of the village but hadtaken heavy casualties. At about 11 Sibleyput the 82d Company in to connect the83d Company with the 2d Battalior andthe 97th Company to bolster the 84thCompany which was now in the Bois deTigny. One of Sibley's officers reachedHughes who said that he had only abouta hundred men left and that nothing lessthan a regiment would drive the Germansout of Tigny.

At 12:15 p.m. Lee sent a runner to Sibleyasking, "Has the town of Tigny been takenby our troops? If you don't know find out.If you are stopped dig in" A half-hourlater Sibley sent runners to his companiestelling them: "Hold the line you havenow—dig in—get in touch with Cos onyour right and left. Reenforcementscoming."

But reinforcements were not comingand at 1:15 p.m. Sibley reported to Lee thatTigny had not been taken.

"The Germans had massed their ar-tillery on a hill about three or four milesoff in front of us," remembered Sgt Tho-mas. "It was all direct fire Our at-tack collapsed. The attack was over."

By 10 a.m. the 96th Company hadreached a position about three kilometerseast of Vierzy near Villemontoire and wasdigging in. The French Colonials on theMarines' left had failed to keep up and the96th Company, on the left flank, sufferedaccordingly. In the space of about twohours the 96th had taken a total of 26killed and 56 wounded. All the officers ofthe company were wounded early in theattack.

"The Moroccans that were supposed tohave attacked on our left didn't appear atall," remembered Cates. "We broke thefirst German lines without too much trou-ble. By that time though we were catch-ing billy-hell . . . . I had just remarkedto this sergeant of mine close to me, 'Lookat Captains [Wethered] Woodworth and[James F] Robertson getting right togetherthere. That's bad business.' And I hadn'tany more than said it when a shell hit closeto them and they both went down. By thattime, the other lieutenants had all beenwounded and I was the only one left outof the company. I tried to take charge, butjust about that time a whole bunch ofGermans jumped up out of the trench andstarted running and our men went afterthem like a bunch of coyotes. With thatit was bedlam. I was never able to organizethem again. I kept the attack going forabout a kilometer, I guess. By that time,though, we were getting terrific fire from

our left flank . . . the attack just peteredout. We were up near an old sugar mill.And that's where I wrote that message,that you all have on file, to Major Hol-comb. I think I said, 'I have twenty menout of my company or out of my battal-ion and a few stragglers,' and I wound upby saying, 'I will hold.' By that timethough, I had a pretty bad wound acrossmy knee."

T HE SHELL FRAGMENT, causing thesecond wound, literally tore the

trousers off Cates. He tied a piece ofblanket around his waist and earned thetemporary nickname "Kiltie."

Holcomb's battalion gained the shelterof a wood about 500 yards west ofVillemontoire.

"We reached the German front linesand found a series of foxholes that theyhad abandoned," remembered Paradis."What few of us that were left fell intothese foxholes. We even piled on top ofeach other to seek cover from that mur-derous shellfire. I laid there with everymuscle in my body twitching, hardlyknowing what I was doing. We could hearthe wounded calling for help, but very lit-tle could be done for them until after darkcame. . . . Our advance had not takenlong. We were in the German foxholesprobably by 9 or 9:30 and from then un-til about 4 p.m. the shelifire, machine gunand rifle fire never let up."

Sgt Thomas and a buddy took cover be-hind a heavy iron roller the French hadleft in the wheat field, scratching a little

Fortitudine, FaIl 1993 7

at La Raperie. A gap had opened betweenthe 1st and 2d Battalions.

At 8:55 a.m. Sibley received a messageby runner from Lee telling him to rein-force the line in the center, using two com-panies in waves and two in local support.Sibley sent the 84th Company in to theleft of the 1st Battalion and the 83d Com-pany to the right of the 2d Battalion tofill the reported gap. The 97th and 82dCompanies remained in support.

A T 9:50 A.M. Sibley reported to Leethat his attacking line was moving

forward. By 10:30 his two assault compa-nies had pushed forward almost to theBois de Tigny north of the village but hadtaken heavy casualties. At about 11 Sibleyput the 82d Company in to connect the83d Company with the 2d Battalior andthe 97th Company to bolster the 84thCompany which was now in the Bois deTigny. One of Sibley's officers reachedHughes who said that he had only abouta hundred men left and that nothing lessthan a regiment would drive the Germansout of Tigny.

At 12:15 p.m. Lee sent a runner to Sibleyasking, "Has the town of Tigny been takenby our troops? If you don't know find out.If you are stopped dig in." A half-hourlater Sibley sent runners to his companiestelling them: "Hold the line you havenow—dig in—get in touch with Cos onyour right and left. Reenforcementscoming."

But reinforcements were not comingand at 1:15 p.m. Sibley reported to Lee thatTigny had not been taken.

"The Germans had massed their ar-tillery on a hill about three or four milesoff in front of us," remembered Sgt Tho-mas. "It was all direct fire Our at-tack collapsed. The attack was over."

By 10 a.m. the 96th Company hadreached a position about three kilometerseast of Vierzy near Villemontoire and wasdigging in. The French Colonials on theMarines' left had failed to keep up and the96th Company, on the left flank, sufferedaccordingly. In the space of about twohours the 96th had taken a total of 26killed and 56 wounded. All the officers ofthe company were wounded early in theattack.

"The Moroccans that were supposed tohave attacked on our left didn't appear atall," remembered Cates. "We broke thefirst German lines without too much trou-ble. By that time though we were catch-ing billy-hell . . . . I had just remarkedto this sergeant of mine close to me, 'Lookat Captains [Wethered] Woodworth and[James F] Robertson getting right togetherthere. That's bad business.' And I hadn'tany more than said it when a shell hit closeto them and they both went down. By thattime, the other lieutenants had all beenwounded and I was the only one left outof the company. I tried to take charge, butjust about that time a whole bunch ofGermans jumped up out of the trench andstarted running and our men went afterthem like a bunch of coyotes. With thatit was bedlam. I was never able to organizethem again. I kept the attack going forabout a kilometer, I guess. By that time,though, we were getting terrific fire from

our left flank . . . the attack just peteredout. We were up near an old sugar mill.And that's where I wrote that message,that you all have on file, to Major Hol-comb. I think I said, 'I have twenty menout of my company or out of my battal-ion and a few stragglers,' and I wound upby saying, 'I will hold.' By that timethough, I had a pretty bad wound acrossmy knee."

T HE SHELL FRAGMENT, causing thesecond wound, literally tore the

trousers off Cates. He tied a piece ofblanket around his waist and earned thetemporary nickname "Kiltie."

Holcomb's battalion gained the shelterof a wood about 500 yards west ofVillemontoire.

"We reached the German front linesand found a series of foxholes that theyhad abandoned," remembered Paradis."What few of us that were left fell intothese foxholes. We even piled on top ofeach other to seek cover from that mur-derous sheilfire. I laid there with everymuscle in my body twitching, hardlyknowing what I was doing. We could hearthe wounded calling for help, but very lit-tle could be done for them until after darkcame. . . . Our advance had not takenlong. We were in the German foxholesprobably by 9 or 9:30 and from then un-til about 4 p.m. the shellfire, machine gunand rifle fire never let up."

Sgt Thomas and a buddy took cover be-hind a heavy iron roller the French hadleft in the wheat field, scratching a little

Fortitudine, Fall 1993 7

depression into the ground with their en-trenching tools.

"About an hour and a half later, I

looked up and there was still a lot goingon," remembered Thomas. "They weredropping hand grenades out of airplaneson us . . . What had caused us to beslaughtered was the fact that the Moroc-can division, which was supposed to havecome up on our right, was delayed• . . . There was nobody on our right ex-cept German machine guns . . . . Maybeat noon or a little after, I was able to getup and peek around. That's after theMoroccans came forward."

T HE MARINIES had outrun their artillerysupport. It was almost impossible to

evacuate the wounded. At 11:45 a.m. Leesent this message to Harbord from his P.C.in the Vierzy railroad station:

Reports indicate growingcasualties, amounting heavy, sayabout 30 per cent. Seventy-eighthCompany by runners say haveonly one platoon left. All are re-questing reinforcements and M.G.and Chauchat ammunition. FirstBattalion reports no Frenchtroops on right, and are held up300 yards in front of Tigny. Havein line from right, First, Thirdand Second Battalions; Reserves,Battalion Engineers, HeadquartersCompany and two companiesSixth Machine Gun Battalion.Have ordered line to dig in.Division responded with this message

dispatched at 1:30 p.m.:

The Division Commanderdesires that you dig in and en-trench your present position andhold it at all costs. No furtheradvance is to be made for thepresent. He desires to congratu-late your command upon its gal-lant conduct in the face of severecasualties.

The message merely confirmed a fact:the 6th Marines were already digging inand holding what they had. German ar-tillery fire was heavy for the rest of the day.

A FTER HE FELT IT reasonably safe tomove, Sgt Thomas reported to the

one officer he could find, Capt Macon C.Overton, commander of the 76th Compa-ny. Georgia-born Macon Overton, called

"Dick" for no recorded reason, was a form-er enlisted man and no relation to the Yalerunner. Thomas found Dick Overton sit-ting in a ditch alongside a sunken road.Overton told him that he had to go backto report to Major Hughes, that he knewwhat was in front of him and what was leftof his company, but didn't know what hadhappened to the rest of the battalion. Asfar as Overton knew, Thomas was thesenior man remaining in 75th Company.He told Thomas to locate the rest of thecompany. Thomas went forward andslithered from foxhole to foxhole, findingabout a hundred Marines, including 33from his own company. Overton went backand reported to Hughes perhaps a quart-er mile to his rear. In the process, Hughes'P.C. was shelled and most of those presentkilled or wounded. Overton returned toThomas's position and told him they weregoing to be relieved by the French at aboutmidnight.

About two or three in the afternoon,Sgt Gulberg, prostrate in the wheat field,was reached by a friend, remembered onlyas "Smiley," who himself had been wound-ed in the forehead. Gulberg held Smileyaround the neck and together they hob-bled back to a first aid station in a shell-hole. A doctor there gave them first aidand sent them on to the regimental dress-ing station in a cave in Vierzy which wasjammed with wounded.

At 5 p.m. Harbord received word that

Maj Ralph S. Keyser here a lieutenant,commanded the 2d Battalion, 5th Ma-rines, sent into the line in the afternoon.

the 2d Division would be relieved by theFrench 58th Colonial Division.

The 5th Regiment had held its groundon the morning of 19 July, its position be-ing bombed and strafed intermittentlyduring the day. At 2 p.m. Maj Ralph S.Keyser was ordered to report with his 2dBattalion, 5th Regiment, to the 9th Infan-try, but before he could move out theseorders were canceled and his battalion putinto the line to the right of the 6thRegiment.

A T 4 P.M. Maj Julius S. Turrill wasordered to move his 1st Battalion,

5th Regiment, into a large tunnel at Vier-zy which gave him relief from the shell-ing and bombing. The brightly paintedGerman aircraft seemed to own the sky.The Marines could use rifle fire andmachine guns against them, usually futile-ly, but sometimes it was effective. At about4 p.m. on 19 July the 23d Company, 6thMachine Gun Battalion, gleefully report-ed shooting down an enemy plane.

At 3:45 p.m. Lee sent this message byrunner to his battalion commanders:

The Division Commanderdirects us to dig in and hold ourpresent line at all costs. No fur-ther advance will be made for thepresent. He congratulates thecommand on its gallant conductin the face of severe casualties.

Let me have a sketch of yourposition and disposition. Ammu-nition at crossroads 112 southeastof Vierzy. Lee

At 6:40 p.m. Lee sent BGen Wendell C.Neville (who, although the 4th Brigade ofMarines commander, was given no tacti-cal role to play by Harbord) a messagewhich read:

Am enclosing two sketches ofpositions of First and Third Bat-talions and a statement of theCO. Second. It is impossible tomove from one position toanother without drawing all sortsof fire. Losses are placed by Bat-talion Commanders at from 40 to50 per cent. Their appeals fordoctors, ambulances and stretcherbearers are pathetic. Cannot theammunition trucks, and anyother transportation that may ap-pear tonight, be used to evacuatethe 200 or more cases now in the

8 Fortitudine, FaIl 1993

depression into the ground with their en-trenching tools.

"About an hour and a half later, I

looked up and there was still a lot goingon," remembered Thomas. "They weredropping hand grenades out of airplaneson us . . . . What had caused us to beslaughtered was the fact that the Moroc-can division, which was supposed to havecome up on our right, was delayed

There was nobody on our right ex-cept German machine guns. . . Maybeat noon or a little after, I was able to getup and peek around. That's after theMoroccans came forward."

T HE MARINES had outrun their artillerysupport. It was almost impossible to

evacuate the wounded. At 11:45 a.m. Leesent this message to Harbord from his P.C.in the Vierzy railroad station:

Reports indicate growingcasualties, amounting heavy, sayabout 30 per cent. Seventy-eighthCompany by runners say haveonly one platoon left. All are re-questing reinforcements and M.G.and Chauchat ammunition. FirstBattalion reports no Frenchtroops on right, and are held up300 yards in front of Tigny. Havein line from right, First, Thirdand Second Battalions; Reserves,Battalion Engineers, HeadquartersCompany and two companiesSixth Machine Gun Battalion.Have ordered line to dig in.

Division responded with this messagedispatched at 1:30 p.m.:

The Division Commanderdesires that you dig in and en-trench your present position andhold it at all costs. No furtheradvance is to be made for thepresent. He desires to congratu-late your command upon its gal-lant conduct in the face of severecasualties.

The message merely confirmed a fact:the 6th Marines were already digging inand holding what they had. German ar-tillery fire was heavy for the rest of the day.

A FTER HE FELT IT reasonably safe tomove, Sgt Thomas reported to the

one officer he could find, Capt Macon C.Overton, commander of the 76th Compa-ny. Georgia-born Macon Overton, called

"Dick" for no recorded reason, was a form-er enlisted man and no relation to the Yalerunner. Thomas found Dick Overton sit-ting in a ditch alongside a sunken road.Overton told him that he had to go backto report to Major Hughes, that he knewwhat was in front of him and what was leftof his company, but didn't know what hadhappened to the rest of the battalion. Asfar as Overton knew, Thomas was thesenior man remaining in 75th Company.He told Thomas to locate the rest of thecompany. Thomas went forward andslithered from foxhole to foxhole, findingabout a hundred Marines, including 33from his own company. Overton went backand reported to Hughes perhaps a quart-er mile to his rear. In the process, Hughes'P.C. was shelled and most of those presentkilled or wounded. Overton returned toThomas's position and told him they weregoing to be relieved by the French at aboutmidnight.

About two or three in the afternoon,Sgt Gulberg, prostrate in the wheat field,was reached by a friend, remembered onlyas "Smiley," who himself had been wound-ed in the forehead. Gulberg held Smileyaround the neck and together they hob-bled back to a first aid station in a shell-hole. A doctor there gave them first aidand sent them on to the regimental dress-ing station in a cave in Vietzy which wasjammed with wounded.

At 5 p.m. Harbord received word that

Maj Ralph S. Keyser here a lieutenant,commanded the 2d Battalion, 5th Ma-rines, sent into the line in the afternoon.

the 2d Division would be relieved by theFrench 58th Colonial Division.

The 5th Regiment had held its groundon the morning of 19 July, its position be-ing bombed and strafed intermittentlyduring the day. At 2 p.m. Maj Ralph S.Keyser was ordered to report with his 2dBattalion, 5th Regiment, to the 9th Infan-try, but before he could move out theseorders were canceled and his battalion putinto the line to the right of the 6thRegiment.

A T 4 P.M. Maj Julius S. Turrill wasordered to move his 1st Battalion,

5th Regiment, into a large tunnel at Vier-zy which gave him relief from the shell-ing and bombing. The brightly paintedGerman aircraft seemed to own the sky.The Marines could use rifle fire andmachine guns against them, usually futile-ly' but sometimes it was effective. At about4 p.m. on 19 July the 23d Company, 6thMachine Gun Battalion, gleefully report-ed shooting down an enemy plane.

At 3:45 p.m. Lee sent this message byrunner to his battalion commanders:

The Division Commanderdirects us to dig in and hold ourpresent line at all costs. No fur-ther advance will be made for thepresent. He congratulates thecommand on its gallant conductin the face of severe casualties.

Let me have a sketch of yourposition and disposition. Ammu-nition at crossroads 112 southeastof Vierzy. Lee

At 6:40 p.m. Lee sent BGen Wendell C.Neville (who, although the 4th Brigade ofMarines commander, was given no tacti-cal role to play by Harbord) a messagewhich read:

Am enclosing two sketches ofpositions of First and Third Bat-talions and a statement of theCO. Second. It is impossible tomove from one position toanother without drawing all sortsof fire. Losses are placed by Bat-talion Commanders at from 40 to50 per cent. Their appeals fordoctors, ambulances and stretcherbearers are pathetic. Cannot theammunition trucks, and anyother transportation that may ap-pear tonight, be used to evacuatethe 200 or more cases now in the


completed the relief by 4 a.m. on themorning of 20 July. The 2d Division wasto move back to its starting position in theForet de Retz, where it would go intobivouac. Harbord and his chief of staff, be-fore moving their headquarters back toVivieres, stood by the side of the road andwatched the two depleted brigades pass.

"Battalions of only a couple of hundredmen, companies of twenty-five or thirty,swinging by in the gray dawn, only a rem-nant, but a victorious remnant, thankGod:' Harbord wrote in his diary.

Regimental D.S. [Dressing Sta-tion] under Doctor Boone? Somemay be saved by prompt removal.

LEE WAS NO exaggerating his losses, Ofthe 2,450 men of his regiment who

made the attack, 1,300 were dead orwounded. The 1st Battalion had lost 11officers including CaptJohn Kearns of the95th Company. In the 2d Battalion onlythree officers remained. In the 3d Battal-ion, Sibley had started off that morningwith 36 officers and 850 men. His effec-tive strength was now 16 officers and 385men.

At 8:05 p.m. Sibley summed up the dayin a message to Lee, saying in part: "Willcontinue holding line until we can bereenforced or relieved . . . . In front linescanteens are practically all empty and veryfew remaining rations. Can water and ra-tions be sent to us or a relief sent? We haveno flares — pyrotechnics or flare pistols.Have no hand grenades. Considerableamount of rifle ammunition remaining.Also some Chauchat. Many of their [sic]Chauchats out of action because of loss ofmen."

By that time the shelling had died downand the ambulances and trucks startedreaching Vierzy. About an hour and a halflater Gulberg was loaded into the back ofa Packard truck. There was a thin layer ofstraw on the floor of the truckbed onwhich the wounded were packed in rows.

2dLt Samuel W. Meek, Jr., of the 82dCompany, 3d Battalion, wasJohnny Over-ton's close friend and fellow Yale alumnus.Both were from Nashville and both wereYale '17. Sam Meek went out into the

wheat field to find his friend's body, foundit, and buried it, reporting, "He lies about2,000 yards from Vierzy. His grave ismarked by his identification tag on a stickin the ground."

I T WAS OBVIOUS that no further attackcould be made by the exhausted 2d Di-

vision. In Harbord's words, "It was thrustout ahead of its neighboring divisions likethe long middle finger of a giant hand."Corps orders issued late in the afternoonprovided for its relief.

At 8:30 p.m. Sibley received a message,dispatched an hour earlier by the 6th Regi-ment headquarters, with welcome news:he was to send back guides to bring for-ward a French battalion. The regimentalstaff officer who drafted the message end-ed with an unnecessary "Bring in allwounded when relieved."

"At midnight the French came in,"remembered Sgt Thomas, by now the ap-parent commander of the 75th Company."I got my 33 men. I went back to battal-ion headcinarters. We made stretchers outof blankets wrapped around rifles, and wecarried the wounded out. Later we mayhave found another 35 or 40 men at differ-ent places, but my company lost over 50per cent . . . . We really took a shel-lacking."

As Cates of the 96th Company remem-bered it: ". . . we stayed there that nightand a bunch of Frenchmen, I think Moroc-cans, I'm not sure, came in and relievedus . . . . We lost approximately, I wouldsay, two-thirds of the battalion in thatattack."

The French 58th Colonial Division

B Y SGT PARADIS'S COUNT, of the 196Marines of the 80th Company who

had gone into the attack the previousmorning only 49 men marched back. Fivemore, who had been pinned down by theGermans, came in the following morning.

From midnight, 19/20 July, until wellafter dawn the infantry marched in asteady stream past the division headquart-ers toward the rear. After the march past,Harbord moved his HQ to Vivieres. HereHarbord located a nice French house withclean beds. His orderly found him hotwater for a shave and a good soaking inhis rubber bathtub.

The truck carrying Gulberg took allnight threading its way back through theVillers-Cotterets forest. At seven in themorning it reached a French field hospital.

"The hospital building was full and sowas the yard:' remembered Gulberg. "Thedoctors were busy giving anti-tetanus in-jections, and the Red Cross was giving outcoffee, tea, cakes and cigarettes . . . . Inthis yard we lay all day waiting for doctorswho were on their way to the hospital.About three in the afternoon they begantagging us. Those not too seriouslywounded were marked 'Evacuate' and theserious cases were marked, 'Operatehere.' " Gulberg was marked "Operatehere."

By late afternoon practically all the di-vision, with the exception of the artillery,had gone into bivouac in the woods nearVerte Feuille Farm. The 6th Regimentcamped near Translor Farm. The intenseshellfire had weakened the trees, there wasa high wind, and one Marine was killedand two seriously injured by fallingbranches. The Germans further treatedthe regiment to a shelling with long-ranged Austrian 130mm guns. Lee sent amotorcycle courier to brigade headquart-


Two allies, a US. Marine, left, and a French poilu play cards in a dugout in a post-battle standdown. Some US. units reportedly lost half to two-thirds of their number

I

completed the relief by 4 a.m. on themorning of 20 July. The 2d Division wasto move back to its starting position in theForet de Retz, where it would go intobivouac. Harbord and his chief of staff, be-fore moving their headquarters back toVivieres, stood by the side of the road andwatched the two depleted brigades pass.

"Battalions of only a couple of hundredmen, companies of twenty-five or thirty,swinging by in the gray dawn, only a rem-nant, but a victorious remnant, thankGod," Harbord wrote in his diary.

Regimental D.S. [Dressing Sta-tion] under Doctor Boone? Somemay be saved by prompt removal.

LEE WAS NO exaggerating his losses, Ofthe 2,450 men of his regiment who

made the attack, 1,300 were dead orwounded. The 1st Battalion had lost 11officers including Capt John Kearns of the95th Company. In the 2d Battalion onlythree officers remained. In the 3d Battal-ion, Sibley had started off that morningwith 36 officers and 850 men. His effec-tive strength was now 16 officers and 385men.

At 8:05 p.m. Sibley summed up the dayin a message to Lee, saying in part: "Willcontinue holding line until we can bereenforced or relieved . . . . In front linescanteens are practically all empty and veryfew remaining rations. Can water and ra-tions be sent to us or a relief sent? We haveno flares — pyrotechnics or flare pistols.Have no hand grenades. Considerableamount of rifle ammunition remaining.Also some Chauchat. Many of their [sic]Chauchats out of action because of loss ofmen."

By that time the shelling had died downand the ambulances and trucks startedreaching Vierzy. About an hour and a halflater Gulberg was loaded into the back ofa Packard truck. There was a thin layer ofstraw on the floor of the truckbed onwhich the wounded were packed in rows.

2dLt Samuel W. Meek, Jr., of the 82dCompany, 3d Battalion, was Johnny Over-ton's close friend and fellow Yale alumnus.Both were from Nashville and both wereYale '17. Sam Meek went out into the

wheat field to find his friend's body, foundit, and buried it, reporting, "He lies about2,000 yards from Vierzy. His grave ismarked by his identification tag on a stickin the ground."

I T WAS OBVIOUS that no further attackcould be made by the exhausted 2d Di-

vision. In Harbord's words, "It was thrustout ahead of its neighboring divisions likethe long middle finger of a giant hand."Corps orders issued late in the afternoonprovided for its relief.

At 8:30 p.m. Sibley received a message,dispatched an hour earlier by the 6th Regi-ment headquarters, with welcome news:he was to send back guides to bring for-ward a French battalion. The regimentalstaff officer who drafted the message end-ed with an unnecessary "Bring in allwounded when relieved."

"At midnight the French came in,"remembered Sgt Thomas, by now the ap-parent commander of the 75th Company."I got my 33 men. I went back to battal-ion headanarters. We made stretchers outof blankets wrapped around rifles, and wecarried the wounded out. Later we mayhave found another 35 or 40 men at differ-ent places, but my company lost over 50per cent . . . . We really took a shel-lacking."

As Cates of the 96th Company remem-bered it: ". . . we stayed there that nightand a bunch of Frenchmen, I think Moroc-cans, I'm not sure, came in and relievedus . . . . We lost approximately, I wouldsay, two-thirds of the battalion in thatattack."

The French 58th Colonial Division

B Y SGT PARADIS'S COUNT, of the 196Marines of the 80th Company who

had gone into the attack the previousmorning only 49 men marched back. Fivemore, who had been pinned down by theGermans, came in the following morning.

From midnight, 19/20 July, until wellafter dawn the infantry marched in asteady stream past the division headquart-ers toward the rear. After the march past,Harbord moved his HQ to Vivieres. HereHarbord located a nice French house withclean beds. His orderly found him hotwater for a shave and a good soaking inhis rubber bathtub.

The truck carrying Gulberg took allnight threading its way back through theVillers-Cotterets forest. At seven in themorning it reached a French field hospital.

"The hospital building was full and sowas the yard," remembered Gulberg. "Thedoctors were busy giving anti-tetanus in-jections, and the Red Cross was giving outcoffee, tea, cakes and cigarettes . . . . Inthis yard we lay all day waiting for doctorswho were on their way to the hospital.About three in the afternoon they begantagging us. Those not too seriouslywounded were marked 'Evacuate' and theserious cases were marked, 'Operatehere.' " Gulberg was marked "Operatehere."

By late afternoon practically all the di-vision, with the exception of the artillery,had gone into bivouac in the woods nearVerte Feuille Farm. The 6th Regimentcamped near Translor Farm. The intenseshelifire had weakened the trees, there wasa high wind, and one Marine was killedand two seriously injured by fallingbranches. The Germans further treatedthe regiment to a shelling with long-ranged Austrian 130mm guns. Lee sent amotorcycle courier to brigade headquart-


Two allies, a US. Marine, left, and a French poilu play cards in a dugout in a post-battle standdown. Some US. units reportedly lost half to two-thirds of their number

ers asking for a more favorable restingplace a little further to the rear.

The 5th Regiment had also marchedback in the early morning hours, back intothe Foret de Retz, about one kilometer be-hind the jump-off point it had crossed twodays before. At first count, the 5th Regi-ment had lost 44 men dead, 360 wound-ed, and 34 missing. This number wouldgrow worse as returns came in.

O NCE IN BIVOUAC the exhausted com-panies could be reached by the roll-

ing kitchens. These were mule-drawn four-wheeled carts with wood-burning stoves.On the morning of the 20th, the 45thCompany caught up with its kitchens andhad hot cakes, syrup, and coffee, its firsthot food since the 16th.

I have never seen anything lookso good said 2dLt Merwin H. Sil-verthorn, the junior platoon commander.(He had been a sergeant in Belleau Woodand would retire after the Korean War asa lieutenant general.)

BGen Neville, as Holcomb and Catesa future Commandant, left Vierzy on themorning of 20 July and moved brigadeheadquarters to the camp site of his oldregiment, the 5th Marines. A day laterHarbord ordered Neville to move hisbrigade to the woods south of Taillefon-tame. For those Marines who still hadthem, two shelter halves buttonedtogether made an acceptable pup tent.Considerably more comfortably, Nevilleset up his headquarters in the village itself.

Next day, on 21 July, Harbord reportedto MajGen Bullard's III Corps headquart-ers. Bullard told him that he hadtelegraphed Gen Pershing that both the1st and 2d Divisions had done well, butthat the 2d had done exceptionally well.That evening Gen Pershing came by the2d Division headquarters and told Har-bord, "It appears I have to congratulateyou every time I see you."

With these praises singing in his head,Harbord issued an effusive general order:

It is with keen pride that theDivision Commander transmits tothe command the congratulationsand affectionate personal greet-ings of General Pershing, whovisited the Division Headquarterslast night . . . You advancedover six miles, captured over threethousand prisoners, eleven batter-

ies of artillery, over a hundredmachine guns, minnenwerfers,and supplies. . . . The story ofyour achievements will be told inmillions of homes in all Alliedlands tonight.

When Sgt Gulberg awoke in the fieldhospital on the morning of the 2 1st, aFrench nurse came in with bread, cheese,and a cup of wine. He was placed onceagain in a truck. This took him to a rail-road station where he was placed on oneof the new American hospital trains.

H,WHATARELIEFtorideinareaItrain once more," wrote Gulberg.

"These cars were fitted up like pullmans,with upper bunks for litter cases, and seatsfor the walking cases. We stopped severaltimes en route and were fed royally by theRed Cross, who were stationed at all thefair-sized railroad stations."

Gulberg's destination was Base Hospi-tal No. 27 at Angers. On clean whitesheets and after a good breakfast he decid-ed that it was not such a had war after all.

"He who gets into a hospital, provid-ing he isn't hit too hard, is considered alucky guy," said Gulberg.

The Germans bombed both the brigadeand division headquarters during thenight of 21 July, probably to the secretsatisfaction of the Marines sleeping in thewoods, but caused no casualties.

By the 22d, the count of prisoners takenby the 2d Division in the two days of fight-ing had reached 66 officers and 2,810 en-listed Germans. These were theable-bodied ones. The number of wound-ed prisoners evacuated through the med-ical chain was unknown.

Said Pershing in his Final Report, "Dueto the magnificent dash and power dis-played in the field of Soissons by our 1stand 2d Divisions, the tide of war wasdefinitely turned in favor of the Allies."

In its two-day battle the Marine Brigadehad lost at least 2,000 killed and woundedwith two-thirds of the loss in the 6th Ma-rines. That was part of the price. Eli 775E1

This article and its predecessor are der-ived from two chapters on Soissons of themanuscript for "Through the Wheat: TheU S. Marines in the First World War," a75th anniversary commemoration ofWorld War I being written by BGen Sim-mons. Corrections, comments, andampli-fications are solicited

Readers Always Write

More CommentOn 'Wake Island'

I am grateful to have your fine essay onthe Wake battle [A Magnificent Fight: Ma-tines in the Battle for Wake Island byRobert J. Cressman]. It is well told, ex-hibiting clearly how the fog of war canturn into the force that drives everything.

Thanks and congratulations to theauthor.

One thing. Wesley Platt and I were closefriends serving together, first in China andfinally in the 6th Division at Okinawa. Iwas with him when he died (his jeep washit by Chinese artillery).

Platt told me a lot about the Wake bat-tle, of his pride at killing all of theJapanese landing force on Wilkes, of hisfrustrations arising from lack of commu-nications (fog of war, again), and of hisand his men's fury at being told that theisland had been surrendered, when theyhad won their little battle.

Probably Platt never did an oral histo-ry. If he did not, it is a shame because,even though self-effacing, his heroismwould shine through.

LtGen Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Ret)San Diego, California

SECOND WAKE VEThRAN VRIThSThank you for the opportunity to write

regarding Robert Cressman's A Magnifi-cent Fight. I have also included a com-ment on one of his references, StrongHearts and Steady Nerves.

I know the job of a historian is difficult,especially if there are survivors who canverify or correct errors. It seems that onemust wait at least 75 years or be especial-ly accurate.

To start with, in Strong Hearts andSteady Nerves, Bob Cressman omitted avery important event. On page 3 he shouldhave included, ". . . as soon as VMF-211observed the P-40s take off the Squadronwas given the blinker signal to land aboard

as soon as the F4F-3s were aboard andshunted below to the hangar deck, the Bo-sun's whistle sounded and we heard 'Nowhear this . . . The last mail plane hasdeparted. Stand by for further orders

Now hear this. This is war ordernumber one!. . The U.S.S. Enterprise is


ers asking for a more favorable restingplace a little further to the rear.

The 5th Regiment had also marchedback in the early morning hours, back intothe Foret de Retz, about one kilometer be-hind the jump-off point it had crossed twodays before. At first count, the 5th Regi-ment had lost 44 men dead, 360 wound-ed, and 34 missing. This number wouldgrow worse as returns came in.

O NCE IN BIVOUAC the exhausted com-panies could be reached by the roll-

ing kitchens. These were mule-drawn four-wheeled carts with wood-burning stoves.On the morning of the 20th, the 45thCompany caught up with its kitchens andhad hot cakes, syrup, and coffee, its firsthot food since the 16th.

I have never seen anything lookso good said 2dLt Merwin H. Sil-verthorn, the junior platoon commander.(He had been a sergeant in Belleau Woodand would retire after the Korean War asa lieutenant general.)

BGen Neville, as Holcomb and Catesa future Commandant, left Vierzy on themorning of 20 July and moved brigadeheadquarters to the camp site of his oldregiment, the 5th Marines. A day laterHarbord ordered Neville to move hisbrigade to the woods south of Taillefon-tame. For those Marines who still hadthem, two shelter halves buttonedtogether made an acceptable pup tent.Considerably more comfortably, Nevilleset up his headquarters in the village itself.

Next day, on 21 July, Harbord reportedto MajGen Bullard's III Corps headquart-ers. Bullard told him that he hadtelegraphed Gen Pershing that both the1st and 2d Divisions had done well, butthat the 2d had done exceptionally well.That evening Gen Pershing came by the2d Division headquarters and told Har-bord, "It appears I have to congratulateyou every time I see you."

With these praises singing in his head,Harbord issued an effusive general order:

It is with keen pride that theDivision Commander transmits tothe command the congratulationsand affectionate personal greet-ings of General Pershing, whovisited the Division Headquarterslast night . . . . You advancedover six miles, captured over threethousand prisoners, eleven batter-

ies of artillery, over a hundredmachine guns, minnenwerfers,and supplies. . . . The story ofyour achievements will be told inmillions of homes in all Alliedlands tonight.

When Sgt Gulberg awoke in the fieldhospital on the morning of the 21st, aFrench nurse came in with bread, cheese,and a cup of wine. He was placed onceagain in a truck. This took him to a rail-road station where he was placed on oneof the new American hospital trains.

" H,WHATARELIEFtorideinarealtrain once more," wrote Gulberg.

"These cars were fitted up like pullmans,with upper bunks for litter cases, and seatsfor the walking cases. We stopped severaltimes en route and were fed royally by theRed Cross, who were stationed at all thefair-sized railroad stations."

Gulberg's destination was Base Hospi-tal No. 27 at Angers. On clean whitesheets and after a good breakfast he decid-ed that it was not such a had war after all.

"He who gets into a hospital, provid-ing he isn't hit too hard, is considered alucky guy," said Gulberg.

The Germans bombed both the brigadeand division headquarters during thenight of 21 July, probably to the secretsatisfaction of the Marines sleeping in thewoods, but caused no casualties.

By the 22d, the count of prisoners takenby the 2d Division in the two days of fight-ing had reached 66 officers and 2,810 en-listed Germans. These were theable-bodied ones. The number of wound-ed prisoners evacuated through the med-ical chain was unknown.

Said Pershing in his Final Report, "Dueto the magnificent dash and power dis-played in the field of Soissons by our 1stand 2d Divisions, the tide of war wasdefinitely turned in favor of the Allies."

In its two-day battle the Marine Brigadehad lost at least 2,000 killed and woundedwith two-thirds of the loss in the 6th Ma-rines. That was part of the price. Eli 775E1

This article and its predecessor are der-ived from two chapters on Soissons of themanuscript for "Through the Wheat: TheUS. Marines in the First World War," a75th anniversary commemoration ofWorld War I being written by BGen Sim-mons. Coirections, comments, andampli-fications are solicited

Readers Always Write

More CommentOn 'Wake Island'

I am grateful to have your fine essay onthe Wake battle [A Magnificent Fight. Ma-rines in the Battle for Wake Island byRobert J. Cressman]. It is well told, ex-hibiting clearly how the fog of war canturn into the force that drives everything.

Thanks and congratulations to theauthor.

One thing. Wesley Platt and I were closefriends serving together, first in China andfinally in the 6th Division at Okinawa. Iwas with him when he died (his jeep washit by Chinese artillery).

Platt told me a lot about the Wake bat-tle, of his pride at killing all of theJapanese landing force on Wilkes, of hisfrustrations arising from lack of commu-nications (fog of war, again), and of hisand his men's fury at being told that theisland had been surrendered, when theyhad won their little battle.

Probably Platt never did an oral histo-ry. If he did not, it is a shame because,even though self-effacing, his heroismwould shine through.

LtGen Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Ret)San Diego, California

SECOND WAKE VEThRAN VRITESThank you for the opportunity to write

regarding Robert Cressman's A Magnifi-cent Fight. I have also included a com-ment on one of his references, StrongHearts and Steady Nerves.

I know the job of a historian is difficult,especially if there are survivors who canverify or correct errors. It seems that onemust wait at least 75 years or be especial-ly accurate.

Io start with, in Strong Hearts andSteady Nerves, Bob Cressman omitted avery important event. On page 3 he shouldhave included, ". . . as soon as VMF-211observed the P-40s take off the Squadronwas given the blinker signal to land aboard

as soon as the F4F-3s were aboard andshunted below to the hangar deck, the Bo-sun's whistle sounded and we heard 'Nowhear this . . . . The last mail plane hasdeparted. Stand by for further orders

Now hear this. This is war ordernumber one!. . . The U.S.S. Enterprise is


now underway for Wake Island to deliverVMF-211. Our scouting aircraft will coverour advance. They will be fully armed andprepared to shoot any enemy aircraft onsight. They will sink any surface vessels wemeet!' (this was followed by the distribu-tion of battle order number one)."

Now to A Magnificent Fight.Page 1—' ... the radar was not even

set up." That is completely wrong. Therewas no radar on Wake. Why would wehave tried to make a hearing device fromplywood if we only had to set up the radar?

Page 2—Putnam immediately sent arunner to Capt Elrod to disperse planesand men and keep all aircraft ready forflight. The aircraft had already been dis-persed as far as possible. The area beyondthe aircraft was loose coral and could notbe used and still get the aircraft back tothe runway.

Page 3—. . the aircraft were to remainwithin the immediate vicinity of the is-land. No such order was ever given, at leastnot to the pilots. The reason for buildinghoming loops was to enable us to find theisland from any distance out.

Page 7—I thank Cressman for promot-ing me to first lieutenant. The promotionorder was effective 2 December 1941, butnever honored by the Paymaster of the Ma-rine Corps (Gen A. M. Gray, the Com-mandant, admitted the error in 1989).Ammic James F. Hesson did not join usuntil December 12th, along with two trac-tor mechanics, Harry Yeager and PeteSorenson from the contractors' group.Page 8—A Marine gunner's recommenda-tion for medals must go through the com-manding officer and the appropriate chainof command.

Page 12—There was an agreement thatthe F4Fs would not initiate an attack un-til the ground defense had begun firing,and VMF-211 did not attack until the shipswere out of range of the 5-inch guns.

Page 13—Elrod's aircraft (number 11)was brought back to use for spare parts andas a decoy. Therefore it was not a total loss.

Page 14—"Tharin, although untrainedin night aerial techniques . . . ." Tharinhad as much training as anyone at the timeand adapted his training to search out theflying boat with the available light of thestars and approaching dawn.

Page 15—Kliewers' bombing of thesubmarine did not cause large holes in thewings and tail surfaces. They were only

minor and easily repairable. In Yuma in1992, Bob Arthur verified that on one ofthe few flights he was able to make, heflew out and located the submarine on thebottom on an exceptionally clear day withcalm surface conditions.

Also Page 15—"Shelters." These wereonly what we termed revetments — actuallymounds of coral bulldozed to prevent abomb hit on one aircraft from setting fireto a second.

Page 16—The bomb hit in the centerof the aircraft and blew up the full tank,breaking the back of the plane in the mid-dle, leaving the engine pointing skywardon its wheels. This was number 10. We didnot lift the plane by its nose. We had onlyan improvised hoist on a farm-all typetractor and it could only lift the engineafter we carefully disconnected it from therest of the burning plane.

Page 17— Gen Kessler has alreadypointed out that Camp Two was where thebarracks were located.

Page 18—Putnam later recalled Hes-son's services as "being the very founda-tion of the entire aerial defense of WakeIsland." This statement made after the warhad to have been at the request of CmdrKeene and Cmdr Cunningham to sub-stantiate their recommendation for a NavyCross for Hesson. Hesson worked for meand did creditable work, but did notdeserve the credit due Hamilton, whoreceived only a Legion of Merit. Putnammade no mention of Hesson in his reportto Col Larkin on 20 December 1941, be-cause Hesson had not reported to us un-til 12 December and was wounded on the14th.

Hangars—Mention is made in severalplaces about putting the aircraft in thehangars. There was only one and that wasnot completed until the night of the 14th.The big one was being made ready for therelief squadron, but it was not finisheduntil the night before the island wasoverrun.

Page 22—The aircraft pictured was notflown on the final day. It is number 12,which Capt Freuler ground-looped intothe brush to avoid civilians who crowdedonto the runway. The plane Freuler flewon the last day was number 8. After theengagement in which he shot down thepilot who had sunk the Arizona, he madea rather normal landing on the airfieldwith gear down. It was immediatelyrepaired by Hamilton. It was the only air-

craft left in one piece. The Japanese laterpushed it to the hangar. (It was the firstand only aircraft to be in the hangar. SeeJapanese photo from Enemy on Island; Is-sue in Doubt by Stan Cohen, page 48.

Page 22—A letter is attached concern-ing the research into the shoot-down ofthe pilot who sank the Arizona. EugeneMonihan of Haymarket, Virginia, has thestatement from a pilot who was on theSoryu. He verified that the downed pilothad claimed the sinking of the Arizona.

Page 23—Top of the page, insert 23 De-cember after 0700. Most readers do not re-late 23 December on Wake as the date ofthe final overrun of the island.

Page 36—The Japanese losses are inac-curate. Anyone visiting the island in thelast 20 years could still see the two destroy-ers on the beach and added to that are theships sunk by the five-inch [guns] and theones sunk by VMF-211. Although I was noton every flight, I did see the Kisaragi blowup as I was in my dive to bomb it. Thesubmarine loss was not admitted by theJapanese, just as they never corrected theirhistory showing the island captured onDecember 11th. I was in the questioningby the Japanese admiral and his pilot whoasked us what happened to their subma-rine? Putnam said Lt Kliewer sank it. [Theadmiral] also wanted to know what hap-pened to their four-engine flying boat. Tothis Maj Putnam also said that Capt Tha-rin shot it down. That seemed to solvetheir worry.

I hope that these comments help to setthe record straight.

BGen John E Kinney, USMC (Ret)Portola Valley, California

EDITOR'S NOTE: BGen Kinney, likeBGen W7oodrow M. Kessler; who wroteconcerning the W7ake Island commemora-tive history in the Spring 1993 issue of For-titudine, is a distinguished veteran of theW7orld W"ar II battle to save the islandAuthor Robert J. Cressman responds toGen Kinney on this page.

I appreciate BGen Kinney taking thetime to express his concern about certainpoints in A Magnificent Fight. As I didwith BGen Kessler's comments, I will ad-dress each of BGen Kinney's in turn. I verymuch appreciate his elucidation of certainaspects of the fight for Wake.

Page 1—On the matter of the radar atWake, the reader is invited to read the


now underway for Wake Island to deliverVMF-211. Our scouting aircraft will coverour advance. They will be fully armed andprepared to shoot any enemy aircraft onsight. They will sink any surface vessels wemeet!' (this was followed by the distribu-tion of battle order number one)."

Now to A Magnificent Fight.Page 1—" ... the radar was not even

set up." That is completely wrong. Therewas no radar on Wake. Why would wehave tried to make a hearing device fromplywood if we only had to set up the radar?

Page 2— Putnam immediately sent arunner to Capt Elrod to disperse planesand men and keep all aircraft ready forflight. The aircraft had already been dis-persed as far as possible. The area beyondthe aircraft was loose coral and could notbe used and still get the aircraft back tothe runway.

Page 3—. . . the aircraft were to remainwithin the immediate vicinity of the is-land. No such order was ever given, at leastnot to the pilots. The reason for buildinghoming loops was to enable us to find theisland from any distance out.

Page 7—I thank Cressman for promot-ing me to first lieutenant. The promotionorder was effective 2 December 1941, butnever honored by the Paymaster of the Ma-rine Corps (Gen A. M. Gray, the Com-mandant, admitted the error in 1989).Ammic James F. Hesson did not join usuntil December 12th, along with two trac-tor mechanics, Harry Yeager and PeteSorenson from the contractors' group.Page 8—A Marine gunner's recommenda-tion for medals must go through the com-manding officer and the appropriate chainof command.

Page 12—There was an agreement thatthe F4Fs would not initiate an attack un-til the ground defense had begun firing,and VMF-211 did not attack until the shipswere out of range of the 5-inch guns.

Page 13—Elrod's aircraft (number 11)was brought back to use for spare parts andas a decoy. Therefore it was not a total loss.

Page 14 —"Tharin, although untrainedin night aerial techniques Tharinhad as much training as anyone at the timeand adapted his training to search out theflying boat with the available light of thestars and approaching dawn.

Page 15—Kliewers' bombing of thesubmarine did not cause large holes in thewings and tail surfaces. They were only

minor and easily repairable. In Yuma in1992, Bob Arthur verified that on one ofthe few flights he was able to make, heflew out and located the submarine on thebottom on an exceptionally clear day withcalm surface conditions.

Also Page 15—"Shelters." These wereonly what we termed revetments — actuallymounds of coral bulldozed to prevent abomb hit on one aircraft from setting fireto a second.

Page 16—The bomb hit in the centerof the aircraft and blew up the full tank,breaking the back of the plane in the mid-dle, leaving the engine pointing skywardon its wheels. This was number 10. We didnot lift the plane by its nose. We had onlyan improvised hoist on a farm-all typetractor and it could only lift the engineafter we carefully disconnected it from therest of the burning plane.

Page 17— Gen Kessler has alreadypointed out that Camp Two was where thebarracks were located.

Page 18— Putnam later recalled Hes-son's services as "being the very founda-tion of the entire aerial defense of WakeIsland." This statement made after the warhad to have been at the request of CmdrKeene and Cmdr Cunningham to sub-stantiate their recommendation for a NavyCross for Hesson. Hesson worked for meand did creditable work, but did notdeserve the credit due Hamilton, whoreceived only a Legion of Merit. Putnammade no mention of Hesson in his reportto Col Larkin on 20 December 1941, be-cause Hesson had not reported to us un-til 12 December and was wounded on the14th.

Hangars — Mention is made in severalplaces about putting the aircraft in thehangars. There was only one and that wasnot completed until the night of the 14th.The big one was being made ready for therelief squadron, but it was not finisheduntil the night before the island wasoverrun.

Page 22—The aircraft pictured was notflown on the final day. It is number 12,which Capt Freuler ground-looped intothe brush to avoid civilians who crowdedonto the runway. The plane Freuler flewon the last day was number 8. After theengagement in which he shot down thepilot who had sunk the Arizona, he madea rather normal landing on the airfieldwith gear down. It was immediatelyrepaired by Hamilton. It was the only air-

craft left in one piece. The Japanese laterpushed it to the hangar. (It was the firstand only aircraft to be in the hangar. SeeJapanese photo from Enemy on Island, Is-sue in Doubt by Stan Cohen, page 48.

Page 22—A letter is attached concern-ing the research into the shoot-down ofthe pilot who sank the Arizona. EugeneMonihan of Haymarket, Virginia, has thestatement from a pilot who was on theSoryu. He verified that the downed pilothad claimed the sinking of the Arizona.

Page 23—Top of the page, insert 23 De-cember after 0700. Most readers do not re-late 23 December on Wake as the date ofthe final overrun of the island.

Page 36—The Japanese losses are inac-curate. Anyone visiting the island in thelast 20 years could still see the two destroy-ers on the beach and added to that are theships sunk by the five-inch [guns] and theones sunk by VMF-211. Although I was noton every flight, I did see the Kzsaragi blowup as I was in my dive to bomb it. Thesubmarine loss was not admitted by theJapanese, just as they never corrected theirhistory showing the island captured onDecember 11th. I was in the questioningby the Japanese admiral and his pilot whoasked us what happened to their subma-rine? Putnam said Lt Kliewer sank it. [Theadmiral] also wanted to know what hap-pened to their four-engine flying boat. Tothis Maj Putnam also said that Capt Tha-rin shot it down. That seemed to solvetheir worry.

I hope that these comments help to setthe record straight.

BGen John E Kinney, USMC (Ret)Portola Valley, California

EDITOR'S NOTE: BGen Kinney, likeBGen Woodrow M. Kessler; who wroteconcerning the Wake Island commemora-tive history in the Spring 1993 issue ofFor-titudine, is a distinguished veteran of theWorld War II battle to save the islandAuthor Robert J. Cressman responds toGen Kinney on this page.

I appreciate BGen Kinney taking thetime to express his concern about certainpoints in A Magnificent Fight. As I didwith BGen Kessler's comments, I will ad-dress each of BGen Kinney's in turn. I verymuch appreciate his elucidation of certainaspects of the fight for Wake.

Page 1—On the matter of the radar atWake, the reader is invited to read the


Spring 1993 Fortitudine (p. 14) and myresponse to BGen Kessler's comments onthe same issue. In the interest of gettingthe manuscript down to imposed limits,I was compelled to cut out some introduc-tory material that dealt with Wake's equip-ment and people shortages.

Page 2—Maj Putnam's sending a run-ner to tell Capt Elrod to disperse theplanes is from Maj Putnam's October 1945report.

Page 3—The statement about theplanes remaining within the immediatevicinity of the island reflects Maj Putnam'srecollections of the events of that day, inhis 1945 statement on the subject.

Page 7—As to BGen Kinney's promo-tion (photo caption), I have no idea howthat slipped past everyone'

Page 8— Marine Gunner Hamas's post-war recommendation for Shank's MOHwent to the SecNav Board of Decorationsand Awards. A similar case was CaptFrederick C. Sherman of the Lexington(CV-2), who recommended war correspon-dent Stanley Johnston for a decoration forJohnston's heroism at Coral Sea in May1942.

—For an analysis of VMF-211'soperations on the morning of 11 Decem-ber 1941 I invite the reader to see theSpring 1993 Fortitudine where I addressedBGen Kessler's comments on the sameissue.

Page 13—I described Capt Elrod's211-F-li as a total loss because that's pre-cisely how the source I used (2dLt Kinney'sdiary) described it.

Page 14—The statement that Capt Tha-rin had not been trained in night combattechniques is from Maj Putnam's letterrecommending that Tharin be decoratedfor the feat.

Page 15—2dLt Kliewer's bombing ofthe submarine (which, incidentally, mostlikely occurred on 11 December, not the12th) was probably responsible only fordamage to the boat—not her loss. As stat-ed in my earlier letter addressing BGenKessler's comments, I have a theory aboutthe sinking of the sub that will be ex-plained fully in a forthcoming book. Asto the "large holes in the wings and tailsurfaces," that is precisely how then-2dLtKliewer described it in 1945.

Page 15—I appreciate the clarificationof what was termed as "shelters" andhangars.

Page 16—In the original draft, using

the Kinney diary as a source, I describedexactly how the engine change was carriedout. The "lifting the plane by its nose"may have been another instance of tight-ening up the manuscript by an editor.

Page 17—The correct number of thecamp has already been addressed in theSpring 1993 Fortitudine.

Page 18—Writing under a deadline andre-writing something several times some-times leads one to read and understanda document but write something else.That occurred in my writing of how MajPutnam praised Hesson's services as con-stituting "one of the foundations [not thefoundation] of the entire aerial defense ofthe island" in his original recommenda-tion for a Distinguished Service Medal forHesson in recognition of his work along-side 2dLt Kinney and TSgt William J.Hamilton on VMF-211's planes. Indeed,2dLt Kinney's diary not only recounts Hes-son's arrival on 12 December and his be-ing wounded on 14 December but alsoHesson's surprise return to VMF-211 on 15December with shrapnel still in his hip.One has the impression that BGen Kin-ney does not believe that Hesson's work asa mechanic with VMF-211 merited a NavyCross and that TSgt Hamilton was givenless than he deserved. In fact, Hesson'swork on planes had nothing to do with hisNavy Cross. Maj Putnam recommended aNavy Cross for Hesson in recognition ofthe sailor's heroism in VMF-211's last standagainst Japanese Special Naval LandingForce troops at the airstrip on 23 Decem-ber. In that desperate fight, Hesson wasbadly wounded in both legs by Japanesegrenade fragments. Although Maj Put-nam had recommended that Hesson andHamilton each receive a DSM for their im-portant role in maintaining VMF-211'splanes, each received a Legion of Merit forthe same work. In addition, TSgt Hamil-ton was awarded two air medals for theflight operations in which he participat-ed at Wake.

Page 22—I thank BGen Kinney for set-ting me straight on the identity of the air-craft in the photo; that is most helpful,and incidentally provides the identity ofthe plane in the covered hangar. AlthoughI used BGen Kinney's diary as the sourcefor Capt Freuler's plane landing with thecanopy [hood] stuck closed, I confess tomissing the salient point that it was a"rather normal landing." Had I caughtthat, I would not have captioned the ob-

viously "pranged Wildcat" as Capt Freul-er's from the 22d.

Page 22—The reason why I did not em-phasize Capt Freuler's shooting down theman (the observer—not the pilot—in oneof the two Soryu Kates splashed) whoclaimed Arizona's destruction is becausewhile Freuler indeed shot down PettyOfficer Kanai's Kate, Kanai was not theman who dropped the fatal bomb on Ar-izona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor. For an ex-cellent and thorough analysis of Arizona'sloss at Pearl, derived from contemporary(1941) Japanese documents by David Ai-ken andJohn DeVirgilio, see Paul Stilwell'sBattleshiib Arizona (Naval Institute Press,1991), pp. 264-265 (diagram of the bomb-ing pattern) and pp. 274-275 (discussionof the hits).

Page 27 (not 23)—the 0700 time iswhat it was at Pearl Harbor (as I stated),not Wake. Perhaps more mention of 23December in the last section, however, toemphasize the Wake date, would havebeen more helpful. I think most readersknow, though, that Wake fell on 23 De-cember.

Page 36 —The Japanese losses are as ac-curate as records can show, and were der-ived from Japanese sources. The sub-marine loss was an operational casualty,not a combat loss (and, yes, it was indeedadmitted). I have yet to see the elusiveJapanese account (to which BGen Kessleralso refers), which lists Wake as being cap-tured on the 11th! Japanese newspapers,notorious for propaganda, make no men-tion of Wake being captured on 11 De-cember, but do indeed mention its

capture on the 23d. It must be remem-bered that Japanese newspapers of thattime were virtual house organs for the for-eign office and Japan's militarists. RAdmKajioka could hardly have told VAdm In-oue that he had captured Wake when heasked for more help upon his return fromhis force having been beaten up badly bythe seacoast guns and VMF-211's quartetof Wildcats.

The Chitose Kokutai raid I mention asoccurring on 12 December (p. 14) did not,in fact, occur, as ongoing research in bothU.S. and Japanese records revealed (the lat-ter subsequent to publication of A Mag-niflcent Fight. Further research alsoindicates that the take-off of Soryu andHiryu planes was between 1100 and 1108,not 0800 (p. 21).

Robert J. Cressman


Spring 1993 Fortitudine (p. 14) and myresponse to BGen Kessler's comments onthe same issue. In the interest of gettingthe manuscript down to imposed limits,I was compelled to cut out some introduc-tory material that dealt with Wake's equip-ment and people shortages.

Page 2— Maj Putnam's sending a run-ner to tell Capt Elrod to disperse theplanes is from Maj Putnam's October 1945report.

Page 3—The statement about theplanes remaining within the immediatevicinity of the island reflects Maj Putnam'srecollections of the events of that day, inhis 1945 statement on the subject.

Page 7—As to BGen Kinney's promo-tion (photo caption), I have no idea howthat slipped past everyone!

Page 8—Marine Gunner Hamas's post-war recommendation for Shank's MOHwent to the SecNav Board of Decorationsand Awards. A similar case was CaptFrederick C. Sherman of the Lexington(CV-2), who recommended war correspon-dent Stanley Johnston for a decoration forJohnston's heroism at Coral Sea in May1942.

Page 12—For an analysis of VMF-211'soperations on the morning of 11 Decem-ber 1941 I invite the reader to see theSpring 1993 Fortitudine where I addressedBGen Kessler's comments on the sameissue.

Page 13—I described Capt Elrod's211-F-li as a total loss because that's pre-cisely how the source I used (2dLt Kinney'sdiary) described it.

Page 14—The statement that Capt Tha-n had not been trained in night combattechniques is from Maj Putnam's letterrecommending that Tharin be decoratedfor the feat.

Page 15— 2dLt Kliewer's bombing ofthe submarine (which, incidentally, mostlikely occurred on 11 December, not the12th) was probably responsible only fordamage to the boat—not her loss. As stat-ed in my earlier letter addressing BGenKessler's comments, I have a theory aboutthe sinking of the sub that will be ex-plained fully in a forthcoming book. Asto the "large holes in the wings and tailsurfaces," that is precisely how then-2dLtKliewer described it in 1945.

Page 15—I appreciate the clarificationof what was termed as "shelters" andhangars.

Page 16—In the original draft, using

the Kinney diary as a source, I describedexactly how the engine change was carriedout. The "lifting the plane by its nose"may have been another instance of tight-ening up the manuscript by an editor.

Page 17—The correct number of thecamp has already been addressed in theSpring 1993 Fortitudine.

Page 18—Writing under a deadline andre-writing something several times some-times leads one to read and understanda document but write something else.That occurred in my writing of how MajPutnam praised Hesson's services as con-stituting "one of the foundations [not thefoundation] of the entire aerial defense ofthe island" in his original recommenda-tion for a Distinguished Service Medal forHesson in recognition of his work along-side 2dLt Kinney and TSgt William J.Hamilton on VMF-21i's planes. Indeed,2dLt Kinney's diary not only recounts Hes-son's arrival on 12 December and his be-ing wounded on 14 December but alsoHesson's surprise return to VMF-2ii on 15December with shrapnel still in his hip.One has the impression that BGen Kin-ney does not believe that Hesson's work asa mechanic with VMF-211 merited a NavyCross and that TSgt Hamilton was givenless than he deserved. In fact, Hesson'swork on planes had nothing to do with hisNavy Cross. Maj Putnam recommended aNavy Cross for Hesson in recognition ofthe sailor's heroism in VMF-211's last standagainst Japanese Special Naval LandingForce troops at the airstrip on 23 Decem-ber. In that desperate fight, Hesson wasbadly wounded in both legs by Japanesegrenade fragments. Although Maj Put-nam had recommended that Hesson andHamilton each receive a DSM for their im-portant role in maintaining VMF-211'splanes, each received a Legion of Merit forthe same work. In addition, TSgt Hamil-ton was awarded two air medals for theflight operations in which he participat-ed at Wake.

Page 22—1 thank BGen Kinney for set-ting me straight on the identity of the air-craft in the photo; that is most helpful,and incidentally provides the identity ofthe plane in the covered hangar. AlthoughI used BGen Kinney's diary as the sourcefor Capt Freuler's plane landing with thecanopy [hood] stuck closed, I confess tomissing the salient point that it was a"rather normal landing." Had I caughtthat, I would not have captioned the ob-

viously "pranged Wildcat" as Capt Freul-er's from the 22d.

Page 22—The reason why I did not em-phasize Capt Freuler's shooting down theman (the observer—not the pilot—in oneof the two Soryu Kates splashed) whoclaimed Arizona's destruction is becausewhile Freuler indeed shot down PettyOfficer Kanai's Kate, Kanai was not theman who dropped the fatal bomb on Ar-izona (BB-39) at Pearl Harbor. For an ex-cellent and thorough analysis of Arizona'sloss at Pearl, derived from contemporary(1941) Japanese documents by David Ai-ken and John DeVirgilio, see Paul Stilwel!'sBattleshzp Arizona (Naval Institute Press,1991), pp. 264-265 (diagram of the bomb-ing pattern) and pp. 274-275 (discussionof the hits).

Page 27 (not 23)—the 0700 time iswhat it was at Pearl Harbor (as I stated),not Wake. Perhaps more mention of 23December in the last section, however, toemphasize the Wake date, would havebeen more helpful. I think most readersknow, though, that Wake fell on 23 De-cember.

Page 36 —The Japanese losses are as ac-curate as records can show, and were der-ived from Japanese sources. The sub-marine loss was an operational casualty,not a combat loss (and, yes, it was indeedadmitted). I have yet to see the elusiveJapanese account (to which BGen Kessleralso refers), which lists Wake as being cap-tured on the 11th! Japanese newspapers,notorious for propaganda, make no men-tion of Wake being captured on 11 De-cember, but do indeed mention its

capture on the 23d. It must be remem-bered that Japanese newspapers of thattime were virtual house organs for the for-eign office and Japan's militarists. RAdmKajioka could hardly have told VAdm In-oue that he had captured Wake when heasked for more help upon his return fromhis force having been beaten up badly bythe seacoast guns and VMF-21i's quartetof Wildcats.

The Chitose Kokutai raid I mention asoccurring on 12 December (p. 14) did not,in fact, occur, as ongoing research in bothU.S. and Japanese records revealed (the lat-ter subsequent to publication of A Mag-nijicent Fight. Further research alsoindicates that the take-off of Soryu andH:ryu planes was between 1100 and 1108,not 0800 (p. 21).

Robert J. Cressman


Dual Titles Added to Persian Gulf, WWII History Seriesby Benis M. Frank

Chief Historian

T WO NEW MONOGRAPHS in the "U.S.Marines in the Persian Gulf,

1990-199 1" series and two new World WarII 50th anniversary commemorativepamphlets were recently published by theHistory and Museums Division.

As was the case with With the I MarineExpeditionary Force in Desert Shield andDesert Storm, the new With the 1st Ma-rine Division in Desert Shield and DesertStorm and With the 2d Marine Divisionin Desert Shield and Desert Storm werewritten by members of Mobilization Train-ing Unit (History) DC-7.

The 1st Division history was written byLtCol Charles H. Cureton, USMCR, whoholds a master of arts degree and a doc-torate in history, and who, in civilian life,is chief of museums and historicalproperty, U.S. Army Training and DoctrineCommand. Together with the commanderof MTU (History) DC-7, Col Charles J.Quilter II, LtCol Cureton landed in Sau-di Arabia on 9 November 1990, and as-sisted Col Quilter as deputy I MEFcommand historian by organizing the IMEF historical document collection effort.He transferred to the 1st Marine Divisionin mid-January to cover Marine land forceoperations. He participated in the firstground operation of the war (the artilleryraid on the night of 20-2 1 January 1991),headed the division's combat camera ele-ment, and joined Task Force Papa Bear (1st

Marines) for the drive to liberate Kuwait.Similarly, in his With the 2dMarine Di-

vision in Desert Shield and Desert Storm,LtCol (Col selectee) Dennis P. Mrocz-kowski, USMCR, who has been selected asthe new commander of MTh DC-7, re-lates the experiences of the 2d Division inthe Persian Gulf. LtCol Mroczkowski, incivilian life director of the U.S. Army'sCasemate Museum at Fortress Monroe,Virginia, was serving as a watch team com-mander in the II MEF Crisis Action Centerat Camp Lejeune when Desert Shield be-gan. In January 1991 he was ordered to ac-tive duty and assigned to the Marine CorpsHistorical Center. Shortly thereafter, hewas further assigned to the 2d Marine Di-vision as its historian. He arrived at the di-vision in late January, served with itthroughout Desert Storm, and returnedwith it to Camp Lejeune in April 1991.

The titles of both new monographs, aswell as the one about I MEF, reflect thefact that all three authors were actively incombat with the units to which they wereattached. The materials collected by ColQuilter and LtCols Cureton and Mrocz-kowski (as well as by LtCol Ronald H.Brown, a fourth MTh member in the Gulfarea who is writing "With the MarinesAfloat in Desert Shield and Desert Storm"and "With Operation Provide Comfort:Marine Humanitarian Relief Efforts inNorthern Iraq") will eventually be incor-

porated into a single-volume, caseboundbook about Marine Corps operations inthe Gulf.

T HE FIRST OF the two WWII com-memorative pamphlets recently

released is Across the Reef The Marine As-sault of Tarawa by Col Joseph H. Alex-ander, USMC (Ret). Col Alexander hasmelded into his history the material ofpreviously published official historiestogether with the personal reminiscencesof Tarawa veterans found in the MarineCorps Oral History Collection, with per-sonal papers and photographs donated toand found in the Marine Corps Personal


I

U.S. Mannes in the Persian Gulf, 1990'3991WITH THE 1ST MARINE DIVISION

IN DESERT SHIELD ANDDESERT S1ORM

U.S. Marines in the Persian Gulf, 1990-1991

WITH THE 21:) MARINE DIVISIONIN DESERT SHIELD AND

DESERT SIORM

.•a111510KV AND MUSEUMS DIVISIONi: t HEAI)Q!.TAR1EII,k U.S. MARINE CORPS

UC.

Dual Titles Added to Persian Gulf, WWII History Seriesby Benis M. Frank

Chief Historian

T WO NEW MONOGRAPHS in the "U.S.Marines in the Persian Gulf,

1990-1991" series and two new World WarII 50th anniversary commemorativepamphlets were recently published by theHistory and Museums Division.

As was the case with With the I MarineExpeditionary Force in Desert Shield andDesert Storm, the new With the 1st Ma-rine Division in Desert Shield and DesertStorm and With the 2d Marine Divisionin Desert Shield and Desert Storm werewritten by members of Mobilization Train-ing Unit (History) DC-7.

The 1st Division history was written byLtCol Charles H. Cureton, USMCR, whoholds a master of arts degree and a doc-torate in history, and who, in civilian life,is chief of museums and historicalproperty, U.S. Army Training and DoctrineCommand. Together with the commanderof MTU (History) DC-7, Col Charles J.Quilter II, LtCol Cureton landed in Sau-di Arabia on 9 November 1990, and as-sisted Col Quilter as deputy I MEFcommand historian by organizing the IMEF historical document collection effort.He transferred to the 1st Marine Divisionin mid-January to cover Marine land forceoperations. He participated in the firstground operation of the war (the artilleryraid on the night of 20-2 1 January 1991),headed the division's combat camera ele-ment, and joined Task Force Papa Bear (1st

Marines) for the drive to liberate Kuwait.Similarly, in his With the 2dMarine Di-

vision in Desert Shield and Desert Storm,LtCol (Col selectee) Dennis P. Mrocz-kowski, USMCR, who has been selected asthe new commander of MW DC-7, re-lates the experiences of the 2d Division inthe Persian Gulf. LtCol Mroczkowski, incivilian life director of the U.S. Army'sCasemate Museum at Fortress Monroe,Virginia, was serving as a watch team com-mander in the II MEF Crisis Action Centerat Camp Lejeune when Desert Shield be-gan. In January 1991 he was ordered to ac-tive duty and assigned to the Marine CorpsHistorical Center. Shortly thereafter, hewas further assigned to the 2d Marine Di-vision as its historian. He arrived at the di-vision in late January, served with itthroughout Desert Storm, and returnedwith it to Camp Lejeune in April 1991.

The titles of both new monographs, aswell as the one about I MEF, reflect thefact that all three authors were actively incombat with the units to which they wereattached. The materials collected by ColQuilter and LtCols Cureton and Mrocz-kowski (as well as by LtCol Ronald H.Brown, a fourth MW member in the Gulfarea who is writing "With the MarinesAfloat in Desert Shield and Desert Storm"and "With Operation Provide Comfort:Marine Humanitarian Relief Efforts inNorthern Iraq") will eventually be incor-

porated into a single-volume, caseboundbook about Marine Corps operations inthe Gulf.

T HE FIRST OF the two WWII com-memorative pamphlets recently

released is Across the Reef The Marine As-sault of Tarawa by Col Joseph H. Alex-ander, USMC (Ret). Col Alexander hasmelded into his history the material ofpreviously published official historiestogether with the personal reminiscencesof Tarawa veterans found in the MarineCorps Oral History Collection, with per-sonal papers and photographs donated toand found in the Marine Corps Personal


Papers Collection, and some never-before-seen photographs. The author has con-structed step by bloody step the story ofthe most furious 76 hours in Marine Corpshistory, beginning on 20 November 1943,during which time the outcome was some-times in doubt. Col Alexander has clearlyoutlined the bravery and leadership of Ma-rine officers and enlisted Marines alike ina moving narrative.

The second commemorative narrativereleased is U the Slot: Marines in the

Central Solomons, by retired Marine MajCharles D. Melson, a former member ofthe History and Museums Division staff.Maj Melson has told the story of the fight-ing which took place in mid-1943 in theCentral Solomons at New Georgia as theAllies climbed up the Solomons chain be-ginning with the Guadalcanal landing inAugust 1942, and ending with the 1

November 1943 invasion of Bougainville.Maj Melson looks at the New Georgiaoperation from the point of view of the

Army and Marine Corps ground units; theactivities of the Marine defense battalions;arid the role played by Marine air over NewGeorgia and up and down the Solomonschain.

Publications in both series may be pur-chased from the Superintendent of Docu-ments, U.S. Government Printing Office,Washington, D.C. 20402. Marine Corpsunits and activities and scholarly researchinstitutions may request copies from theHistory and Museums Division. Eli 775E1

Tarawa Observances Include Day-long Lejeune Eventsby Col Joseph H. Alexandei USMC (Ret)

M ARINES AND former Marinescelebrated the 50th anniversary of

the battle of Tarawa in many locations,ranging from the Army-Navy Club inWashington, D.C., to Betio Island itself.One of the most comprehensive celebra-tions occurred at Camp Lejeune, NorthCarolina, where the 2d Marine Divisiondevoted an entire day to commemoratingthe bloodiest battle in its history.

The events at Camp Lejeune were high-lighted by the active participation of 22Tarawa veterans and their families, oftenrepresenting four generations. Col CharlesW. Van Home, executive director of the2d Marine Division Association, escortedthe veterans. LtCol Dennis W. Reilly, Di-vision training officer, coordinated theday's events.

Among the Tarawa veterans attendingwere Melvin McBride, then a sergeant inCompany E, 2d Battalion, 8th Marines,whose men crossed the exposed airfield onthe first morning, and John White, thena sergeant in Company C, 1st Battalion,8th Marines, who nearly drowned whenJapanese gunners sank his Higgins boat indeep water beyond the reef on the morn-ing of D÷1.

A FORMAL COLORS ceremony at theDivision command post began the

day's events. The adjutant read a specialmessage from the Commandant of theMarine Corps. MajGen Richard I. Neal,commanding the division, then spokeabout the enduring legacy of Tarawa, ask-ing "Where do we get such men as thosewho crossed that reef arid climbed over thesea wall?" Gen Neal accompanied retired

Col Maxie R. Williams, the senior Tarawaveteran present, for a wreathlayingceremony. Afterwards, the veterans andtheir families enjoyed refreshments in theDivision conference room, pausing to ex-amine an unusually complete collection ofcombat photographs of the battle. "Seethese little stakes out in the water?" asked

Col Maxie R. Williams, USMC (Ret),right, a veteran of Tarawa combat, wherehe served as commander of Company B,1st Battalion, 2d Marines, is greeted byMayGen Richard I. Neal, 2dMarine Divi-sion commanding general, at the CampLejeune ceremonies in honor of the 50thanniversary of the battle. Col Williamsteamed with Gen Neal to lay the wreath.

one veteran. "They were range markers forJ ap machine guns!"

The next event of the day was amemorial service at the base chapel con-ducted by the 2d Marines. Modern-dayMarines escorted each veteran down thecenter aisle while the narrator read his dateand place of enlistment, his rank arid unitat Tarawa, and the date of his dischargeor retirement. The regimental sergeantmajor read the Presidential Unit Citationawarded to the Division for Tarawa. Allstood for "Taps;' one trumpet echoed bya second, and for a solemn rendition ofthe "Marines' Hymn." Col Williams, whocommanded Company B, 1st Battalion, 2dMarines, at Tarawa, then spoke of theheroism of the individual Marine duringthat battle. "Without the will to fight asso vividly portrayed throughout 20-24November 1943," he stated, "lhrawa wouldnever have been conquered."

The days' events concluded with a two-hour "professional military education" ses-sion on the battle of Tarawa with 350officers and staff noncom missionedofficers of the Division, plus the veterans.

As the author of the Corps' official 50thAnniversary commemorative history of'Th.rawa, I was the guest speaker— and real-ly under the gun. The room was filled withTarawa experts, veterans and active dutyMarines alike. Highlight of the afternooncame with the questions and answers.When members of the Division askeddetailed questions about tactical commu-nications, logistic resupply, and weapons,I simply got out of the way and let theveterans answer for themselves. Eli 775E]


a,/

4

icr

Papers Collection, and some never-before-seen photographs. The author has con-structed step by bloody step the story ofthe most furious 76 hours in Marine Corpshistory, beginning on 20 November 1943,during which time the outcome was some-times in doubt. Col Alexander has clearlyoutlined the bravery and leadership of Ma-rine officers and enlisted Marines alike ina moving narrative.

The second commemorative narrativereleased is Up the Slot. Marines in the

Central Solomons, by retired Marine MajCharles D. Melson, a former member ofthe History and Museums Division staff.Maj Melson has told the story of the fight-ing which took place in mid-1943 in theCentral Solomons at New Georgia as theAllies climbed up the Solomons chain be-ginning with the Guadalcanal landing inAugust 1942, and ending with the 1

November 1943 invasion of Bougainville.Maj Melson looks at the New Georgiaoperation from the point of view of the

Army and Marine Corps ground units; theactivities of the Marine defense battalions;and the role played by Marine air over NewGeorgia and up and down the Solomonschain.

Publications in both series may be pur-chased from the Superintendent of Docu-ments, U.S. Government Printing Office,Washington, D.C. 20402. Marine Corpsunits and activities and scholarly researchinstitutions may request copies from theHistory and Museums Division. Eli 775E1

Tarawa Observances Include Day-long Lejeune Eventsby Col Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret)

M ARINES AND former Marinescelebrated the 50th anniversary of

the battle of Tarawa in many locations,ranging from the Army-Navy Club inWashington, D.C., to Betio Island itself.One of the most comprehensive celebra-tions occurred at Camp Lejeune, NorthCarolina, where the 2d Marine Divisiondevoted an entire day to commemoratingthe bloodiest battle in its history.

The events at Camp Lejeune were high-lighted by the active participation of 22Tarawa veterans and their families, oftenrepresenting four generations. Col CharlesW. Van Home, executive director of the2d Marine Division Association, escortedthe veterans. LtCol Dennis W. Reilly, Di-vision training officer, coordinated theday's events.

Among the Tarawa veterans attendingwere Melvin McBride, then a sergeant inCompany E, 2d Battalion, 8th Marines,whose men crossed the exposed airfield onthe first morning, and John White, thena sergeant in Company C, 1st Battalion,8th Marines, who nearly drowned whenJapanese gunners sank his Higgins boat indeep water beyond the reef on the morn-ing of D+1.

A FORMAL COLORS ceremony at the[1 Division command post began theday's events. The adjutant read a specialmessage from the Commandant of theMarine Corps. MajGen Richard I. Neal,commanding the division, then spokeabout the enduring legacy of Tarawa, ask-ing "Where do we get such men as thosewho crossed that reef and climbed over thesea wall?" Gen Neal accompanied retired

Col Maxie R. Williams, the senior Tarawaveteran present, for a wreathlayingceremony. Afterwards, the veterans andtheir families enjoyed refreshments in theDivision conference room, pausing to ex-amine an unusually complete collection ofcombat photographs of the battle. "Seethese little stakes out in the water?" asked

Col Maxie R. Williams, USMC (Ret),rzght, a veteran of Tarawa combat, wherehe served as commander of Company B,1st Battalion, 2d Marines, is greeted byMayGen Richard I. Neal, 2dMarine Divi-sion commanding general, at the CampLejeune ceremonies in honor of the 50thanniversary of the battle. Col Williamsteamed with Gen Neal to lay the wreath.

one veteran. "They were range markers forJap machine guns!"

The next event of the day was amemorial service at the base chapel con-ducted by the 2d Marines. Modern-dayMarines escorted each veteran down thecenter aisle while the narrator read his dateand place of enlistment, his rank and unitat Tarawa, and the date of his dischargeor retirement. The regimental sergeantmajor read the Presidential Unit Citationawarded to the Division for Tarawa. Allstood for "Taps," one trumpet echoed bya second, and for a solemn rendition ofthe "Marines' Hymn." Col Williams, whocommanded Company B, 1st Battalion, 2dMarines, at Tarawa, then spoke of theheroism of the individual Marine duringthat battle. "Without the will to fight asso vividly portrayed throughout 20-24November 1943:' he stated, "Ihrawa wouldnever have been conquered."

The days' events concluded with a two-hour "professional military education" ses-sion on the battle of Tarawa with 350officers and staff noncommissionedofficers of the Division, plus the veterans.

As the author of the Corps' official 50thAnniversary commemorative history ofllàrawa, I was the guest speaker — and real-ly under the gun. The room was filled withTarawa experts, veterans and active dutyMarines alike. Highlight of the afternooncame with the questions and answers.When members of the Division askeddetailed questions about tactical commu-nications, logistic resupply, and weapons,I simply got out of the way and let theveterans answer for themselves. El 775E1


Acquisitions

Rare Chinese Civil Decoration Is Donated to Museum

T HE MARi CORPS Museum's collec-tion of medals and decorations con-

tains more than 2,500 pieces, with nearlyall of them having been awarded by theU.S. government to Marines and, in somecases, to Marine Corps units. Although thecollection does contain a number of for-eign awards and decorations, none are asscarce as the "Chinese Order of the Brilli-antJade," which was donated to the Muse-um this past summer by Col Millard C.Monnen, USA (Ret), of Anderson, SouthCarolina.

This order was instituted in 1933 byGeneralissimo Chiang'kai Shek to replacethe obsolete "Grand Order of the BrilliantJade," which had been founded in 1912.The Grand Order had been given only topresidents of the Chinese Republic and toheads of foreign governments. The newdecoration was awarded for outstandingcivil merit and came in nine classes. Themedals themselves ranged from a breaststar and sash for first class and a neck cravatfor the third and fourth classes to a pen-dant for the fourth through ninth classes.

All of the classes have a beautifullyworked enamel and goldplated silver staror badge. The center stone, although de-scribed in several reference works as

polished quartz, appears to be polishedglass. The badge received from Col Mon-nen has a large number "3" on the reverse,the first two having been awarded to Beni-to Mussolini and the Vice President ofNicaragua.

The recipient of this decoration wasthen-lstSgt George "Swede" Nelson, whowas awarded it for his services as interpreterand aide to the Vice President of Nicara-gua, Dr. Rodolfo Espinosa, during his visitto China in 1934. "Swede" Nelson retiredas a warrant officer in 1946, after being re-called from retirement during World WarII, and spent altogether nearly 30 years inthe Marine Corps. He enlisted in Buffalo,New York, just after the declaration of waron Germany in 1917. After boot camp atParris Island, he was stationed in Cubawith the 7th Marines, but made it to Eu-rope after the armistice. Because of hisfamiliarity with Scandinavian and Ger-

by Kenneth L. Smith- ChristmasCurator of Material Histoiy

manic languages, he found himself carry-ing diplomatic dispatches for the StateDepartment. During the next 20 years, hefought bandits in Nicaragua, saw service inHaiti, the Dominican Republic, and Chi-na, and served on board the battleshipsOklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Itwas during his cruise on the Wyoming thathe gained the nickname of "Swede," sincethere were no less than five Marines withthe last name Nelson on the ship. He alsoaccompanied President Franklin D.Roosevelt during the Buenos Aires PeaceConference in 1936 and was later detailedto the White House for the 1936-37 so-cial season.

I T WAS DURING his tour in Shanghaiwith the 4th Marines that he was called

upon to accompany Dr. Espinosa on histour of Shanghai, Nanking, Tientsin, andBeijing. An accomplished linguist, lstSgt

Nelson also spoke fluent Spanish and hadcompleted a two-year tour of duty in Nic-aragua. On first arriving, he was assignedto the 11th Marines, but later gained at-tention as a "horse trader" when he pur-chased horses for the Marine Brigade inthe company of another colorful old salt,MGySgt Michael T. "Mickey" Finn. Hewound up his time in Nicaragua as the as-sistant chief of police and the assistant tothe commandant of the National Peniten-tiary in Managua and, in this capacity, waswell known to various members of theNicaraguan government.

The medal was presented to the Historyand Museums Division by Col Monnenand his wife in a ceremony on 24 Augustat the Historical Center. Col Monnen is"Swede" Nelson's half-sister's son and hadtalked to WO Nelson about donating themedal to the Marine Corps Museum short-ly before Nelson's death in 1969.L11775L1


Immediately apparent by its large size and intricacy among the decorations on theuniform of lstSgt George "Swede "Nelson, is the Chinese "Order of the Brilliant Jade."

Acquisitions

Rare Chinese Civil Decoration Is Donated to Museum

T HE MARINE CORPS Museum's collec-tion of medals and decorations con-

tains more than 2,500 pieces, with nearlyall of them having been awarded by theU.S. government to Marines and, in somecases, to Marine Corps units. Although thecollection does contain a number of for-eign awards and decorations, none are asscarce as the "Chinese Order of the Brilli-antJade' which was donated to the Muse-um this past summer by Col Millard C.Monnen, USA (Ret), of Anderson, SouthCarolina.

This order was instituted in 1933 byGeneralissimo Chiang'kai Shek to replacethe obsolete "Grand Order of the BrilliantJade," which had been founded in 1912.The Grand Order had been given only topresidents of the Chinese Republic and toheads of foreign governments. The newdecoration was awarded for outstandingcivil merit and came in nine classes. Themedals themselves ranged from a breaststar and sash for first class and a neck cravatfor the third and fourth classes to a pen-dant for the fourth through ninth classes.

All of the classes have a beautifullyworked enamel and goldplated silver staror badge. The center stone, although de-scribed in several reference works as

polished quartz, appears to be polishedglass. The badge received from Col Mon-nen has a large number "3" on the reverse,the first two having been awarded to Beni-to Mussolini and the Vice President ofNicaragua.

The recipient of this decoration wasthen-lstSgt George "Swede" Nelson, whowas awarded it for his services as interpreterand aide to the Vice President of Nicara-gua, Dr. Rodolfo Espinosa, during his visitto China in 1934. "Swede" Nelson retiredas a warrant officer in 1946, after being re-called from retirement during World WarII, and spent altogether nearly 30 years inthe Marine Corps. He enlisted in Buffalo,New York, just after the declaration of waron Germany in 1917. After boot camp atParris Island, he was stationed in Cubawith the 7th Marines, but made it to Eu-rope after the armistice. Because of hisfamiliarity with Scandinavian and Ger-

by Kenneth L. Smith-ChristmasCurator of Material History

manic languages, he found himself carry-ing diplomatic dispatches for the StateDepartment. During the next 20 years, hefought bandits in Nicaragua, saw service inHaiti, the Dominican Republic, and Chi-na, and served on board the battleshipsOklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming. Itwas during his cruise on the Wyoming thathe gained the nickname of "Swede," sincethere were no less than five Marines withthe last name Nelson on the ship. He alsoaccompanied President Franklin D.

Roosevelt during the Buenos Aires PeaceConference in 1936 and was later detailedto the White House for the 1936-37 so-cial season.

I T WAS DURING his tour in Shanghaiwith the 4th Marines that he was called

upon to accompany Dr. Espinosa on histour of Shanghai, Nanking, Tientsin, andBeijing. An accomplished linguist, lstSgt

Nelson also spoke fluent Spanish and hadcompleted a two-year tour of duty in Nic-aragua. On first arriving, he was assignedto the 11th Marines, but later gained at-tention as a "horse trader" when he pur-chased horses for the Marine Brigade inthe company of another colorful old salt,MGySgt Michael T "Mickey" Finn. Hewound up his time in Nicaragua as the as-sistant chief of police and the assistant tothe commandant of the National Peniten-tiary in Managua and, in this capacity, waswell known to various members of theNicaraguan government.

The medal was presented to the Historyand Museums Division by Col Monnenand his wife in a ceremony on 24 Augustat the Historical Center. Col Monnen is"Swede" Nelson's half-sister's son and hadtalked to WO Nelson about donating themedal to the Marine Corps Museum short-ly before Nelson's death in 1969. Eli 775L1


Immediately apparent by its large size and intricacy among the decorations on theuniform of istSgt George "Swede "Nelson, is the Chinese "Order of the Brilliant Jade."

Artist Gibney Relives World War II Memories on Canvas

N ODYSSEY, the Saga of a YoungMarine, 1942-1946," is a 52-piece

exhibit of work by Richard M. Gibney, a2d Marine Division combat artist in WorldWar II, currently being shown in the Spe-cial Exhibits Gallery of the Marine CorpsMuseum in the Historical Center inWashington, D.C.

Making up the show are 46 new oilpaintings, two etchings, two drawings orcartoons for two of the larger paintings,and an oil of a Marine on Saipan, previ-ously contributed to the Art Collection bythe artist in 1985, along with the 1943USMC map case Gibney used to carry hissketchpads, pens, ink, and pencils duringthe war in the Pacific. The show formallyopened on 17 September, with the Assis-tant Commandant of the Marine Corps,

by John T Dyer; Jr.Curator of Art

Gen Walter E. Boomer, accepting the 50new works for the collection from theartist.

Gibney says his ambitious project wasinspired by aJuly 1990 letter sent from theMuseum's art curator to about 20 WorldWar II combat artists or veterans who be-came artists after the war. With an exhibitin mind to support a larger World War II50th anniversary commemorative effort bythe Museum, the letter asked for a sketch,drawing, or painting drawn from a still-vivid World War II experience. Gibney tel-ephoned the curator a month or so afterhe received the letter. He asked if theMuseum would accept more than onepiece. His thinking and subsequentresearch brought back to him one ex-perience after another. He wanted them

down on paper, canvas, or board.Memories he hadn't dealt with since theend of the war he wanted to revisitgraphically.

H E STARTED 1D REMEMBER and to re-

live some of the nightmarish epi-sodes of combat: skidding helplessly acrossa blood-soaked, exploding LST's deck atPearl Harbor; surviving under fire on Tan-wa, where he learned to smoke cigarettesas a combat engineer needing the meansat hand to ignite explosive fuzes to satchel-charge Japanese coconut-log entrench-ments; and joining in patrols through theovergrown and steamy Saipan jungle.Some other frightening memories werewitnessing a Kamikaze attack while onboard a ship off Okinawa and taking part

Gibney 's "Kamikaze Attack, Okinawa, April 1, 1945," is a trib-ute to the Marines and sailors at the guns of the offshore ships.Japanese Kamikaze ("Divine JVind") pilots swore themselves to

commit suicide by flying their explosives-laden planes intoAmerican shijt's. Some Kamikazes succeededat great cost in US.ships and men; many others were destroyed by antiaircraft fire.

16 Fortitudine, FaIl 1993

p.

e

-'-.4 S

Artist Gibney Relives World War II Memories on Canvas

N ODYSSEY, the Saga ofa YoungMarine, 1942-1946," is a 52-piece

exhibit of work by Richard M. Gibney, a2d Marine Division combat artist in WorldWar II, currently being shown in the Spe-cial Exhibits Gallery of the Marine CorpsMuseum in the Historical Center inWashington, D.C.

Making up the show are 46 new oilpaintings, two etchings, two drawings orcartoons for two of the larger paintings,and an oil of a Marine on Saipan, previ-ously contributed to the Art Collection bythe artist in 1985, along with the 1943USMC map case Gibney used to carry hissketchpads, pens, ink, and pencils duringthe war in the Pacific. The show formallyopened on 17 September, with the Assis-tant Commandant of the Marine Corps,

by John T Dyer; ftCurator of Art

Gen Walter E. Boomer, accepting the 50new works for the collection from theartist.

Gibney says his ambitious project wasinspired by aJuly 1990 letter sent from theMuseum's art curator to about 20 WorldWar II combat artists or veterans who be-came artists after the war. With an exhibitin mind to support a larger World War II50th anniversary commemorative effort bythe Museum, the letter asked for a sketch,drawing, or painting drawn from a still-vivid World War II experience. Gibney tel-ephoned the curator a month or so afterhe received the letter. He asked if theMuseum would accept more than onepiece. His thinking and subsequentresearch brought back to him one ex-perience after another. He wanted them

down on paper, canvas, or board.Memories he hadn't dealt with since theend of the war he wanted to revisitgraphically.

H E STARTED 1D REMEMBER and to re-

live some of the nightmarish epi-sodes of combat: skidding helplessly acrossa blood-soaked, exploding LST's deck atPearl Harbor; surviving under fire on Tara-wa, where he learned to smoke cigarettesas a combat engineer needing the meansat hand to ignite explosive fuzes to satchel-charge Japanese coconut-log entrench-ments; and joining in patrols through theovergrown and steamy Saipan jungle.Some other frightening memories werewitnessing a Kamikaze attack while onboard a ship off Okinawa and taking part

Gibney 's "Kamikaze Attack, Okinawa, April 1, 1945," is a trib-ute to the Marines and sailors at the guns of the offshore shij,s.Japanese Kamikaze ("Divine W/ind") pilots swore themselves to

commit suicide by flying their explosives-laden planes intoAmerican sh:jt's. Some Kamikazes succeeded at great cost in US.sh:ps and men; many others were destroyed by antiaircraft fire.


in occupation duty in Nagasaki, an entirecity only recently levelled by the atomicbomb.

Some memories were much less pain-ful: blacked-out troopships going to thewar and those with lights ablaze andsmoking lamps lit on deck on the wayhome after the war; a stateside liberty ina San Diego bar where many of his draw-ings were stolen; and the excited taxi ride

home to the family he left four yearsearlier.

Gibney was born in Perry, New York,and before enlisting in the Marines forWorld War H studied at Skidmore Collegeand at the Art Career School in New YorkCity. After the war he resumed studies atSkidmore College and continued on to thePennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts andSyracuse University. In his subsequent

Gibney recalled himself among the Ma-rines going "Down the Nets, Tarawa,"They descended into landing craft fromthe Jacob Zeilin (APA 3), headedfor heav-ilyfortifiedBetio beach, where many died

career he has produced hundreds of com-missioned portraits and 18 murals. Hemaintains a studio in Rockport, Mas-sachusetts.

T HE CURRENT COMPLETE EXHIBIT will

continue until iJanuary 1994, whenother World War II exhibits will replacea portion of the Gibney show. L11775L1

The young Gibney swings himself "Overthe Side, Tarawa. "Marines wait at their as-signed boat stations, go over the rail andonto rope nets to Join the landing craft.

Fortitudine, Fail 1993 17

Artist RichardM. Gibney, right, converses at the opening of his exhibition at the Ma-rine Corps Museum in W/ashington with Assistant Commandant Gen IValter E. Boo mercenter, and Director of Marine Corps History andMuseums BGen Edwin H. Simmons.

In '4bandon Ship, Pearl HarbotY' Gibney recalls that burning oil and falling debriswere hazards, and heroism common, as men struggled in IVest Loch harbor after es-caping the exploding ISTs. As many as five paintings in the show deal with Pearl Harbor

\ITf

——

- t. --

in occupation duty in Nagasaki, an entirecity only recently levelled by the atomicbomb.

Some memories were much less pain-ful: blacked-out troopships going to thewar and those with lights ablaze andsmoking lamps lit on deck on the wayhome after the war; a stateside liberty ina San Diego bar where many of his draw-ings were stolen; and the excited taxi ride

home to the family he left four yearsearlier.

Gibney was born in Perry, New York,and before enlisting in the Marines forWorld War II studied at Skidmore Collegeand at the Art Career School in New YorkCity. After the war he resumed studies atSkidmore College and continued on to thePennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts andSyracuse University. In his subsequent

Gibney recalled himself among the Ma-rines going "Down the Nets, Tarawa."They descended into landing craft fromthe Jacob Zeilin (APA 3), headedfor heav-ilyfortifiedBetio beach, where many died

career he has produced hundreds of com-missioned portraits and 18 murals. Hemaintains a studio in Rockport, Mas-sachusetts.

T HE CURRENT COMPLETh EXHIBIT will

continue until iJanuary 1994, whenother World War II exhibits will replacea portion of the Gibney show. Lu 775 LI

The young Gibney swings himself "Overthe Side, Tarawa."Marines wait at their as-signed boat stations, go over the rail andonto rope nets to Join the landing craft.


Artist RichardM. Gibney, right, converses at the opening of his exhibition at the Ma-rine Corps Museum in W'ashington with Assistant Commandant Gen Ualter E. Boomercenter and Director of Marine Corps Histoy and Museums BGen Edwin H. Simmons.

In '2ibandon Shzp, Pearl Harbor," Gibney recalls that burning oil and falling debriswere hazards, and heroism common, as men struggled in IVest Loch harbor after es-caping the exploding LSTs. As many as five paintings in the show deal with Pearl Harbo,

Marine Corps Art from Somalia Shown on Capitol Hill

F IRST-HAND ACCOUNTS by MarineCorps combat artists of their ex-

periences in Somalia have appeared oftenin Fortitudine during the past year. All ofthese artists were impressed by the grace-ful appearance of the Somali people andthe calm presence of U.S. Marines amongthem. Most took time also to draw or paintthe effects of the East African heat and thecountry's fauna, from flies to camels.

Some of the individual pieces of art—sketches and drawings, paintings in oils,watercolors, and acrylics — produced by

these Marine Corps-sponsored artists nowhave been collected into a 16-piece ex-hibit, first seen in two locations on CapitolHill in Washington, D.C. The first show-ing, in the rotunda of the Russell SenateOffice Building, lasted from 19 to 23 July.The second showing, at the CannonHouse Office Building's rotunda, extend-ed from 9 to 20 August.

by John T Dyer Jr.Curator of Art


LtColDonnaJ. Neaiy, USMCR, delighted in her contacts withSomali children. Here, in a large colored-pencil-on-paper draw-ing, she records "Foodline." These children are lined up for a

Panels erected between pillars of the rotunda of the Cannon office building of theUS. House of Representatives provide mounting areas for drawings and paintingsproduced by Marine Corps combat artists in Somalia. The building dates to 1908-1909.

once-a-day food ration at the Red Cross compound in the "ItalianVillage," a refugee camp outside of Baidoa. Much of the art dealswith the Marines 'primaiy mission, to get food to starving people.

-J

= 4-I

4- * a I

—;---.

—

I

Marine Corps Art from Somalia Shown on Capitol Hillby John T Dyer Jr.

Curator of Art

F IRST-HAND ACCOUNTS by MarineCorps combat artists of their ex-

periences in Somalia have appeared oftenin Fortitudine during the past year. All ofthese artists were impressed by the grace-ful appearance of the Somali people andthe calm presence of U.S. Marines amongthem. Most took time also to draw or paintthe effects of the East African heat and thecountry's fauna, from flies to camels.

Some of the individual pieces of art—sketches and drawings, paintings in oils,watercolors, and acrylics—produced bythese Marine Corps-sponsored artists nowhave been collected into a 16-piece ex-hibit, first seen in two locations on CapitolHill in Washington, D.C. The first show-ing, in the rotunda of the Russell SenateOffice Building, lasted from 19 to 23 July.The second showing, at the Cannon Panels erected between pillars of the rotunda of the Cannon office building of theHouse Office Building's rotunda, extend- U S. House of Representatives provide mounting areas for drawings and paintingsed from 9 to 20 August. produced by Marine Corps combat artists in Somalia. The building dates to 1908-1909.

LtCol DonnaJ. Neary, USMCR, delighted in her contacts with once-a-day food ration at the Red Cross compound in the "ItalianSomali children. Here, in a large colored-pencil-on-paper draw- Village," a refugee camp outside of Baidoa. Much of the art dealsing, she records "Foodline." These children are lined up for a with the Marines 'primary mission, to get food to starving people.


Col Peter M. Gish, USMCR (Ret), usedwatercolors to produce 'Arms Seizure,Bakaro Market, Mogadisu,"in January.

The three artists represented were Go!Peter M. "Mike" Gish, USMCR (Ret);Lieutenant Colonel Donna J. Neary,USMCR; and WO Charles Grow, USMC.Their artworks were shown displayed oneasels placed between pillars in the Rus-sell Building rotunda and hung on panelsbetween the pillars of the Cannon Build-ing rotunda. The two buildings, both dat-ing to 1908-1909, are of mirror-imagearchitectural construction. They flank theCapitol building on its east side.

The two shows attracted different offi-cial and "tourist" audiences. The exhibitin the Russell Building was sponsored bythe Marine Corps Congressional LiaisonOffice and Sen John McCain. The Can-

Capt Burton E. Moore, Jr., finished "Fightat the 21 Octobre Triumphal Arch," ofmen of 3d Battalion, 11th Marines.

non Building exhibit was sponsored by theLiaison Office and Rep Paul McHale. Thewhite panels in the Cannon Buildingprovided more of an "art gallery" appear-ance and atmosphere than the open-spaced, natural appearance of the RussellBuilding, according to on-lookers.

The show has since moved on to theMuseum of the Marine Corps RecruitDepot, San Diego. There was to be an in-itial showing of the exhibit at a MarineCorps birthday ball with Col Gish as guestof honor. For the occasion, Col Gishfinished and added two additional paint-ings to the show.

Ten pencil drawings by combat artistCapt Burton E. Moore, USMCR, of Ma-rines receiving and reacting to hostile fireon the roof of the U.S. Embassy inMogadishu, Somalia, have hung in thehallway art gallery of Headquarters MarineCorps since mid-May. The professionalwildlife illustrator who experiences—whether in a duck blind or atop aMogadishu roof— much of what he paints,has turned in a major acrylic-on-illustration-board painting evolving fromthe 10 drawings. Five of the drawings wereprinted (one on the cover) in the Spring1993 issue of Fortitudine. Li1775E1


Marines search van near newly foundarms cache in "Checkpoint" by W70 Charles Grow.

Historical Quiz

Dates in Marine Corps Historyby Lena M. Kalyot

Reference Historian

Provide the dates for the following 6. Operation Frequent Wind (Evacua-highlights of Marine Corps history: tion of American Embassy, Saigon).

7. Terrorist bombing of BLT head-1. Continental Congress passes resolu- quarters, Beirut International Airport.

tion that "two Battalions of Marines be 8. Operation Desert Shield beginsraised." (Persian Gulf).2. First amphibious raid (New Provi- 9. Operation Desert Storm begins (Per-

dence, Bahamas). sian Gulf).3. Marine Corps Womens Reserve 10. Operation Eastern Exit (Evacuation

formed in World War II. of American Embassy, Mogadishu,4. Iwo Jima flag raisings. Somalia).5. Inchon landing (Korea). (Answers on page 25)

- • J; -

'4

li '1Col Peter M. Gish, USMCR (Ret), usedwatercolors to produce 'Arms Seizure,Bakaro Market, Mogadishu,"in January.

The three artists represented were ColPeter M. "Mike" Gish, USMCR (Ret);Lieutenant Colonel Donna J. Neary,USMCR; and WO Charles Grow, USMC.Their artworks were shown displayed oneasels placed between pillars in the Rus-sell Building rotunda and hung on panelsbetween the pillars of the Cannon Build-ing rotunda. The two buildings, both dat-ing to 1908-1909, are of mirror-imagearchitectural construction. They flank theCapitol building on its east side.

The two shows attracted different offi-cial and "tourist" audiences. The exhibitin the Russell Building was sponsored bythe Marine Corps Congressional LiaisonOffice and Sen John McCain. The Can-

Capt Burton E. Moore, Jr., finished "Fightat the 21 Octobre Triumphal Arch," ofmen of 3d Battalion, 11th Marines.

non Building exhibit was sponsored by theLiaison Office and Rep Paul McHale. Thewhite panels in the Cannon Buildingprovided more of an "art gallery" appear-ance and atmosphere than the open-spaced, natural appearance of the RussellBuilding, according to on-lookers.

The show has since moved on to theMuseum of the Marine Corps RecruitDepot, San Diego. There was to be an in-itial showing of the exhibit at a MarineCorps birthday ball with Col Gish as guestof honor. For the occasion, Col Gishfinished and added two additional paint-ings to the show.

Ten pencil drawings by combat artistCapt Burton E. Moore, USMCR, of Ma-rines receiving and reacting to hostile fireon the roof of the U.S. Embassy inMogadishu, Somalia, have hung in thehallway art gallery of Headquarters MarineCorps since mid-May. The professionalwildlife illustrator who experiences —whether in a duck blind or atop aMogadishu roof— much of what he paints,has turned in a major acrylic-on-illustration-board painting evolving fromthe 10 drawings. Five of the drawings wereprinted (one on the cover) in the Spring1993 issue of Fortitudine. Li1775E1


Marines search van near newly found arms cache in "Checkpoint" by W"O Charles Grow.

Historical Quiz

Dates in Marine Corps Historyby Lena M. Ka/jot

Reference Historian

Provide the dates for the following 6. Operation Frequent Wind (Evacua-highlights of Marine Corps history: tion of American Embassy, Saigon).

7. Terrorist bombing of BLT head-1. Continental Congress passes resolu- quarters, Beirut International Airport.

tion that "two Battalions of Marines be 8. Operation Desert Shield beginsraised." (Persian Gulf).2. First amphibious raid (New Provi- 9. Operation Desert Storm begins (Per-

dence, Bahamas). sian Gulf).3. Marine Corps Womens Reserve 10. Operation Eastern Exit (Evacuation

formed in World War II. of American Embassy, Mogadishu,4. Iwo Jima flag raisings. Somalia).5. Inchon landing (Korea). (Answers on page 25)

New Books

Military Art Volumes Prominent Among New Issues

Bougainville: The Forgotten Campaign,1943 —1945. Harry A. Gailey. UniversityPress of Kentucky, 1991. 237 pp. Gailey,the author of Liberation of Guam andPeleliu, 1944, here describes the threeyears of fighting on Bougainville from1943 through 1945. The Marines were in-volved mainly in the first phase of thecampaign there beginning in November1943, fighting along with Army units toestablish a perimeter from which an attackcould be launched against the Japanese.The Marines were largely withdrawn bythe end of 1943 with the second phase ofthe operations being mostly Army and thesubsequent third phase involving mainlyAustralian forces.

Bougainville was also the place wherethe first black troops were committed tofighting in the Pacific. The book, too, con-siders the questions of overall cooperationamong various branches of the service andthe relationships among the Australianand New Zealand commanders andMacArthur's headquarters. $27.00

Ten nozan: The Battle of Okinawa andthe Atomic Bomb. George Feifer. Ticknorand Fields, 622 pp., 1992. Through thelives of three people, an American Marine,a 20-year old Japanese battalion com-mander, and a Japanese student elevatedto governor of the prefecture of Okinawa,George Feifer recounts in a highly visualway the Battle of Okinawa. The author hasdrawn upon more than 10 years of researchand interviews to write of this book.$29.95

The Art of Tom Love/I; An Invitationto History, text by Don Hedgpath andWalt Reed. The Greenwich Workshop, Inc.160 pp., 1993. Throughout his career, TomLovell has seen himself as "a storytellerwith a brush," and this work highlights hiscredentials. Ninety-nine color reproduc-

by Heather Sroufe

Student Intern, Historical Center Library

tions, supplemented by identifying text,tell the story of the "frontier spirit" inAmerican history. Tom Lovell was a staffsergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve dur-ing World War II and he, along with fel-low Marine George Clymer, created aseries of 10 historical Marine Corps paint-ings. His "Tarawa Landing" is shown onp. 151. He was on the staff of Leatherneckand Marine Corps Gazette. During thistime, his work appeared in both publica-tions. This tribute is divided into fiveparts: parts 1-3 show his interest in theAmerican West and in Native Americans;part 4 is devoted to works on. the Civil Warincluding a fold-out reproduction of his"Signing at Appomatox"; part 5, containshis works for the Marine Corps, including"Tarawa Landing" and "Battle of TenaruRiver." $60.00 For availability, call1-800-243-4246 for information and ad-dresses of Greenwich Workshop dealers.

The Gulf JVar 1990-1991; D:plomacyand JVar in the New U7o rId Order.Lawrence Freedman and Efraim Karsh.Princeton University Press, 504 pp., 1993.Freedman and Karsh, both members ofthe War Studies faculty at King's College,address not only American actions but alsoEuropean, Soviet, and Middle Eastern de-cisions in this analysis of events leading upto the Gulf War of 1990-1991, and the waritself. The authors analyze the war in re-lation to problems in the conduct ofdiplomacy and the role of military forcein "the new world order." Includes maps,an extensive bibliography, and a listing of"the major players" from all nations in-volved. $29.95

Japan at JVar; An Oral History. HarukoTaya Cook and Theodore E Cook. TheNew Press, 479 pp., 1992. Telling the sto-ries of ordinary Japanese people duringWorld War II, in their own words, thisbook captures the complex and variedrange of experiences and emotions duringthat time of crisis. Haruko Taya Cook isa specialist in Japanese and comparativeliterature and a director of programmingfor the Japan Broadcasting Corporation.$27.50

Close Combat (Continuing the Saga ofthe Corps). W. E. B. Griffin. G. P. Put-nam's Sons, 383 pp., 1993. This is thelatest volume in Griffin's popular fiction-al series about Marines in World War II.It covers the campaign on Guadalcanal, in-cluding behind-the-scenes activity fromthe Solomons to Australia to wartimeWashington, D.C. $22.95

Forgotten U7arriors: Combat Art from

Vietnam. Edited by Dennis L. Noble.Praeger Publishers, 198 pp., 1992. Dr. No-ble assembles in this book 153 moving il-lustrations of every aspect of the war inVietnam, sketched by the soldiers them-selves. These pictures are arranged amongoral histories, letters and commentaries.Included is artwork by James A. Fairfaxand John T Dyer of the Historical Centerstaff. $29.95

Persuasive Images: Posters of rvar andRevolution from the Hoover Center Ar-chives. Edited by Peter Paret, Beth Irwin,and Paul Paret. Princeton University Press,233 pp., 1992. The political posters dis-played here not only function as art butalso serve as a visual narrative of impor-tant events from the First World War tothe Polish struggle for Solidarity in 1990.Taken from central and western Europe,Russia, and the United States, this is artused to persuade, especially to stir theemotions of everyday working men andwomen. The posters go to the heart of sig-nificant historical activities in a way thatonly this medium, with its witty slogansand bold, emotional images, can achieve.$29.95

The Golden Thirteen: Recollections ofthe First Black Naval Officers. Edited byPaul Stilwell, with a foreword by Gen Co-lin L. Powell. Naval Institute Press, 304pp., 1993. Thirteen men in the midst ofWorld War II did something that hadnever been done before. They were thefirst black Americans to become U.S. navalofficers. This book is a tribute to thosemen who have come to be called theGolden Thirteen. These are their recollec-tions, their own private stories, told intheir own words. $21.95 Eli 775E1


The library of the Marine CorpsHistorical Center receives many re-cently published books of profes-sional interest to Marines. Most ofthem are available from local book-stores or libraries.

New Books

Military Art Volumes Prominent Among New Issues

Bougainvile: The Forgotten Campaign,1943 —1945. Harry A. Gailey. UniversityPress of Kentucky, 1991. 237 pp. Gailey,the author of Liberation of Guam andPeleliu, 1944, here describes the threeyears of fighting on Bougainville from1943 through 1945. The Marines were in-volved mainly in the first phase of thecampaign there beginning in November1943, fighting along with Army units toestablish a perimeter from which an attackcould be launched against the Japanese.The Marines were largely withdrawn bythe end of 1943 with the second phase ofthe operations being mostly Army and thesubsequent third phase involving mainlyAustralian forces.

Bougainville was also the place wherethe first black troops were committed tofighting in the Pacific. The book, too, con-siders the questions of overall cooperationamong various branches of the service andthe relationships among the Australianand New Zealand commanders andMacArthur's headquarters. $27.00

Tennozan: The Battle of Okinawa andthe Atomic Bomb. George Feifer. Ticknorand Fields, 622 pp., 1992. Through thelives of three people, an American Marine,a 20-year old Japanese battalion com-mander, and a Japanese student elevatedto governor of the prefecture of Okinawa,George Feifer recounts in a highly visualway the Battle of Okinawa. The author hasdrawn upon more than 10 years of researchand interviews to write of this book.$29.95

The Art of Tom Love/I, An Invitationto History, text by Don Hedgpath andWalt Reed. The Greenwich Workshop, Inc.160 pp., 1993. Throughout his career, TomLovell has seen himself as "a storytellerwith a brush," and this work highlights hiscredentials. Ninety-nine color reproduc-

by Heather SroufeStudent Intern, Historical Center Library

tions, supplemented by identifying text,tell the story of the "frontier spirit" inAmerican history. Tom Lovell was a staffsergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve dur-ing World War II and he, along with fel-low Marine George Clymer, created aseries of 10 historical Marine Corps paint-ings. His "Tarawa Landing" is shown onp. 151. He was on the staff of Leatherneckand Marine Corps Gazette. During thistime, his work appeared in both publica-tions. This tribute is divided into fiveparts: parts 1-3 show his interest in theAmerican West and in Native Americans;part 4 is devoted to works on.the Civil Warincluding a fold-out reproduction of his"Signing at Appomatox"; part 5, containshis works for the Marine Corps, including"Tarawa Landing" and "Battle of TenaruRiver." $60.00 For availability, call1-800-243-4246 for information and ad-dresses of Greenwich Workshop dealers.

The Gulf War 1990-1991; Diplomacyand JVar in the New W7o rId Order.Lawrence Freedman and Efraim Karsh.Princeton University Press, 504 pp.' 1993.Freedman and Karsh, both members ofthe War Studies faculty at King's College,address not only American actions but alsoEuropean, Soviet, and Middle Eastern de-cisions in this analysis of events leading upto the Gulf War of 1990-1991, and the waritself. The authors analyze the war in re-lation to problems in the conduct ofdiplomacy and the role of military forcein "the new world order." Includes maps,an extensive bibliography, and a listing of"the major players" from all nations in-volved. $29.95

Japan at U.r; An Oral History. HarukoTaya Cook and Theodore F. Cook. TheNew Press, 479 pp., 1992. Telling the sto-ries of ordinary Japanese people duringWorld War II, in their own words, thisbook captures the complex and variedrange of experiences and emotions duringthat time of crisis. Haruko Taya Cook isa specialist in Japanese and comparativeliterature and a director of programmingfor the Japan Broadcasting Corporation.$27.50

Close Combat (Continuing the Saga ofthe Corps). W. E. B. Griffin. G. P. Put-nam's Sons, 383 pp., 1993. This is thelatest volume in Griffin's popular fiction-al series about Marines in World War II.It covers the campaign on Guadalcanal, in-cluding behind-the-scenes activity fromthe Solomons to Australia to wartimeWashington, D.C. $22.95

Forgotten JVarriors: Combat Art fromVietnam. Edited by Dennis L. Noble.Praeger Publishers, 198 pp., 1992. Dr. No-ble assembles in this book 153 moving il-lustrations of every aspect of the war inVietnam, sketched by the soldiers them-selves. These pictures are arranged amongoral histories, letters and commentaries.Included is artwork by James A. FairfaxandJohn T. Dyer of the Historical Centerstaff. $29.95

Persuasive Images: Posters of U7ar andRevolution from the Hoover Center Ar-chives. Edited by Peter Paret, Beth Irwin,and Paul Parer. Princeton University Press,233 pp.' 1992. The political posters dis-played here not only function as art butalso serve as a visual narrative of impor-tant events from the First World War tothe Polish struggle for Solidarity in 1990.Taken from central and western Europe,Russia, and the United States, this is artused to persuade, especially to stir theemotions of everyday working men andwomen. The posters go to the heart of sig-nificant historical activities in a way thatonly this medium, with its witty slogansand bold, emotional images, can achieve.$29.95

The Go/den Thirteen: Recollections ofthe First Black Naval Officers. Edited byPaul Stilwell, with a foreword by Gen Co-lin L. Powell. Naval Institute Press, 304pp., 1993. Thirteen men in the midst ofWorld War II did something that hadnever been done before. They were thefirst black Americans to become U.S. navalofficers. This book is a tribute to thosemen who have come to be called theGolden Thirteen. These are their recollec-tions, their own private stories, told intheir own words. $21.95 E11775E1


The library of the Marine CorpsHistorical Center receives many re-cently published books of profes-sional interest to Marines. Most ofthem are available from local book-stores or libraries.

He Was the Marine Behind the Camera: Hal Weinberger

by GySgt David Vergun, USMCPublic Affairs Chief Marine Corps Public Affairs Office

Los Angeles

M EET HARROLD WEINBERGER, theoriginal "Hollywood Marine." He

started his film career in 1923, operatinga hand-cranked camera as a newsreelcameraman. With that camera he filmedthe 1925 World Series between theWashington Senators and the PittsburghPirates. In the early 1930's he was the dra-ma director at George Washington Univer-sity. Movies and television series he laterhelped produce as assistant director orproduction manager include: NorthwestPassage, 12 O'Clock High, Gomer Pyle,The Green Hornet, The Wizard of Oz,Tora Tora Tora, Big City, Strange Cargo,Death Valley Days, Night Must Fall, TheLast Voyage, Hell to Eternity, and The LastWaltz.

While his Hollywood films are still en-joyed by classics lovers, they are not to becompared to the real-life classic films heshot of Leathernecks in the Pacific duringWorld War II. How he got there at age 43is a story in its way as remarkable as anyof his Hollywood films.

Harrold — Hal for short — joined theNavy in March 1917. He was 17 but saidhe was 18, the minimum age needed toenlist. His first tour was on board thewooden ship-of-the-line Granite State,moored at 96th Street Pier in New YorkCity. Built just a couple of years after theWar of 1812, the ship had seen action inthe Union Navy during the Civil War."On board that ship we learned the ropesof seamanship," he said. "We masteredsmall boat handling by rowing the GraniteState's four whale boats up and down theHudson River in races. At night we sleptbelow in hammocks. Learning to get in-side one is an art. You grab the overheadbeam and pull yourself up, lower your but-tocks inside, then swing your feet in.

AY FOR A SEAMAN was $17.60 amonth. Later I made fireman se-

cond class and earned $21 a month," hesaid. "Ten dollars of each month's paywent to my older sister Mildred who wasgoing through nursing school. She gradu-ated in 1919."

'Wynants'— Weinberger—sat for a portraitin his Canadian Army uniform, used forboth field and dress, in Brussels in 1919.

Hal's next tour was on board the cruiserBirmingham. "We convoyed ships up toHalifax, Nova Scotia, the final assemblypoint for ships carrying troops and sup-plies to England. The convoy arrangementwas a precaution against German U-boatattacks."

His Navy enlistment was cut short inSeptember 1917, when Hal's real age wasdiscovered. He was given an honorable dis-charge. About two months later, Hal tooka train from New York to Toronto to tryto enlist in the Canadian Army.

"I arrived at an armory which served asthe recruiting office. I was tired, cold, hun-gry, and broke," he said. "I filled out anapplication and then waited. A corporalcalled out 'Harrold Wynants.'—That's thename I used in my paperwork to hide myreal identity; I borrowed the last namefrom an old shipmate. It didn't occur tome to answer. Two more times he calledout 'Harrold Wynants.' The third time itdawned on me that it was me he was call-

ing. I jumped up and answered 'that's me.'I must have seemed like a dimwit. The cor-poral took me to the sergeant major, whotold me I was too young to enlist. Unfor-tunately, the age limit for enlisting inCanada was 19—a year higher even thanin the United States. I had put my agedown as 18. The sergeant major must haveseen the disappointed look in my eyes be-cause he said:

'Are you Harrold Wynants?'"'Yes sir,' I replied.

'You were born in Toronto?'"'Yes sir.' — I had marked down Toronto

as my birth place.'I knew your father very well,' he led

on. 'I remember when you were born. Itwas 4 November 1898, not 4 December.Here, let me correct this mistake on yourapplication.'

"The sergeant major probably saved mylife because I'd undoubtedly have died inCanada either from freezing or starvation."

P VT "WYNANTS'!_ who had aged sever-al times on enlistment applications

and had also assumed a new personage —was now optimistic of getting to Europebefore the war's end.

"The next morning I was issued a uni-form to replace my thin sweater," he said."That uniform doubled as a field anddress uniform and was the only type wornby us Canadian soldiers throughout thewar. Only when it became too full of holesto be serviceable were we issued another.I went through three of them during thewar."

Hal also was issued a Krag rifle whichhad seen action in the Anglo-Boer War(1899-1902). He would qualify as a marks-man with it, and have occasion to use itin combat. "It was similar to the 1903Springfield rifle issued to me in the Navy,but the Krag was heavier."

QUARTERS IN RECRUIT training con-sisted of horse stables overlooking

ice-covered Lake Ontario. "Horses werekept there in the summer for the CanadianNational Exhibitions and recruits were


He Was the Marine Behind the Camera: Hal Weinberger

by GySgt David Vergun, USMCPublic Affairs Chief Marine Corps Public Affairs Office

Los Angeles

M EET HARROLD WEINBERGER, theoriginal "Hollywood Marine." He

started his film career in 1923, operatinga hand-cranked camera as a newsreelcameraman. With that camera he filmedthe 1925 World Series between theWashington Senators and the PittsburghPirates. In the early 1930's he was the dra-ma director at George Washington Univer-sity. Movies and television series he laterhelped produce as assistant director orproduction manager include: NorthwestPassage, 12 O'Clock High, Gomer Pyle,The Green Hornet, The Wizard of Oz,Tora Tora Tora, Big City, Strange Cargo,Death Valley Days, Night Must Fall, Thelast Voyage, Hell to Eternity, and The lastWaltz.

While his Hollywood films are still en-joyed by classics lovers, they are not to becompared to the real-life classic films heshot of Leathernecks in the Pacific duringWorld War II. How he got there at age 43is a story in its way as remarkable as anyof his Hollywood films.

Harrold—Hal for short—joined theNavy in March 1917. He was 17 but saidhe was 18, the minimum age needed toenlist. His first tour was on board thewooden ship-of-the-line Granite State,moored at 96th Street Pier in New YorkCity. Built just a couple of years after theWar of 1812, the ship had seen action inthe Union Navy during the Civil War."On board that ship we learned the ropesof seamanship," he said. "We masteredsmall boat handling by rowing the GraniteState's four whale boats up and down theHudson River in races. At night we sleptbelow in hammocks. Learning to get in-side one is an art. You grab the overheadbeam and pull yourself up, lower your but-tocks inside, then swing your feet in.

AY FOR A SEAMAN was $17.60 amonth. Later I made fireman se-

cond class and earned $21 a month," hesaid. "Ten dollars of each month's paywent to my older sister Mildred who wasgoing through nursing school. She gradu-ated in 1919."

'Wynants Weinberger — satfor a portraitin his Canadian Army uniform, used forboth field and dress, in Brussels in 1919.

Hal's next tour was on board the cruiserBirmingham. "We convoyed ships up toHalifax, Nova Scotia, the final assemblypoint for ships carrying troops and sup-plies to England. The convoy arrangementwas a precaution against German U-boatattacks."

His Navy enlistment was cut short inSeptember 1917, when Hal's real age wasdiscovered. He was given an honorable dis-charge. About two months later, Hal tooka train from New York to Toronto to tryto enlist in the Canadian Army.

"I arrived at an armory which served asthe recruiting office. I was tired, cold, hun-gry, and broke," he said. "I filled out anapplication and then waited. A corporalcalled out 'Harrold Wynants.'—That's thename I used in my paperwork to hide myreal identity; I borrowed the last namefrom an old shipmate. It didn't occur tome to answer. Two more times he calledout 'Harrold Wynants.' The third time itdawned on me that it was me he was call-

ing. I jumped up and answered 'that's me.'I must have seemed like a dimwit. The cor-poral took me to the sergeant major, whotold me I was too young to enlist. Unfor-tunately, the age limit for enlisting inCanada was 19— a year higher even thanin the United States. I had put my agedown as 18. The sergeant major must haveseen the disappointed look in my eyes be-cause he said:

'Are you Harrold Wynants?'"'Yes sir,' I replied."'You were born in Toronto?'"'Yes sir.' — I had marked down Toronto

as my birth place.'I knew your father very well,' he led

on. 'I remember when you were born. Itwas 4 November 1898, not 4 December.Here, let me correct this mistake on yourapplication.'

"The sergeant major probably saved mylife because I'd undoubtedly have died inCanada either from freezing or starvation."

P VT "WYNANTS'!_who had aged sever-al times on enlistment applications

and had also assumed a new personage—was now optimistic of getting to Europebefore the war's end.

"The next morning I was issued a uni-form to replace my thin sweater," he said."That uniform doubled as a field anddress uniform and was the only type wornby us Canadian soldiers throughout thewar. Only when it became too full of holesto be serviceable were we issued another.I went through three of them during thewar."

Hal also was issued a Krag rifle whichhad seen action in the Anglo-Boer War(1899-1902). He would qualify as a marks-man with it, and have occasion to use itin combat. "It was similar to the 1903Springfield rifle issued to me in the Navy,but the Krag was heavier."

QUAIffERS IN RECRUIT training con-sisted of horse stables overlooking

ice-covered Lake Ontario. "Horses werekept there in the summer for the CanadianNational Exhibitions and recruits were


billeted there in the winter," he said. "Wecarried an equestrian aroma about us."

Pvt "Wynants" was assigned to theCanadian Field Artillery, which usedhorses to move the big guns about. Hepracticed a variety of drills on horsebackincluding mounting and dismounting ata gallop and lance spearing. The knightsof yore undoubtedly practiced lance spear-ing the way Hal described it: "You rideyour horse at a gallop, lance in hand, aim-ing it at a wooden stake in the ground.If your timing and coordination are right,you can spear the stake then lift it highlike a battle trophy."

As an aside, although Hal didn't use hislance in Flanders Fields, he says some ofthe cavalry units of World War I did.Against machine gun fire, their effective-ness was limited.

After several weeks of training, thegreen but eager troops were loaded ontotransports at Halifax for a winter voyageto Scotland. Three British destroyers es-corted the flotilla around Ireland and intothe Irish Sea. Then German U-boats at-tacked. Hal witnessed the engagementfrom his transport: "I watched as one ofour destroyers rolled barrel-shaped depthbombs off an angled rack attached to thestern and into the water. At the same timeI saw an enemy torpedo pass close by, justmissing us. I learned later that our des-troyers had sunk a U-boat. None of ourships were hit."

I N LATE DECEMBER the fleet entered theFirth of Clyde, anchoring in Glasgow.

From there, they boarded a train for Whit-Icy, a town about 30 miles south of Lon-don. "For the next six months we per-formed artillery gun drills. It appearedthat we would drill and drill until the warended."

However, the German spring and sum-mer offensive, commonly called the Se-cond Battle of the Marne, erupted. TheGermans advanced to within artilleryrange of Paris, prompting a million Paris-ians to flee. On 6June 1918, U.S. Marinesattacked the Germans in Belleau Wood,helping to thwart the Boche drive to Paris.Meanwhile, about 100 miles to the north-west, the Canadian line held but fightingraged relentlessly throughout the summerand autumn and victory was by no meansassured. Hal and the other fresh troopswith him were needed to turn the tide.

"In July, we landed in Boulogne, France,about 40 miles southwest of Dunkirk," hesaid. "From there we marched for hoursand hours to a place north of Arras,France, near the Belgian border. Wefought alongside the British and theircolonial troops, but at no time did we seeAmerican troops, who were to thesoutheast.

"I was with the 8th Army Brigade of theCanadian Field Artillery," he said. "Mybattery consisted of four 18-pounders. An18-pounder is a light artillery piece which

IVeinberger displays the Bronze Star Me-dal given to him for risking extraordinarydanger in filming the Iwo Jima landing.

lobs an 18 lb. projectile up to four miles.We normally fired at the enemy at a dis-tance of less than one mile. This allowedus to fire rounds in a more accuratehorizontal trajectory instead of arcing it forgreater distance. The nose cone on theround can be set to detonate on impactor it can be set to go off using a timerwhich you adjust like a watch bezel. Sixhorses are required to move a gun."

H AL WAS ONCE wounded by shellfragments, but was treated and

returned to duty posthaste. The CanadianArmy didn't have Purple Heart Medals.Hal was also gassed. "The attack came onefoggy morning. It was the perfect weatherfor a gas attack because there was no windto disperse it away from us. When the gasalarm sounded, I hurried to put on mymask but before I could, the phosgene(suffocating gas) had engulfed me and Iwas inhaling the lethal fumes. I managedto put it on anyway but for a long timeI fought for air. 1Ieatxnent was to move youto a place where there was plenty of freshair and then wait, hopefully, for the bodyto clear itself. I was back at the front thefollowing day but years later I could stillfeel the effects.

Food is always a favorite topic of troopsand Hal has his share of chow anecdotes."We ate 'iron rations,' which were hard bis-


In a snapshot taken on Iwo Jima in March 1945, MSgt Weinberger is in the back row,third from right. While in charge of the G-2 photo section, Weinberger landed withthe 4th Division at Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll, Sazban, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.

VI

Ad

ybr

"II;

billeted there in the winter," he said. "Wecarried an equestrian aroma about us."

Pvt "Wynants" was assigned to theCanadian Field Artillery, which usedhorses to move the big guns about. Hepracticed a variety of drills on horsebackincluding mounting and dismounting ata gallop and lance spearing. The knightsof yore undoubtedly practiced lance spear-ing the way Hal described it: "You rideyour horse at a gallop, lance in hand, aim-ing it at a wooden stake in the ground.If your timing and coordination are right,you can spear the stake then lift it highlike a battle trophy."

As an aside, although Hal didn't use hislance in Flanders Fields, he says some ofthe cavalry units of World War I did.Against machine gun fire, their effective-ness was limited.

After several weeks of training, thegreen but eager troops were loaded ontotransports at Halifax for a winter voyageto Scotland. Three British destroyers es-corted the flotilla around Ireland and intothe Irish Sea. Then German U-boats at-tacked. Hal witnessed the engagementfrom his transport: "I watched as one ofour destroyers rolled barrel-shaped depthbombs off an angled rack attached to thestern and into the water. At the same timeI saw an enemy torpedo pass close by, justmissing us. I learned later that our des-troyers had sunk a U-boat. None of ourships were hit."

I N LATE DECEMBER the fleet entered theFirth of Clyde, anchoring in Glasgow.

From there, they boarded a train for Whit-icy, a town about 30 miles south of Lon-don. "For the next six months we per-formed artillery gun drills. It appearedthat we would drill and drill until the warended."

However, the German spring and sum-mer offensive, commonly called the Se-cond Battle of the Marne, erupted. TheGermans advanced to within artilleryrange of Paris, prompting a million Paris-ians to flee. On 6June 1918, U.S. Marinesattacked the Germans in Belleau Wood,helping to thwart the Boche drive to Paris.Meanwhile, about 100 miles to the north-west, the Canadian line held but fightingraged relentlessly throughout the summerand autumn and victory was by no meansassured. Hal and the other fresh troopswith him were needed to turn the tide.

"In July, we landed in Boulogne, France,about 40 miles southwest of Dunkirk," hesaid. "From there we marched for hoursand hours to a place north of Arras,France, near the Belgian border. Wefought alongside the British and theircolonial troops, but at no time did we seeAmerican troops, who were to thesoutheast.

"I was with the 8th Army Brigade of theCanadian Field Artillery," he said. "Mybattery consisted of four 18-pounders. An18-pounder is a light artillery piece which

W7einberger displays the Bronze Star Me-dal given to him for risking extraordinarydanger in filming the Iwo Jima landing.

lobs an 18 lb. projectile up to four miles.We normally fired at the enemy at a dis-tance of less than one mile. This allowedus to fire rounds in a more accuratehorizontal trajectory instead of arcing it forgreater distance. The nose cone on theround can be set to detonate on impactor it can be set to go off using a timerwhich you adjust like a watch bezel. Sixhorses are required to move a gun."

H AL WAS ONCE wounded by shellfragments, but was treated and

returned to duty posthaste. The CanadianArmy didn't have Purple Heart Medals.Hal was also gassed. "The attack came onefoggy morning. It was the perfect weatherfor a gas attack because there was no windto disperse it away from us. When the gasalarm sounded, I hurried to put on mymask but before I could, the phosgene(suffocating gas) had engulfed me and Iwas inhaling the lethal fumes. I managedto put it on anyway but for a long timeI fought for air. 1Ieatxnent was to move youto a place where there was plenty of freshair and then wait, hopefully, for the bodyto clear itself. I was back at the front thefollowing day but years later I could stillfeel the effects.

Food is always a favorite topic of troopsand Hal has his share of chow anecdotes."We ate 'iron rations,' which were hard bis-


In a snapshot taken on Iwo Jima in March 1945, MSgt W/einberger is in the back row,third from rtght. While in charge of the G-2 photo section, W/einberger landed withthe 4th Division at Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima.

W/einberger erects on Saipan the same signhe put up on Tinian, Roi-Namur and IwoJima, with only the "mileage" changing.

cuits and bully beef— canned corn beeffrom Argentina. The biscuits were so hardthat we dipped them into our tea to softenthem. Tea was brewed in huge pots calleddixies. We never had any coffee; some-thing I missed. Sometimes we'd get a ship-ment of jackrabbits from Australia whichwe made into a stew. Native victuals wereFrench round cheddar cheese and mush-rooms. I picked the mushrooms myself."—Even today, though blind in one eye andwith poor vision in the other, Hal says hecan spot an edible mushroom from a poi-son one.

"One day, the commanding officer ofour battery, a major, was observing ene-my positions from a small bluff," he said."I don't know why he suddenly stood upfrom his prone position. When he did, aGerman machine gunner sawed him inhalf with eight rounds. Perhaps the nextday or week that machine gunner wouldalso make a mistake—or just be un-lucky—and he'd be at the receiving endof a bullet. Such are the vicissitudes of war.

"On 11 November at 0500 we were or-dered to 'cease fire' because the Germanshad just withdrawn beyond the four-milerange of our artillery. The command wasthen given to 'saddle up and stand by yourhorses.' An hour later we were told to'stand down,' which means 'unsaddle andremove the traces.' At 0900, our com-manding officer announced that an ar-

mistice would take effect at 1100. No onecheered; we were too tired.

T ABOUT NOON on Armistice Day,11 November, we crossed a small

river into Belgium. The armistice hadgone into effect an hour earlier. Our bat-tery stopped in Mons, Belgium. TheCanadian Army had secured the town thatmorning. We were given a warm welcome.The town's brewery was opened and therewas dancing all day and night in the townsquare. That afternoon, the realization fi-nally sunk in that the war was finally over."

Pvt 'Wynants" was discharged from theCanadian Army in 1919 and once more as-sumed his alter ego, Hal Weinberger. Yearslater he visited the Canadian Consulate inWashington, D.C. to correct the recordsand assume his rightful name andbirthplace.

Once stateside, Hal shipped on with theU.S. Merchant Marine. "The effects of thegas attack lingered so I sought a job whereI would get lots of fresh air," he said.

Seaman Hal got plenty of fresh air onboard ships criss-crossing the ocean fromNew York to ports in Europe and SouthAmerica, transporting freight and pas-sengers. "Our merchant ship was the firstto pass through Germany's Kid Canal[61-mile canal linking the North Sea withthe Baltic Seal after World War I," he said."After unloading cargo in Danzig, nowGdansk, Poland, we sailed to the Russianports of Murmansk and Archangel

in the Arctic Ocean to off-load suppliesfor the White Russians who were stillfighting the Bolsheviks. That was the ex-tent of my involvement in the RussianRevolution.

"I sometimes entertained ship's pas-sengers by exhibition boxing," he said."On one trip in 1923, we stopped in Ar-gentina to pick up passengers bound forNew York. One of the distinguished pas-sengers was Luis Firpo, the Argentineheavyweight champion. I had an exhibi-tion match with him during the cruise. Heweighed 215 and 1180. He was on his wayto Jersey City to seek a match with JackDempsey, heavyweight champion of theworld. I saw the fight. Firpo knocked himout of the ring and it took two men tohelp him back in. Dempsey won, but thefight should have gone to Firpo."

In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and Haljoined the California State Guard basedin Beverly Hills. However, it was soon ap-parent that the Guard wouldn't be need-ed to defend those lush hills from theJapanese. The now Lieutenant Weinberg-er was once again concerned that a worldwar would be fought without him.

B UT HE PERSEVERED and circumstances

were favorable once again. "AlthoughI was 43 years old, far above the age limitfor enlistment in the Marine Corps, theyneeded cinematographers."

So for the fourth time in his life, Halstarted from the lowest rank. "I may have


Bit-player Veinberger, second from right, and fellow 'prison guard" Mitchell Lewis,left, have apprehended actor Clark Gable, who also gets an earful from actress JoanCrawford Veinberger was assistant director of the film, "Strange Cargo," issued in 1939.

,.W/einberger erects on Saipan the same signhe put up on Tinian, Rot-Namur and IwoJima, with only the "mileage" changing.

cuits and bully beef— canned corn beeffrom Argentina. The biscuits were so hardthat we dipped them into our tea to softenthem. Tea was brewed in huge pots calleddixies. We never had any coffee; some-thing I missed. Sometimes we'd get a ship-ment of jackrabbits from Australia whichwe made into a stew. Native victuals wereFrench round cheddar cheese and mush-rooms. I picked the mushrooms myself."—Even today, though blind in one eye andwith poor vision in the other, Hal says hecan spot an edible mushroom from a poi-son one.

"One day, the commanding officer ofour battery, a major, was observing ene-my positions from a small bluff," he said."I don't know why he suddenly stood upfrom his prone position. When he did, aGerman machine gunner sawed him inhalf with eight rounds. Perhaps the nextday or week that machine gunner wouldalso make a mistake—or just be un-lucky—and he'd be at the receiving endof a bullet. Such are the vicissitudes of war.

"On 11 November at 0500 we were or-dered to 'cease fire' because the Germanshad just withdrawn beyond the four-milerange of our artillery. The command wasthen given to 'saddle up and stand by yourhorses.' An hour later we were told to'stand down,' which means 'unsaddle andremove the traces.' At 0900, our com-manding officer announced that an ar-

mistice would take effect at 1100. No onecheered; we were too tired.

T ABOUT NOON on Armistice Day,11 November, we crossed a small

river into Belgium. The armistice hadgone into effect an hour earlier. Our bat-tery stopped in Mons, Belgium. TheCanadian Army had secured the town thatmorning. We were given a warm welcome.The town's brewery was opened and therewas dancing all day and night in the townsquare. That afternoon, the realization fi-nally sunk in that the war was finally over."

Pvt "Wynants" was discharged from theCanadian Army in 1919 and once more as-sumed his alter ego, Hal Weinberger. Yearslater he visited the Canadian Consulate inWashington, D.C. to correct the recordsand assume his rightful name andbirthplace.

Once stateside, Hal shipped on with theU.S. Merchant Marine. "The effects of thegas attack lingered so I sought a job whereI would get lots of fresh air," he said.

Seaman Hal got plenty of fresh air onboard ships criss-crossing the ocean fromNew York to ports in Europe and SouthAmerica, transporting freight and pas-sengers. "Our merchant ship was the firstto pass through Germany's Kiel Canal[61-mile canal linking the North Sea withthe Baltic Seal after World War I," he said.'After unloading cargo in Danzig, nowGdansk, Poland, we sailed to the Russianports of Murmansk and Archangel

in the Arctic Ocean to off-load suppliesfor the White Russians who were stillfighting the Bolsheviks. That was the ex-tent of my involvement in the RussianRevolution.

"I sometimes entertained ship's pas-sengers by exhibition boxing," he said."On one trip in 1923, we stopped in Ar-gentina to pick up passengers bound forNew York. One of the distinguished pas-sengers was Luis Firpo, the Argentineheavyweight champion. I had an exhibi-tion match with him during the cruise. Heweighed 215 and 1180. He was on his wayto Jersey City to seek a match with JackDempsey, heavyweight champion of theworld. I saw the fight. Firpo knocked himout of the ring and it took two men tohelp him back in. Dempsey won, but thefight should have gone to Firpo."

In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland and Haljoined the California State Guard basedin Beverly Hills. However, it was soon ap-parent that the Guard wouldn't be need-ed to defend those lush hills from theJapanese. The now Lieutenant Weinberg-er was once again concerned that a worldwar would be fought without him.

B UT HE PERSEVERED and circumstances

were favorable once again. 'AlthoughI was 43 years old, far above the age limitfor enlistment in the Marine Corps, theyneeded cinematographers."

So for the fourth time in his life, Halstarted from the lowest rank. "I may have


Bit-player 1Veinberger second from right, and fellow '7'rison guard" Mitchell Lewis,left, have apprehended actor Clark Gable, who also gets an earful from actress JoanCrawford IVeinberger was assistant director of the film, "Strange Cargo," issued in 1939.

been the oldest private in the MarineCorps," he said.

Following boot camp and a short tour atMarine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia,Hal was sent to camera schools in Holly-wood for several weeks under the auspicesof the Academy of Motion Picture Artsand Sciences. "My class was made up of 40Marines. I was in charge of them and alsohelped instruct," he said. "It was the firstand only time the Academy held a classfor Marines. Although you could truthful-ly say that I was stationed in Hollywood,at the time there was no such saying, asthere is now of 'Hollywood Marine.'

From '43 to '45 Hal was in the 4th Ma-rine Division. He landed with it at Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll, Saipan,Tinian, and Iwo Jima. During these cam-paigns, he was the staff noncommissionedofficer-in-charge of the G-2 photo section.

"There were 20 men in my section; 10still photographers and 10 motion picturephotographers. We operated in teams oftwo; a still photographer and a motion pic-ture photographer, one man working thecamera and the other covering him witha rifle. I shot motion pictures using a Belland Howell Automaster Camera loadedwith 16mm Kodachrome film. We werethe first combat photographers to carrycolor film in our motion picture cameras,"he said. "It had an ASA (film speed) ofonly eight so we could shoot only duringthe day. While Europe was seen by view-ers in black and white, we brought the warin the Pacific to you in living color."

I N EARLY 1944, the 4th Marine Divisionwas preparing to leave its base of oper-

ations in Hawaii to attack Saipan. Hal wason board a transport at Pearl Harbor on21 May when he heard loud explosionsand saw huge fireballs in nearby WestLoch. Hal and a couple of his still and mo-tion picture cameramen on board thetransport were the only ones nearby tocover what became known as the WestLoch disaster. They raced to the scene inone of the transport's LCPs (landing craft,personnel). The accident killed 163 sailorsand Marines, injured 396 and destroyedsix fully loaded LSTs (landing ship, tank),and three LCTs (landing craft, tank). Theaccident happened during the loading of4.2-inch high explosive mortar shells onboard the LSTs but the cause has neverbeen determined. "We simultaneouslyphotographed the disaster and assisted

with the rescue work. The disaster was keptfrom the public during the war," he said.

Iwo Jima was a particularly memorablecampaign for Hal. "Reveille on board ourtransport was held at 0200 on 19 February1945. At 0600 we climbed over the cargonets and into the LCVP [landing craft, ve-hicle, personnel]. I was either in the se-cond or third wave to hit the beach. Welanded at 0805. The Japanese fired at uswith their machine guns, mortars, and ar-tillery which were hidden in caves on theslopes. From these well-concealed vantagepoints they commanded a full sweep ofthe island and no place was safe from theirfire.

Weinberger holds in a frame the flag hecarried in his wallet in combat through-out both World War I and World War II.

"That evening I slept in a deep shellhole with Mark Kaufman, who later be-came a Life Magazine fashion photo-grapher. Weapons fire clattered through-out the night. Also that evening our am-munition dump, which was about 100 feetfrom us, blew up with a loud explosion.In the morning, Mark said to me, 'I'llnever sleep with you again, you S.O.B.How could I get any rest with your loudsnoring?'

Motion picture film was used for intel-ligence gathering, newsreels, and trainingpurposes. One training film, "ObjectivePrisoners," presents dramatic combatfootage and scenes of the capture and in-terrogation of Japanese prisoners on IwoJima. On that same film Hal recorded thefirst crippled B-29 bomber to land on Iwo.'A young officer got out of that plane,came over to me and said: 'God bless youMarines. We'd have never made it back toTinian without your help.' "Without IwoJima, which had the closest runway toJapan, many American bombers wouldn'thave made it back from their missions overthe mainland.

() N Iwo JIMA Hal recalled seeing someof the first blacks to serve in the Ma-

rine Corps since the Revolutionary War."To his credit, MajGen Clifton Cates, ourDivision commanding general, who is aSoutherner, addressed the Division exhort-ing us to 'treat them as one of your ownbuddies.' I admired MajGen Cates for that.[Cates later served as Commandant of the

24 Portitzidine, Fall 1993

At home in West Los Angeles, the 93-year-old Weinberger examines a model of theCanadian 18-pounder artillery piece he fired as a gunner in France in World War I.

I,.

I

been the oldest private in the MarineCorps," he said.

Following boot camp and a short tour atMarine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia,Hal was sent to camera schools in Holly-wood for several weeks under the auspicesof the Academy of Motion Picture Artsand Sciences. "My class was made up of 40Marines. I was in charge of them and alsohelped instruct," he said. "It was the firstand only time the Academy held a classfor Marines. Although you could truthful-ly say that I was stationed in Hollywood,at the time there was no such saying, asthere is now of 'Hollywood Marine.'

From '43 to '45 Hal was in the 4th Ma-rine Division. He landed with it at Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll, Saipan,Tinian, and Iwo Jima. During these cam-paigns, he was the staff noncommissionedofficer-in-charge of the G-2 photo section.

"There were 20 men in my section; 10still photographers and 10 motion picturephotographers. We operated in teams oftwo; a still photographer and a motion pic-ture photographer, one man working thecamera and the other covering him witha rifle. I shot motion pictures using a Belland Howell Automaster Camera loadedwith 16mm Kodachrome film. We werethe first combat photographers to carrycolor film in our motion picture cameras,"he said. "It had an ASA (film speed) ofonly eight so we could shoot only duringthe day. While Europe was seen by view-ers in black and white, we brought the warin the Pacific to you in living color."

I N EARLY 1944, the 4th Marine Divisionwas preparing to leave its base of oper-

ations in Hawaii to attack Saipan. Hal wason board a transport at Pearl Harbor on21 May when he heard loud explosionsand saw huge fireballs in nearby WestLoch. Hal and a couple of his still and mo-tion picture cameramen on board thetransport were the only ones nearby tocover what became known as the WestLoch disaster. They raced to the scene inone of the transport's LCPs (landing craft,personnel). The accident killed 163 sailorsand Marines, injured 396 and destroyedsix fully loaded LSTs (landing ship, tank),and three LCTs (landing craft, tank). Theaccident happened during the loading of4.2-inch high explosive mortar shells onboard the ISTs but the cause has neverbeen determined. "We simultaneouslyphotographed the disaster and assisted

with the rescue work. The disaster was keptfrom the public during the war," he said.

Iwo Jima was a particularly memorablecampaign for Hal. "Reveille on board ourtransport was held at 0200 on 19 February1945. At 0600 we climbed over the cargonets and into the LCVP [landing craft, ve-hicle, personnel]. I was either in the se-cond or third wave to hit the beach. Welanded at 0805. The Japanese fired at uswith their machine guns, mortars, and ar-tillery which were hidden in caves on theslopes. From these well-concealed vantagepoints they commanded a full sweep ofthe island and no place was safe from theirfire.

Weinberger holds in a frame the flag hecarried in his wallet in combat through-out both World War I and World War II.

"That evening I slept in a deep shellhole with Mark Kaufman, who later be-came a Life Magazine fashion photo-grapher. Weapons fire clattered through-out the night. Also that evening our am-munition dump, which was about 100 feetfrom us, blew up with a loud explosion.In the morning, Mark said to me, 'I'llnever sleep with you again, you S.O.B.How could I get any rest with your loudsnoring?'

Motion picture film was used for intel-ligence gathering, newsreels, and trainingpurposes. One training film, "ObjectivePrisoners," presents dramatic combatfootage and scenes of the capture and in-terrogation of Japanese prisoners on IwoJima. On that same film Hal recorded thefirst crippled B-29 bomber to land on Iwo.'A young officer got out of that plane,came over to me and said: 'God bless youMarines. We'd have never made it back toTinian without your help.' "Without IwoJima, which had the closest runway toJapan, many American bombers wouldn'thave made it back from their missions overthe mainland.

() N IWOJIMA Hal recalled seeing someof the first blacks to serve in the Ma-

rine Corps since the Revolutionary War."To his credit, MajGen Clifton Cates, ourDivision commanding general, who is aSoutherner, addressed the Division exhort-ing us to 'treat them as one of your ownbuddies.' I admired MajGen Cates for that.[Cates later served as Commandant of the

24 Portitzidine, Fall 1993

At home in West Los Angeles, the 93-year-old Weinberger examines a model of theCanadian 18-pounder artillery piece he fired as a gunner in France in World War I.

Marine Corps from 1948 to 1951). Duringthe campaign I did not hear of one in-stance of racial discrimination.

'Sgt William Genaust, one of my boys,filmed the famous second flag-raising atopSuribachi," said Hal. "He stood shoulderto shoulder with Associated Press photo-grapher Joe Rosenthal. They both shotthat epic flag-raising—Rosenthal with hisstill camera and Sgt Genaust with his mo-tion picture camera. The two men cap-tured an identical view of the flag-raising,which became the most famous picture ofthe war. However, Joe Rosenthal receivedthe acclamation—which he well de-served—while Genaust was largely forgot-ten. Genaust would never know thesignificance of the pictures he'd taken be-cause nine days after the flag raising hewas killed. The flag-raising film shot byGenaust has been shown many times infeatures, documentaries, and newsreels.Additionally, Genaust's film provided evi-dence that Joe Rosenthal's picture wasn'tstaged.

"One evening I was summoned to Maj-Gen Cates' command post, a shell holeabout 10 to 15 feet deep, covered withtarps and timber. There were just the threeof us in that hole: the general; Col McCor-mick, our G-2 commanding officer; andmyself. All of us were retreads, which atthat time meant World War I veterans. Ireported and the General said to me: 'Sgt,if tendered a commission would youaccept?'

"'Yes sir,' I immediately replied."'Thank you, that is all. Dismissed,'

said he."I didn't hear any more about the sub-

ject for a few months but just before thewar ended I was commissioned a secondlieutenant. Imagine that," he said, "I wasnow the oldest second lieutenant in theMarine Corps at age 45."

IN ADDITION 10 a commission, Halearned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star

Medal with combat "V" and a NationalHeadliners Club Award in 1945. Hal'sBronze Star Medal citation reads in part:

for meritorious service . . . on Iwo

Jima . . . . Much of his work [photogra-phyl was performed under conditions ofextraordinary danger, which he encoun-tered in a cool, aggressive manner, not al-lowing danger to interfere with theaccomplishment of his mission Hal'sHeadliner Award reads: "for his personal

part in the motion picture coverage of theIwo Jima operation that provided theAmerican public, through the newsreels,the outstanding footage of the war and ad-ded vital tactical, training, and intelli-gence information to the military records."

Hal could have stayed in Hollywood,contributing to the war effort by makingwar movies like others of his superb talentand genre. Why did he join the Marines,toting around a camera in the thick ofbattle — because that's where the pictureswere? He certainly didn't have anything toprove, having paid his dues and thensome. This much he would say: "I wishthere hadn't been a war. I wasn't eager forbloodshed; but I was a patriot."

Hal discussed some of the differenceshe perceived between the two World Wars."German and Japanese fighters wereequally aggressive and determined butwhen the situation was completely hope-less the Germans would surrender enmasse while the Japanese—who believedthat their greatest mission in life was todie for their emperor—wouldn't.

"World War I was a lot more unsani-tary," he said. "Almost as soon as I gotthere I was muddy and lousy. Also, com-bat in World War I was more or less con-tinuous while in World War II theengagements were intermittent but in-tense; an island this month, afloat nexttwo months, then another island, and soon. The intervals provided time to cleanup and recover somewhat."

A FTER THE WAR, Hal produced train-ing films for the Marine Corps and

public service announcements for the Ma-rine Corps' Toys-for-Tot's Program. On 1September 1962, Maj Weinberger retiredfrom the Marine Corps Reserve.

In 1976, Hal graduated from theUniversity ofJudaism and that same yeara belated bar mitzvah ceremony was heldfor him. Bar mitzvah is a Jewish coming-of-age ceremony usually given to 13-year-old boys who've successfully completedtheir studies of Judaism.

One of Hal's special projects was put-ting together a genealogy book. It docu-ments 185 of his relatives, killed by theNazis. Hal visited one of his few surviv-ing relatives, a cousin, in the then-Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia in1988. While staying there he staged acovert operation in which he smuggled herto Israel.

A question frequently asked of Hal is"What's the secret to your longevity?"Here's his formula:

On exercise: "I've always done a lot ofphysical activity," he said. Today Hal car-ries a cane but sometimes instead of us-ing it for its intended purpose, he walksat a brisk pace, swinging it like a swaggerstick. He also has a wheelchair but hesometimes gets tired of sitting in it so hedisembarks and pushes it around.

On alcohol: "I don't drink but I didhave a glass of wine for my bar mitzvah:'

On smoking: "I kicked the habit in1964 when the Surgeon General said thatsmoking is bad for your health. The gasattack of World War I left such a lastingimpression on me that I didn't want to in-hale anything that was toxic."

T ODAY, HAL LIVES in a modest pinkstucco house in West Los Angeles

which he bought back in 1938. He residesthere with his second wife Margaret. Hisfirst wife, Pearl, died in 1965 after 34 yearsof marriage. There are bookshelves innearly every corner of the house. "I want-ed to live long enough to read every bookin my library; but then I'd be as old asMethuselah himself [who, it is written,lived a ripe 969 years; Gen. 5:271."

Hal is still an active member of the Ma-rine Corps Combat Correspondents As-sociation, the Marine Corps ReserveOfficers Association, the Marine MustangAssociation, and the Fourth Marine Divi-sion Association.

Although Hal has become well-knownfor his Hollywood achievements, he has aspecial place in his heart for the Corps. "Ican honestly tell you, I've never had an un-happy day in the Marine Corps," he said.

L111775 LII


Answers to Historical Quiz

Dates in Marine Corps History(Quiz on page 19)

1. 10 November 17752. 2-3 March 17763. 13 February 19434. 23 February 19455. 15 September 19506. 29-30 April 19757. 23 October 19838. 7 August 19909. 16 January 1991

10. 2 January 1991

Marine Corps from 1948 to 1951). Duringthe campaign I did not hear of one in-stance of racial discrimination.

"Sgt William Genaust, one of my boys,filmed the famous second flag-raising atopSuribachi," said Hal. "He stood shoulderto shoulder with Associated Press photo-grapher Joe Rosenthal. They both shotthat epic flag-raising—Rosenthal with hisstill camera and Sgt Genaust with his mo-tion picture camera. The two men cap-tured an identical view of the flag-raising,which became the most famous picture ofthe war. However, Joe Rosenthal receivedthe acclamation—which he well de-served—while Genaust was largely forgot-ten. Genaust would never know thesignificance of the pictures he'd taken be-cause nine days after the flag raising hewas killed. The flag-raising film shot byGenaust has been shown many times infeatures, documentaries, and newsreels.Additionally, Genaust's film provided evi-dence that Joe Rosenthal's picture wasn'tstaged.

"One evening I was summoned to Maj-Gen Cates' command post, a shell holeabout 10 to 15 feet deep, covered withtarps and timber. There were just the threeof us in that hole: the general; Col McCor-mick, our G-2 commanding officer; andmyself. All of us were retreads, which atthat time meant World War I veterans. Ireported and the General said to me: 'Sgt,if tendered a commission would youaccept?'

'Yes sir,' I immediately replied.'Thank you, that is all. Dismissed,'

said he."I didn't hear any more about the sub-

ject for a few months but just before thewar ended I was commissioned a secondlieutenant. Imagine that," he said, "I wasnow the oldest second lieutenant in theMarine Corps at age 45."

IN ADDITION 10 a commission, Halearned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star

Medal with combat 'V" and a NationalHeadliners Club Award in 1945. Hal'sBronze Star Medal citation reads in part:

for meritorious service . . . on IwoJima . . . . Much of his work [photogra-phy] was performed under conditions ofextraordinary danger, which he encoun-tered in a cool, aggressive manner, not al-lowing danger to interfere with theaccomplishment of his mission Hal'sHeadliner Award reads: "for his personal

part in the motion picture coverage of theIwo Jima operation that provided theAmerican public, through the newsreels,the outstanding footage of the war and ad-ded vital tactical, training, and intelli-gence information to the military records."

Hal could have stayed in Hollywood,contributing to the war effort by makingwar movies like others of his superb talentand genre. Why did he join the Marines,toting around a camera in the thick ofbattle — because that's where the pictureswere? He certainly didn't have anything toprove, having paid his dues and thensome. This much he would say: "I wishthere hadn't been a war. I wasn't eager forbloodshed; but I was a patriot."

Hal discussed some of the differenceshe perceived between the two World Wars."German and Japanese fighters wereequally aggressive and determined butwhen the situation was completely hope-less the Germans would surrender enmasse while the Japanese—who believedthat their greatest mission in life was todie for their emperor—wouldn't.

"World War I was a lot more unsani-tary," he said. "Almost as soon as I gotthere I was muddy and lousy. Also, com-bat in World War I was more or less con-tinuous while in World War II theengagements were intermittent but in-tense; an island this month, afloat nexttwo months, then another island, and soon. The intervals provided time to cleanup and recover somewhat."

A FTER THE WAR, Hal produced train-ing films for the Marine Corps and

public service announcements for the Ma-rine Corps' Toys-for-Tot's Program. On 1September 1962, Maj Weinberger retiredfrom the Marine Corps Reserve.

In 1976, Hal graduated from theUniversity ofJudaism and that same yeara belated bar mitzvah ceremony was heldfor him. Bar mitzvah is a Jewish coming-of-age ceremony usually given to 13-year-old boys who've successfully completedtheir studies of Judaism.

One of Hal's special projects was put-ting together a genealogy book. It docu-ments 185 of his relatives, killed by theNazis. Hal visited one of his few surviv-ing relatives, a cousin, in the then-Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia in1988. While staying there he staged acovert operation in which he smuggled herto Israel.

A question frequently asked of Hal is"What's the secret to your longevity?"Here's his formula:

On exercise: "I've always done a lot ofphysical activity," he said. Today Hal car-ries a cane but sometimes instead of us-ing it for its intended purpose, he walksat a brisk pace, swinging it like a swaggerstick. He also has a wheelchair but hesometimes gets tired of sitting in it so hedisembarks and pushes it around.

On alcohol: "I don't drink but I didhave a glass of wine for my bar mitzvah."

On smoking: "I kicked the habit in1964 when the Surgeon General said thatsmoking is bad for your health. The gasattack of World War I left such a lastingimpression on me that I didn't want to in-hale anything that was toxic."

T ODAY, HAL LIVES in a modest pinkstucco house in West Los Angeles

which he bought back in 1938. He residesthere with his second wife Margaret. Hisfirst wife, Pearl, died in 1965 after 34 yearsof marriage. There are bookshelves innearly every corner of the house. "1 want-ed to live long enough to read every bookin my library; but then I'd be as old asMethuselah himself [who, it is written,lived a ripe 969 years; Gen. 5:27]."

Hal is still an active member of the Ma-rine Corps Combat Correspondents As-sociation, the Marine Corps ReserveOfficers Association, the Marine MustangAssociation, and the Fourth Marine Divi-sion Association.

Although Hal has become well-knownfor his Hollywood achievements, he has aspecial place in his heart for the Corps. "Ican honestly tell you, I've never had an un-happy day in the Marine Corps," he said.

LI11 775


Answers to Historical Quiz

Dates in Marine Corps History(Quiz on page 19)

1. 10 November 17752. 2-3 March 17763. 13 February 19434. 23 February 19455. 15 September 19506. 29-30 April 19757. 23 October 19838. 7 August 19909. 16 January 1991

10. 2 January 1991

Mentioned in Passing

Gen Hogaboom Dies; WWII Vet Was HQ Chief of Staffby Benis M. Frank

Chief Historian

Gen Robert E. HogaboomGen Robert E. Hogaboom, USMC

(Ret), who retired as Chief of Staff of theMarine Corps in 1959, died at the age of90 of Alzheimer's disease on 11 Novemberat his home in St. Mary's City, Maryland.

A native of Mississippi, Gen Hoga boomwas graduated in the Class of 1925 fromthe Naval Academy, and served consecu-tively a number of tours with troops inNicaragua and Cuba, was assigned to mailguard duty and sea duty, and served twoprewar tours (1934-1937 and 1939-1942) atQuantico, separated only by assignmentto the 4th Marines in Shanghai, 1937-1939. During his two tours at the MarineCorps Schools, the development of theamphibious warfare doctrine, its tacticsand techniques, was being developed andGen Hogaboom was deeply involved innurturing this development.

In September 1942, newly promotedLtCol Hogaboom was assigned as MajGenHolland M. Smith's assistant G-3 in theAmphibious Command, Pacific Fleet,later to become Amphibious Corps, Pa-cific Fleet, and after that, V AmphibiousCorps. He remained in this billet throughthe Army's Kiska and Attu operations,where he was an observer with Gen Smithand other Amphibious Command staffmembers.

Then-LtGen Hogaboom in 1959

In November 1943 he was detachedfrom Gen Smith's command and assignedas military operations officer of RAdmRichmond Kelly Turner's Fifth Amphibi-ous Force, which was to have responsibili-ty for conducting most of the Marineoperations in the Central Pacific. As such,he served as liaison officer, in a sense, be-tween the staffs of two very strong anddemanding commanders. Of Kelly Turn-er, Gen Hogaboom said, ". . . I knew himpersonally and I know that he was a fight-ing man. He was tough . . . he was notalways fair, but he insisted on his peopledoing what they were supposed to do." Hisoral history is replete with significantcharacterizations of the leading Marinesand senior amphibious naval officers inthe Pacific.

Gen Hogaboom remained on AdmTurner's staff through the Marianas andMarshalls campaigns, until mid-October1944, when he became MajGen Grave B.Erskine's chief of staff of the 3d MarineDivision on Guam in time for planningthe Iwo Jima landing.

In December 1945, then-ColHogaboom returned to Quantico, wherehe was to remain until June 1949. Dur-ing this time, the experiences of the sixMarine divisions in the Pacific werereviewed and distilled to develop a revisedconcept and conduct of amphibious oper-ations. It was during Col Hogaboom's timeat Quantico as an instructor and Directorof the Amphibious Warfare School, as wellas the senior member of the Marine CorpsBoard, that everything connected with ver-tical envelopment and helicopter opera-tions was devised. Col Hogaboom alsoplayed a peripheral role in "Chowder:' theMarine Corps' effort in the postwar unifi-cation fight to remain a viable force.

In 1951 he was promoted to brigadiergeneral while serving as Marine Corps liai-son officer in the Office of the Chief ofNaval Operations. He was detailed as 2dMarine Division assistant division com-mander in July 1952, and two years later,in January 1954, ADC of the 1st Marine

Division in Korea. He played a large rolein overseeing the phasing out of MarineCorps operations in that country.

After his return to the United States,Gen Hogaboom was assigned to HQMCas Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans), and, assuch, he headed the Composition andStructure Board — the Hogaboom Board,as it became known—which studied andcame up with recommendations for re-vised tables of organization of MarineCorps units, among other things.

In December 1957, he was promoted tolieutenant general and appointed Chief ofStaff of the Marine Corps for the comman-dancy of Gen Randolph Mc. Pate. GenHogaboom retired in October 1959 aftera 34-year career. For having been decorat-ed in combat, LtGen Hogaboom was ad-vanced to general on the retired list. Afterretirement, he settled in St. Mary's City,Maryland, and became active in civic af-fairs and was chairman of the St. Mary'sCity Commission, a historic preservationgroup. On 16 November, he was buriedin the cemetery of Trinity EpiscopalChurch, on the vestry of which he served.

BGen Edwin P Pennebaker, Jr.BGen Edwin P. Pennebaker, Jr., USMC

(Ret), 82, died at the Mission Bay Hospi-

BGen Ode/I M. Conoley in 1959


I

Mentioned in Passing

Gen Hogaboom Dies; WWII Vet Was HQ Chief of Staffby Benis M. Frank

Chief Histo,an

Gen Robert E. HogaboomGen Robert E. Hogaboom, USMC

(Ret), who retired as Chief of Staff of theMarine Corps in 1959, died at the age of90 of Alzheimer's disease on 11 Novemberat his home in St. Mary's City, Maryland.

A native of Mississippi, Gen Hogaboomwas graduated in the Class of 1925 fromthe Naval Academy, and served consecu-tively a number of tours with troops inNicaragua and Cuba, was assigned to mailguard duty and sea duty, and served twoprewar tours (1934-1937 and 1939-1942) atQuantico, separated only by assignmentto the 4th Marines in Shanghai, 1937-1939. During his two tours at the MarineCorps Schools, the development of theamphibious warfare doctrine, its tacticsand techniques, was being developed andGen Hogaboom was deeply involved innurturing this development.

In September 1942, newly promotedLtCol Hogaboom was assigned as MajGenHolland M. Smith's assistant G-3 in theAmphibious Command, Pacific Fleet,later to become Amphibious Corps, Pa-cific Fleet, and after that, V AmphibiousCorps. He remained in this billet throughthe Army's Kiska and Attu operations,where he was an observer with Gen Smithand other Amphibious Command staffmembers.

Then-LtGen Hogaboom in 1959

In November 1943 he was detachedfrom Gen Smith's command and assignedas military operations officer of RAdmRichmond Kelly Turner's Fifth Amphibi-ous Force, which was to have responsibili-ty for conducting most of the Marineoperations in the Central Pacific. As such,he served as liaison officer, in a sense, be-tween the staffs of two very strong anddemanding commanders. Of Kelly Turn-er, Gen Hogaboom said, ". . . I knew himpersonally and I know that he was a fight-ing man. He was tough . . . he was notalways fair, but he insisted on his peopledoing what they were suppo�ed to do." Hisoral history is replete with significantcharacterizations of the leading Marinesand senior amphibious naval officers inthe Pacific.

Gen Hogaboom remained on AdmTurner's staff through the Marianas andMarshalls campaigns, until mid-October1944, when he became MajGen Grave B.Erskine's chief of staff of the 3d MarineDivision on Guam in time for planningthe Iwo Jima landing.

In December 1945, then-ColHogaboom returned to Quantico, wherehe was to remain until June 1949. Dur-ing this time, the experiences of the sixMarine divisions in the Pacific werereviewed and distilled to develop a revisedconcept and conduct of amphibious oper-ations. It was during Col Hogaboom's timeat Quantico as an instructor and Directorof the Amphibious Warfare School, as wellas the senior member of the Marine CorpsBoard, that everything connected with ver-tical envelopment and helicopter opera-tions was devised. Col Hogaboom alsoplayed a peripheral role in "Chowder," theMarine Corps' effort in the postwar unifi-cation fight to remain a viable force.

In 1951 he was promoted to brigadiergeneral while serving as Marine Corps liai-son officer in the Office of the Chief ofNaval Operations. He was detailed as 2dMarine Division assistant division com-mander in July 1952, and two years later,in January 1954, ADC of the 1st Marine

Division in Korea. He played a large rolein overseeing the phasing out of MarineCorps operations in that country.

After his return to the United States,Gen Hogaboom was assigned to HQMCas Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans), and, assuch, he headed the Composition andStructure Board — the Hogaboom Board,as it became known—which studied andcame up with recommendations for re-vised tables of organization of MarineCorps units, among other things.

In December 1957, he was promoted tolieutenant general and appointed Chief ofStaff of the Marine Corps for the comman-dancy of Gen Randolph Mc. Pate. GenHogaboom retired in October 1959 aftera 34-year career. For having been decorat-ed in combat, LtGen Hogaboom was ad-vanced to general on the retired list. Afterretirement, he settled in St. Mary's City,Maryland, and became active in civic af-fairs and was chairman of the St. Mary'sCity Commission, a historic preservationgroup. On 16 November, he was buriedin the cemetery of Trinity EpiscopalChurch, on the vestry of which he served.

BGen Edwin P Pennebaker, Jr.BGen Edwin P. Pennebaker, Jr., USMC

(Ret), 82, died at the Mission Bay Hospi-

BGen Ode/I M. Conoley in 1959


tal, San Diego, on 7 July. Gen Pennebakerwas a member of the Naval Academy Classof 1935, and was commissioned a Marinesecond lieutenant following graduation.He attended flight school and received hiswings in 1936.

In World War II, he commanded Ma-rine Photographic Squadron 954 in theSouth and Western Pacific from October1942 to March 1945. Following the end ofthe war, he served in a number of avia-tion billets, and retired in August 1954,when he was advanced to the rank ofbrigadier general on the retired list forhaving been decorated in combat. Funeralservices were held for Gen Pennebaker atFort Rosecrans National Cemetery, follow-ing which his ashes were scattered at seaby the Navy.

BGen OdellM. ConoleyBGen Odell M. "Tex" Conoley, USMC

(Ret), 80, died 1 September in San Diego.A Texas native and graduate of Texas A&MCollege, Gen Conoley was initially com-missioned in the Army Infantry Reserve inJune 1935. Shortly thereafter, he resignedthis commission to accept appointment asa Marine second lieutenant.

Prior to World War II, he served inChina and on board the Henderson. Heembarked with the 2d Battalion, 7th Ma-rines, for the South Pacific, and landed onGuadalcanal on 7 August 1942. As amajor on the island, he earned the NavyCross for extraordinary heroism on 26 Oc-tober, when ". . . while under tremendousfire during an assault by hostile forces, Maj

Then-Capt JVilliam E. Lunn in 1951

Conoley, with courageous initiative andskillful leadership, organized a group ofMarines and counterattacked a numerical-ly superior unit of Japanese troops whohad seized a ridge previously held by oneof the companies of his own battalion

killing two-thirds of the enemy forceand driving off the remainder For

gallantry in action while commanding the2d Battalion, 7th Marines, on Cape Glou-cester, he was awarded the Silver StarMedal.

Various assignments followed in thepostwar period, and in August 1954 hejoined the 1st Marine Division in Koreaas deputy chief of staff. He became com-mander of the 7th Marines in October andreturned with it to Camp Pendleton. GenConoley was promoted to his one-star rankin November 1959, and left for his last as-signment, deputy director for operations,plans, and policies on the staff of theCommander in Chief, European Com-mand, in Paris. He retired on 1 June 1964.Gen Conoley was buried with full militaryhonors in Arlington National Cemeteryon 1 June.

BGen Charles L. CogswellBGen Charles L. Cogswell, USMCR

(Ret), 78, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on27 July, after a long illness. He was a lifemember and past president of the 1st Ma-rine Division Association, a former GrandParamount Carabao of the Military Orderof the Carabao, and a charter member ofthe Marine Corps Historical Foundation.

A District of Columbia native, GenCogswell graduated from Staunton Mili-tary Academy and enlisted in the 5thReserve Battalion in Washington. He wascommissioned in 1937 and was mobilizedin 1940. He joined the 1st Marine Brigadeat Guantanamo Bay that year, and sailedto New Zealand with the 1st Marine Di-vision and then on to the invasion ofGuadalcanal, where he was executiveofficer of the 2d Battalion, 11th Marines.For his bravery in the Guadalcanal fight-ing, he was awarded a Silver Star Medaland a Bronze Star Medal. Gen Cogswellreturned to the United States in 1943.

He was assigned to Adm Nimitz' CinC-Pac/CinCPOA headquarters on Guam inOctober 1944, where he remained untilhis release from active duty in October1945.

Gen Cogswell was active in the MarineCorps Reserve until his retirement in Oc-

tober 1959, when he was promoted tobrigadier general on the retired list forhaving been decorated in combat. He wasburied with full military honors in Arling-ton National Cemetery on 4 August.

BGen Leonard C. FribourgBGen Leonard C. Fribourg, USMC (Ret),73, died on 14 August at his home inNewport Beach, California, after a long ill-ness. Born in Denver and educated inShaker Heights, Ohio, he attended OhioState University for two years before at-tending and graduating from Fenn Col-lege (now Cleveland State University) in1943.

While at Cleveland State, he enlistedin the Marine Corps Reserve and aftergraduation attended OCS at Quantico. Hewas commissioned in April 1943 and thatNovember he joined the 1st Raider Bat-talion on New Caledonia. When the 1stRaider Regiment was reorganized as the4th Marines, he joined its 1st Battalion,serving with it in the occupation of Emirauand during the Guam and Okinawa cam-paigns.

While on the Inspector-Instructor staffof Los Angeles' Reserve 13th Infantry Bat-talion, Capt Fribourg was assigned as tech-nical director for the movie "Sands of IwoJima." In January 1953, he was integratedinto the regular Marine Corps. As acolonel, in September 1965, he joined theIII Marine Amphibious Force in Vietnamas assistant chief of staff, G-5. He waspromoted to general officer rank in 1969and ordered to the Far East as assistant di-vision commander, 3d Marine Division,on Okinawa. His last tour of duty was ascommanding general, Marine Corps Base,Camp Smedley D. Butler/deputy com-mander, Marine Corps Bases Pacific (For-ward). InJune 1974, he returned to CampPendleton, where he retired the followingmonth. Funeral services were held at theBase Chapel, MCAS El Toro on 19 August,following which he was buried with fullmilitary honors in El Toro Memorial Park.

LtCol W/illiam E. LunnLtCol William E. Lunn, USMC (Ret),

76, died in New Orleans on 17 August.Before World War II, LtCol Lunn served inChina and Iceland, and was a member ofthe 10th Amphibious Tractor Battalion inthe Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima cam-paigns. A pioneer in the construction and


17',

tal, San Diego, on 7 July. Gen Pennebakerwas a member of the Naval Academy Classof 1935, and was commissioned a Marinesecond lieutenant following graduation.He attended flight school and received hiswings in 1936.

In World War II, he commanded Ma-rine Photographic Squadron 954 in theSouth and Western Pacific from October1942 to March 1945. Following the end ofthe war, he served in a number of avia-tion billets, and retired in August 1954,when he was advanced to the rank ofbrigadier general on the retired list forhaving been decorated in combat. Funeralservices were held for Gen Pennebaker atFort Rosecrans National Cemetery, follow-ing which his ashes were scattered at seaby the Navy.

BGen OdellM. ConoleyBGen Ode!! M. "Tex" Conoley, USMC

(Ret), 80, died 1 September in San Diego.A Texas native and graduate of Texas A&MCollege, Gen Conoley was initially com-missioned in the Army Infantry Reserve inJune 1935. Shortly thereafter, he resignedthis commission to accept appointment asa Marine second lieutenant.

Prior to World War II, he served inChina and on board the Henderson. Heembarked with the 2d Battalion, 7th Ma-rines, for the South Pacific, and landed onGuadalcanal on 7 August 1942. As amajor on the island, he earned the NavyCross for extraordinary heroism on 26 Oc-tober, when ". . . whi!e under tremendousfire during an assault by hostile forces, Maj

Then-Capt JVil/iam E. Lunn in 1951

Conoley, with courageous initiative andskillful leadership, organized a group ofMarines and counterattacked a numerical-ly superior unit of Japanese troops whohad seized a ridge previously held by oneof the companies of his own battalion

killing two-thirds of the enemy forceand driving off the remainder For

gallantry in action while commanding the2d Battalion, 7th Marines, on Cape Glou-cester, he was awarded the Silver StarMedal.

Various assignments followed in thepostwar period, and in August 1954 hejoined the 1st Marine Division in Koreaas deputy chief of staff. He became com-mander of the 7th Marines in October andreturned with it to Camp Pendleton. GenConoley was promoted to his one-star rankin November 1959, and left for his last as-signment, deputy director for operations,plans, and policies on the staff of theCommander in Chief, European Com-mand, in Paris. He retired on 1 June 1964.Gen Conoley was buried with full militaryhonors in Arlington National Cemeteryon 1 June.

BGen Charles L. CogswellBGen Charles L. Cogswell, USMCR

(Ret), 78, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on27 July, after a long illness. He was a lifemember and past president of the 1st Ma-rine Division Association, a former GrandParamount Carabao of the Military Orderof the Carabao, and a charter member ofthe Marine Corps Historical Foundation.

A District of Columbia native, GenCogswell graduated from Staunton Mili-tary Academy and enlisted in the 5thReserve Battalion in Washington. He wascommissioned in 1937 and was mobilizedin 1940. He joined the 1st Marine Brigadeat Guantanamo Bay that year, and sailedto New Zealand with the 1st Marine Di-vision and then on to the invasion ofGuadalcanal, where he was executiveofficer of the 2d Battalion, 11th Marines.For his bravery in the Guadalcanal fight-ing, he was awarded a Silver Star Medaland a Bronze Star Medal. Gen Cogswellreturned to the United States in 1943.

He was assigned to Adm Nimitz' CinC-Pac/CinCPOA headquarters on Guam inOctober 1944, where he remained untilhis release from active duty in October1945.

Gen Cogswell was active in the MarineCorps Reserve until his retirement in Oc-

tober 1959, when he was promoted tobrigadier general on the retired list forhaving been decorated in combat. He wasburied with full military honors in Arling-ton National Cemetery on 4 August.

BGen Leonard C. FribourgBGen Leonard C. Fribourg, USMC (Ret),73, died on 14 August at his home inNewport Beach, California, after a long ill-ness. Born in Denver and educated inShaker Heights, Ohio, he attended OhioState University for two years before at-tending and graduating from Fenn Col-lege (now Cleveland State University) in1943.

While at Cleveland State, he enlistedin the Marine Corps Reserve and aftergraduation attended OCS at Quantico. Hewas commissioned in April 1943 and thatNovember he joined the 1st Raider Bat-talion on New Caledonia. When the 1stRaider Regiment was reorganized as the4th Marines, he joined its 1st Battalion,serving with it in the occupation of Emirauand during the Guam and Okinawa cam-paigns.

While on the Inspector-Instructor staffof Los Angeles' Reserve 13th Infantry Bat-talion, Capt Fribourg was assigned as tech-nical director for the movie "Sands of IwoJima." In January 1953, he was integratedinto the regular Marine Corps. As acolonel, in September 1965, he joined theIII Marine Amphibious Force in Vietnamas assistant chief of staff, G-5. He waspromoted to general officer rank in 1969and ordered to the Far East as assistant di-vision commander, 3d Marine Division,on Okinawa. His last tour of duty was ascommanding general, Marine Corps Base,Camp Smedley D. Butler/deputy com-mander, Marine Corps Bases Pacific (For-ward). In June 1974, he returned to CampPendleton, where he retired the followingmonth. Funeral services were held at theBase Chapel, MCAS El Toro on 19 August,following which he was buried with fullmilitary honors in El Toro Memorial Park.

LtCol William E. LunnLtCol William E. Lunn, USMC (Ret),

76, died in New Orleans on 17 August.Before World War II, LtCol Lunn served inChina and Iceland, and was a member ofthe 10th Amphibious Tractor Battalion inthe Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima cam-paigns. A pioneer in the construction and


In aphoto he inscribed 'Yes szr Captain,"John Wayne is advised by then-CaptFribourg on the set of "Sands of Iwo Jima."

employment of the LVT, he was responsi-ble for a number of design changes as aMarine Corps liaison officer with the Navyand civilian amtrac manufacturers. LtColLunn was a charter member of the MarineCorps Historical Foundation.

LtCol Charles S. Nichols, Jr.LtCol Charles S. Nichols, Jr., USMC,

(Ret), 81, a former member of the Histor-ical Branch, died at his home in Win-chester, Virginia, on 27 September. Amember of the Basic School Class of 1936,LtCol Nichols received his bachelor andmaster of arts degrees in history from theUniversity of Nevada.

In the Guadalcanal operation, he com-manded Company K, 7th Marines, and he

was the battalion executive officer of the2d Battalion, 7th Marines, in the CapeGloucester campaign.

During the Korean War he served as abattalion staff officer and was command-ing officer of the unit which controlled thenative Korean cargodores while in Korea.LtCol Nichols was assigned to the Histor-ical Branch, G-3 Division, HQMC, where,together with Henry I. Shaw, Jr., he wroteOkinawa: Victory in the Pacijic, the lastof a series of 15 combat monographs,which were eventually used in the officialfive-volume History of US. Marine CorpsOperations in World War H. LtCol Nicholswas buried in Arlington NationalCemetery on 1 October with simple mili-tary honors.

How to Write a BetterCommand Chronology

(Continued from page 32)

program to Okinawa? Did the unit leavemost record-keeping functions in CampPendleton while deployed to Somalia?Common sense applies; you don't have torecount every action, but no matter howtrivial something may seem, if it took alot of time and effort or received a lot ofcommand interest, mention it.

The narrative should amplify the sup-porting documents and must describeevents not covered by the supporting docu-ments. This is an ideal place to discusscourses of actions considered and reject-ed, and planning for contingencies whichdid not occur.

Be sure to tell what your unit actuallydid. An air control agency should describethe mechanics of air control, preferably bysimply including a copy of the relevantSOP or order. Schools should include acopy of the program of instruction and atraining schedule. Support commandsshould describe how they supported.

A large number of units which deployedto Somalia included no supporting docu-ments in their command chronology. Ap-parently these units, participating in theirsecond most important operation since theVietnam War, did not issue a single oper-ation order or fragmentary orders, writea letter of instruction, or develop anystanding operating procedures. Many ofthese chronologies have narrative sum-

manes of a single paragraph, which saynothing more than the unit "providedsupport to Marine Forces." Some of theseunits actually played a vital role, and theirMarines performed some of the most dan-gerous jobs. But these units will be luckyeven to be mentioned in the upcominghistory, because there simply isn't enoughinformation to write more.

Finally, the importance of a commandchronology is underscored by the require-ment that it be signed by the command-ing officer, attesting that it is his record,and not signed "by direction" or by asubordinate staff officer.

Peacetime chronologies are just as im-portant.

Wartime and contingency commandchronologies naturally receive more atten-tion than peacetime chronologies. Indeed,at this time the Marine Corps has writersworking on histories of Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Just Cause,Operation Provide Comfort, OperationSea Angel, and Operation Restore Hope(all of these writing efforts have been ham-pered by inadequate or missing commandchronologies). Peacetime command chro-nologies, however, are just as important.A strong case can be made, for example,that the real secret to the Marine Corps'successes of the last few years lies not inoperational plans but in the improvementsin personnel policy and training duringthe decade preceding these conflicts.

It's easier to regard the command chro-nology as just a pointless administrativeburden, but it's not. It's your chance topreserve your unit's experience and add to

Marine Corps history and tradition. Some-day another Marine will read that com-mand chronology, or the history based onit, to learn how to do things better. Weall owe that Marine as complete andhonest a picture as possible. L111775L11


Minimum Supporting Documents

The supporting documents listedbelow constitute the bare minimumfor an acceptable command chronol-ogy. Obviously, a great deal moreshould be included, including docu-ments relating to communications,medical care, religious affairs, andany other appropriate area.

Include all:policy statements and com-

mander's guidanceoperations orders, fragmentary

orders, and warning orderssituation reports to higher head-

quartersoperations summariesmajor overlaysintelligence summaries and as-

sessmentsafter action planscasualty reportskey planning documents

During contingency operations, in-clude all:

personnel reportslogistic status reportspilot debriefsSOPs developed in theater

IIn aphoto he inscribed "Yes sir Captain,"John Wayne is advised by then-CaptFribourg on the set of "Sands of Iwo Jima."

employment of the LVT, he was responsi-ble for a number of design changes as aMarine Corps liaison officer with the Navyand civilian amtrac manufacturers. LtColLunn was a charter member of the MarineCorps Historical Foundation.

LtCol Charles S. Nichols, Jr.LtCol Charles S. Nichols, Jr., USMC,

(Ret), 81, a former member of the Histor-ical Branch, died at his home in Win-chester, Virginia, on 27 September. Amember of the Basic School Class of 1936,LtCol Nichols received his bachelor andmaster of arts degrees in history from theUniversity of Nevada.

In the Guadalcanal operation, he com-manded Company K, 7th Marines, and he

was the battalion executive officer of the2d Battalion, 7th Marines, in the CapeGloucester campaign.

During the Korean War he served as abattalion staff officer and was command-ing officer of the unit which controlled thenative Korean cargodores while in Korea.LtCol Nichols was assigned to the Histor-ical Branch, G-3 Division, HQMC, where,together with Henry I. Shaw, Jr., he wroteOkinawa: Victory in the Pacific, the lastof a series of 15 combat monographs,which were eventually used in the officialfive-volume History of US. Marine CorpsOperations in World War II. LtCol Nicholswas buried in Arlington NationalCemetery on 1 October with simple mili-tary honors.

How to Write a BetterCommand Chronology

(Continued from page 32)

program to Okinawa? Did the unit leavemost record-keeping functions in CampPendleton while deployed to Somalia?Common sense applies; you don't have torecount every action, but no matter howtrivial something may seem, if it took alot of time and effort or received a lot ofcommand interest, mention it.

The narrative should amplify the sup-porting documents and must describeevents not covered by the supporting docu-ments. This is an ideal place to discusscourses of actions considered and reject-ed, and planning for contingencies whichdid not occur.

Be sure to tell what your unit actuallydid An air control agency should describethe mechanics of air control, preferably bysimply including a copy of the relevantSOP or order. Schools should include acopy of the program of instruction and atraining schedule. Support commandsshould describe how they supported.

A large number of units which deployedto Somalia included no supporting docu-ments in their command chronology. Ap-parently these units, participating in theirsecond most important operation since theVietnam War, did not issue a single oper-ation order or fragmentary orders, writea letter of instruction, or develop anystanding operating procedures. Many ofthese chronologies have narrative sum-

manes of a single paragraph, which saynothing more than the unit "providedsupport to Marine Forces." Some of theseunits actually played a vital role, and theirMarines performed some of the most dan-gerous jobs. But these units will be luckyeven to be mentioned in the upcominghistory, because there simply isn't enoughinformation to write more.

Finally, the importance of a commandchronology is underscored by the require-ment that it be signed by the command-ing officer, attesting that it is his record,and not signed "by direction" or by asubordinate staff officer.

Peacetime chronologies are just as im-portant.

Wartime and contingency commandchronologies naturally receive more atten-tion than peacetime chronologies. Indeed,at this time the Marine Corps has writersworking on histories of Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Operation Just Cause,Operation Provide Comfort, OperationSea Angel, and Operation Restore Hope(all of these writing efforts have been ham-pered by inadequate or missing commandchronologies). Peacetime command chro-nologies, however, are just as important.A strong case can be made, for example,that the real secret to the Marine Corps'successes of the last few years lies not inoperational plans but in the improvementsin personnel policy and training duringthe decade preceding these conflicts.

It's easier to regard the command chro-nology as just a pointless administrativeburden, but it's not. It's your chance topreserve your unit's experience and add to

Marine Corps history and tradition. Some-day another Marine will read that com-mand chronology, or the history based onit, to learn how to do things better. Weall owe that Marine as complete andhonest a picture as possible. L111775L11


Minimum Supporting Documents

The supporting documents listedbelow constitute the bare minimumfor an acceptable command chronol-ogy. Obviously, a great deal moreshould be included, including docu-ments relating to communications,medical care, religious affairs, andany other appropriate area.

Include all:policy statements and com-

mander's guidanceoperations orders, fragmentary

orders, and warning orderssituation reports to higher head-

quartersoperations summariesmajor overlaysintelligence summaries and as-

sessmentsafter action planscasualty reportskey planning documents

During contingency operations, in-clude all:

personnel reportslogistic status reportspilot debriefsSOPs developed in theater

Flight Lines

de Havilland D.H.4

D ESIGNED SPECIFICALLY for day-bombing by the British, the D.H.4

was highly praised by the aviators who flewthem for its speed and handling abilities.Of all the British airplanes selected for pro-duction in America, only the D.H.4 wasproduced in substantial numbers and it wasalso the only American-built, British-de-signed aircraft to see operational service inFrance during World War I. On 15 August1917, the first British-built D.H.4 was deli-vered to McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio,without an engine. Ten days later an en-

by Michael E. StarnCurator of Aviation

gine was bench-tested, and by 29 October1917, the first D.H.4 was flown in America.In time, because of the addition of the400hp Liberty 12 engine, the aircraft wasnicknamed the "Liberty Plane."

During World War I it was built underlicense in the United States by five manu-facturers. The first American-built D.H.4joined the American Expeditionary Force(AEF) on 11 May 1918, with a total of 1,885Liberty-powered aircraft reaching the AEFin France before the war's end. For most ofits service, the 1st Marine Aviation Force was

equipped with D.H.4s during its servicewith the Northern Bombing Group. Fol-lowing the Armistice, most D.H.4's over-seas were disposed of in the "Billion DollarBonfire" in which they were piled andburned rather than being returned toAmerica.

InJanuary 1962, the Marine Corps Mu-seum undertook the project of building aflyable 1918 D.H.4 as a memorial to the 1stMarine Aviation Force. This project was in-spired by retired MSgt Kurt Schonefeld(enlisted aviator No. 8) and lead by MSgtWalter F. Gemeinhardt USMC. Tragedystruck less than two months later with KurtSchonefeld meeting an untimely death inan automobile accident in South Carolina.MSgt Gemeinhardt continued with theproject despite this setback.

One of the major stumbling blocks wasthe lack of patterns from which to manu-facture parts. MSgt Gemeinhardt first ap-proached the Smithsonian to borrow itsD.H.4 in order to create patterns, but wasturned down. He then contacted PaulMantz and Frank Tallman in Santa Anna,California, who owned the only othercomplete D.H.4 in the country. MSgtGemeinhardt proposed to bring theirD.H.4 to Quantico, restore it to flying con-dition, and at the same time manufacturetemplates for the construction of a D.H.4for the museum. They agreed and also do-nated a "basket case" de Havilland to themuseum from which some of the partswere found to be useable for its project.

By 1968, the Tallman-Mantz D.H. hadbeen restored, and Frank Thilman then soldthe D.H.4 along with several other aircraft.Paul Mantz had been killed in the filmingof the movie "Flight of the Phoenix." MSgtGemeinhardt had orders to Vietnam andretired after his return. The museum's D.H.was 80 percent finished, with only thewings needing to be completed. In 1979,the completed fuselage was placed in aWorld War I display in the "Early Years"hangar area of the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum. It was removed from ex-hibit in 1992 to make room for the displayof a World War I "Liberty" truck. E11775LIi


The Air-Ground Museum's replica D.H.4 made use of parts taken from an existing'basket-case" example, and templates taken from the last known complete model.

Technical Data

Manufacturers: Dayton-Wright; Standard Aircraft Corporation; Fisher Body Divi-sion of General Motors; Naval Aircraft Factory; Boeing Airplane Company.Type: Observation, day bomber, and general purpose aircraft.Accommodation: Pilot and observer.Power Plant: One 400 hp Liberty.Dimensions: Span, 42 feet 5 1/2 inches; Length, 30 feet 1 1/4 inches; Height,10 feet 6 inches.Weight: Empty, 2,647 pounds; Gross, 4,214 pounds.Performance: Max speed 122.5 mph at sea level; service ceiling 14,000 feet; range550 st miles.Armament: Two fixed forward-firing .30-caliber guns; Two flexible .30-caliber gunson Scarf ring.

Flight Lines

de Havilland D.H.4

D ESIGNED SPECIFICALLY for day-bombing by the British, the D.H.4

was highly praised by the aviators who flewthem for its speed and handling abilities.Of all the British airplanes selected for pro-duction in America, only the D.H.4 wasproduced in substantial numbers and it wasalso the only American-built, British-de-signed aircraft to see operational service inFrance during World War I. On 15 August1917, the first British-built D.H.4 was deli-vered to McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio,without an engine. Ten days later an en-

by Michael E. StarnCurator of Aviation

gine was bench-tested, and by 29 October1917, the first D.H.4 was flown in America.In time, because of the addition of the400hp Liberty 12 engine, the aircraft wasnicknamed the "Liberty Plane."

During World War I it was built underlicense in the United States by five manu-facturers. The first American-built D.H.4joined the American Expeditionary Force(AEF) on 11 May 1918, with a total of 1,885Liberty-powered aircraft reaching the AEFin France before the war's end. For most ofits service, the 1st Marine Aviation Force was

equipped with D.H.4s during its servicewith the Northern Bombing Group. Fol-lowing the Armistice, most D.H.4's over-seas were disposed of in the "Billion DollarBonfire" in which they were piled andburned rather than being returned toAmerica.

InJanuary 1962, the Marine Corps Mu-seum undertook the project of building aflyable 1918 D.H.4 as a memorial to the 1stMarine Aviation Force. This project was in-spired by retired MSgt Kurt Schonefeld(enlisted aviator No. 8) and lead by MSgtWalter F. Gemeinhardt USMC. Tragedystruck less than two months later with KurtSchonefeld meeting an untimely death inan automobile accident in South Carolina.MSgt Gemeinhardt continued with theproject despite this setback.

One of the major stumbling blocks wasthe lack of patterns from which to manu-facture parts. MSgt Gemeinhardt first ap-proached the Smithsonian to borrow itsD.H.4 in order to create patterns, but wasturned down. He then contacted PaulMantz and Frank Tallman in Santa Anna,California, who owned the only othercomplete D.H.4 in the country. MSgtGemeinhardt proposed to bring theirD.H.4 to Quantico, restore it to flying con-dition, and at the same time manufacturetemplates for the construction of a D.H.4for the museum. They agreed and also do-nated a "basket case" de Havilland to themuseum from which some of the partswere found to be useable for its project.

By 1968, the Tallman-Mantz D.H. hadbeen restored, and Frank Taliman then soldthe D.H.4 along with several other aircraft.Paul Mantz had been killed in the filmingof the movie "Flight of the Phoenix." MSgtGemeinhardt had orders to Vietnam andretired after his return. The museum's D.H.was 80 percent finished, with only thewings needing to be completed. In 1979,the completed fuselage was placed in aWorld War I display in the "Early Years"hangar area of the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum. It was removed from ex-hibit in 1992 to make room for the displayof a World War I "Liberty" truck. E11775LIi


The Air-Ground Museum's replica D.H.4 made use of parts taken from an existing'basket-case" example, and templates taken from the last known complete model.

Technical Data

Manufacturers: Dayton-Wright; Standard Aircraft Corporation; Fisher Body Divi-sion of General Motors; Naval Aircraft Factory; Boeing Airplane Company.Type: Observation, day bomber, and general purpose aircraft.Accommodation: Pilot and observer.Power Plant: One 400 hp Liberty.Dimensions: Span, 42 feet 5 1/2 inches; Length, 30 feet 1 1/4 inches; Height,10 feet 6 inches.Weight: Empty, 2,647 pounds; Gross, 4,214 pounds.Performance: Max speed 122.5 mph at sea level; service ceiling 14,000 feet; range550 st miles.Armament: Two fixed forward-firing .30-caliber guns; Two flexible .30-caliber gunson Scarf ring.

Fortitudine's World War II Chronology continues with thesummer 1944 invasion of the Mariana Islands. The capture

of the three main islands comprising the Marianas—Saipan,Guam, and Tinian—were considered critical for future opera-tions againstJapan, including the bombing of the Home Islandsby the new American B-29 bombers.

Saipan11-14 Jun—Task Force 58 bombarded Saipan, Tinian, Guam,Rota, and Pagan; Task Forces 52 and 53 joined the attack (14June) on Saipan and Tinian.15 Jun — Preceded by naval gunfire and carrier air support, the2d and 4th Marine Divisions of the V Amphibious Corps as-saulted the west coast of Saipan near Charan Kanoa. The 2d Ma-rine Division landed to the north of Afetna Point, and the 4thMarine Division landed to the south. Charan Kanoa itself wasseized by the 23d Marines. A beachhead 10,000 yards wide andabout 1,500 yards deep was established against heavy opposi-tion. Japanese counterattacks on the beachhead during the nightof 14-15 June failed. The 2d Marines; the 1st Battalion, 29th Ma-rines; and the 24th Marines (2d and 4th Marine Division, respec-tively) feinted a landing in the Tanapag Harbor area, beforejoining the main landing force later in the day.l6Jun—The 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, cleared AfetnaPoint, and the 4th Marine Division attacked inland toward thenorthernmost objective. A Japanese tank attack against the 4thMarine Division's zone on the night of 16-17 June failed.18 Jun —The 4th Battalion, 10th Marines, repulsed a Japaneselanding on Flores Point, north of Garapan. The 4th Marine Di-vision severed the southern portion from the remainder of theisland, in compliance with a Northern Troops and Landing Forceoperation order calling for an attack by all divisions. The 165thInfantry, USA, captured Aslito Airfield and the ridge southeastof the field.2OJun —The 2d and 4th Marine Divisions completed their pivot-ing movement to the north during which the 3d Battalion, 25thMarines, captured Hill 500. The 106th Infantry, USA, landedas the Northern Troops and Landing Force reserve.2lJun—LtGen Holland M. Smith directed the 27th InfantryDivision (less one battalion and one light tank platoon) to as-semble northwest of Aslito Airfield as Northern Troops and Land-

On Saipan in July, 2d Division Marines take cover from aJapanese sniper behind a medium tank in use in the advanceacross the Tanapag Plain toward the northern end of the island

ing Force reserve. One battalion was to continue the division'sclean-up of Nafutan Point. The order was later modified so thata regimental combat team (RCT 105) rather than a battalionwould remain at Nafutan.22Jun—Aslito airfield became operational, and the 19th ArmyFighter Squadron landed and assumed responsibility for the com-bat air patrol over the island. The 165th Infantry, USA, movedinto the division assembly area northwest of the airfield.24Jun —The 4th Marine Division attacked eastward on KagmanPeninsula. MajGen Ralph Smith, USA, commanding the 27thInfantry Division, was replaced by MajGen SanderfordJarman,USA, after the division failed to advance.25Jun—Mount Tapotchau, Saipan's key terrain feature, was cap-tured by the 8th Marines, and Kagman Peninsula was seized bythe 4th Marine Division. Island Command, an organizationwhich would administer the island after its capture, assumedresponsibility for the southern portion of the island.25-26Jun —The Japanese 317th Independent Infantry Battalion,47th Independent Mixed Brigade, moved through the outpostsof the 2d Battalion, 105th Infantry, USA, and struck Aslito Air-field. The attacking force was repulsed, and sustained heavylosses.1-2 Jul—The Japanese were observed withdrawing northward.Northern Troops and Landing Force swung into the Th.napag area,northwest Saipan, and the 2d Marine Division made its greatestforward surge since D-Day. The 2d Marines began to movethrough Garapan.3Jul —The Northern Troops and Landing Force, advancing north-west, reached the Tanapag Seaplane Base. The 2d Marines cap-tured the town of Garapan, and the 3d Battalion, 2d Marines,seized the commanding ground overlooking Tanapag Harbor.6-7 Jul —The Japanese launched an all-out banzai attack alongTanapag Plain, as well as the hills to the northeast. The 105thInfantry, USA, located on the high ground overlooking HarakiriGulch, and the 3d Battalion, 10th Marines, about 500 yardssouthwest of Tanapag village, were the hardest hit units.8Jul —The 2d Marine Division passed through the 27th Infan-try Division's lines for the mop-up of Tanapag Plain, and the27th Infantry Division reverted to Northern Troops and Land-ing Force Reserve. The 1st and 2d Battalions, 106th Infantry,relieved the 105th Infantry, USA, at Harakiri Gulch.9 Jul—The 4th Marine Division reached Marpi Point, the ex-treme northeast tip of the island. All organized resistance ceased,and LtGen Holland M. Smith, the Expeditionary Force Com-mander, declared the island secured.9 Aug—Aslito Airfield became operational for B-24's.

Guam27Jun-2OJul—Carrier Task Force 58 began a series of harassingraids on Guam, concentrating its fire on Orote Peninsula instal-lations. Task Force 53 joined the bombardment force on 8 July.6Jul—In preparation for the invasion of Guam, LtGen HollandM. Smith, Commanding General, Expeditionary Troops, at-tached the 77th Infantry Division to the III Amphibious Corps.


Wrorld Wir II Chronology, 1941-1945

June-August 1944by Robert V Aquilina

Assistant Head, Reference Section

kr

*1 ..

Fortitudine's World War II Chronology continues with thesummer 1944 invasion of the Mariana Islands. The capture

of the three main islands comprising the Marianas — Saipan,

Guam, and Tinian—were considered critical for future opera-tions against Japan, including the bombing of the Home Islandsby the new American B-29 bombers.

Saipan11-14 Jun—Task Force 58 bombarded Saipan, Tinian, Guam,Rota, and Pagan; Task Forces 52 and 53 joined the attack (14June) on Saipan and Tinian.15 Jun—Preceded by naval gunfire and carrier air support, the2d and 4th Marine Divisions of the V Amphibious Corps as-saulted the west coast of Saipan near Charan Kanoa. The 2d Ma-rine Division landed to the north of Afetna Point, and the 4thMarine Division landed to the south. Charan Kanoa itself wasseized by the 23d Marines. A beachhead 10,000 yards wide andabout 1,500 yards deep was established against heavy opposi-tion. Japanese counterattacks on the beachhead during the nightof 14-15 June failed. The 2d Marines; the 1st Battalion, 29th Ma-rines; and the 24th Marines (2d and 4th Marine Division, respec-tively) feinted a landing in the Tanapag Harbor area, beforejoining the main landing force later in the day.l6Jun—The 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, cleared AfetnaPoint, and the 4th Marine Division attacked inland toward thenorthernmost objective. A Japanese tank attack against the 4thMarine Division's zone on the night of 16-17 June failed.l8Jun—The 4th Battalion, 10th Marines, repulsed aJapaneselanding on Flores Point, north of Garapan. The 4th Marine Di-vision severed the southern portion from the remainder of theisland, in compliance with a Northern Troops and Landing Forceoperation order calling for an attack by all divisions. The 165thInfantry, USA, captured Aslito Airfield and the ridge southeastof the field.2OJun —The 2d and 4th Marine Divisions completed their pivot-ing movement to the north during which the 3d Battalion, 25thMarines, captured Hill 500. The 106th Infantry, USA, landedas the Northern Troops and Landing Force reserve.21 Jun—LtGen Holland M. Smith directed the 27th InfantryDivision (less one battalion and one light tank platoon) to as-semble northwest of Aslito Airfield as Northern Troops and Land-

On Saipan in July, 2d Division Marines take cover from aJapanese sniper behind a medium tank in use in the advanceacross the Tanapag Plain toward the northern end of the island

ing Force reserve. One battalion was to continue the division'sclean-up of Nafutan Point. The order was later modified so thata regimental combat team (RCT 105) rather than a battalionwould remain at Nafutan.22Jun—Aslito airfield became operational, and the 19th ArmyFighter Squadron landed and assumed responsibility for the com-bat air patrol over the island. The 165th Infantry, USA, movedinto the division assembly area northwest of the airfield.24 Jun —The 4th Marine Division attacked eastward on KagmanPeninsula. MajGen Ralph Smith, USA, commanding the 27thInfantry Division, was replaced by MajGen SanderfordJarman,USA, after the division failed to advance.25 Jun — Mount Tapotchau, Saipan's key terrain feature, was cap-tured by the 8th Marines, and Kagman Peninsula was seized bythe 4th Marine Division. Island Command, an organizationwhich would administer the island after its capture, assumedresponsibility for the southern portion of the island.25-26Jun —The Japanese 317th Independent Infantry Battalion,47th Independent Mixed Brigade, moved through the outpostsof the 2d Battalion, 105th Infantry, USA, and struck Aslito Air-field. The attacking force was repulsed, and sustained heavylosses.1-2 Jul —The Japanese were observed withdrawing northward.Northern Troops and Landing Force swung into the Th.napag area,northwest Saipan, and the 2d Marine Division made its greatestforward surge since D-Day. The 2d Marines began to movethrough Garapan.3Jul —The Northern Troops and Landing Force, advancing north-west, reached the Tanapag Seaplane Base. The 2d Marines cap-tured the town of Garapan, and the 3d Battalion, 2d Marines,seized the commanding ground overlooking Tanapag Harbor.6-7Jul—TheJapanese launched an all-out banzai attack alongTanapag Plain, as well as the hills to the northeast. The 105thInfantry, USA, located on the high ground overlooking HarakiriGulch, and the 3d Battalion, 10th Marines, about 500 yardssouthwest of Tanapag village, were the hardest hit units.8Jul —The 2d Marine Division passed through the 27th Infan-try Division's lines for the mop-up of Tanapag Plain, and the27th Infantry Division reverted to Northern Troops and Land-ing Force Reserve. The 1st and 2d Battalions, 106th Infantry,relieved the 105th Infantry, USA, at Harakiri Gulch.9 Jul—The 4th Marine Division reached Marpi Point, the ex-treme northeast tip of the island. All organized resistance ceased,and LtGen Holland M. Smith, the Expeditionary Force Com-mander, declared the island secured.9 Aug—Aslito Airfield became operational for B-24's.

Guam27Jun-2OJul—Carrier Task Force 58 began a series of harassingraids on Guam, concentrating its fire on Orote Peninsula instal-lations. Task Force 53 joined the bombardment force on 8 July.6Jul—In preparation for the invasion of Guam, LtGen HollandM. Smith, Commanding General, Expeditionary Troops, at-tached the 77th Infantry Division to the III Amphibious Corps.


W/orld Wir II Chronology, 1941-1945

June-August 1944by Robert V Aquilina

Assistant Head, Reference Section

21 Jul—Southern Troops and Landing Force (III AmphibiousCorps) supported by land-based and carrier-based Marine, Navy,and Army Air Forces planes and naval gunfire, made simultane-ous landings on the west coast of Guam against heavy opposi-tion. The 3d Marine Division (Rein), commanded by MajGenAllen H. Turnage, assaulted the area between Adelup and AsanPoints to the north, and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade(Rein), commanded by BGen Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., landedto the south between Agat Village and Bangi Point. Later, the305th Regimental Combat Team, 77th Infantry Division, USA,went ashore and assembled in an area 400 yards inland fromGaan Point.21-22 Jul—The Japanese counterattacked the beachhead andpenetrated the lines of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade onthe night of 21-22 July. As a result, theJapanese 38th Infantry(less the 3d Battalion) was destroyed as a fighting force. Thebrigade employed local reserves to restore its frontlines.24 Jul—The Southern Landing Force had its beachhead firmlyestablished, and the Japanese bottled up on Orote Peninsula.The 77th Division took over most of the force beachhead line.25 Jul—The 77th Division (less the 307th Infantry in III Am-phibious Corps reserve) was ordered to hold the force beachheadline, while the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade assaulted OrotePeninsula. The 3d Marine Division was ordered to capture thehigh ground overlooking Mt. Tenjo Road.25-27 Jul—Japanese counterattacks by the 58th Naval Guard(Reinforced), and the 218th Regiment (less the 1st Battalion)against the 22d Marines' position on Orote Peninsula and the3d Marine Division's Asan beachhead were repulsed with crip-pling losses to the Japanese.26-29 Jul—With air, naval gunfire, and artillery support, the 4thand 22d Marines, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, secured OrotePeninsula (29 July) and the Marine Barracks, Guam, on thepeninsula. The 2d Marines (less the 3d Battalion) moved intoIII Amphibious Corps reserve southeast of Agat, and the 4thMarines and the 3d Battalion, 22d Marines, remained on Orote.The airfield on Orote was declared operational.27-29Jul—The 3d Marine Division with the 77th Infantry Di-vision, USA, captured the Force Beachhead lines, the command-ing ground along Adelup-Alutom-Tenjo-Alifan-Futi Point,thereby gaining command of the center of the island, and per-mitting observation to the north. This ended Phase 1 of therecapture of the island.3lJul—The III Amphibious Corps launched its attack to seizethe northern portion of Guam. The 3d Marines captured Agana,the capital of Guam, and occupied positions along the Agana-Pago Bay Road.3-4 Aug—The 77th Infantry Division, USA, captured the townof Barrigada (3 August) with its important water supply and se-cured the mountain north of the town the next day.7 Aug—The III Amphibious Corps launched its final attack tocapture the northern end of the island. The 77th Infantry Divi-sion, USA, seized Yigo and advanced toward Mt. Santa Rosa.The 3d Marine Division and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigadewere in position to drive northward.7 Aug—The 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division, USA, cap-tured Mt. Santa Rosa, and effective resistance ceased in the divi-sion's zone.7 Aug—Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 225, based on Orote

airfield, began flying combat missions over Guam.9 Aug—The 3d Marine Division launched an attack to capturethe remainder of Guam. The III Amphibious Corps gained thenorthern beaches. BGen Shepherd, commanding the 1st Provi-sional Marine Brigade, announced that all organized resistancehad ceased in the brigade zone.9 Aug—Adm Chester W. Nimitz and LtGen Alexander A. Van-degrift landed at Orote Airfield, and inspected the frontline unitsand installations. Top-level conferences were held to discuss therole of the island in the advance to Tokyo.10 Aug—MajGen Roy S. Geiger, commanding Southern Troopsand Landing Force, announced that all organized resistance hadended, and mopping-up activities had begun. The III Amphibi-ous Corps issued an order outlining the future activities of theunits on Guam. The 77th Infantry Division, USA, and the 3dMarine Division were directed to establish a line across the is-land from Fadian Point to a point northwest of Tumon Bay; em-phasis then was to be placed on mopping-up the remainingenemy resistance.11 Aug—The 306th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division, USA, cap-tured the Mt. Mataguac command post. The top Japanese com-mander on the island, LtGen Hideyoshi Obata, committedsuicide.12 Aug— MajGen Roy S. Geiger, Commander of the SouthernTroops and Landing Force, left for Guadalcanal to assume con-trol of the troops assigned to the Palaus landing. He was relievedby MajGen Harry Schmidt, USMC.21-31 Aug—The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade departed the is-land for Guadalacanal.

Tinian24Jul—Preceded by artillery, ship, and air bombardment, the4th Marine Division landed against light opposition, and secureda beachhead 2,900 yards at its widest point. The 2d Battalion,24th Marines, reached the western edge of Airfield No. 3, andcut the main road from Ushi Point to the central and southernparts of the island.23 Jul—The 4th Marine Division repulsed an early morningcounterattack by the Japanese 1st Battalion, 135th Infantry,directed principally to the extreme right and left flanks and nearthe center of the beachhead. Ushi Point Airfield was capturedby the 8th Marines, and Mt. Maga by the 25th Marines.26 Jul—Supported by artillery and naval gunfire, the 2d and4th Marine Divisions captured Mt. Lasso unopposed, therebydenying the Japanese their best observation post for the controlof mortar and artillery fire against the beachhead.27 Jul—Ushi Point Airfield became operational.1 Aug—All organized resistance ceased, although some Japaneseheld out in caves on the southern coast. MajGen Harry Schmidt,commanding Northern Troops and Landing Force, declared theisland secure.6-7 Aug—The 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, assumed respon-sibility for the 2d and 4th Marine Division sectors, and continuedmopping-up activities. The 2d and 4th Marine Divisions beganembarkation for Saipan and Maui, Hawaii, respectively.10 Aug—The capture and occupation phase of the operation end-ed. The defense and development phase began under the Tini-an Island Command, headed by Marine MajGen James L.Underwood, which directed the mop-up by the 8th Marines.

E11775L11


21 Jul — Southern Troops and Landing Force (III AmphibiousCorps) supported by land-based and carrier-based Marine, Navy,and Army Air Forces planes and naval gunfire, made simultane-ous landings on the west coast of Guam against heavy opposi-tion. The 3d Marine Division (Rein), commanded by MajGenAllen H. Turnage, assaulted the area between Adelup and AsanPoints to the north, and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade(Rein), commanded by BGen Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., landedto the south between Agat Village and Bangi Point. Later, the305th Regimental Combat Team, 77th Infantry Division, USA,went ashore and assembled in an area 400 yards inland fromGaan Point.21-22 Jul—The Japanese counterattacked the beachhead andpenetrated the lines of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade onthe night of 21-22 July. As a result, the Japanese 38th Infantry(less the 3d Battalion) was destroyed as a fighting force. Thebrigade employed local reserves to restore its frontlines.24 Jul —The Southern Landing Force had its beachhead firmlyestablished, and the Japanese bottled up on Orote Peninsula.The 77th Division took over most of the force beachhead line.25 Jul—The 77th Division (less the 307th Infantry in III Am-phibious Corps reserve) was ordered to hold the force beachheadline, while the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade assaulted OrotePeninsula. The 3d Marine Division was ordered to capture thehigh ground overlooking Mt. Tenjo Road.25-27 Jul—Japanese counterattacks by the 58th Naval Guard(Reinforced), and the 218th Regiment (less the 1st Battalion)against the 22d Marines' position on Orote Peninsula and the3d Marine Division's Asan beachhead were repulsed with crip-pling losses to the Japanese.26-29Ju1—With air, naval gunfire, and artillery support, the 4thand 22d Marines, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, secured OrotePeninsula (29 July) and the Marine Barracks, Guam, on thepeninsula. The 2d Marines (less the 3d Battalion) moved intoIII Amphibious Corps reserve southeast of Agat, and the 4thMarines and the 3d Battalion, 22d Marines, remained on Orote.The airfield on Orote was declared operational.27-29Jul—The 3d Marine Division with the 77th Infantry Di-vision, USA, captured the Force Beachhead lines, the command-ing ground along Adelup-Alutom-Tenjo-Alifan-Futi Point,thereby gaining command of the center of the island, and per-mitting observation to the north. This ended Phase 1 of therecapture of the island.31 Jul—The III Amphibious Corps launched its attack to seizethe northern portion of Guam. The 3d Marines captured Agana,the capital of Guam, and occupied positions along the Agana-Pago Bay Road.3-4 Aug—The 77th Infantry Division, USA, captured the townof Barrigada (3 August) with its important water supply and se-cured the mountain north of the town the next day.7 Aug—The III Amphibious Corps launched its final attack tocapture the northern end of the island. The 77th Infantry Divi-sion, USA, seized Yigo and advanced toward Mt. Santa Rosa.The 3d Marine Division and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigadewere in position to drive northward.7 Aug—The 307th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division, USA, cap-tured Mt. Santa Rosa, and effective resistance ceased in the divi-sion's zone.7 Aug—Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 225, based on Orote

airfield, began flying combat missions over Guam.9 Aug—The 3d Marine Division launched an attack to capturethe remainder of Guam. The III Amphibious Corps gained thenorthern beaches. BGen Shepherd, commanding the 1st Provi-sional Marine Brigade, announced that all organized resistancehad ceased in the brigade zone.9 Aug—Adm Chester W. Nimitz and LtGen Alexander A. Van-degrift landed at Orote Airfield, and inspected the frontline unitsand installations. Top-level conferences were held to discuss therole of the island in the advance to Tokyo.10 Aug—MajGen Roy S. Geiger, commanding Southern Troopsand Landing Force, announced that all organized resistance hadended, and mopping-up activities had begun. The III Amphibi-ous Corps issued an order outlining the future activities of theunits on Guam. The 77th Infantry Division, USA, and the 3dMarine Division were directed to establish a line across the is-land from Fadian Point to a point northwest of Tumon Bay; em-phasis then was to be placed on mopping-up the remainingenemy resistance.11 Aug—The 306th Infantry, 77th Infantry Division, USA, cap-tured the Mt. Mataguac command post. The topJapanese com-mander on the island, LtGen Hideyoshi Obata, committedsuicide.12 Aug— MajGen Roy S. Geiger, Commander of the SouthernTroops and Landing Force, left for Guadalcanal to assume con-trol of the troops assigned to the Palaus landing. He was relievedby MajGen Harry Schmidt, USMC.21-31 Aug—The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade departed the is-land for Guadalacanal.

Tinian

24Jul—Preceded by artillery, ship, and air bombardment, the4th Marine Division landed against light opposition, and secureda beachhead 2,900 yards at its widest point. The 2d Battalion,24th Marines, reached the western edge of Airfield No. 3, andcut the main road from Ushi Point to the central and southernparts of the island.23 Jul —The 4th Marine Division repulsed an early morningcounterattack by the Japanese 1st Battalion, 135th infantry,directed principally to the extreme right and left flanks and nearthe center of the beachhead. Ushi Point Airfield was capturedby the 8th Marines, and Mt. Maga by the 25th Marines.263u1—Supported by artillery and naval gunfire, the 2d and4th Marine Divisions captured Mt. Lasso unopposed, therebydenying the Japanese their best observation post for the controlof mortar and artillery fire against the beachhead.27 Jul—Ushi Point Airfield became operational.1 Aug—All organized resistance ceased, although some Japaneseheld out in caves on the southern coast. MajGen Harry Schmidt,commanding Northern Troops and Landing Force, declared theisland secure.6-7 Aug—The 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, assumed respon-sibility for the 2d and 4th Marine Division sectors, and continuedmopping-up activities. The 2d and 4th Marine Divisions beganembarkation for Saipan and Maui, Hawaii, respectively.10 Aug—The capture and occupation phase of the operation end-ed. The defense and development phase began under the Tini-an Island Command, headed by Marine MajGen James L.Underwood, which directed the mop-up by the 8th Marines.

E11775L11


MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL CENTERBUILDING 58, WASHINGTON NAVY YARD

901 M STREET, SOUTHEASTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20374-5040

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Knowing Chronology's Uses Makes it Easier to Write

Why should anyone care about thecommand chronology?

Simply put, because it's your unit'sstory. The amount of care and detail youput into your command chronology willdetermine how well that story is preserved.Usually it is the only record of your unit'sactivities and accomplishments. If a pieceof information doesn't go into the com-mand chronology, odds are it won't bepreserved. If you forward a command chro-nology which barely meets the minimumrequirements, 10 years from now all any-one will know about your unit is that itdidn't accomplish much.

What is the command chronology usedfor?

While I was in Somalia, I asked a staffofficer for input for the command chro-nology. He grumbled about the unneces-sary burdens placed upon field units byheadquarters, and wanted to know "whoreads those things, anyway?"

The answer is: lots of people. Commandchronologies are the backbone of the oper-ational histories written by the History andMuseums Division. These histories, inturn, constitute the basic sources for otherhistorians. Check the citations in Col Al-lan R. Millett's Semper Fidelis orJ. RobertMoskin's The US. Marine Corps Story;you'll find that both relied heavily on offi-cial histories. Most of the operational de-tails for the period after 1965 in almost all

by Capt David A. Dawson, USMCHistorical W"riter

published accounts have come, directly orindirectly, from command chronologies.

Staff agencies at Headquarters MarineCorps frequently use command chronol-ogies to help them develop position papersand policies which affect the entire Ma-rine Corps.

Your command chronology will be themajor source for determining your unit'slineage and honors. There are a numberof Marine units which do not have a com-plete record of their former commandingofficers because of absent command chro-nologies.

Over the years, a number of researcherswill use your command chronology for avariety of reasons. Former members of yourunit will be one of the biggest users. Oftenthese former Marines will simply want tolook over the command chronology andreminisce, but frequently they will needto verify combat or other service to sub-stantiate claims for veterans benefits or torespond to other legal questions.

What should go in the command chro-nology?

Preparing the command chronologyshould not be a difficult task. The heartof the command chronology, and unfor-tunately the most neglected part, is thesupporting documents section: the moredocuments, the better. Anything signedby the commander or by direction shouldbe considered for inclusion. Orders, stand-

ing operating procedures, letters of in-struction, combat operations centerjournals, situation reports, and maps andoverlays are a must; gear lists and rostersare very valuable. In Somalia, 3d Battal-ion, 11th Marines, kept a historical file inthe operations center, with watch officersadding a copy of any message or documentwhich seemed important. The commandhistorian found it much easier to weed outdocuments than to try to piece themtogether after the fact.

Include more than just the operationaldocuments. What were the S-i, S-2, S-4up to? Include their key documents—personnel reports, logistical status reports,intelligence summaries, combat award ci-tations, etc.

The narrative summary, of course, is alsoimportant. The commanding officershould take the opportunity to write hisown portion of the narrative, emphasiz-ing his major concerns. Make sure that ev-ery principal staff officer recounts hissection's activities in the narrative. Includesections or officers who played an impor-tant role, even if theirs were only tem-porary duties. Did you have a key wivesprogram? Liaison teams to deal withunique situations? Include them.

Each staff section officer should use hissection of the narrative summary to tellwhat he really did. Was the S-i plaguedby bad checks while on unit deployment

(Continued on page 28)


Guidance for Command Historians

MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL CENTERBUILDING 58, WASHINGTON NAVY YARD

901 M STREET, SOUTHEASTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20374-5040

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Knowing Chronology's Uses Makes it Easier to Write

Why should anyone care about thecommand chronology?

Simply put, because it's your unit'sstory. The amount of care and detail youput into your command chronology willdetermine how well that story is preserved.Usually it is the only record of your unit'sactivities and accomplishments. If a pieceof information doesn't go into the com-mand chronology, odds are it won't bepreserved. If you forward a command chro-nology which barely meets the minimumrequirements, 10 years from now all any-one will know about your unit is that itdidn't accomplish much.

What is the command chronology usedfor?

While I was in Somalia, I asked a staffofficer for input for the command chro-nology. He grumbled about the unneces-sary burdens placed upon field units byheadquarters, and wanted to know "whoreads those things, anyway?"

The answer is: lots of people. Commandchronologies are the backbone of the oper-ational histories written by the History andMuseums Division. These histories, inturn, constitute the basic sources for otherhistorians. Check the citations in Col Al-lan R. Millett's Semper Fidelis orJ. RobertMoskin's The US. Marine Corps Story;you'll find that both relied heavily on offi-cial histories. Most of the operational de-tails for the period after 1965 in almost all

by Capt David A. Dawson, USMCHistorical W"riter

published accounts have come, directly orindirectly, from command chronologies.

Staff agencies at Headquarters MarineCorps frequently use command chronol-ogies to help them develop position papersand policies which affect the entire Ma-rine Corps.

Your command chronology will be themajor source for determining your unit'slineage and honors. There are a numberof Marine units which do not have a com-plete record of their former commandingofficers because of absent command chro-nologies.

Over the years, a number of researcherswill use your command chronology for avariety of reasons. Former members of yourunit will be one of the biggest users. Oftenthese former Marines will simply want tolook over the command chronology andreminisce, but frequently they will needto verify combat or other service to sub-stantiate claims for veterans benefits or torespond to other legal questions.

What should go in the command chro-nology?

Preparing the command chronologyshould not be a difficult task. The heartof the command chronology, and unfor-tunately the most neglected part, is thesupporting documents section: the moredocuments, the better. Anything signedby the commander or by direction shouldbe considered for inclusion. Orders, stand-

ing operating procedures, letters of in-struction, combat operations centerjournals, situation reports, and maps andoverlays are a must; gear lists and rostersare very valuable. In Somalia, 3d Battal-ion, 11th Marines, kept a historical file inthe operations center, with watch officersadding a copy of any message or documentwhich seemed important. The commandhistorian found it much easier to weed outdocuments than to try to piece themtogether after the fact.

Include more than just the operationaldocuments. What were the S-i, S-2, S-4up to? Include their key documents—personnel reports, logistical status reports,intelligence summaries, combat award ci-tations, etc.

The narrative summary, of course, is alsoimportant. The commanding officershould take the opportunity to write hisown portion of the narrative, emphasiz-ing his major concerns. Make sure that ev-ery principal staff officer recounts hissection's activities in the narrative. Includesections or officers who played an impor-tant role, even if theirs were only tem-porary duties. Did you have a key wivesprogram? Liaison teams to deal withunique situations? Include them.

Each staff section officer should use hissection of the narrative summary to tellwhat he really did. Was the S-i plaguedby bad checks while on unit deployment

(Continued on page 28)


Guidance for Command Historians

Fortitudine Vol 23 No 2 - United States Marine Corps · Marine Corps Hisorical Center Building 58,...

Documents

Transcript of Fortitudine Vol 23 No 2 - United States Marine Corps · Marine Corps Hisorical Center Building 58,...