1st Marine Division. «The Old Breed»

98 Pages·2002·40.223 MB·English

by  Ian Westwell

.-..LSPEARHEAD~
1st INE DIVISION
'The Old Breed'

Previouspages: IsrMarinespushinlandunderfire Firstpublished2002
afterlandingonthewhitecoralsandsofPeleliu.
USArmyviaRealWarPhotos
ISBN071102958X
Allrights reserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyany
means,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinformationstorage
and retrieval system,withoutpermissionfromthePublisherinwriting.
Acknowledgements
AuthorandPublisheracknowledgethehelpofa ©Compendium Publishing2002
numberofpeopleintheproductionofthisbook,
includingTeddyNevillofTRHPicturesandLolita PublishedbyIanAllan Publishing
ChizmarofRealWarPhotoswhosuppliedthebulk
animprintofIanAllan PublishingLtd,Hersham,Surrey KT124RG.
ofthephotos,MarkFranklinofFlattArtt(maps PrintedbyIanAllan PrintingLtd,Hersham,Surrey KT124RG.
anddrawings),DonaldSommerville(editor),Tony
StocksofCompendiumDesign (design).Thanksto Code:020I1/A2
BobAquilinaoftheMarineHistoricalCentrefor
theinformationinthecommandinggeneralstable British LibraryCataloguingin Publication Data
onpage82. A CIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
Abbreviations Det Detachment MC Motorcycle
AA(A) Anti-aircraft DUKW amphibiousvehicles Med Medium or
artillery DZ Dropzone Medical
AB Airborne ea each MG Machinegun
ADC Aide de camp Engr Engineer Mor Mortar
AEF American ETO EuropeanTheatre MotInf Motorised infantry
Expeditionary ofOperations MP MilitaryPolice
Force FA FieldArtillery Mtrel Materiel
Amb Ambulance FMF Field Marine Force OD Olive drab
Amtrac Amphibious tractor gren Grenade QM Quartermaster
Arty Artillery HBT Herringbonetwill Pfc/Pvt Private (firstclass)
asst Assistant HMG Heavy MG PI Platoon
A/tk Anti-tank (.50 cal) PIR Parachute infantry
ATRl Anti-tank rocket Hy Heavy regiment
launcher (M6 Inf Infantry RA RoyalArtillery
Bazooka) lCA landing craft RCT Regimental
Bn Battalion assault CombatTeam
BR British lCI landing craft Recce/Recon Reconnaissance
Brig Brigade infantry RHQ Regimental HQ
Bty Battery lCM landing craft Sect Section
camo camouflage mechanised (Tor Sf) Sgt (Technical or
cal calibre lCT landing crafttank Staff/) Sergeant
Cav Cavalry lCVP landing craft SHAEF Supreme HQAllied
CC CombatCommand vehicle and Powersin Europe
C-in-C Commander-in-Chief personnel Sig Signals
CG Commanding LMG light MG (.30 cal) SP Self-propelled
general lST landing ShipTank Tac Tactical
Cml Chemical It light Tk Tank
CO Commanding (1-/2-) It (First/Second) USAAF USArmyAir Force
officer lieutenant USMC US MarineCorps
Col Column lVT(A) .landingVehicle Veh Vehicle
CP Command post Tracked (Armored)
Coy Company aka Buffalo
DO Duplexdrive lZ landingzone Dates
(amphibious) Maint Maintenance 20/7/54 20July 1954
CONTENTS
Origins &History . ••.•••.. ••••••. ••••••••••••••. •••. ••••.•• 6
ReadyforWar .... ••••••••... •••••••.. •... •••••. •. •••••... 12
InAction •••.•... •••••••••••. ••••••. •... •••••••. ••••••••. 18
Insignia,Clothing &Equipment . •••.• ••••.••....••••.•.••••••• 66
People ..••••...•....••••.....•..•••....••••..•...••••...81
Postwar •......•..•••...••••••....••••.•••..••••.....••••86
Assessment ••..... ••.... ..... •••••... ••••••..... ••••. .. ••90
Reference •.•••••...•••••.....••••••...••.•••••...•••..•••92
Index•.••....•••••••...•••••......••.......••••••...•.•.96
ORIGINS & HISTORY
(Semper FidelisJ AttheendofJune1939,two monthsbeforeHitler'sinvasionofPoland ledtotheoutbreak
ofWorldWarII,the US MarineCorps had astrength ofjust19,432 men ofwhom amere
MottooftheMarineCorps, adoptedin 4,840wereassignedtotheFleetMarineForce(FMF),anexpeditionaryorganizationofthe
1883.ItisLatinforAlwaysFaithful. USNavyearmarkedforfull-scaleoverseasamphibiousassaultoperations.Theoriginsofthe
conceptdated backtotheearlyinterwarperiod,whenthe MarineCorpscommandantwas
Major-General John Lejeune, a staunch advocate of the corps' use as an overseas
expeditionaryforceand aformermemberofthe5th Marines.In 1923,hesummed uphis
beliefsto studentsatthe NavalWarCollege:'The maintenance,equipping,andtraining of
itsexpeditionaryforce so itwill be in instantreadinessto supportthefleet inthe eventof
war,IdeemtobethemostimportantMarineCorpsdutyintimeofpeace.'Lejeuneandhis
immediate successors as commandant,Wendell Neville, Ben Fuller, and John Russell Jr.,
faced an uphill struggle to achieve their aims.Amphibious warfare doctrines were poorly
Below:UStroopsof7thAmphibiousForcelandon understood and their value unappreciated in the upper echelons of the US military.
DutchNewGuinea.InthelandingcraftisanM8 Appropriate funds were either not forthcoming or too small for ameaningful expansion
howitzermotorcarriage,themarriageofa75mm programmeatatimeoffiscal shortages.
packhowitzerinanopenturretandanM5lighttank.
Interestingly,thepairingoftheM8turretwiththeLVT
basetoproducetheLVT(A)-4(seepage42topphoto) CREATING THE 1ST MARINE DMSION
providedamphibiousforceswiththeirmostresilient
landingvehicle.Notetheopendriver'shatchinthe
SomeprogresswasmadetowardstheendofFuller'sterm ascommandant.InDecember
hullfrontoftheM8.Armourplayedamajorrolein
thePacificandmarinedivisionshadorganicmobile 1933 the secretary of the navy approved his plan to redesignate the existing
artilleryandtankunitsintheirordersofbattle. expeditionaryforcesonthe EastandWestCoastsofthe UnitedStatesasthe FMEAtthis
TRH/NationalArchives stage the FMF consisted of the 1st Marine Brigade at Quantico,Virginia, and the 2nd
Marine Brigade at San Diego, California.
Theterm brigadewasamisnomeraseach
contained little more than an under
strength infantry regiment with small
support units. Each brigade was also
assisted by aMarineAircraft Group and a
third air unit, a scouting squadron
designated VMS-3, was based on the
Virgin Islands.These forces comprised the
wholeofthe FM~butwouldformthebasis
forfuture expansion onceWorldWarII had
broken out. There were also moves to
developfull-fledgedoperationaltechniques
foramphibiouswarfare duringthis period.
In January 1934 the Marine Corps
published the Tentative Manual for Land
ORIGINS & HISTORY
Operations.This was lateramended and expanded and was joined, in 1938,bythe US Above:In1939fewerthan5,000Marineswere
Navy's FleetTraining Publication (FTP) 167, which unveiled the amphibious warfare assignedtotheFMF- theexpeditionary
proceduresthatwould becomestandard inWorldWar II. organizationoftheUSNavyearmarkedforfull-scale
overseasamphibiousassaultoperations.Bythetime
President Franklin Roosevelt's decision to declare a national emergency on
thisphotographwastaken,22October1944,things
8September1939,aweekafterHitler'sinvasionofPoland,andthesubsequentneedto
hadchangedconsiderably.Takenfrom914m
strengththedefencesoftheUnitedStatesledtoasteadyincreaseinthecountry'sarmed
(3,000ft),itshowsanattackthat1stMarineDivision
forces, including the FMF. By 1940the FMF had reached astrength of 9,749 and was
didnottakepartin- theinvasionofLeyteinthe
growing steadily. The expansion programme was boosted in November by the
PhilippineIslandsbyLt-GenWalterKrueger's200,000
mobilization of the Organized Marine Corps Reserve, a pool of some 5,200 mostly strongSixthArmy- butitdoesexemplifythetypeof
trained and experienced officers and men.Those who were assigned to the 1st Marine operationthatthedivisiontookpartin.Inlessthan
Brigadewould allowthe processofexpansion to divisional strength to begin. fiveyearsUSforceshadgainedexperienceoflarge
Even as the brigade was undergoing expansion, there were potential calls on its amphibiousoperationsandhadmadethenecessary
services.Nazi Germany'slightning defeatofFranceinJune 1940andthecreation ofthe changestothemanpowerofthemarinedivisions.On
VichyFrench puppetstaterang alarm bellsinthe Rooseveltadministration,whichfeared topofthis,theyhaddevelopedtheships,tacticsand
weaponrytoaccomplishamphibiOUSoperations
that French territories in the NewWorld might be used by Hitler'sforces as bases from
effectively.Notethewhitecircleinthecentreofthe
wheretheUnitedStatescould bethreatened,possiblybyU-boatattackson itsmerchant
pictureandcompareittothephotographatthe
fleet. The chief concern was Martinique in the Antilles, the administrative centre of
bottomofpage52.
France's Caribbean empire. Plans were laid to occupythe island byforce.The details of
TRHIUSNavy
the occupation operation were finalized on 8 July, and the 1st Marine Brigade was
orderedto prepareforembarkation atNewYorkaround aweeklater.The landingsnever
tookplace asthe statusofMartinique wastemporarily resolved. However,tensions rose
once again in Octoberand Rooseveltordered alanding to be prepared.The core ofthe
proposedoccupationforcewerethe2,800menofthe 1stMarine Brigade.Yetagain,the
crisisdied awayand the brigadestood down tofocus on its expansion.
7
SPEARHEAD: 1ST MARINE DIVISION
Inthelatefall of1940Brigadier-General HollandSmith's1stMarineBrigademoved
from Quantico to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Its units, based on the 5th Marines, the
artillery of the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, and attached support units, had outgrown
Quantico andthe largerGuantanamo basewaschosenfortheongoing expansion ofthe
brigadetodivisionalstrength.Toprovidealeaveningofexperiencedmenintheproposed
new units,the existing ones were simplysplitin two atthe beginning of 1941.To avoid
Below:WorldWarIMarinerecruitmentposterby having all the bestmen siphoned offintoone unit,leavingthe worstin the other,Smith
JamesMontgomeryFlagg.Bornon18June1877in ordered each commander to draw up lists of equal length but without including the
PelhamManor,NewYork,Flaggisbestknownforhis
commanderorhisexecutiveofficer.Eachcommandingofficerandexecutivedidnotknow
imageofUncleSampointingoutoftheposter'IWant
which ofthe listshewould takecharge ofuntil Holland had made hispersonal decision.
YouforUSArmy'thatwasusedinbothworldwars.In
Consequently,the5th Marineswasdividedtoformthecoreofthe7th Marines,whilethe
factFlagg,acommercialartist,creatednearly50
2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, was formed from the pre-existing 1st Battalion. Alittle
worksinsupportoftheUSwareffortduringWorld
while later, the process was repeated but this time with three lists for each unit and
WarI- including'TellthattotheMarines!'
depictingasuitedNewYorkerreactingtotheheadline, omittingthethreemostseniorofficersineach.Thuseach unitprovidedathirdofthemen
'Hunskillwomenandchildren!'.TRHPictures foranewunit.The5th and 7th Marines,forexample,eachsurrendered menthatformed
the basisofanewregiment,the 1stMarines,which
wasactivatedon 1February1941.Onthe12th,the
brigade was formerly redesignated as the 1st
MarineDivisionon boardthebattleship Texaswhile
itsmen were headingforthe islandofCulebra,part
ofPuerto Rica,totake partin manoeuvres.
LINEAGE AND HONOURS
The unitsthatmadeupthebulkofthenewdivision
had seen service before in some form. The 1st
Marine Regiment had had many guises, with
several units having enjoyed the title,'often at
similar times. However, the unit commonly
recognized as the regiment's antecedent was
activated at Philadelphia on 27 November 1913
butinitiallyborethedesignation2ndAdvanceBase
Regiment, a title that it held until 1 July 1916,
when it was redesignated the 1st Regiment of
Marines. In its earlier years the unit was primarily
involved in the Caribbean and Central America. In
April 1914, it took part in the occupation ofVera
Cruz following the Mexican government's arrest of
US sailors. During 1915 and 1916, the regiment
was in action in Haiti against local rebels
threatening the country's economy and extensive
US business interests. The 1st Marines scored a
notablevictoryoverthe local Cacosinsurgentswith
the capture of Fort Riviere on 17 November1915.
In April 1916, the regiment moved to the
neighbouring Dominican Republic, where internal
unrest was again undermining US business
interests. Nevertheless,as with otherUS unitsafter
World War I, the 1st Marines had a chequered
history for much of the interwar era.There were
8
ORIGINS & HISTORY
periods of service followed by deactivation and
reactivation. On 10 July 1930 the regiment received its
permanent designation of 1st Marines as part of a
wholesale reordering of the Marine Corps but was
disbandedon 1November1931,although anumberofits
troops joined the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, which was
renamed the 1st Separate Training Battalion on
1November1932.Anactual 1stMarineswould notappear
again until February 1941.
The 5th Marine Regiment, nicknamed as the 'Fighting
Fifth', first saw service during the occupation ofVera Cruz
in July 1914 but soon returned home to the Philadelphia
NavalYard and was then deactivated, with its men sentto
other units. US entry into World War I led to a vast
expansion programme and the regiment was reactivated
shortly before the declaration of war on 6April 1917. It
sailed for Europe on the USS Henderson on the 27th and
formed partofthe4th MarineBrigade,which wasattached
to the Second Army of General John Pershing's American
Expeditionary Force (AEF).The regiment's first main engagement came during the Above:GermantrenchmortarcapturedbyUSMarines
Battle of BelleauWood in June 1918.Tasked with helping to blunt aGerman drive on of2ndBattalion,5thRegimentatBelleauWood.The
Paris by holding the line ofthe Marne River, the 2nd Division, commanded by Major 'DevilDogs'arejustlyproudofthisaction,for
althoughitissometimesseenas'aninconsequential
General Lejeune and containing the 5th Marines, arrived in late May to face major
affair'againstthebiggercanvasofWorldWarI,more
German forces and on 5 June a French colonel suggested retreating in the face of
USMCtroopsfellintheattackonBelleauWoodthan
overwhelming odds.The commanderofthe 5th Marines, ColonelWendell Neville, gave
hadincombatinthewholeoftheunit'shistoryuptill
acurtreplytothesuggestion:'Retreat,hell.Wejustgothere.'On thefollowing daythe
then.ThefinalcostwasaroundhalftheMarineforce.
5th MarineRegimentattacked onthe righttowardsthe villageofTorcyand was ableto
TheactionhadstoppedtheGermanattacktowards
take Hill 142 by 12.00 hours, butthe Germans hung on to many positions.The battle Parisand,quitepossibly,savedthedayfortheAllies.
forthe heavilydefended and shell-blasted wood continued forthe nextfew weeks.The Inrecognitionoftheirprowessthewoodwasrenamed
marines were withdrawn from the action on the 15th but returned to complete its BoisdelaBrigadedeMarine.TRHPictures
occupation on the evening ofthe 21st-22nd.The troops ofthe 13,500-strong brigade
had suffered some 5,700 casualties during the battle, but had been christened 'Devil
Dogs'bythe Germans because oftheirfighting prowess.
Themarinescontinuedto playacentral role intheAEF'scampaignsontheWestern
Front. In July and August the regiment took part in the successful Allied Aisne-Marne
counter-offensive,which eradicatedabulgeinthelinebetween Soissonsand Reims.The
regiment next participated in the St Mihiel offensive,the first large-scale US attack of
the war, to the south-east ofVerdun. In four days, 12-16 September, alarge German
salient was eliminated.The 2nd Division, part ofthe US ICorps, was stationed on the
far right of the bulge and made excellent progress, bypassing the supposedly
impregnable high ground of Mont Sec as the Germans continued an ongoing
withdrawal.The regiment's final attacks of the war were during the Meuse-Argonne
operation launchedonthe26th.Afterdaysofbitterfightingtobreakthrough successive
linesofGermandefencestheadvanceboggeddownandhadtobereorganized.The2nd
Division was moved to support the French Fourth Army during its attacks on the
formidable MontBlancposition.The advance opened on the morning of 1Octoberand
the 5th Marines stormed Mont Blanc's left flank, overran many German positions and
completed the occupation of the supposedly impregnable area on 4 October. After a
spell in reserve,the2nd Division returned tothe lineon the 17thforthefinal stagesof
theoffensive,adriveon Sedan.Inthefaceofcrumbling German resistance,thedivision
stormedtheBarricourtheightson 1November,andthearmisticefollowed 10dayslater.
9