Opening moves : Marines gear up for war

28 Pages·6.275 MB·English

by  Henry I Shaw, United States. Marine Corps. History and Museums Division

The Eve of War
by Henry J. Shaw, Jr.
n 1 September 1939, enemy dominated the Far East. In
German armored September 1940, Japan became the
columns and attack third member, with Germany and
— aircraft crossed the Italy, of the Axis powers. Japan had
Polish border on a broad front and pursued its own program of expan-
World War II began. Within days, sion in China and elsewhere in the
most of Europe was deeply involved 1930s which directly challenged
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 308342
in the conflict as nations took sides America's interests. Here too, in the MajGen John A. Lejeune, 13th Com-
for and against Germany and it s Pacific arena, the neutral United mandant of the Marine Corps, led the
leader, Adolph Hitler, according to States was moving toward actions, Corps in the 1920s, steadfastly empha-
their history, alliances, and self - political and economic, that could sizing the expeditionary role of Marines.
interest. Soviet Russia, a natural ene- lead to a clash with Japan . ships throughout the world. Marine
my of Germany's eastward expan - In this hectic world atmosphere, aviation squadrons — all Marine pi-
sion, became a wary partner in America began to build its military lots were naval aviators and many
Poland's quick defeat and subsequent strength. Shortly before Germany at- were carrier qualified — reinforced the,
partition in order to maintain a tacked Poland, at mid-year 1939, th e Navy's air arm.
buffer zone against the German ad- number of active duty servicemen Two decades of air and ground
vance. Inevitably, however, after Ger- stood at 333,473: 188,839 in the campaigns in the Caribbean and
man successes in the west and the fall Army, 125,202 in the Navy, and Central America, the era of th e
of France, Holland, and Belgium, in 19,432 in the Marine Corps. A year "banana wars;' had ended in 1934
1940, Hitler attacked Russia, in 1941. later, the overall strength was 458,365 when the last Marines withdrew
In the United States, a week after and the number of Marines was from Nicaragua, having policed the
the fighting in Poland started, Presi- 28,345. By early summer of 1941, the election of a new government. With
dent Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Army had 1,801,101 soldiers on ac- their departure, enough men became
a limited national emergency, a move tive duty, many of them National available to have meaningful fleet
which, among other measures, Guardsmen and Reservists, but mos t landing exercises (FLEXs) which test-
authorized the recall to active dut y of them men enlisted after Congress ed doctrine, troops, and equipment
of retired Armed Forces regulars. authorized a peacetime draft. The in partnership with the Navy. And
Even before this declaration, in keep- Navy, also augmented'by the recall the doctrine tested was both new and
ing with the temper of the times, the of Reservists, had 269,023 men on its important.
President also stated that the coun- active rolls. There were 54,359 Ma- Throughout the 1920s, when
try would remain neutral in the new rines serving on 1 July 1941, all the Major General Commandant John
European war. During the next two Reservists available and a steadily in- A. Lejeune led the Corps, the dough-
years, however, the United States in- creasing number of volunteers. ty World War I commander of, brief-
creasingly shifted from a stance o f Neither the Navy nor the Marin e ly, the renowned 4th Marine
public neutrality to one of prepara- Corps had need for the draft to fil l
Brigade, and then its parent 2d In-
tion for possible war and quite open their ranks. fantry Division, had steadfastly em-
support of the beleaguered nations
The Marine Corps that grew in phasized the expeditionary role of
allied against Germany.
strength during 1939-41 was a Serv- Marines. Speaking to the students
America could not concentrate its
ice oriented toward amphibious oper- and faculty of the Naval War College
attention on Europe alone in those
ations and expeditionary duty. It also in 1923, Lejeune said: "The main-
eventful years, for another potential
had a strong commitment to the tenance, equipping, and training of
Navy beyond its amphibi- its expeditionary force so it will be
Department of Defense Photo (USN) 58920
ous/expeditionary role as it provid- in instant readiness to support the
U.S. Marines go ashore from Navy
motor-sailers in the prewar era before the ed Marine detachments to guard Fleet in the event of War, I deem to
advent of Andrew Higgins' landing craft. naval bases and on board capital be the most important Marine Corps
fortunately died after serving little
more than a year (19291930) as
Commandant, but his successors,
Fuller (1930-1934) and Russell
(1934-1936), both served to age 64 ,
then the mandatory retirement age
for senior officers. All of these Com-
mandants, as Lejeune, were gradu-
ates of the U.S. Naval Academy at
Annapolis and had served two years
as naval cadets on board warships af-
ter graduation and before accepting
commissions as Marine second lieu-
tenants. As a consequence, their un-
derstanding of the Navy was
pervasive as was their conviction tha t
the Marine Corps and the Navy were
inseparable partners in amphibious
operations. In this instance, the An-
Marine Corps Historical Collection
napolis tie of the Navy and Marine
Marines bring ashore a disassembled 75mm pack howitzer . The pack howitze r
replaced the French 75, which had served Marine artillery from World War 1 . Corps senior leaders, for virtually all
admirals of the time were Naval
duty in time of peace' But the de- as inadequate. All sorts of deficien-
Academy classmates, was beneficia l
mands of that same expeditionary cies existed, in amphibious purpose,
to the Corps.
duty, with Marines deployed in the in shipping, in landing craft, in the
As his term as Commandant came
Caribbean, in Central America, in areas of air and naval gunfire sup-
to a close Ben Fuller was able to ef-
the Philippines, and in China port, and particularly in the metho-
fect a far-reaching change that Joh n
stretched the Corps thin . dology and logistics of the highly
Russell was to carry further into ex-
Existing doctrine for amphibious complicated ship-to-shore movement
ecution. In December 1933, with the
operations, both in assault and of troops and their supplies once
approval of the Secretary of the
defense, the focal point of wartime ashore. The men who succeeded
Navy, Fuller redesignated the exist-
service by Marines, was recognized Lejeune as Major General Comman-
ing Marine expeditionary forces on
MajGen Wendell C. Neville, 14th Com- dant upon his retirement after two
both coasts as the Fleet Marine Force
mandant of the Marine Corps, died after terms in office (eight years) at th e
(FMF) to be a type command of the
serving little more than a yearin office. Corps' helm, Wendell C. "Buck"
U.S. Fleet. Building on the infantry-
Neville shared Weune 's determinatio n Neville, also a wartime commander
that the Marine Corpshave a meaning- of the 4th Marine Brigade, Ben M. MajGen Ben C. Fuller, Neville's successor
ful role as an amphibious force trained Fuller, who commanded a brigade in in 1930, found new roles and missions
for expeditionary use by the Navy. Santo Domingo during the war, and for the Corps as 15th Commandant.
Department of Defense Photo (USMO 303062 John H. Russell, Jr., a brigade com- Marine Coms Historical Collection
mander in Haiti who then became
Americas High Commissioner in that
country for eight years, all shared
Lejeunes determination that the Ma-
rine Corps would have a meaning-
ful role as an amphibious force
trained for expeditionary use by the
Navy. Each man left his own mark
upon the Corps in an era of reduce d
appropriations and manpower as a
result of the Depression that plagued
the United States during their tenure.
Neville, who had been awarded
the Medal of Honor for his part in
the fighting at Vera Cruz in 1914, un--
0
and the students and faculty, includ-
ing a sprinkling of Navy officers,
were directed to concentrate their ef-
forts on developing a detailed manu -
al which would provide the guidance
for the conduct of amphibious oper-
ations. The decision was not purely
a Marine Corps one, since Quantico
and the staff of the Naval War Col-
lege at Newport, Rhode Island, had
been exchanging ideas on the subject
for more than a decade. All naval
planners knew that the execution o f
the contingency operations they en-
visioned worldwide would be flawed
if the United States did not have ade-
quate transport and cargo shipping,
appropriate and sufficient landing
craft, or trained amphibious assault
troops. But the Quantico working
Marine Corps Historical Collection Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 528648
The 16th Commandant of the Marine group, headed by Colonel Ellis B. MajGen Holland M. Smith, Command-
Corps, MajGen John H. Russell, was a Miller, proceeded on the assumption ing General, Amphibious Force, Atlantic
graduate of the Naval Academy, as that all these would be forthcoming. Fleet observes landing operations with
Lejeune, Neville, and Fuller before him, They developed operating theories his aide, Capt Victor H. Krulak, at Fort
and close to Navy leaders because of based on their experience and their Story, Virginia, in the winter of 1941 .
their mutual Academy experiences . hopes which could be refined by it became the bible for the conduc t
men of the 5th Marines at Quantico practice. They formulated answers to of American amphibious operations
and those of the 6th Marines at San thorny questions of command rela- in World War II. In 1941 the Army
Diego, two brigades came into being tionships, they looked at naval gun- published FTR167 as Field Manual
which were the precursors of the 1st fire and air support problems and 31-5 to guide its growing force of
and 2d Marine Divisions of World provided solutions, they addressed soldiers, most of whom would train
War II. In keeping with the times, the ship-to-shore movement of for and take part in amphibious
Commandant Russell could point out troops and developed unloading, operations completely unaware of
the next year that he had only 3,000 boat control, and landing proce- the Marine Corps influence on their
Marines available to man the FMF, dures, and they decided on beach activities. Truly, the handful of Ma-
but the situation would improve as party and shore party methods to rine and Navy officers at Quantico
Marines returned from overseas control the unloading of supplies on in 1933-34 had revolutionized the
stations. the beaches. In January 1934, a truly conduct of amphibious warfare.
seminal document in the history of Despite the fiscal constraints of the
The slowly building brigades and
amphibious warfare was completed Depression, the number and variety
their attendant squadrons of Marine
and the "Tentative Manual for Land- of naval ships devoted to amphibi-
aircraft, the only American troop s
ing Operations" was published by the ous purposes gradually increased in
with combat and expeditionary ex-
Marine Corps. In the years that fol- the 1930s. As the threat of American
perience beyond the trenches and
lowed, as fleet landing exercises re- involvement in the war also grew
battlefields of France, came into be-
fined procedures, as the hoped-for stronger, vastly increased funds were
ing in a climate of change from the
improved shipping and landing craft made available for the Navy, the
"old ways" of performing their mis-
gradually appeared, and as increas- country's "first line of defense," and
sion. At the Marine base at Quanti-
ing numbers of seamen and assault specialized transport and cargo ships
co, Virginia, also the home of
troops were trained in amphibious appeared. These were tested and
advanced officer training for the
landing techniques, the Quantico modified and became an increasing
Corps, a profound event had taken
manual was reworked and expand- factor in the FLEXs which took place
place in November 1933 that would
ed, but its core of innovative think- every year from 1935 on, usually
alter the course of the war to come .
ing remained. In 1938 the Navy with practice landings at Culebra and
That month, all classes of the Ma- promulgated the evolved manual as Vieques Islands off Puerto Rico in the
rine Corps Schools were suspended Fleet Training Publication (FTP) 167; Atlantic Ocean, at San Clemente Is-
after its inventor, Andrew Higgins,
who developed a boat of shallow
draft that could reach the beach in
three to four feet of water, land a n
infantry platoon, and then retract to
return for another load. First used on
an experimental basis in FLEX 5
(1938) at Culebra, it won its way over
rivals and was adopted as the stan-
dard personnel landing craft by 1940.
In its initial hundreds the Higgins
boat had a sloping bow that required
of its passengers an over-the-side agil-
ity after it grounded. In 1941, a ver-
sion, most familiar to World War II
veterans, was introduced which had
a bow ramp which allowed men and
vehicles to exit onto a beach or at
least into knee-high, not neck-high
water. This was the 36-foot Landing
Craft, Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP)
which was fitted to the boat davit s
on every amphibious transport and
Department of Defense Photo (USN) 73812 cargo vessel. Its companion boat, the
The design of this Higgins landing craft, loaded with a military truck, shown her e
50-foot, ramped Landing Craft,
in May 1941, served as the basis for the landing craft, vehicle and personnel (LCVP) .
Mechanized (LCM), also a develop-
land off the southern California ful memory, was "you grounded out ment of Andrew Higgins, provided
coast, and in the Hawaiian Islands. somewhere 50 yards from the beach the means for landing tanks, artillery,
While the number of "big" am- and jumped in. Sometimes your hat and heavy vehicles.
phibious ships, transports and cargo floated and sometimes you made it ." The variety of landing craft that
vessels, slowly grew in number, the The landing craft that changed this eventually evolved, and the tasks to
small boat Navy of amphibious land- picture was the Higgins boat, named which they were put, was limited
ing craft similarly evolved and in-
"Wet" landing net training was conducted for 1st Division Marines off the Intra-
creased. They were vital to the
coastal Waterway at Marine Barracks, New River. Note different landing craft used
success of landing operations, a in the exercise. These Marines soon would be descending the nets at Guadalcanal.
means to get assault troops ashore
Sketch by Vernon H. Bailey, Navy Art Collection
swiftly and surely. For most Marines
of the era, there are memories o f
ships' launches, lighters, and ex-
perimental boats of all sorts tha t
brought them to the beach, or at leas t
to the first sandbar or reef offshore .
Rolling over the side of a boat and
wading through the surf was a com-
mon experience. One future Com-
mandant, then a lieutenant, recalled
making a practice landing on Maui
in the Hawaiian Islands as his unit
returned from expeditionary duty in
China in 1938. He described the
landing as "one of those old timers"
made in "these damned motor
launches, you know, with a "row
and everything—never made for a
landing." The result, he said in color-
0
Roebling Alligator Amphibian Tracto r
eveloped and, in part, financed by its inventor, ther tests under service conditions:' This request was turned
Donald Roebling, the Alligator amphibian tractor down by the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair
is the predecessor of every Landing Vehicle , due to limited funding.
Tracked (LVT) in the world. The story of the Roebling am- In the fall of that year, the new President of the Marine
phibian tractor starts with the devastating hurricanes which Corps Equipment Board, Brigadier General Emile P. Moses,
struck southern Florida in 1926, 1928, and 1932 . Donald and Kaluf's replacement as Secretary, Major Ernest E . Lin-
Roebling's father, financier John A. Roebling, had witnessed sert, made a visit to Clearwater which would become a
the loss of life brought about by these storms in the swampy turning point in the development of the amphibian trac-
areas of the Okeechobee region. Spurred by a challenge tor. It was during this visit that General Moses persuaded
from his father to use his engineering talents to design and Roebling to design a new Alligator which would incorporate
develop a vehicle "that would bridge the gap between where a number of improvements. The fact that the Marine Corps
a boat is grounded and a car is flooded out," Donald Roe- did not have any available funds at this time forced Roe-
bling, the grandson of the designer and builder of th e bling to come up with most of the $18,000 required to fabri-
Brooklyn Bridge, started work on his Alligator amphibi- cate this vehicle from his own pocket. Construction on this
an tractor in early 1933. new Alligator was completed in May 1940.
Roebling and his staff completed their first model Alli-
gator in early 1935. It used aluminum, a comparatively new The development of the amphibian tractor, or LVT,
and unproven material, in the construction of the hull t o which began in the middle 1930s provided the solution and
reduce weight and increase buoyancy. It was propelled on was one of the most important modern technical contri-
land and water by paddle-tread tracks and was then pow- butions to ship-to-shore operations. Without these land-
ered by a Chrysler 92-horsepower industrial engine. This ing vehicles our amphibious offensive in the Pacific woul d
first model was then modified and upgraded so extensive- have been impossible.
ly that it is generally referred to as the second model Alli- Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, USMC
gator. This second Alligator had improved tracks with
built-in roller bearings which rode in specially designed steel With the political and military situation in Europe and
channels which eliminated the need for idler and bogie Asia worsening, military appropriations from Congress im-
wheels to support the tracks, as were used on most tracto r proved and the Navy's Bureau of Ships was able to fun d
and tank designs. a $20,000 contract with Roebling for the construction o f
In 1937, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Edward C . Kalbfus, a new test vehicle. It was almost identical to 'Alligator 3,"
Commander, Battleships, U.S. Pacific Fleet, showed Major but was powered by a 120-horsepower Lincoln-Zephyr en-
General Louis McCarty Little, Commanding General, Flee t gine. This Alligator was completed in October 1940, and
Marine Force, an article on Roebling's amphibian tractor was tested at Quantico, Virginia, and later in the Caribbe-
in the October 4th issue ofLife magazine. In turn, General an. While the testing of this fourth Alligator revealed some
Little forwarded the article to the Commandant of the Ma- deficiencies, the general design was deemed a success . The
rine Corps. In March 1938, Major John Kaluf of the Equip- tractor was redesigned using a welded steel hull and incor-
ment Board at Quantico was dispatched to Clearwater, porating many of the recommendations of the test team .
Florida, with orders to investigate the military potential of A contract was then let by the Navy for 100 LVT-ls. The
the Roebling Alligator. Major Kaluf returned a favorable first of these production LVTs would roll off the Foo d
report and in May 1938 the Commandant of the Marine Machinery Corporations (FMC) assembly line in July 1941.
Corps requested that a "pilot model" be purchased for "fur- —Anthony Wayne Tommell
only by the ingenuity of those who Innovations in amphibious ship- steady stream of American observ-
planned their uses and the seaman- ping and landing craft in the late 30s ers, largely unheralded to the public,
ship of the sailors who manned and early 40s were not solely based visited Britain and British and Allied
them. But for most prewar Marines, on American concepts. With the ex- forces in the field during 1940-41 to
the memories of practice landings ception of the LVT, most amphibious learn what they could of such new
featured the rampless Higgins boat, craft developments and certainly am- warfare innovations as radar, pi-
various tank lighters which made phibious shipping developments oneered by the British; to see how an-
each beach approach an adventure , were influenced by British concepts, tiaircraft defenses were operating ; to
and all sorts of "make do" craft of requirements, and experience . learn what constant air raids and bat-
earlier years which were ill suited for Although officially neutral in the tles could teach; and to see how Bri-
surf or heavy seas. fighting at sea in the Atlantic and tain's land forces were preparing fo r
One amphibious craft develop- their eventual return to Europe. The
ment of the prewar years, equal in its Marine Corps Commandant, Major
impact on amphibious landings to General Thomas Holcomb, made
the LCVP and the LCM, was the sure that his officers played a strong
tracked landing vehicle, the LVT. De- part in this learning process from the
veloped in the late 1930s by Donald British.
Roebling for use as a rescue vehicle Holcomb, who had ably com-
in the Florida everglades, the LVT, or manded a battalion of the 6th Ma-
the Alligator as it was soon popularly rines in the fighting in France in 1918,
named, could travel over land or had initially been appointed Com-
water using its cupped treads for mandant by President Roosevelt o n
propulsion. The stories of the "dis- 1 December 1936. After serving with
covery" of Roebling's invention and distinction through the European
of its subsequent testing and develop- outbreak of World War II and the
ment are legion. It proved to have an Corps' initial war-related buildup, he
invaluable capability, not considered was reappointed Major General
in its initial concept; it could cross Commandant by the President for a
coral reefs, and coral reefs fringed the second four-year term on 1 Decem-
beaches of most Pacific islands. The Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 12444- B ber 1940. The Commandant, besides
amphibian tractor, or amtrac to its Gen Thomas Holcomb, 17th Comman- being a dedicated Marine who cham-
users, was a natural weapon for Ma- dant of the Marine Corps, was a deco- pioned the Corps during trying
rines and there was hardly a whisper rated World War I combat leader. From times, was also an astute player of
of opposition to its adoption. When 1936, when he became Commandant, to the Washington game. A respected
December 1943, when he retired, he
the first production LVTs rolled off colleague and friend of the admirals
guided the Corps and led it into war.
Roebling's assembly line at his plant who commanded the Navy, Hol-
at Clearwater, Florida, in July 1941, ashore in Europe, the United States comb was equally at ease and a
there was already a detachment of was in fact deeply involved in sup- friend to the politicians who con-
Marines at nearby Dunedin learning porting the embattled British. For a trolled the military budget. He un-
to drive and maintain the new trac- long period in 1940-41, the Marine derstood the President's deter-
tors and to develop tactics for their Corps was concerned in this effort , mination to see Great Britain survive,
effective use. and to the troops in training, partic- as well as his admiration of the Brit-
In the new Marine divisions then ularly those on the east coast, there ish peoples' struggle. Always well
forming on each coast there would was a real question whether they aware of the value of the public im-
be a place for an amtrac battalion . might leave their bases for Europe or age of the Marine Corps as a force
The LVTs were conceived at first as the Pacific. Marine pilots had a "first to fight;" Holcomb at times
a logistics vehicle, a means to carry definite fascination with the exploits yielded to pressures to experiment
troops and supplies onto and inshore of the Royal Air Force in its battles with new concepts and authorize new
of difficult beaches. But no sooner with the German Luftwaffe. types of organizations which would
did the LVTs make their appearance Atlantic Theate r enhance that image. The Marines
in significant numbers than the Because the British had fought the whom he sent to Great Britain were
thought occurred that the tractors Germans since 1939, their combat imbued with the desire to gain
could be armed and that they could know-how and experience in air, knowledge and experience that
have a role as an assault vehicle , land, and sea battles were invalua- would help the Corps get ready for
leading assault waves. ble to the American military. A the war they felt sure was coming .
Department of Defense Photo (USN) 51363
Marines in ships' detachments, such as this one on board the war Navy . Many seagoing Marines were either commissione d
carrier Lexington, served in major combatant ships of the pre- or became senior staff noncommissioned officers in the war .
The British, who shared the view Anything the British had learned on ally would be drawn exclusively from
that the Americans would eventual- air defense control and antiaircraft Royal Marines ranks, raised a natural
ly enter the war on their side, were usage was eagerly absorbed. The favorable response in the American
open and forthcoming in their Marine air observers would note on Marines. Most of the observers were
cooperation. their return that they had dealt with enthusiastic about the command o
In 1941 particularly, the Marine numbers of aircraft and concepts of potential, but at least one U.S. Ma-
observers, ranging in rank from cap - command and control that were not rine senior colonel, Julian C . Smith,
tains to colonels, visited British air remotely like Marine Corps reality, who watched commando exercises at
stations and air control centers, an- but all knew that these numbers of Inverary, Scotland, was not overly
tiaircraft command complexes and aircraft and their control equipment impressed. Smith, who later com-
firing battery sites, and all kinds of were authorized, funded, and manded the 2d Marine Division at
troop formations. The weapons and building. the epic battle for Tarawa, told
equipment being used and the tactics The fascination of the time, General Holcomb that the comman-
and techniques being practiced were although focused on the Battle of Bri- dos "weren't any better than we; that
all of interest. Much of what was tain's aerial defenses, was not only any battalion of Marines could do
seen and reported on was of immedi- with the air war but also with the the job they do:'
ate value to the Americans and saw "elite" troops, the sea-raiding com- For the moment at least, Smith's
enhanced development in the States. mandos, as well as the glider and view was a minority evaluation, one
On the air side, briefings on radar de- parachute forces so ably exploited by not shared, for instance, by comman-
velopments were invaluable, as were the Germans in combat and now a do enthusiast President Roosevelt,
demonstrations of ground control in- prominent part of Britain's army. The and the Marine Corps would see the
tercept practices for night fighters and role of the commandos, who were raising of raider battalions to per-
the use of night fighters themselves. then Army troops but who eventu- form commando-like missions. In
0
similar fashion, and for much the officer who took part in fleet exer- mo," as it was known to all, the
same reasons, Service enthusiasm for cises of early 1941 that "we all cut our brigade's units became the source of
being at the cutting edge and popu- teeth on amphibious operations, ac- all new organizations. Essentially, ex-
lar acclaim of elite formations, the tually not knowing whether we were isting outfits, from battalions
Marine Corps raised parachute bat- going to leave Guantanamo for Eu- through platoons, were split in half.
talions, glider squadrons, and bar- rope or the Pacific:' What the Ma- To insure a equal distribution of ta-
rage balloon squadrons, all of which rines at Guantanamo Bay did know lent as well as numbers, the brigade
were disbanded eventually in the face was that their Cuban base was commander, Brigadier General Hol-
of the realities of the island- bustling with men as mobilized land M. "Howling Mad" Smith,
dominated Pacific theater. They Reservists and new recruits joined. shrewdly had each unit commander
might have served their purpose well And as the necessary men came in, turn in two equal lists, leaving off the
in Europe or North Africa but the the brigade grew in size and abound- commanding officer (CO) and his ex-
Marine Corps' destiny was in the ed with changes of organizations and ecutive officer. As a later combat bat-
Pacific. activations. talion commander of the 5th recalled
Marines of the pre-Pearl Harbo r The 1st Marine Brigade, at first es- the process, when redesignation took
Corps, filled with memories of their sentially one infantry regiment, th e place, "the CO would command one
later battles with the Japanese, are 5th Marines, one artillery battalion, unit, one former exec would become
sometimes prone to forget that Ger- the 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, and CO of the other . . . . But until the
many was as much their potential supporting troops, had moved to split was made and the redesignation
enemy in 1940-41 as Japan. At the Guantanamo from Quantico in the announced, no CO could know
time, many must have felt as did one late fall of 1940 as its FMF units had which half he would command. In
artillery lieutenant and later raider outgrown the Virginia base. At "Git- this manner, the 5th Marines gave
Marines train for war with the Browning .30-caliber, water-cooled, heavy machine gun at Camp Matthews in California.
Painting by Peter Hurd, U.S. Army Center of Military History