| Show A For Years U. U S. S Marines Have Been Fighting Their Country's Battles on Land and on the Sea I A IX XI Jt M 5 Anniversary Finds Corps ors in ill Forefront Of War Against laps Japs a s The United States marine celebrates its anniversary anni anni- this November without pause and with no fan fan- fare are re For the relatively small marine corps this has been a arear Tear rear of herculean tasks never before equalled in the long and history of the corps Over thousands of miles of Pacific cean Leathernecks have leapfrogged leap leap- to within range bomber-range jf f Japan itself Behind them lay laythe laythe the llie heaviest marine casualties In history history but but small when weighed beside one of the greatest great great- est military sagas ever written within a period of twelve months Since November last marines marines marines ma ma- rines have advanced the front fronton on Japan by at least three thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand miles all the most difficult kind of amphibious operations against an enemy who did not know how to surrender except In death on the point of a marine marine marine ma ma- rine bayonet Since the year 1775 when Capt Robert Mullin recruited the first marines in the Tun Tavern at Philadelphia Philadelphia Phila Phila- delphia elphia Leathernecks have expected expected expected ex ex- ex- ex as their share the hardest type of fighting The first two battalions battalions bat bat- of marines were promised nothing Clothing more than six sue dollars a month a liberal daily ration of rum and plenty of action For the thelast thelast last ast years Leathernecks have teen leen action in virtually every orner of the world In the War Var of Independence the born now marines served creditably in n land and sea Their first recorded was a raid on New Provi- Provi lence in the Bahamas A detach- detach nent fought with Washington in the Battle of Princeton and in the sec- sec nd md Battle of Trenton Marines were ilso present for the historic cross- cross ng of the Delaware and were part f the force that surprised the Hessian Hes- Hes iian sian garrison on Christmas Eve 1776 Among their earlier admirers Nas was John Paul Jones who saw them n action and openly spoke his ad ad- nira tion Reorganized In 1798 With the coming of peace the marines were disbanded not to be formed ormed again until 1798 It was seven fears years later that they set out on their first overseas venture venture- venture venture-an an n operation operation opera opera- tion don that was later to be recorded tn In the Marine Corps hymn This shores of Tripoli was made nade notable by Lieutenant OBan aon lon who led seven marines and a handful of natives in one of the most faring laring raids in military history Always A v lw busy the Vio Y VP 1 ear 1 1812 found J J J AA U marines in action again agai They fought tn in many engagements from Lake Erie with Commodore Perry to New with Andrew Jackson It was Nas remarked even in those days that hat such a numbering small force numbering force numbering scarcely more than a thousand could fight so effectively on so many fronts The marines were still a very small mall force when they went into action in 1845 in the War with to 0 o. o But despite their n numbers they look took a major role in the attack on the he Fortress of Chapultepec and Joining with a small force under Ulysses S. S Grant marched to the gates of Mexico City For the next 50 years the marines were relatively idle They played an occasional part in restoring order in Central America but they didn't get Into action on a serious scale again until anti the Spanish-American Spanish war In Inthis Inthis this contest they struck the first blows for American arms they won the Ute first victories they electrified the nation with their skill and dar dar- ing ng Rarely has such a small group sf f fighting men received so many decorations for valor At Front in World War Var I. I World War Var I also demonstrated the high percentage of individual marine narine heroism One thousand six undred and sixty eight marines received re re- awards despite the fact the marine corps was still a relatively small mall organization The first Amerian Ameri- Ameri an to win the Congressional Medal f Honor was a marine marine Gunnery Gunnery Charles F. F Hoffman who silenced five enemy machine guns tn In Belleau Wood Typical of marine spirit was this report a a. a m m. m- m Four tour officers and 78 prisoners arrived ar rived lived at brigade headquarters headquarter s brought rought in in by Marine Private Privat e Leonard to whom they surrendered d n i 1 the Bois d de Belleau Marines entered World War II o ohe or n he firing line Send us more Japs Jl wired red the beleaguered marines o or n r f SoA H a w M i t tL L r t wr q A weary machine gunner carries his gun on his shoulder and his rifle in his hand as he trudges along a soggy trail on New Britain island Another Marine slogs along behind him with a can ean of lubricating oil oilin oilin oilin in each hand while a jeep bounces past Marine l units made their first landing on New Britain on Christmas 1943 It took many bitter weeks to clean out the Japs Wake Island On Bataan they fought with equal courage At Midway they helped stem a major enemy in in- Then on August 7 1942 they were again chosen by their country to spearhead an offensive Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadal Guadal- canal was the first offensive blow struck by the Allies against Japan First Division marines fought ashore carrying with them the hopes and nd prayers of the entire civilized civilized civilized civil civil- world Leathernecks recently returned from overseas often debate the relative relative relative rela rela- tive fierceness of the battles in hi which they have engaged the enemy All admit that Guadalcanal rates with the toughest For weeks the marines fought on short rations and with the enemy fleet and air force in almost almost al- al most mn t constant con attendance When the n marines finally moved out for a rest they had secured the first to toehold on the Japanese perimeter of defense Bougainville Makin New Georgia followed Then came Tarawa Here the marine corps fought its costliest battle Moving in on the shattered island the morning of November 20 1943 marines found the preliminary shelling had failed to dislodge the Japanese The first 24 hours hous saw the marines clinging to a beachhead yards long and 10 yards deep Surmounting Surmounting Surmounting Sur Sur- mounting almost certain catastrophe catastrophe catastrophe catas catas- the marines rallied the second day to drive inland By the third day they had completely secured secured secured se se- cured the island Leap to Marshalls MarshaUs Moving northward the marines next invaded the Marshall Islands meeting with less resistance because because because be be- cause they had learned at Tarawa to land on flanking islands before assaulting the enemy's main main ions Marines in this period also were fighting on New Britain Island Cape Gl Gloucester standing as their chief campaign But they soon withdrew withdrew withdrew with with- drew from this theater Weeks passed before the marines struck again This time they leaped f Fr o i 1 1 1 wt i 51 1 1 f f f fn vf v 41 th ILL VIlI lI e Marshalls to the Marianas This the world realized was a blow to the Japanese stomach for would bring U. U S. S bombers within range of Japan proper The ensuing battle was waged on onland onland land sea and air air The Japanese Japanese Japanese Japa Japa- nese fleet drawn out to meet this threat was turned back by long long- range carrier based bombers Ashore the Second and Fourth marines aided by an army division ran into even harder fighting than they had met at Tarawa a large island with mountains posed an entirely new kind of tactical problem problem lem to marines But versatile as ever they soon had secured their beachhead and were moving across the island The enemy fought to a suicidal end at Even the native native native na na- tive population joined in the battle and when they saw their cause was lost leaped into the sea Tinian and Guam followed soon after In taking re-taking Guam the Leathernecks evened the score forthe for forthe forthe the marine garrison which was overwhelmed on that island at the outbreak of war J This series of successes successes Tinian Guam Guam caused caused an upset in inthe inthe inthe the Japanese government and led to toa toa a bad fright for Tokio The J Japs aps were not given much pause to swallow low the implications of these vic vic- tories The marines struck next at Pelchu in in the Palau group The Japs quickly saw that this was a ablow 1 blow aimed at the Philippines Thus the Japanese tide of conquest conquest conquest con con- quest ebbed The past year has taught the Jap to dread the marine In one important operation the fact that marines were involved was withheld as information of value to the enemy The enemy who learned his lesson from the Leathernecks on Guadalcanal now may agree with Allied observers that the United States marine is the most superb fighting man in the world I |
