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THE PACIFIC BATTLEGROUND
Sand, brutal heat, clinging humidity, every sort of insect -- Marines encountered all these, and much more, in the Pacific campaigns of World War II. Before the war, Americans got their impressions of the Pacific islands from the Bob Hope & Bing Crosby Road pictures, or from the pages of the National Geographic. Most people imagined balmy tropical breezes, swaying palm trees, and beautiful sandy beaches. The reality of life in the Pacific was altogether different for Marines at war.
In addition to a tough and determined enemy, Marines had to fight against Mother Nature. Across thousands of miles of ocean, they encountered an incredible variety of terrain and climate. From the tropical rain forests of the Solomon Islands to the hellish volcanic wasteland of Iwo Jima, the Pacific battleground itself was a formidable foe. Marines learned to cope with blistering heat, drenching monsoon rains, and landscapes as rugged as any on earth.
In some parts of the Pacific, thick tropical jungles covered the land that Marines fought across. In the South Pacific, Marines quickly learned that the postcard-like views hid mud, rotting vegetation, sluggish jungle streams, and an ever-present hoard of malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
When Marines first landed on Guadalcanal on August 7th, 1942, many were struck by how serene the island appeared from the decks of their troopships. The mist lush green, mist covered hills looked like pictures in a travelogue. But on landing, they discovered a landscape so alien; it may as well have been on the moon. Some Marines quipped that the moon would have been preferable to the 'canal, since in outer space, at least the nights were cool. As Marines moved up the ladder in the Solomons, they encountered one tropical hellhole after another. Each island presented its own challenges to men trying to fight and survive in combat. Temperatures hovered near 100 degrees in the afternoon and the high humidity made it impossible to drink enough water. Fungal infections took hold and personal hygiene went out the window in the front lines. During monsoon season, uniforms and leather simply rotted off Marines' bodies. In New Britain on the island of New Guinea, the 1st Marine Division landed in one of the most primitive landscapes on earth. In a notable incident in January 1944, falling trees killed several Marines in the division during a heavy windstorm. Under the thick jungle canopy, daytime became dusk and the nights were as dark as a closet. Marines quickly learned to button-up in their fighting holes after dusk. Anyone foolish or brave enough to wander above ground after nightfall risked being shot by a sentry. In the Central Pacific, Marines fought on islands large and small. Here they encountered soft sand, jagged coral, and oddly enough, water shortages. Blistering heat and high humidity was an ever-present enemy. The 2nd Marine Division assaulted Tarawa in November 1943. On an island of only one square mile, 8,000 Marines and 4,000 Japanese defenders were locked in mortal combat for three days. It was a charnel house of dust, noise and smoke.
In 1944 the island hopping campaign brought American forces into the Marshall and Mariana groups. Marines fought against bitter resistance on Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and on other islands. Each of these locales presented unique challenges, but they were uniformly hot and humid with steep, jungle-clad hills. Now Marines not only had to cope with the tropical wilderness, but also fighting in towns. The island of Peleliu, assaulted in September 1944, presented a special kind of hell to the Marines who fought there. On this equatorial hell scape, they clawed forward across sun-blasted coral ridges that were denuded of vegetation. Yard by yard, the infantry fought against a completely hidden enemy bent on death. Commanders expected this campaign to last for three days. Instead, it stretched for over two months and burned out an entire Marine division in the process.
As the Marines moved nearer to the Japanese home islands, they encountered islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Here they found a more temperate climate than in the South Pacific. These rugged volcanic islands were well prepared killing grounds where Marines fought in some of the most severe combat in U.S. history. On Iwo Jima, Marines fought on some of the most desolate real estate on earth. With no sources of fresh water, the island was a smoking pile of volcanic slag left over from the eruption of the extinct volcano, Mount Suribachi. The enemy defenders had mined and reinforced the island itself into a gigantic fortress and many Marines who fought there would never see a live Japanese soldier.
In the final major campaign of the war, Marines on Okinawa fought in combat so grinding and endless, it was more like the First World War than the Second. Under incessant rain and enemy artillery fire, they struggled through bottomless mud and death. Maggots, flies and roaches infested the land and each day was a struggle just to survive. Everywhere in the Pacific, the Japanese were experts at blending natural obstacles with man-made fortifications. They used coral, coconut logs, concrete and sand to produce masterful defensive works. These could only be reduced through sound Marines tactics, and incredible bravery. In the daily battle for survival, tropical diseases could be as dangerous as the Japanese. Malaria, Dengue fever, rampant fungal infections, and dysentery sucked the energy and life from thousands of victims. Also, flies, sand crabs, and bloodthirsty insects of every sort were a part of life on the Pacific battlefields. Corpsmen worked under primitive conditions to care for their Marines and the fight against disease and sickness was just as critical as the battles themselves.
No matter where they served in the far-flung Pacific expanses, World War II Gyrenes made the best of often-terrible situations. With American know-how, they learned the lessons on how to survive and win against a determined enemy in a harsh environment.
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This site is owned & maintained by Mark Flowers, copyright 2004, all rights reserved.
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The Pacific battleground as seen by Marines in combat. Blasted palm trees, smoke rising into the air and wispy clouds. still image from USMC combat camera film 
