MARINE TANKS III. CORAL AND STEEL

In the fall of 1943 the U. S. had virtually sealed off the Japanese bases on Rabaul in the Solomon Islands. The war's focus shifted into the Central Pacific; a wide-ranging battlefield that was next step in the road to Japan. The island hopping campaign swung into high gear as Marines marshaled their forces for the critical battles on islands in the Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas, on Peleliu and other places.

American industry was beginning to supply new equipment and ships to assist Gyrenes. New amphibious vessels such as the Dock Landing Ship and the Tank Landing Ship came down the slipways to join the fleet. Improved tanks, radios, and tank retrievers were integrated into the tank battalions. Also, Marines incorporated the hard won lessons of the South Pacific into their trade craft. All these would be critical in the hard fighting of 1943–44.

In tough battles from North Africa to the South Pacific, American tanks were tested in the ultimate proving ground: war itself. These experiences led to improvements in armor, firepower, mobility, protection, and communications. The early light tanks were found to be wanting in many regards. Their small guns, although effective against Japanese tanks, could not reliably penetrate the enemy's thick defensive barriers. Combat proofing showed that the 75mm gun mounted on the M4 medium tank was a much better and more powerful weapon. But the lines of supply from the US to the Pacific battlefront was long. Added to that was the reality that there were many competing needs in the war. Therefore, the light tanks would still roll into combat through most of 1944.

TOP OF THE SOLOMONS

By this point in the war, the drive up the Solomons chain reached the Japanese bastion of Bougainville. On 1 November 1943, the 3rd Marine Division (reinforced) made an assault landing at Cape Torokina on Bougainville's southern shore. The 3rd Tank Battalion with its Stuart light tanks took part in this operation, which forcefully demonstrated the challenges of armored operations in the rain forests and swamps of the South Pacific islands. An example of this tough obstacle occurred on 14 November 1943 in what later became known as the Battle of the Coconut Grove, a planned attack by 3rd Battalion, 21st Marines supported by light tanks of 2nd Platoon, Company B, 3rd Tank Battalion:

"At 1135 the [preparatory fires] began and at 1155 the attack jumped off according to plan. The enemy, who immediately after the [preparatory fires] had reoccupied their positions, opened fire with rifles and machine guns. At the same time, moreover, several tanks became confused, began to fire into our own troops, and in maneuvering, ran over several men. For a period of five minutes, there was complete loss of control and wild shooting, although no tendency to retreat appeared....After order had been restored...the tanks, less two damaged by enemy antitank weapons, were ordered to return to an assembly area in reserve." (1)

A light tank of 2nd Plt, Co B, 2nd Tank Bn, during the above described action. This tank has lost its right track from a landmine explosion and is waiting for recovery covered by infantrymen of 2nd Bn, 21st Marines. Platoon leader 2ndLt Leon Stanley was killed by the explosion. USMC Photo

AN ISLAND CALLED HELEN

The first major objective in the Central Pacific drive was Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. In November 1943, the 2nd Marine Division assaulted and captured Tarawa in an epic three day struggle. At Tarawa, the Marines hammered the door down against fierce resistance by enemy Special Naval Landing Forces, sometimes called "Japanese Marines." Marine tankers played an important role on Tarawa. Company C, 1st Corps Tank Battalion (Medium) — commanded by 1stLt Ed Bale — was attached to the 2nd Marines Combat Team for the assault. This was the first combat deployment of the M4 medium tank by Marines. Tankers of the 2nd Tank Battalion also served at Tarawa. Company B, 2nd Tank Battalion was attached to the 6th Marines Combat Team. Company C, 2nd Tank Battalion served with the 8th Marines Combat Team.

Colorado, an M4 medium tank of Co C, 1st Corps Medium Tank Bn, on the beachhead at Tarawa, November 1943. Still image from USMC combat camera film

Just getting ashore was a major struggle for tankers at Tarawa. Loaded into LCM's, tanks were for to debark at the edge of the fringing reef and make their way to the beach. Some tanks sank in shell holes and depressions. Others were knocked out by high velocity antitank fire. 1stLt Bale later described the landing:

"The trip to Red Beach One was a madhouse. The floats placed by the recon guides were floating away. The fire from the beach, mostly automatic weapons fire, was intense. The water deepened, threatening the electrical junction boxes secured to the decks of the tanks. Of the six tanks, three arrived at Red beach one in operable condition. the other three ran into bomb craters or the electrical systems went out as the result of salt water entering the vehicles." (2)

Tarawa was a confined and cluttered battleground and tanks operated at close range with the infantry. With no space for flanking maneuvers, tanks performed the work of close support, destroying enemy fortifications, and performing overwatch with their cannons and machine guns. The official history noted this cooperation, and underlined the shortcomings of the M3 Stuart light tank:

"During the morning the attack was supported by three light tanks which maneuvered into positions from which they could deliver almost point-blank fire into the openings of the Japanese pillboxes that were holding up the Marine advance. The enemy positions, however, were far too rugged to be badly damaged by the 37mm guns on these tanks, and the steel and concrete structures had to be reduced by hand-placed bangalore torpedoes and shaped charges." (3)

Immediately after the Gilberts were declared secure, lessons learned there were sent to other units in the Marine Corps. Tarawa served as a validation for the M4 medium tank in the assault role, and showed that light tanks could not reliably knock out Japanese fortifications. The operation also highlighted other important lessons. Tankers needed clear orders on from the infantry commanders on targets, methods of communications with the infantry, coordinating and interlocking fires, and much more. When they had these, they could provide yeoman support. When they did not, they risked being destroyed without doing their job.

THE SWAMPS OF NEW BRITAIN

On 26 December 1944, the 1st Marine Division assaulted the Japanese-held bastion of Cape Gloucester, on New Britain's western tip. In this pestilential hell-hole of mud, jungle and swamps, the 1st Tank Battalion proved its worth again and again in point-blank engagements against dogged Japanese resistance:

"For the first few hours of...D+2...the 1st Marines moved along much as they had on...D+1...until, when they ran into a congregation of Japs at 1400, they found the presence of the enemy almost reassuring. The advance quickly halted and the support company (K) of the 3rd Battalion was brought forward with a platoon of tanks to destroy the 75mm field pieces, antitank guns, mines, and machine gun bunkers which were holding them up.

The tank platoon commander remembers how surprised the Japanese were by the strength of the Sherman armor. "We turned a corner and ran right into a Jap 75," he said. "I saw one Jap walk calmly over and pull the lanyard. The shell was an HE, hardly scratched the tank. They were so astonished they just stood there while we mowed them down and smashed the piece." (4)

A 1st Tank Bn M4 medium tank and infantry Marines advancing along a coastal track during the fighting at Cape Gloucester, December 1943. USMC Photo

1944

The year 1944 saw the Marine Corps' armored force reach its full potential and growth. In January, the 5th Tank Battalion was activated at Camp Pendleton as part of the 5th Marine Division. The 1st Corps Medium Tank Battalion was deactivated in February at Noumea with its tanks and crews being transferred to the divisional tank battalions. Although light tanks would still see combat service in the Central Pacific, the Marine Corps had determined the the M4 medium tank was better suited to battle conditions in the Pacific. Two models of the Sherman would perform yeoman service in the Marine Corps, the M4A2 and M4A3.

During this intensive reorganization of 1944, the 6th Marine Division was activated at Guadalcanal in September. Formed from several separate tank companies, the 6th Tank Battalion was activated in October. Another specialized armored force created during this time was the armored amphibian tractor battalion. Three of these battalions were activated in 1943-44 with the mission of providing close-in fire support to Marine units during the approach to enemy-held shorelines.

On 1 February 1944, the 4th Marine Division launched assaults against the Japanese-held islands of Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands as part of Operation FLINTLOCK. This marked the baptism of fire for the Marines of the 4th Tank Battalion, who sailed aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD-5) from California to the objective. Capt Robert Neiman commanded Company C, and later wrote of his initial moments in combat:

"As we waded ashore in our tanks, we were filled with a growing tension. This was our first fight and we wondered what would happen to us. Suddenly, I heard Hank Bellmon's voice on my command frequency. He had pressed the wrong button on his radio, intending to use his platoon net, and was unknowingly talking to the whole company. "Okay, men," he said. "There's only one more thing I want to tell you: This is it, I want you to keep a steady trigger finger and a tight asshole." And with that, the whole company burst into laughter." (5)

Cabo, an M4 medium tank of Co C, 4th Tank Bn, moves past infantry Marines on the beachhead at Roi, 1 February 1944. USMC Photo

Although the 4th Marine Division achieved victory on Roi-Namur, the battle was not without its toll of dead and wounded Marines. Capt Neiman recalled the death of his comrade, Capt James Denig, commander of Company B, 4th Tank Battalion:

"The Japanese attempted to swarm the light tanks with grenades and mines whenever possible, but in all but one case, the infantry and tanks swept them away with fire. Capt Jim Denig...led his headquarters section forward to replace a platoon he had pulled back for rearming. Attacking into the underbrush, Denig's tank veered out of line after striking a log and stopped, only to be attacked by a squad of Japanese. They threw a grenade into the turret through the signal port, which had inadvertently been left open, killing Denig and his gunner and setting the tank on fire." (6)

The burned-out hulk of Capt James Denig's M5A1 light tank on Namur Island, 1 February 1944. For his gallantry in action during this battle, Denig received a posthumous Silver Star. USMC Photo

The assault on the Marshall Islands marked the baptism of fire for the amphibian tank, a new type of armored vehicle designed to shepherd troop-carrying amphibian tractors from the line of departure to the beachhead. The 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion, under Maj Louis B. Metzger, performed this vital duty at Roi-Namur. Known universally as 'amtanks,' these were hybrid vehicles with the hull of an amphibian tractor and the turret of a tank. At this time, the battalion was equipped with the LVTA-1 amphibian tank, which mounted a 37mm antitank gun and five machine guns. Stephen Marusky, an amtanker with Company B, recalled the landing:

"Coming in to the beach at 1100, in the first wave, I was plenty scared. I saw for the first time how the Japs dig in, with blockhouses made of concrete and reinforced steel, so tough our 37mm shells would just chip the concrete. That's where the infantry flamethrowers were used. We met light opposition, mostly machine gun fire. We were all soaked, and the water played hell with the radios, knocking out both the intercom and all radio communications." (7)

THE MARIANAS – CRUCIBLE OF VICTORY

Operation FORAGER, the invasion of the Mariana Islands in the Central Pacific, was the largest operational deployment of Marine armor to that time. In nearly two years of combat service leading up to FORAGER, tanks and their crews had been tested in some of harshest environments on earth against an enemy determined to kill with every weapon at his disposal. Many brave tankers had died in the learning of hard-fought lessons of war. Now, the Marine armored force was about to embark on its most difficult assignments.

Three distinct phases made up the vast tapestry of Operation FORAGER. Saipan (15 June - 9 July 1944) was the first objective, assigned to the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions. Next was Tinian, (24 July - 1 August 1944) located only a few miles across the straits from Saipan. FORAGER'S final objective was Guam (21 July - 9 August 1944). Armored units would play critical roles in all of these campaigns.

D-Day at Saipan dawned bright and clear on 15 June 1944. In the single largest Marine assault to date, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions landed simultaneously on the southeastern shore of the island. The assault regiments were accompanied ashore by Marine and Army amtanks as supporting arms laid down some of the heaviest preparatory fires yet seen in the Pacific. Saipan's Japanese defenders launched tank and infantry attacks against the beachheads. Tankers and amtankers were in the thick of the fighting:

"These amtanks [LVTA-4s] were commanded by a pair of sergeants, Ben Livesey of Massachusetts and Onel Dickens of California.... Dickens spotted three Jap tanks moving down a dirt road, below the hill. The Japs were bearing down on three Marine amphibians stuck in the slime of the swamps inshore from the beach.

As the Japs moved in for the kill, Dickens and Livesey and their twelve crewmen came bucketing up behind them. The Japs wheeled, too late. One stalled. Dickens blew it to pieces with a blast from his 75, even as Livesey opened up on the other two. Wham! The lead Jap rocked up on one side and then caromed off the road. The Marine 'pigs' came up side by side and blew the treads off the last Jap tank." (8) Both of these intrepid NCOs later received well-earned Navy Crosses for their heroic leadership on D-Day.

On 16 June 1944, the Japanese launched an all-out assault against the Sixth Marines' night defensive lines. Supporting the enemy infantry were nearly 50 light and medium tanks. The hard-pressed Marine infantry quickly put out the call for armored support and an M4 platoon of Company B, 2nd Tank Battalion moved forward from its night position. With their 75mm guns, the Marine tankers destroyed numerous Japanese vehicles. The assault was ultimately smashed by the combined arms of Marine infantry, artillery, tanks, and self-propelled guns.

During the assault on Saipan, Marines advance across an open area. The M4 medium tank takes the lead here to take advantage of its optics and firepower to protect the infantry. USMC Photo

In the 4th Marine Division sector on 16 June 1944, GySgt Robert McCard and his tank platoon of Company A, 4th Tank Battalion, were pushing forward into the teeth of a Japanese defensive belt. His tank was hit and disabled by enemy 77mm gunfire:

"Cut off from the rest of his platoon, GySgt McCard brought all his tank's weapons to bear on the enemy but the intensity of the Japanese fire caused him to order his crew out the escape hatch. While they made their escape, the courageous tank commander hurled hand grenades at the enemy until his supply was exhausted. Severely wounded, GySgt McCard nevertheless dismantled one of the tank's machine guns, then faced the enemy again and delivered such effective fire that he killed sixteen of the enemy before he himself was killed. He gallantly gave his life for his country." (9) GySgt Robert McCard earned a posthumous Medal of Honor for his act of selfless heroism in the face of death.

On 8 July 1944, medium tanks of Company B, 2nd Tank Battalion were supporting infantrymen of 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines near Marpi Point. Among the tankers in Baker was Sgt Grant Timmerman a China Marine who enlisted in 1937 and was assigned as a TC of an M4 tank. Tank commanders were faced with a a Morton's Fork in regard to visibility in their hatches. If TCs buttoned-up their hatches, they lost visibility, but if they operated with their hatches open to see better, Japanese infantry could get close enough to throw hand grenades through the opening into the tank turret. Timmerman always operated with his hatch open. His page on the Marine Corps History web site tells of his indomitable courage on 8 July 1944:

"Sgt Timmerman's tank...was advancing a few yards ahead of the infantry when the attack was held up by a series of Japanese pillboxes and trenches. The sergeant had been firing the tank's antiaircraft [machine] gun during the vigorous attack but when progress was halted, he prepared to fire the 75mm gun. Exposing himself to the enemy, he stood up in the open turret of his tank to warn the infantry to hit the deck because of the muzzle blast of the 75mm. A Japanese grenade came hurtling through the air aimed in the direction of the open turret. Sgt Timmerman fearlessly covered the opening with his own body to prevent the grenade from killing his crew and the grenade exploded on his chest, killing him instantly. Although two members of the crew received slight wounds from the grenade, none were killed, all the larger fragments being taken by Sgt Timmerman." (10) For this sacrificial act of courage, Sgt Grant Timmerman received a posthumous Medal of Honor.

Somewhere in the Central Pacific, a Marine tank-infantry team advances cross-country. The TC of this M4 is firing into the jungle with his .50 caliber machine gun. Still image from USMC combat camera film

"Tank communications and supply were good to excellent and, with respect to supply, tank officers felt that infantry officers at last understood the tankers' problems. On the negative side, tank officers complained that little or no advantage could be gained from using tanks in the front lines at night. With their limited visibility, the machines became sitting ducks for enemy infiltrators.... Most effectively employed when exploiting success, tanks were in their glory at Tinian, where the entire operation (after the first day and night) was an exploitation of success." (11)

GUAM – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Guam was the first piece of United States territory to be liberated from the Japanese in World War II. As in the other campaigns in Operation FORAGER, the Japanese defenders on the island faced a bleak prospect for survival and victory. they therefore fought to the death. With a nihilism born of desperation, they fought from dug-in positions and died in droves during terrifying night-time massed infantry assaults against Marine and Army defensive lines.

On the night of 25-26 July 1944, a hard rain fell, soaking the frontline Marines. Scouts began reporting movements in front of the 3rd Marine Division sector at around 2330 and soon, Japanese artillery and mortar fire started pounding the division's lines. All hands stood to as the enemy probed Marine defenses. Naval gunfire broke up a strong attack against the 3rd Marines, and another attack against the 21st Marines faltered in the teeth of final protective fires by Marine artillery and mortars.

At around 0400, Japanese troops launched a mass banzai assault against the 21st Marines. The attack focused on the hard-pressed Marines in 1st Battalion and quickly developed into one of the most terrifying battles ever experienced by those who stood in the face of it. Marine correspondent Sgt Alvin M. Josephy took part in the action and later recorded his memories:

"With their bayonets gleaming in the light of sudden flares, [the Japanese] charged toward the Marine foxholes, throwing grenades and howling: "Ban-zai-ai!" like a pack of animals. The Marines awoke with a start. Along the ridge, wet, groggy men bolted to their feet and grabbed their weapons. Grenades exploded like a crashing curtain against the onrushing Japs. A man on a telephone yelled for uninterrupted flares, and flickering lights began to hang in the air like giant overhead fires.

All along the line the enemy attack was on. Red tracer bullets flashed through the blackness. Japanese orange signal flares and American illumination shells lit up the night like the Fourth of july, silhouetting the running forms of the enemy. On the right and left the attack was stopped cold. As fast as the Japs came, they were mowed down by automatic rifles and machine guns. The enemy assault gradually focused on a draw where some American tanks were parked. The tanks fired their 75s at the charging masses. At first the Japs attacked the steel monsters like swarms of ants, firing their rifles at the metal sides and clambering up and over the tanks in a vain attempt to get at the crews inside. They screamed and pounded drunkenly on the turrets and locked hatches, but in their excitement, they failed to damage a single tank. finally, as if engaged in a wild game of follow-the-leader, many of them streamed past the tanks, down the draw to the beach." (12)

A Marine tank-infantry team moves across open ground during the campaign for the Marianas. This shot was taken looking through the vision blocks of another tank. Still image from USMC combat camera film

The enemy attack was so overwhelming that it swept over the stretched-out battle positions of 1st Battalion, 29th Marines. One of the battalion's rifle companies was nearly destroyed and the other two were decimated during the brutal, close-in firefight. Although the Japanese assault had lost form and organization, enemy troops surged through the 3rd Marine Division's rear areas. As morning twilight passed into dawn on 26 July 1944, Marines stood to, counted the dead, and prepared to restore their lines.

The 3rd Tank battalion acted as a fire brigade to assist the hard-pressed infantry, sending out platoons and sections across the divisional front. Firing their tank cannons and machine guns at point-blank range, the tanks were devastating weapons that helped break the back of the final Japanese survivors. But every time a tank appeared on the battlefield, it received sheets of incoming fire. Into this maelstrom stepped Sgt Glen Marvin of Company C, 3rd Tank Battalion, who volunteered to serve as a dismounted scout for his tank platoon:

"Sgt Marvin participated in a dawn attack against enemy forces which had forced a partial withdrawal of our troops during the previous night of savage fighting. Braving heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, he skillfully directed the tank platoon through our own lines with a hand radio, enabling them to avoid our own casualties, and though drawing especially severe fire because of his radio, he frequently exposed himself in order to locate and bring fire upon hostile positions. When a tank became bellied on a stump approximately fifty yards in front of our lines, Sergeant Marvin, realizing its helpless condition and the imminent danger of its destruction by enemy fire, directed another tank to the spot and, bravely subjecting himself to fire, attached a tow cable to it and supervised its removal from the stump, thereby enabling the platoon to continue at full strength. After sustaining a wound, he continued to press the attack and, when a few minutes later he was seriously wounded, walked unaided to the aid station." (13) For his incredible courage, Sgt Glen Marvin was later awarded the Navy Cross.

 

PREPARING FOR THE FINAL BATTLES

By this point in the Pacific War, Marine infantry and tankers had worked out the basics of operating together. In open country, tanks usually led the assault taking advantage of their long range observation and firepower with infantry Marines moving close behind. In jungles built-up areas, the infantry moved ahead to prevent Japanese troops from getting close enough to attack the tanks with antitank mines and grenades. Although many brave Marines had died learning them, the lessons of war had been locked down.

In the Fall of 1944, the Marine armored force experienced its final growth phase. Now there were six divisional tank battalions, three armored amphibian (amtank) battalions, and ten amphibian tractor (amtrack) battalions in service. This powerful force had been critical in destroying one Japanese island fortress after another, pushing the war closer and closer to the enemy's home islands. Now with the the conquest of the Marianas, the US Army Air Forces were positioned for the strategic bombing campaign against Japan's cities and industries.

But there was one more objective for Marine forces to capture before the books closed on 1944. It was a place so awful, so horrifying, so completely pitiless that the mere naming of it would forever more haunt the memories of those who endured and survived.

It was called Peleliu.

The price of victory. Infantry Marines double time past knocked-out M4 medium tanks somewhere in the Central Pacific. Still image from USMC combat camera film

Notes
(1) Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, pg 58.
(2) Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific, pg 88.
(3) History of USMC Operations in World War II, Volume III, pg 83.
(4) The Old Breed, A History of the First Marine Division in World War II, pg 186.
(5) Tanks on the Beach, pg 78.
(6) Tanks on the Beach, pg 81.
(7) Hitting the Beaches – The First Armored Amphibian Battalion in World War II , pg 86.
(8) Follow me! The Story of the Second Marine Division in World War II , pg 180.
(9) Who's Who in the US Marine Corps entry for GySgt Robert McCard
(10) Who's Who in the US Marine Corps entry for Sgt Grant Timmerman
(11) The Seizure if Tinian, pg 131.
(12) The Long and the Short and the Tall, pg 59.
(13) Navy Cross citation for Sgt Glen Marvin.

IV. FLAME AND ASH GYRENE TANKERS INDEX WORLD WAR II GYRENE HOME

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