Historical Branch, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
1952
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COVER PICTURE: Marines plunge through surf three feet deep as they storm Cape Gloucester beaches on D-Day.
Chapter | Page | ||
1. | Background | 1 | |
Geographical Notes | 1 | ||
Historical Summary | 2 | ||
Japanese Offensive Operations | 3 | ||
Target: Rabaul | 5 | ||
The Japanese on New Britain | 5 | ||
2. | Concept and High Level Planning | 11 | |
The Southwest Pacific Area | 11 | ||
Strategic Considerations | 12 | ||
Tactical Planning | 15 | ||
3. | Final Preparations | 21 | |
Training and Reequipment | 21 | ||
Intelligence Planning | 23 | ||
Naval and Air Participation | 29 | ||
Logistics | 32 | ||
Loading Out | 35 | ||
4. | The Enemy | 36 | |
Strength and Organization | 36 | ||
Terrain and Dispositions | 37 | ||
Morale and Physical Condition | 44 | ||
5. | Cape Gloucester D-Day | 48 | |
Thunder at Dawn | 48 | ||
The "Damp Flat" | 51 | ||
The Gunners Had Their Problems | 58 | ||
Never a Dull Moment | 60 | ||
The Monsoon | 62 | ||
The Misconceptions of Matsuda | 63 | ||
Summing Up | 66 | ||
6. | Seizure of the Airdrome | 67 | |
Advance of the 1st Marines | 67 | ||
Supply and Perimeter Problems | 70 | ||
Enter the 5th Marines | 73 | ||
The First Gets There First | 76 | ||
Behind the Airdrome | 77 | ||
GREEN Beach | 81 | ||
"Happy New Year" | 87 | ||
7. | Drive to the Southeast | 89 | |
The ADC Command Group | 89 | ||
Colonel Katayama Guesses Wrong | 91 | ||
Suicide Creek | 95 | ||
Aogiri Ridge | 98 | ||
The Final Objective | 105 | ||
8. | Flight and Pursuit | 113 | |
The Vanishing Enemy | 113 | ||
Operations in the High Ground | 114 | ||
Eastern Area Patrols | 119 | ||
The Katabasis of Jiro Sato | 127 | ||
The Itni Patrol | 131 | ||
Rooke Island | 137 | ||
9. | Flashback: Action At Arawe | 140 | |
Concept of Mission | 140 | ||
Arawe Z-Day | 141 | ||
The First Twelve Days | 143 | ||
Enter Tobuse and Komori | 145 | ||
Komori Makes a Noble Resolve | 148 | ||
Disillusionment of a "Hero" | 149 | ||
10. | Talasea | 152 | |
Eastward to Talasea | 152 | ||
D-Day at Beach RED | 155 | ||
Bitokara, Talasea and Waru | 159 | ||
The Navy at Willaumez | 164 | ||
The Fifth Mops Up | 166 | ||
11. | Long Trail A'Winding | 172 | |
Sato, Komori & Company | 172 | ||
Contact at Kandoka | 176 | ||
Further Patrolling by 1st Marines | 179 | ||
Journey's End | 181 | ||
12. | Conclusion | 182 | |
The Marines Depart | 182 | ||
Summing Up | 182 | ||
Epilogue | 186 | ||
Appendices | |||
I. | Bibliography | 188 | |
II. | The Vegetation of New Britain and its Effect on Military Operations | 191 | |
III. | Some Explanation in Regard to Place Names | 196 | |
IV. | The Shore Party | 198 | |
V. | The Cape Gloucester Air Force | 202 | |
VI. | Chronology | 206 | |
VII. | Task Organization | 208 | |
VIII. | Command and Staff | 210 | |
IX. | Index | 215 |
Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Jerry Holden for the HyperWar Foundation