CMH Publication 5-6
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1955
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 55-60002
UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II Kent Roberts Greenfield, General Editor
Advisory Committee
(As of 17 March, 1954)
James P. Baxter President,
Williams CollegeBrig. Gen. Verdi B. Barnes
Army War CollegeJohn D. Hicks
University of CaliforniaBrig. Gen. Leonard J. Greeley
Industrial College of the Armed ForcesWilliam T. Hutchinson
University of ChicagoBrig. Gen. Elwyn D. Post
Army Field ForcesS.L.A. Marshall
Detroit NewsCol. Thomas D. Stamps
United States Military AcademyCharles S. Sydnor*
Duke UniversityCol. C.E. Beauchamp
Command and General Staff CollegeCharles H. Taylor
Harvard University
Office of the Chief of Military History
Maj. Gen. Albert C. Smith, Chief**
Chief Historian Kent Roberts Greenfield Chief, War Histories Division Col. George G. O'Connor Chief, Editorial and Publication Division Lt. Col. Thomas E. Bennett Chief, Editorial Branch Joseph R. Friedman Chief, Cartographic Branch Wsevolod Aglaimoff Chief, Photographic Branch Maj. Arthur T. Lawry *Deceased.
**Maj. Gen. Orlando Ward was succeeded by General Smith on 1 February 1953.
. . . to Those Who Served
CONTENTS
Foreword The Authors Preface Chapter Page I. The Decision to Strike Through the Central Pacific 3 Prewar Plans 3 Pacific Organization and Early Strategy 4 The Casablanca Conference 7 MacArthur's Strategic Plans 10 The Washington Conference and the Strategic Plan for the Defeat of Japan 12 II. Selection of Targets and Tactical Planning 18 Selection of the Targets 18 Planning for Galvanic 25 Intelligence on the Gilberts 27 Organization and Command of the American Forces 34 III. Preparing for the Attack 44 Training 44 Logistics 47 Preliminary Air and Naval Action 52 Movement Overseas 56 IV. The Enemy 60 Japanese Invasion of the Gilberts 60 Carlson's Raid and Its Aftermath 61 American Attacks and Japanese Responses 67 Japanese Defenses on the Eve of the Attack 70 V. The Landings on Makin 75 Red Beaches 75 Establishing the Beachhead 79 Yellow Beach 82 VI. Reduction of the West Tank Barrier 89 Advance of the 2d Battalion to the Barrier 89 Advance of the 1st Battalion 94 Holding Action on the East 97 First Day: The Summing Up 100 VII. Consolidating the Beachhead 102 Build-up of the Assault 102 First Night on Butaritari 106 Final Mop-up at the West Tank Barrier and Yellow Beach 108 VIII. Makin Taken 112 The Main Action of the Second Day 112 The Second Night 117 The Third Day: Capture of the East Tank Barrier 118 The Advance Beyond the East Tank Barrier 119 The Last Night 122 Mop-up 124 Profit and Loss 125 IX. The Capture of Tarawa 127 Preliminaries to the Invasion 127 The Landings on Red Beach 1 132 Operations at Red Beach 2 135 The Landings at Red Beach 3 138 Reinforcing the Beachhead 139 Supply, Communications, and Command 144 Consolidating the Beachhead: D Plus 1 147 Tarawa Is Secured 150 Conclusion of the Operation 155 X. Strategic & Tactical Significance of the Gilberts Operation 157 Strategic Consequences 157 Tactical Lessons Learned 158 Conclusion 165 XI. Tactical Planning for the Marshalls 166 Early Planning 167 Spruance's Plan 170 Admiral Turner's Attack Plan 172 The Landing Force Plans 175 XII. Training, Logistics, and Preliminary Operations 183 Training the Army Ground Troops 183 Training the 4th Marine Division 186 Logistics 187 Preliminary Army Air Operations 193 Preliminary Naval Action 199 Approach of the Invasion Force 202 XIII. Japanese Defenses in the Marshalls 206 Before Pearl Harbor 206 From Pearl Harbor to the Eve of Invasion of the Marshalls 209 The Defenses of Kwajalein Atoll, January 1944 212 XIV. The Invasion of Southern Kwajalein 219 The Landings on D Day 219 The Landings on Kwajalein Island 230 XV. Reduction of the Main Defenses of Kwajalein Island 241 The Push Inland: First Day 241 The First Night on Kwajalein Island 249 Second Day's Action 253 Situation at the End of the Second Day 259 XVI. Kwajalein Island: The Third Day 262 The Plan for 3 February 264 The Attack of the 32d Infantry 264 The Morning Action in the 184th Infantry's Zone 266 The Revised Plan of Attack 273 Situation on the Night of 3 February 277 XVII. End of the Battle for Southern Kwajalein 283 Kwajalein Island Secured 283 Completing the Conquest of Southern Kwajalein 290 Chauncey Island 290 Burton Island 291 Final Mop-up 298 XVIII. The Capture of Majuro and Roi-Namur 302 Majuro 302 D Day: Northern Kwajalein 304 Initial Landings on Roi and Namur 311 The Capture of Roi 316 The Capture of Namur 322 XIX. The Seizure of Eniwetok Atoll 333 Plans and Preparations 333 Preliminary Air Operations 338 Japanese Defenses on Eniwetok Atoll 339 The Seizure of Engebi Island 344 The Capture of Eniwetok Island 348 Parry Island 360 XX. Consolidating the Victory 366 Mop-up in the Marshalls 366 Building the Marshalls Bases 367 Neutralizing the Bypassed Atolls 368 XXI. Tactical and Strategic Consequences of the Marshalls Operation 370 Concordance of Code And Native Names for Islands in Kwajalein Atoll 375 Bibliographical Note 377 List of Abbreviations (382) Glossary of CODE NAMES (385) Basic Military Map Symbols (387) Index 391
Transcribed and formatted by Jerry Holden for the HyperWar Foundation