Umurbrogol Pocket

After their losses in the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls and Marianas, the Imperial Army developed a new island defense strategy; abandoning their early beach-based perimeter defense tactics, their new strategy aimed only to disrupt the landings, using a "honeycomb" system of …

1944-11-25

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After their losses in the Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls and Marianas, the Imperial Army developed a new island defense strategy; abandoning their early beach-based perimeter defense tactics, their new strategy aimed only to disrupt the landings, using a "honeycomb" system of fortified positions inland to draw the Americans into a bloody war of attrition. Colonel Nakagawa thus concentrated his defenses inland. Using the rough terrain to his advantage, he constructed a system of heavily fortified bunkers, caves, and underground positions. The majority of Nakagawa's defenses were based at Peleliu's highest point, Umurbrogol mountain, a collection of hills and steep ridges. Umurbrogol contained some 500 limestone caves, connected by tunnels. Many of these were former mine shafts turned into defense positions. Engineers added sliding steel armor doors with multiple openings to serve both artillery and machine guns. In late October, the 81st Infantry Division took over the attack of the Umurbrogol pocket. The Marines had been at the Umurbrogol for weeks now, sustaining tremendously high casualties. Its initial assaults against the Five Brothers, Horseshoe, the Five sisters and China Wall, were met with a hail of fire, forcing the marines to retreat. Flame-throwing tanks, artillery and Corsairs all had to be called in support repeatedly to blast the mountain and burn the defenders into submission. After nearly six weeks of brutal combat, the pocket was finally reduced; but Japanese Resistance would continue for months to come. A Japanese lieutenant with his twenty-six 2nd Infantry soldiers and eight 45th Guard Force sailors held out in the caves in Peleliu until April 22, 1947 and surrendered after a Japanese Admiral convinced them the war was over. This was the last official surrender of World War II.

Peleliu, Palau

The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II by the United States military, was fought between the U.S. and Japan during the Mariana and Palau Campaign of World War II, from September to November 1944, on the island of Peleliu. U.S. Marines of theist Marine Division, and later soldiers of the U.S. Army's 8ist Infantry Division, fought to capture an airstrip on the small coral island of Peleliu. This battle was part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager, which ran from June to November 1944, in the Pacific Theater. Major General William Rupertus, commander of theist Marine Division, predicted the island would be secured within four days. However, after repeated Imperial Army defeats in previous island campaigns, Japan had developed new island-defense tactics and well-crafted fortifications that allowed stiff Resistance, extending the battle through more than two months. The heavily outnumbered Japanese defenders put up such stiff Resistance, often fighting to the death in the Emperor's name, that the island became known in Japanese as the "Emperor's Island." In the U.S., this was a controversial battle because of the island's negligible strategic value and the high casualty rate, which exceeded that of all other amphibious operations during the Pacific War. The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it "the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines".

Wikipedia: Battle of Peleliu

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