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Sea of Tranquility

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Title
Sea of Tranquility
Description
Although the island of Peleliu had been declared secure on September 30th, about a thousand Japanese remained in an area some 900 yards long by 400 yards wide. In some of the fiercest fighting of the entire Pacific campaign they had repelled in succession the 1st Marines, the 7th …
Publisher
Date
1944-10-07
Scenario#
72
Scenario Description
Although the island of Peleliu had been declared secure on September 30th, about a thousand Japanese remained in an area some 900 yards long by 400 yards wide. In some of the fiercest fighting of the entire Pacific campaign they had repelled in succession the 1st Marines, the 7th Marines, the 321st Infantry, and the 7th Marines again. The terrain in the pocket comprised jagged coral ridges and outcroppings, cut through by natural and man-made caves. Weeks of aerial and naval bombardment had stripped away most of the vegetation. What remained bore a resemblance to the surface of the moon. When the 7th Marines withdrew for the last time, the fresh 5th Marines were called upon to finish the job.
Location
Peleliu, Palau Islands
Battle Name
Battle Narrative
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".
Narrative Source
Combatants
American
Japanese
Additional Information
Scenario Type = Standard
Collection:

Geolocation