The Battle of Peleliu took place in the months of September and November of 1944 on Peleliu, Palau Islands.This battle is also known as Operation Stalemate II in the United States. It happened between the Japanese Army and the United States Marine Corps (joined by the 81st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army) in World War II.This battle was a small part of a bigger Allied Offensive campaign called Operation Forager. This operation took place from June to November of 1944 at the Pacific War Theater. This battle involved many controversies on its own as the death rate was very high with meticulous strategies. If we look at the number of soldiers involved in this battle, this war had the highest war casualties in naval history in the Pacific War, especially of the First Marine division.In the year 1944, when in the summer, the wave of World War II in the Pacific Ocean was simultaneously bringing the war closer to the Japanese mainland. During the summer’s Mariana Islands Campaign, the US had won enough territory to assault the Japanese mainland from bases they had established. General MacArthur was advocating a strategy that centered on recapturing the Philippines, then Okinawa, and finally the Japanese mainland during this time period. U.S. Navy Admiral Nimitz of the United States Navy proposed a more efficient route that avoided the Philippines but also included seizing both Okinawa and Taiwan as staging locations for an invasion of Japan. The island of Peleliu was taken in each of these American strategies, but for different reasons. After President Roosevelt decided to go with MacArthur’s approach, it became imperative to seize both Peleliu and Angaur before concentrating on the Philippines to secure MacArthur’s right flank.The First Marine Division of the US Marines and the army soldiers of the US Army landed on the white beach and fought to capture the airstrip of the small coral island of Peleliu. The Fifth and Seventh Marines landed on Orange Beach on Peleliu Island. Although according to the war predictions made by Major General William Rupertus, who was the commander of the First Marine Corps Division, the war was supposed to last just a week, the island defensive techniques and fortifications that Japan developed after their repeated defeats in island campaigns, gave a tough fight to the meticulous planning of the US, and this battle went on for two months. The Japanese defenders were heavily outnumbered and put up a stiff resistance by fighting till death in the name of the Emperor of Japan. Because of this reason, the island came to be known as the ‘Emperor’s Island’ in Japanese. For the US, this battle was highly controversial as there was some negligence in the strategic value and severe casualties. This war was called the ‘bitterest battle of the war for the Marines’ by the National Museum of the Marine Corps.On September 15, the marines started with the assault, as before there was just naval bombardment for many days. The Japanese artillery, which was protected by the steel doors and bunkers, started to pour 1.89 in (47 mm) and 0.78 in (20 mm) onto the landing craft. Within an hour, more than 60 LVTs and DUKWs had already faced heavy destruction. Not much progress was achieved on the very first day of the war. It is because the Marines faced heavy resistance from the Japanese that 200 soldiers were killed in action and approximately 900 were injured. But still, General Rupertus was of the opinion that the resistance given by the Japanese forces would last just a few more days. On day two of the war, the Fifth Marines attacked at 115 degrees on the airfield while being under heavy fire coming from Japanese artillery. Still, they managed to capture it in spite of heavy casualties. The Americans advanced to the eastern side of the island, which cut off the defenders from the south.Interested in learning some facts about different battles of World War II? You can read about the Battle of Gallipoli and Battle of France here at Kidadl.Battle of Peleliu casualtiesIn the military history of the allied forces in World War II, the battle of Peleliu caused the most deaths. The casualties from the U.S. side numbered around 1500, while more than 6000 were wounded. The majority of the casualties were faced by the First Marine Corps Regiment, which was around 70% of the total—1749 soldiers died in a week of fighting. The Seventh Marine Regiment faced 47% of the war casualties. Both of these cases can be considered as ‘combat ineffective’ according to the current combat standards.Japan also faced a huge number of casualties. More than 11,000 soldiers were killed, and just 300 personnel were taken as prisoners of war by the large Japanese army.The Japanese army troops were led by Lieutenant General Inoue Sadao, Maj. Gen. Kenjiro Murai, Lt. Gen. Sadao, Lt. Col. Kunio Nakagawa, and Vice Admiral Yoshioka Ito, who took the charge in the battle of Peleliu.Why was the battle of Peleliu important?One of the most prominent incidents in the Battle of Peleliu is the ‘Bloody Nose Ridge’. After capturing ‘The Point’ at Peleliu, the Marines went on to capture more of what came to be known as the ‘Bloody Nose Ridge or Umurbrogol Mountain Pocket.’ Colonel Puller directed his Marines in a series of raids on the crest, but the Japanese soldiers stationed there consistently repelled them. The Marines incurred a lot of losses as they carefully approached through the small pathways between the mountains. After that, the Japanese snipers turned their attention to the American stretcher-bearers. Japanese forces would sneak through the American defensive lines at night and assault the Marines in their foxholes. Because of this, Mairens started to make use of two-man foxholes so that one person could sleep while the other could watch. Another hard-fought combat ensued when Major Raymond Davis stormed Hill 100 on Bloody Nose Ridge. More than 70% of the unit was killed or wounded. Captain Everett Pope of the USMC and his company would make it deep into the ridge of the hill until they were cornered by the Japanese at the bottom of another ridge toward the summit of the hill. Due to a lack of ammunition, Pope and his men would have to rely on hand-to-hand battles to stay alive during the night. They’d be able to hold out until daylight, when they’d be able to flee the area. Only nine Marines were left by this time. For his exploits, the Pope would receive the Medal of Honor.Who won the battle of Peleliu?This bloody battle of Peleliu was won by the Americans, but at a very heavy cost.There were many officers who were responsible for good strategic planning. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Central Pacific Ocean Areas, was the first to come up with the orders to launch an assault on the Palau islands of Peleliu and Angaur. For them, Peleliu was the prime target of the plan, which came to be known as Operation Stalemate II. The third amphibious force was under the command of Vice-Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson, who was responsible for the amphibious assault. The III Amphibious Corps was under the command of Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC, and involved the ground troops of the Army’s 81st Infantry Division (Angaur) and 1st Marine Division (Peleliu). The First Marine Division was under Major General William H. Rupertus, USMC. He had the Fifth Marine commander, Col. Harold D. Harris, the First Marine commander, Col. Lewis B. ‘Chesty’ Puller, the 11th Marine commander, Col. William H. Harrison, and the Seventh Marine commander, Col. Herman H. Hanneken, under his command. The 81st Infantry Division was under Major General Paul J. Mueller.Was the battle of Peleliu necessary?The decision to capture Peleliu is a controversial issue even to this day, as there was not a well-strategized plan behind it, and the strategic value of that island was not much. Peleliu would not be utilized as a staging ground for further attacks in the Pacific Theater of War since the island’s principal goal, the airfield, was not discovered to be of much help in conquering the Philippines. Only six reporters went ashore on the island because it was only expected to be a ’three-day’ operation. Due to MacArthur’s departure to the Philippines and the Allies’ advance into Germany in the European Theater, the fight would be largely overshadowed in the news.The decision about the execution of Operation Stalemate II is still a matter of constant debate. The heavy blood toll paid by US Marines on Peleliu is never far from the foreground in such conversations. They were up against a determined and tactically skilled opposition who had concentrated lessons acquired in prior island fights that transformed them into a highly efficient defensive system, much to the surprise of many American commanders. The Japanese, however, were facing rapidly depleting means to wage war at this point in the campaign, following devastating defeats in the central Pacific and with the Home Islands now under aircraft attack. Given the circumstances, it’s unclear whether Japanese soldiers on Peleliu would have constituted a substantial danger to MacArthur’s assault on the Philippines. Peleliu, while having been secured at such a high cost, would not play a big part in the war’s last year.The battles of Angaur and Peleliu are considered important for Americans as they taught them the tactics of the island defense systems that the Japanese began to use. They fully utilized this at the Battle of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The American Army soldiers and the Marines gained significant experience from these wars, which they could use later to develop an assault technique for the fortified positions at Okinawa. Even till 1947, a small Japanese army was trying to free Peleliu when a Japanese admiral convinced them that the war was over.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Battle of Peleliu facts, then why not take a look at Battle of Jutland or Battle of Chancellorsville.
The Battle of Peleliu took place in the months of September and November of 1944 on Peleliu, Palau Islands.
