Marines in World War II
Marines were an important branch of the military in World War II. They are known for fighting many important battles, however they also had well known specialized branches. Their presence in World War II was crucial in winning the war. Marines were the true heroes of World War Two because of the Marine Raiders, Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa. The Marines were very important and remain famous figures in American history. When America joined World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to make a new group of military, like the British Commandos. The president decided that the obvious place for the specialized group was the Marine Corps. The group was originally going to be called the Marine Commandos, but that name was opposed. After careful deliberation the group was called the Marine Raiders. The Marine Raiders were used to do smaller missions behind enemy lines, usually in rubber boats. According to historylearningsite.co.uk the Marine Raiders were founded in February of 1942, as a specialized unit. Over 5,000 Marine Raiders would march out to bloody battle on August 7th, 1942 for their first battle. The 1st Raider Battalion struck Tulagi, an island across the channel from their main landing force. Ten days later another attack was initiated, Butaritari Landing, it successfully landed two submarines there. The raid had caused major damage and forced the Japanese forces to divert other reinforcements from going to Guadalcanal. The most significant night in Marine Raider history was September 12th thru 14th, where the close and bloody hand to hand combat filled battle known as the Battle of Edson's Ridge, or Bloody Ridge. The battles combatants were mostly Japanese and Marine Raiders, with the occasional other regiment or battalion fighting alongside the Marine Raiders. There were very heavy losses for the Japanese, but the Marine Raiders got the land. The ending of the Marine Raiders was sad. With the growing amount of specialized units, and the declining number of men, the amount of people in the Marine Raiders declined. The need for the Marine Raiders never arose, so they were deactivated. They may have been deactivated, but their legacy will live on. The battle of Iwo Jima was a battle on the volcanic island Iwo Jima. …show more content…
It started in February 19, 1945 and ended on March 26, 1945. The combatants of this battle were The United States of America and Japan. The American operation was called Operation Detachment, the goal was to capture the whole island. That included the three Japanese controlled airfields. The five week battle is considered one of the worst and bloodiest battle in World War II history. The reason was simple, the Japanese had networks of tunnels under the island. They used these tunnels to their advantage, but America had back up too. America had the naval artillery and air artillery provided by the Marine Corps and Navy. Despite the huge losses, a Japanese loss was ensured. The air supremacy and number of men overwhelmed the Japanese forces and guaranteed an American win. America did win, but with a cost. The deaths and injuries were catastrophic. According to wikipedia.com there was 6,821 American deaths and 19,217 wounded Americans, while 18,375 were killed or missing. The death toll was catastrophic, but America did prevail. America had control of the airfields and World War II was later won. The Battle of Okinawa was a terrible and bloody battle. According to mca-marines.org the battle began in April 1, 1945 and ended on June 23, 1945. The island of Okinawa is 350 miles away from mainland Japan and was an essential point for America in the war. The airfields on the island were necessary to launching bombers and long range escorts for predatory bombing. The battle consisted of the United States and Japan, but Japan was severely outnumbered during the battle. According to wikipedia.com America had about 724,000 soldiers, while Japan only had about 106,000 soldiers. The battle was bloody and gruesome with 20,195 American casualties and 55,162 wounded, while Japan had up to 110,000 Japanese casualties. The battle lasted for 88 days and was gruesome and terrible. While most islands were
Marines were an important branch of the military in World War II. They are known for fighting many important battles, however they also had well known specialized branches. Their presence in World War II was crucial in winning the war. Marines were the true heroes of World War Two because of the Marine Raiders, Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa. The Marines were very important and remain famous figures in American history. When America joined World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to make a new group of military, like the British Commandos. The president decided that the obvious place for the specialized group was the Marine Corps. The group was originally going to be called the Marine Commandos, but that name was opposed. After careful deliberation the group was called the Marine Raiders. The Marine Raiders were used to do smaller missions behind enemy lines, usually in rubber boats. According to historylearningsite.co.uk the Marine Raiders were founded in February of 1942, as a specialized unit. Over 5,000 Marine Raiders would march out to bloody battle on August 7th, 1942 for their first battle. The 1st Raider Battalion struck Tulagi, an island across the channel from their main landing force. Ten days later another attack was initiated, Butaritari Landing, it successfully landed two submarines there. The raid had caused major damage and forced the Japanese forces to divert other reinforcements from going to Guadalcanal. The most significant night in Marine Raider history was September 12th thru 14th, where the close and bloody hand to hand combat filled battle known as the Battle of Edson's Ridge, or Bloody Ridge. The battles combatants were mostly Japanese and Marine Raiders, with the occasional other regiment or battalion fighting alongside the Marine Raiders. There were very heavy losses for the Japanese, but the Marine Raiders got the land. The ending of the Marine Raiders was sad. With the growing amount of specialized units, and the declining number of men, the amount of people in the Marine Raiders declined. The need for the Marine Raiders never arose, so they were deactivated. They may have been deactivated, but their legacy will live on. The battle of Iwo Jima was a battle on the volcanic island Iwo Jima. …show more content…
It started in February 19, 1945 and ended on March 26, 1945. The combatants of this battle were The United States of America and Japan. The American operation was called Operation Detachment, the goal was to capture the whole island. That included the three Japanese controlled airfields. The five week battle is considered one of the worst and bloodiest battle in World War II history. The reason was simple, the Japanese had networks of tunnels under the island. They used these tunnels to their advantage, but America had back up too. America had the naval artillery and air artillery provided by the Marine Corps and Navy. Despite the huge losses, a Japanese loss was ensured. The air supremacy and number of men overwhelmed the Japanese forces and guaranteed an American win. America did win, but with a cost. The deaths and injuries were catastrophic. According to wikipedia.com there was 6,821 American deaths and 19,217 wounded Americans, while 18,375 were killed or missing. The death toll was catastrophic, but America did prevail. America had control of the airfields and World War II was later won. The Battle of Okinawa was a terrible and bloody battle. According to mca-marines.org the battle began in April 1, 1945 and ended on June 23, 1945. The island of Okinawa is 350 miles away from mainland Japan and was an essential point for America in the war. The airfields on the island were necessary to launching bombers and long range escorts for predatory bombing. The battle consisted of the United States and Japan, but Japan was severely outnumbered during the battle. According to wikipedia.com America had about 724,000 soldiers, while Japan only had about 106,000 soldiers. The battle was bloody and gruesome with 20,195 American casualties and 55,162 wounded, while Japan had up to 110,000 Japanese casualties. The battle lasted for 88 days and was gruesome and terrible. While most islands were