BATTLE NARRATIVE
A Relief Of Pressure. Saipan: 19 June 1944
Far behind the front lines, staff officers pored over the latest maps of Saipan. The G-2 section (Division Intelligence) and G-3 section (Operations) were tasked with preparing one per day, using reports from the front lines to track the battle’s progress.
Tactical and logistical problems were emerging. The previous day’s advance left the 25th Marines in a shrinking sector, hemmed in by Magicienne Bay on their right and the 24th Marines on their left; the regiment was gradually being “pinched out” of the line as the Division front shifted northward. Meanwhile, the 24th and 23rd Marines were in rather poor positions owing to the surprising ferocity of Japanese counterattacks late in the afternoon of 18 June. Contact between the units was unreliable, and any attempted advance would be doomed by piecemeal execution. There was the ever-growing list of casualties, illnesses, and reports of exhaustion, among the frontline troops. Heat prostration took a fierce toll, placing men hors de combat as effectively as Japanese bullets and bombs. While 1Lt. Frederic A. Stott‘s description of a “weakened” and “far under strength” unit was intended for his own BLT 1-24, it could easily be applied to every battalion in the division – and the determination of Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saitō’s defenders required Marines to be in top fighting form.
Finally, there were supply issues to consider. Not only were ground units struggling to keep their fighting men supplied with food, ammo, and water, but the fleet had pulled out of Saipan. This was a direct response to reports of approaching Japanese air and naval forces, headed to Saipan to wage “decisive battle” against the vulnerable ships supporting the troops ashore. Warships were dispatched to meet the threat, while transports maneuvered several miles from the beaches, the better to take evasive action.
Fortunately for the Americans, the resulting Battle of the Philippine Sea – otherwise known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” – was a lopsided victory. The transports would return after several days at sea, but for now the Northern Troops and Landing Force (NTLF) ashore had to make do with the supplies on hand.[1]
Staff officers considered their options, and finally recommended that 19 June be spent straightening out their lines, patrolling, and generally reorganizing for the next push forward. All NTLF units were instructed to “complete missions assigned” on the previous day; for some regiments, this meant continued assaults until their objectives were secure. In the 4th Marine Division sector, “local successes… added up to an improvement of the situation and an integration of forces for the continuation of attack.”[2] Fortunately for BLT 1-24, their position required little effort to maintain, and an odd calm settled over their sector. Lieutenant Stott remembered:
The Japanese seemed to plan an “intervention” early in the day; their infantry and tanks assembled in Tsutsuuran once again, evidently preparing for another attack. The artillery observers assigned to BLT 1-24 were mysteriously absent, so 1Lt. Thomas A. Schultz took over. Schultz (no relation to the late battalion commander Lt. Col. Maynard C. Schultz) was the executive officer of Charlie Company and relatively new to the job; he’d joined the outfit at Maui back in March after serving in combat with the Regimental Weapons company. While all Marine officers were trained to call in artillery fire, classroom theory was a far cry from battlefield reality. Schultz, however, showed “expert tactical ability” in directing barrages and his efforts helped stem the Japanese attacks of the previous night. He gave a repeat performance this morning, guiding the 14th Marines to drop their shells on Tsutsuuran. Other observers followed suit and soon every battery of the 14th was blasting away. “The Japanese quickly dispersed,” comments historian Carl Hoffman, “and no more was seen of them.”[4]
With the immediate threat silenced, BLT 1-24 set about their own process of reorganization. The command post packed up shop and hit the road, moving 300 yards closer to the front lines. Vehicles arrived bearing much-needed supplies – especially ammunition. According to PFC Edward Curylo, at one point Baker Company “ran out of ammo. Nobody had bullets.” His resupply was a few magazines of armor-piercing rounds. “Against the Geneva Convention [but] what were we supposed to do, put those shells aside? No! I think an armor-piercing shell will go through a quarter-inch light tank.”[5]
The 81mm mortar platoon received more ammunition than they could comfortably carry and turned to a novel solution. A few farm boys excused themselves from duty, wandered over to an abandoned house, and returned with an ox cart – complete with the ox. The idea quickly caught on. “Saipan boasted large numbers of these powerful heavy brutes, and by nightfall the platoon ‘owned’ a train of half a dozen two-wheeled carts with the necessary oxen,” wrote Stott. “The sight of a platoon advancing with this primitive baggage train was reminiscent of many an old-time battle painting, minus the camp followers. Improvised whips and cattle calls soon appeared, and a few of the “experts” even rode their steeds in the attack – as long as all was quiet!”
The discovery of the stash may be attributed to PFC Dwyer Duncan and PFC Ray H. Davis. The two scouts were off on a mission when “we found a Japanese officer’s warehouse full of whiskey, wine, and beer.” Putting their original objective on hold, they commandeered an oxcart, fashioned reins out of communications wire, and drove a load of “goodies” to Charlie Company. The bottles disappeared, and the two Marines hurried back to the stash, acquiring a second cart on the way.
“We found a buddy guarding the warehouse, because our CO heard about [it],” recalled Duncan. “Our buddy looked the other way while we loaded both carts for a return to the front lines. Unloaded, [Davis] and I chariot raced our carts back to the warehouse, but we were too late. We didn’t know the man on guard. Our battalion commander ordered all beer to be turned in for a battalion beer bust when the island was secured.”[7]
Duncan wisely secured his own stash of bourbon and Scotch, while other men buried their spoils. “After dark we retrieved our loot and partied.”[8]
PFC Joe R. Griffin, a teetotaler in Charlie Company, remembered confiscating “an unbelievable amount of sake” – so much that every man was handed a quart bottle. He was soon besieged by thirsty friends: “We know you don’t drink anything stronger than root beer; what are you going to do with your sake?” Although Griffin often gave away his cigarettes, he drew the line at encouraging drinking. “I’m not going to give you any,” he declared, even as he turned down his own share of the spoils. “I was very unpopular,” he joked many years later.[9]
Griffin was a notable exception. Most Marines, like PFC John C. Pope, were only too happy to imbibe. “We liberated a cache of Jap beer from an old, half blown-away building that looked like it may [have] at one time served as a commissary. Their beer was good, even when warm. It was a lot better than their rice wine called sake. That stuff was terrible.”[10] Windfalls notwithstanding, foxholes and fighting positions still had to be manned. Pope was sipping his beer with PFC Alexander “Joe” Caldwell when a small group of Japanese soldiers came at them. Caldwell, “high as a kite” jumped on the gun. “Joe was spraying bullets like he had a water hose as he sang O Sole Mio at the top of his voice.[11]
PFC Robert E. Tierney could hear the staccato tat-tat-tat of a Japanese machine gun somewhere to the north. The bullets kept whistling by overhead – the trajectory was such that the gunner couldn’t hit the Marines – but the threat had to be eliminated, so Able Company sent out a patrol. “It was a beautiful day, clear skies, perfect visibility for miles,” remarked PFC Alva R. Perry, Jr., one of the company scouts. “I moved out I found myself walking in a small field of sugar cane that had been harvested. I was walking in a small trench between the remaining stubs of sugar cane sticking up from the rows of dirt.”[12]
The patrol discovered the enemy gun in a patch of heavy woods and, having achieved its objective, started back for friendly lines to request armor or air support. Unfortunately, another Japanese gunner had crept into a flanking position. His first burst dropped the men on either side of Bob Tierney, who dropped to the ground and crawled for dear life, hollering for a corpsman.[13]
Al Perry “hit the deck” in the cane field; he could clearly see the rest of his company just 20 yards away and guessed that they’d call up 1Lt. Philip E. Wood, Jr.‘s mortar section to deal with the ambush. When airplane engines roared overhead, curiosity got the better of him.
American mortars dialed in on the Japanese gun, and corpsmen hurried out to help the casualties. It was too late: both of Tierney’s friends were dead.[15]
Occasional Japanese mortar and artillery rounds landed in the BLT 1-24 sector. Sergeant Alex Haluchak, a Baker Company squad leader, was hit by one such round. Haluchak, a former Paramarine, was a wounded Guadalcanal veteran and Navy Cross recipient whose disciplinary history was almost as breathtaking as his combat record. The nineteenth of June was his last day in combat; he was evacuated with a compound fracture of the left femur which resulted in an “acquired absence” – amputation – of the limb at the thigh.
By late afternoon, all units were in position to recommence the attack and anticipating orders for the following morning. The battalion dug in for the night and kept a close watch on the front. Even on “quiet” nights, dangers were ever-present. Corporal Robert L. Williams recounted an after-dark encounter that stuck in his memory. His platoon was in reserve for the night; when someone reported an infiltration attempt, Williams’ squad went to reinforce the position. “This is after dark, we hate to move around,” he said.
[1] The NTLF, commanded by General Holland M. Smith (USMC), comprised all ground units of all branches operating on Saipan.
[2] Carl W. Hoffman, Saipan: The Beginning of the End (Washington: Historical Division, US Marine Corps, 1950), 107 – 108.
[3] Frederic A. Stott, “Saipan Under Fire” (Andover: Frederic Stott, 1945), 9.
[4] Hoffman, 108.
[5] Edward Curylo, oral history interview conducted by Brian Louwers (4 December 2013), Edward Curylo Collection (AFC/2001/001/94115), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
[6] Stott, 9. Stott’s Casualty Card indicates he received a minor wound on 19 June, for which he received medical treatment in the field. No further specifics are given. He received the Purple Heart on 30 October 1944.
[7] Apparently, the officers made good on this promise. Dwyer remembered the party: “Each man got half a canteen cup of beer after standing in line. He could return in line for as long as the beer lasted.”
[8] Dwyer Duncan, “Military Career – Dwyer’s Memories.” Posted May 16, 2013; recorded 1995.
[9] Joe R. Griffin, oral history interview conducted by Mike Zambrano, Nimitz Education and Research Center, National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredericksburg, TX.
[10] John C. Pope, Angel On My Shoulder, Kindle eBook.
[11] Ibid. Pope gives few dates through his narrative, and it is possible that this event took place after finding another cache. He does not explain why Caldwell, a mortarman, was on the machine gun (though perhaps the captured beer does).
[12] Alva Perry, “The Men Of ‘A’ Company,” 2011.
[13] Robert E. Tierney, “My Marine Corps Experience,” unpublished memoir dated 10 January 2013.
[14] Perry, “The Men of ‘A’ Company.” In his memoirs, Perry believed this was the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” While he definitely did not witness that particular event, which took place hundreds of miles from Saipan, this belief helps place the date of the patrol on 19 June.
[15] Tierney, “My Marine Corps Experience.” The two Marines were almost certainly Cpl. Thomas F. McCay, a demolitions expert, and PFC Henry N. Woods.
[16] Robert L. Williams, “In My Own Words,” interview conducted by Veteran Voices of Pittsburgh, March 12, 2014. “MAN, was she a lady,” Williams concluded, eyes widening at the memory.
[17] Walker Hamilton would be hospitalized until his discharge in July 1945.
Battalion Daily Report
Casualties, Evacuations, Joinings & Transfers
KIA/DOW
WIA & EVAC*
SICK
JOINED
TRANSFERRED
STRENGTH
Out of an original landing strength of 888 officers and men.
* Does not include minor wounds not requiring evacuation from the line.
| Name | Company | Rank | Role | Change | Cause | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byerly, Lawrence Charles | Baker | Corporal | Messenger | Sick | Unknown | Evacuated to USS Solace |
| Cabe, Winston McCay | Able | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Unknown | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Esposito, Frank | Charlie | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left foot | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Franey, John Joseph Jr. | Able | PFC | Mortarman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, chest | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Gallegos, Corpus Aquino | Baker | Corporal | Clerk | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, middle finger left hand | Not evacuated |
| Haluchak, Alex | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Amputation, left thigh | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Hamilton, Walker | Able | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, scalp & intracranial injury | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Jackson, James William | Able | PFC | Messenger | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, right shoulder | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Lemma, James Anthony | Able | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Unknown | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| McCay, Thomas Francis | Able | Corporal | Demolitions | Killed In Action | Gunshot, chest | Removed for burial |
| Roach, Vernon Kenneth | Charlie | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left foot | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Santillo, Orest Joseph | Headquarters | Corporal | Ammunition NCO | Wounded In Action | Unknown | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Stott, Frederic Anness | Headquarters | First Lieutenant | Liaison | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | Not evacuated |
| Swartz, Donald Eugene | Headquarters | PhM2c | Corpsman | Wounded In Action | Unknown | Evacuated, destination unknown |
| Townsend, Charles Arthur | Baker | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, right hand | Not evacuated |
| Woods, Henry Niles | Able | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | Removed for burial |
