BATTLE NARRATIVE
Rest & Replacements Tinian: 26-28 July 1944
PFC Peter Kakadelis (C/1/24) poses on a wrecked Japanese bomber at Tinian, July 26, 1944. USMC photo.
The American advance kept pressing southward. The Second Marine Division came ashore and took over the drive down the eastern half of the island. Another airfield fell into Marine hands. A few stubborn defenders caused trouble and casualties, but were little more than speed bumps for the two divisions sweeping ahead with a unified front. “The remaining troops were capable of only the most dazed and weak resistance,” wrote David Dempsey in the Fourth Marine Division’s official history. “Three airfields, a dozen prepared strongpoints… fell with no more than token resistance.”[1]
For two days after turning back the banzai attack, BLT 1-24 stayed in a reserve assembly area near the airfield. As always, they were expected to mop up in the area – but this time, had the support of LVTAs, tanks, demolition men, and flamethrowers. The Marines methodically worked through heavy undergrowth and a handful of caves; they found some weapons and papers of interest to intelligence but encountered almost no enemy soldiers. “It soon became apparent that the enemy had almost completely evacuated the beach-head area,” noted the regimental report. By mid-afternoon, all hands returned to their positions to rest and reorganize.[2] A few went sightseeing around the airfield, climbing on the wrecked planes and posing for photographers. One or two Marines were treated for superficial shrapnel scratches, but by and large July 26 and 27 were uneventful for LtCo. Otto Lessing’s Marines. Nobody complained.
Marine patrols mop up the airfields, cane fields, and clifflines of Tinian. USMC photos.
One notable event was the arrival of another draft of replacements “loaned” from the Second Marine Division. Nine officers and 266 enlisted men were received by RCT-24; seventy-seven, including two of the officers, were allocated to the First Battalion. Able Company added one officer and 42 enlisted to its ranks, bringing its total ratio of replacements to 45% of its total strength (64 out of 143). Baker and Charlie Companies also received new men, though not so many since those outfits were spared most of the chaos and casualties of the banzai. Other companies of the 24th were in even worse shape. “The RCT had 2 rifle companies with over 60% of the men replacements, and 1 company [probably Able] had about 50% replacements,” they reported. With companies already understrength, having a majority of untested troops “reduced the effectiveness of these companies tremendously.”[3]
Private Roland K. Jennings was one of several “transplanted cannoneers schooled in the art of field artillery, suddenly becoming infantrymen” in Able Company. He was paired up with PFC Armand Louis Guyot, a nineteen-year-old combat veteran. Jennings, a Missouri farm boy, wasn’t sure what to make of Guyot, an aspiring actor and dancer from Chicago. “We quickly became close friends even though our backgrounds were completely opposite,” he wrote. “He was my mentor to learn the way of war.”[4] Eighteen-year-old Private Alva “Gene” Gordon had been in uniform for just seven months. “I’d taken training as an 81mm mortarman,” he remembered. “I was a rifleman on Tinian.” He summed up the experience of many a young man going directly into battle: “You’re scared, that’s for sure, and if you weren’t scared you didn’t have very good brains. You just take it in stride, something we all had to do. You didn’t know from one minute to the next if you was going to be there or not – alive, anyway.”[5] Jennings, Gordon, and their colleagues were posted to their temporary companies on the evening of July 26 but not taken up on the rolls until two days later.
Temporarily Attached from Casual Battalion, Second Marine Division
Name | MOS | Rank | Assigned To |
---|---|---|---|
ENACO, Philip Frank | 521 (Basic) | PFC | Able |
GORDON, Alva Eugene | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Able |
GRIFFAW, Joseph LeRoy | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Able |
HALE, Ted Robert, Jr. | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Able |
HEATH, LeRoy John | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Able |
JENKINS, Jim | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Able |
JENNINGS, Roland Kenneth | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Able |
JOHNSON, Raymond P. | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Able |
KARR, Lawrence Jerald | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Able |
MILLER, LeRoy Evan Jr | 653 (Squad Leader) | Corporal | Able |
MUELLER, Galen Emery | 746 (BARman) | Private | Able |
NEASLONEY, Milfred Otto | 746 (BARman) | Private | Able |
NEELY, James Louis | 746 (BARman) | Private | Able |
NICHOLSON, Paul Laverne | 746 (BARman) | Private | Able |
NOLEN, Lawrence Albert | 746 (BARman) | Private | Able |
NOWACK, George Joseph Edward | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
O'CONNELL, Timothy P. | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
OSBURN, Lawrence Roger | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PANTALEO, Louis Primo | 1542 (Platoon Leader) | Seond Lieutenant | Able |
PANZA, Ernest Peter | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PAYNE, Harvey Lee | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PEARSON, William Howard | 653 (Squad Leader) | Private | Able |
PETERS, Francis Nicholas | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PETERSON, JAMES Nels | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PICKETT, LeRoy Wrinney | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PIEDE, Werner Philip | 636 (Scout) | PFC | Able |
PLATT, Thomas L. | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PRATT, Frank Edward | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PRATT, Olva Jackson | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PREITE, Fredric Dominic Jr | 761 (Sniper) | PFC | Able |
PREVOT, Henry John William | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PRINTZ, Peter Andrew Jr. | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
PROCKO, Steve | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
RADISH, Richard Louis | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
RAISNER, Richard Leonard | 636 (Scout) | PFC | Able |
REAMS, Richard Hugh | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
REESE, Kay | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
SHERWOOD, Durward Lamoine | 604 (Machine Gunner) | Private | Able |
SLAVIK, James Louis | 604 (Machine Gunner) | Private | Able |
SMITH, Robert R. | 604 (Machine Gunner) | Private | Able |
TANNER, Earle David | 604 (Machine Gunner) | Private | Able |
WEAVER, Wilford Peter | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Able |
WITTWER, WIlliam Ernest | 652 (Section Leader) | Sergeant | Able |
DAVID, LeRoy Herman | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Baker |
DOGGETT, Sherman Avner | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Baker |
GALVEZ, Louis Wilfredo | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Baker |
GILBERT, Robert J. | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Baker |
HOPKINS, William P. | 607 (Mortarman) | Private | Baker |
KENNEDY, Troy William | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Baker |
KIRBY, Cortes Hinson | 521 (Basic) | Private | Baker |
KUPCZAK, Daniel Richard | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Baker |
LARSEN, Morris Marx | 531 (Artilleryman) | Private | Baker |
NICHOLS, Frederick Day, Jr. | 1542 (Platoon Leader) | Second Lieutenant | Baker |
REYNOLDS, Paul Ray | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
RILEY, Philip John | 636 (Scout) | PFC | Baker |
SHARP, Wayne Eugene | 521 (Basic) | Private | Baker |
SHEPPARD, Frank Miller, Jr | 521 (Basic) | Private | Baker |
STEWART, Edward George | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
STONE, Calvin Wheeler | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
SUNDERLAND, Charles Chester Jr | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
SZALAY, Alex Francis | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
SZTABA, Walter Martin | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
TABER, Richard Joseph | 604 (Machine Gunner) | Private | Baker |
TAYLOR, Edward A. | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
TAYLOR, Howard William | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
TAYLOR, Mark Ellis | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Baker |
ROBINSON, Everett Sherwood | 636 (Scout) | PFC | Charlie |
TERRY, Edward Boyd | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
THOMPSON, William Earl | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
TODD, James E. | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
ULSHAFER, Garth Eugene | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
VANNOY, Orval William | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
VIZCAINO, Joseph Michael | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
WAKEHAM, Kenneth | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
WALLNER, Edward | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
WALTER, Paul E. | 745 (Rifleman) | Private | Charlie |
VAN DOREN, Charley Vance | 776 (Radio Operator) | PFC | Headquarters |
July 28 was the baptism of fire for these new men, and they got a crash course in tank-infantry tactics. In the morning, BLT 1-24 moved to a new assembly area and took up positions to lead a section of the day’s advance towards Tinian Town. Led by a platoon from the 4th Tank Battalion, RCT-24 notched an astonishing seven- thousand-yard gain in a single day, capturing “a huge new airport in west-central Tinian” and ending the day within sight of Tinian Town. “We got into what they called ‘echelon,’ a line of men across the island,” explained Gordon. “Sometimes you walked close [together] because you had to, and sometimes far apart so you can see better. In jungle or tall cane fields, you had to walk a little bit closer or you’d stroll right past the Japanese. You didn’t want to bypass any of them because they’d shoot you in the back.”[6] Japanese troops who did stay and fight – especially those of the 50th Infantry – often performed quite well. “The discipline and training of the Manchurian veterans was evident,” noted the Division’s intelligence report. “They made excellent use of cover and concealment… their marksmanship was notably accurate, with rifle and MG fire delivered low.”[7] Americans underestimated these men at their peril.
The battalion took three casualties in this “echelon” movement. Private Richard J. Taber, one of the brand-new replacements in Baker Company, was hit in the shoulder but the wound was slight and he stayed on the line. PFC Bartholomew R. J. Wanagaitis, a veteran Able Company mortarman called “Taxi” for his resemblance to William Bendix’s character in Guadalcanal Diary, was more seriously hurt; he was admitted to the field hospital with bullet wound in his right hip. The closest call of all nearly killed the operations officer, Captain Gene G. Mundy, who had been a tremendous help in leading the battalion on Saipan. A piece of shrapnel slammed into his chest right below the collarbone, smashing his ribs and damaging his lung. The wound looked frightful, and Mundy was given up for dead – but managed to live through the night, much to the surprise of the corpsmen who rushed him back to the beach for evacuation. Mundy would be hospitalized for the next two years; he lost nine ribs and his left lung, but retired from the service as a major with the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts to complement his campaign ribbons.
The day’s movement brought BLT 1-24 to the extreme right of the American line, following Tinian’s western coast. Directly ahead lay the ruins of Tinian Town, flattened and smouldering after days of massive bombardment from land, sea, and air. If everything went according to plan, they would be the first to “liberate” what was left on D-plus-5.
- Proehl, 105.
- Division Report (Tinian), 276.
- Ibid., 308.
- Roland K. Jennings, letter to the author.
- Alva E. Gordon, interview by Tony P. Lupo, May 3 2006. Alva Eugene Gordon Collection (AFC/2001/001/46242), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
- Ibid.
- Division Report (Tinian), 68.
Battalion Report
Casualties, Evacuations, Joinings & Transfers
KIA/DOW
WIA & EVAC*
SICK
JOINED
TRANSFERRED
STRENGTH
Out of an original landing strength of 599 officers and men.
* Does not include minor wounds not requiring evacuation from the line.
Name | Company | Rank | Role | Change | Cause | Date | Disposition | Profile |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baker, William Leroy | Headquarters | PhM2c | Corpsman | Sick | Unknown | 7/28/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Boxx, Ottis Oliver | Charlie | PFC | Machine Gunner | Returned to duty | 7/28/1944 | Visit | ||
Boyd, Kenneth Newman | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | 7/27/1944 | Not evacuated | Visit |
Cavanaugh, William F. | Baker | Private | BARman | Sick | Unknown | 7/26/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | |
Chamberlain, Claude Lee | Baker | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Returned to duty | 7/26/1944 | Visit | ||
Fry, Don Harold | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Sick | Unknown | 7/27/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Gabor, Charles | Baker | PFC | BARman | Sick | Unknown | 7/27/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Gibson, John Andrew | Charlie | Chief Cook | Cook | Sick | Unknown | 7/27/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Grosch, Richard Theodore | Able | Corporal | Machine Gunner | Returned to duty | 7/27/1944 | Visit | ||
Ison, Venon Harrison | Baker | PFC | Basic | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | 7/27/1944 | Not evacuated | Visit |
Mayhew, Ray Carrell | Baker | FM1c | Field Music | Sick | Unknown | 7/27/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Mayhew, Ray Carrell | Baker | FM1c | Field Music | Returned to duty | 7/28/1944 | Visit | ||
Mundy, Gene Gordon | Headquarters | Captain | Bn-3 | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, chest | 7/28/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Remington, Jess Bennett | Headquarters | PFC | Mortarman | Sick | Unknown | 7/26/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Shurmantine, Donald Holt | Headquarters | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, left side of face | 7/27/1944 | Not evacuated | Visit |
Swoyer, Joseph Dell | Baker | First Lieutenant | MG Platoon Leader | Returned to duty | 7/28/1944 | Visit | ||
Taber, Richard Joseph | Baker | Private | Machine Gunner | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | 7/28/1944 | Not evacuated | |
Telech, Samuel John | Charlie | PFC | Basic | Sick | Unknown | 7/26/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown | Visit |
Triggs, Stephen John | Headquarters | Sergeant | Field Wire Chief | Returned to duty | 7/27/1944 | Visit | ||
Wanagaitis, Bartholomew Robert John | Able | PFC | Mortarman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right hip | 7/28/1944 | Evacuated to field hospital | Visit |
Wilmer, Ralph Clement | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Sick | Unknown | 7/27/1944 | Evacuated, destination unknown |