CONTENTS Collaborators on this volume viii Acknowledgements ix Foreword: Lt. General Louis Metzger xi Preface xiv Chapter 1. Background: The War, the Weapon, the Men 1 The war in the Central Pacific. The Japanese foe. Amphibian tractors. Amphibian tanks: the LVTA-l, the LVTA-4. The men. The schools. Jacques' Farm. Camp Pendleton. Movie making. Chapter 2. The Boat Basin 22 Building a battalion. Training in the amtanks. Amtanks and the LST. Other training. Camp life & liberty. The Tarawa draft. Preparing for departure. Chapter 3. The San Clemente Maneuvers 38 Chapter 4. San Diego to Kwajalein 47 Early days at sea. The storm. Kauai. Approach to Kwajalein. Chapter 5. Kwajalein: The First Test 61 The Central Pacific offensive. Pre-invasion strategy. The battle plan. D-Day: the Ivan and Jacob landings, the Allen and Albert landings. D+l: Roi and Namur. Mopping up and shipping out. Assessment. Chapter 6. Kwajalein to Guadalcanal 96 The ships. Kwajalein to Funafuti. Funafuti. Funafuti to Guadalcanal. Chapter 7. Guadalcanal the First Time 103 Building Camp McCartney. Kavieng bypassed. Rebuilding the Battalion. Training and work. Camp life. Preparing for combat. Maneuvers. Chapter 8. Guadalcanal to Guam 150 Guadalcanal to Kwajalein. Kwajalein to the Marianas. In reserve off Saipan. The Marianas to Eniwetok. Eniwetok. Approach to Guam. Chapter 9. The Liberation of Guam 169 The battle plan. W-Day: The Agat landing. W-Day: the Asan landing. The Orote Peninsula mission. Cabras, Agana, other missions. Last days on Guam. Assessment Chapter 10. Guam to Guadalcanal 233 Chapter 11. Guadalcanal the Second Time 237 The 3d Armored. New men. Camp life. The LVTA-4s. Artillery training. Preparation for combat. Maneuvers. Chapter 12. Guadalcanal to Okinawa 267 Guadalcanal to Ulithl Staging at Ulithu Ulithi to Okinawa. Chapter 13. Okinawa: The Landing and First Days Ashore 275 Okinawa and the war. The battle plan. L-Day: the landing. On the beach and beyond. Artillery work and beach defense. Kamikazes. Day two through day five. Chapter 14. Okinawa: Northern Operations 297 North to Yabu. Yabu. Early amtank patrols. The Yae Take operation. Reconnoitering offshore islands. Last days at Yabu. Chapter 15. Okinawa: Southern Operations 321 From Yabu to Brown Beach. The Brown Beach operations. The battle for Naha-the Asa Kawa estuary, south of the Asa Kawa, closing in on Naha. The Chichi Jim a interlude. The battle for Oroku Peninsula— Naha, Oroku Peninsula, Senaga Shima. South to the end— beach defense and a desperate enemy, last battles, patrols inland, to the end. Disengagement and departure. Assessment. Chapter 16. Saipan and Wars End 369 History & description. From Okinawa to Saipan. Camp life. Around the Island. Victory. Postwar Saipan. The Typhoon. The point system. Last Days and Departure. Chapter 18. The Journey Home 392 To San Diego on the Griggs. Camp Pendleton. Other journeys home. Troop trains and homecoming. Chapter 19. Parade Rest 403 After the LVTA-4. The years after. The reunions. The Guam celebration. The spirit lives on. Glossary 413 Battalion roster 417 Bibliography 429 Digitized by Google.

At head of title: The United States Marine Corps

Includes bibliographical references (p. 429-430)

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