Disclaimer: The information I'm about to share about the Battle of Peleliu is what I've gathered from a number of sources including, but not limited to: Wikipedia, Burr, the Marine Corps University professor, and our Peleliu tour guide, Des. With the exception of Burr, they are all far more educated on this subject than I... any inaccuracies or misinformation are my own. That said, I think I got it all right!
The Battle of Peleliu is one that has been largely forgotten in the re-telling of the Pacific theatre of WWII. It was fought for an airstrip in a country that had been occupied by the Japanese since the end of WWI. The Japanese were given control of Palau by the Germans when they signed the Treaty of Versailles. Unlike China, the Phillippines, and other countries occupied by the Japanese prior to WWII, the people of Palau and Peleliu were not treated badly by the Japanese. The Japanese actually improved their infrastructure and built schools for their children. Yet in the Fall of 1944 US Forces landed on Peleliu to liberate the people from the Japanese and to secure the airfield.
Why was this airfield so important, you ask? It was the only working airfield in that part of the Pacific. Securing it would cut the Japanese off from their supply lines and it would be a stepping stone for US Forces in the move to liberate the Phillippines. Intelligence work was done prior to the landing, photographs were taken, and the Americans prepared for the projected three day battle.
But the Japanese were changing their tactics. Instead of using Kamakaze bombers and fighting the enemy in the open they opted for a more sophistacated strategy. They dug hundreds of miles of tunnels and caves in the limestone rock of Peleliu and hid snipers in ridges and behind rocks. They could see everything that the American forces did, but the Americans could not see them.
The Battle of Peleliu did not last the projected three days. Instead, it was nearly four months before the island was secure. In the end, it was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, with the 1st Marines losing over a third of their men and the Japanese having only 250 survivors out of an intial force of over 1500.
Why has Peleliu been forgotten? For one, it didn't recieve the media coverage of other Pacific Battles. It was only supposed to take three days for the island to be secured, so no reporters were sent to cover the fighting. Probably most importantly, Peleliu ended up having very little strategic value for the US Forces. The airfield was not important in the taking back the Phillippines and wasn't really used much during the rest of the war.
Today, the island is a lush green paradise. It is hard to imagine what it must have looked like after the US Forces napalmed the foliage and it was just rock and tree stumps. The population of Peleliu is about 1000 people and the northern tip of the 14 mile long island is where the bulk of the population resides. They have an infrastructure that is quite serviceable, but is best up north. There is a school that teaches kindergarten through 8th grade. After that, the children go to the big island of Koror to attend highschool; there they live in dorms or with family.
Peleliu is a well preserved reminder of the fighting in WWII. There are unexploded mortars and old boots littering the cave floors. There is a museum filled with personal accounts from the people who fought there and have since made pilgrimages back. Also in the museum are canteens, helmets, and other paraphanalia found in the jungles by the island's own historians. We saw an old gun still in it's original place, and American tanks, Japanese Zeros, and a mass burial site for the fallen Japanese. In all, the island struck a chord in me. The brutal WWII history matched with the beautiful surroundings and vibrant tourist industry of today... I will be pondering Peleliu for a while yet.
Memorial to the 81st Army Infantry which reinforced the 1st Marines
The Airfield
Dug in machine gun
American Tank
Memorial to the 1st Marines
rmf
1 comment:
"The Japanese were given control of Palau by the Germans when they signed the Treaty of Versailles".
For a compelling look at the Treaty of Versailles and its immense consequences (for Japan, its neighbors in Asia and much of the rest of the world) down to the present day, DO have a look at my fascinating new book -- "A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today" published by Wiley and available at Amazon.com and most bookstores !
The author (myself) -- executive editor of Forbes.com and a veteran foreign correspondent for The New York Times and CBS News is also available for speeches and lectures!
Best,
David A. Andelman
david@ashatteredpeace.com
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