Tarawa Marine Identified and Reburied: Pfc. Royal L. Waltz

From the September 29, 2021, Santa Maria (California) Times "Hanford Marine killed in World War II laid to rest with honors" by Donald A Promnitz.

He was found eight years ago on the tiny Pacific island of Betio in the Battle of Tarawa.

The ceremony took place at the church of his youth, the First Methodist Church, and he was buried among family at Grangeville Cemetery.

He was born in Hanford in 1923 and grew up there until his family moved to Cambria in 1940.  He joined the Marines in the summer of 1941 and was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked.  He  went on to serve in the Pacific Theater and was at the American first offensive at Guadalcanal in 1942.

After a short rest, he was part of the Marine attack on the island of Betio in the Battle of Tarawa which was ought primarily to capture a strategic Japanese airfield.  It was an intense battle in which  over 1,000 Americans were killed in a 76-hour period of time.  

Many of the Americans drowned before they could even reach the beach.  According to former Marine SGM Justin LeHew,  witnesses confirmed that  Waltz was able to reach the shore before being mortally wounded on November 20, 1943, the first day of the landing.

LeHew serves as the chief operating officer for History Flight, a non-profit group dedicated to finding, identifying and bringing home fallen military personnel.  They found Waltz's remains in 2013 during n excavation and six years later they were able to positively able to identify his remains.

This group has found and identified many of the USMC unknowns on Betio.

He was buried with full military honors.

Bringing the Boys Home.  --GreGen

USS Mobile (CL-63)-- Part 1

There is a new U.S. Navy warship named USS Mobile.  It was just commissioned on May22, 2021.  It is am Independence-Class littoral combat ship and it was even built by Austal USA in Mobile.  The ship just left Mobile for its homeport in San Diego.

Thousands turned out for its commissioning and is the fifth ship to bear the city's name.

There was also a World War II USS Mobile which I have never written about in this blog, nor have I ever even heard of it.

From Wikipedia

It was built in Newport News and commissioned  24 March 1943, arriving at Pearl Harbor  23 July 1943.  She was involved in the Gilberts Island Campaign and  screened the ships  in the attack on Tarawa Atoll in September.  In December, the Mobile  was in the attacks on Kwajalein and Wotje in the Marshall islands.

--GreGen

Honoring Our WW II Veterans on Veterans Day-- Part 2: 1st Lt. Walter Pettit, Ruth Snively and Howard Miller

On Veterans Day I wrote about these WW II veterans in other blogs.  Every veterans Day I write about something to do with our Armed Forces in all of my blogs.

If you want to read the entry in the other blogs, just go ton the right of this entry to where it says My Blogs List and click on the blog.  Then go to the November 11 entry.

CIVIL WAR II BLOG

1st Lt. Walter Pettit, 97, U.S. Army Air Corps and Ruth Snively, 95, a Rosie the Riveter.

COOTER'S HISTORY THING BLOG

Howard Miller, USMC  His remains recovered on Betio, Tarawa, and returned home.  See Nov. 11 and 13 entries.

--GreGen

Raymond Barker USMC-- Part 3: From MIA to KIA

On D-Day at Tarawa, November 20, 1943, Corporal Barker was reported MIA and a few weeks after the island was secured, , his status was changed to presumed Killed In Action.  His body has never been  recovered.  He is one of eight men of Charlie Company who were listed as MIA at the Battle of Betio.

In his last letter home, dated November 1, he told of his frequent moves across the islands of the Pacific  and predicted an upcoming assault soon but had no premonition of death.

His parents didn't find out for two months after the battle.

On 9 March 1944, the bad news came in the form of a telegram:

"Cpl. Barker was listed as missing after the attack November 20 on Tarawa atoll in the Gilbert Islands.  However, Tarawa has now been fully occupied by American forces for 3 months, and it must necessarily be concluded that he lost his life in action."

--GreGen

USS Liscome Bay-- Part 2: Capturing Tarawa

Length  498 feet  65 foot beam  (108 foot flight deck)

Crew 910 officers and men

Carried 27 aircraft.

After training exercises along U.S. West Coast departed from San Diego on 21 October 1843 and arrived in Pearl Harbor a week later.  After more drills and operational exercises, she left on her first and last combat mission.  Departed Pearl Harbor on 10 November as part of Task Force 52, commanded by Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner headed for the Gilbert Islands.

This attack was the first major U.S. thrust into the Central Pacific and began on 20 November.  Just 76 hours later, Tarawa and Makin islands were taken.  The Liscome Bay, however, did not take part in it.

With the islands taken, naval forces began retiring from the area.

But....

--GreGen

USS Liscome Bay (ACV/CVE- 56)-- Part 1: Operation Galvanic

From Wikipedia.

Was a Casablanca-class  escort aircraft carrier during World War I.  It was named for  Liscome Bay on Dall Island in Alaska.  the ship was lost in a torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-175 during Operation Galvanic (of which the Battle of Tarawa was part), with a catastrophic loss of life, on November 24, 1943.

So, we are at the 75th anniversary of the sad event.

I'd never heard of this ship so am doing some research.  This would be an excellent vessel to locate with all the ones being found in the Pacific Theater these days.

It was laid down on December 9, 1942, by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company in Vancouver, Washington and launched  April 18, 1943.  It was commissioned by the Navy on August 7, 1943.

--GreGen

75th Anniversary of the End of the Battle of Tarawa Today

At 5:10 on November 23, 1943,  one of the 17 aircraft carriers involved in the battle, the USS Liscome Bay (ACV-CVE-56) an escort carrier was sunk by the Japanese submarine I-175 with a huge loss of life.

The loss of life was 687.

I have seen sources that say it sank on November 23 and other sources say November 24.  Not sure which one.

Fighting on the island of Betio was essentially cleanup with very high Japanese casualties on this date.

America paid a big price in casualties, but the island was ours.

--GreGEn

"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa-- Part 7: A Learning Process

Even with the heavy casualties and miscalculations, American forces inflicted a tremendous amount of casualties on the Japanese defenders on Tarawa.  A total of 4,836 Japanese troops died, with only 17 survivors.

The lessons learned at Tarawa were applied to later invasions of the Marshall Islands at the beginning of 1944.  The Navy and Marine Corps were better prepared by having "improved naval gunfire and air support, ...waterproof radios and underwater demolition teams," as well as more amphibious landing vehicles and flamethrower tanks.

This would prove to be vital for Allied success in later Pacific battles.

"Tarawa doesn't get the respect that Iwo Jima, Okinawa or other Pacific battles get, but, in my opinion, it is right up there with them," said Annette Amerman.  "It was a smaller and shorter battle, but it was just as crucial as the alter fights in the war."

--GreGen

75th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Battle of Tarawa Today

Seventy-five years ago today, Marines stormed ashore on the small Pacific atoll called Tarawa on the island of Betio and met huge Japanese resistance and turned it into "Bloody, Bloody Tarawa."

The battle lasted three days and was the first U.S. offensive in the central Pacific.  Previous landings had met little or no resistance.  This one certainly did not.

Of the 4,000 plus Japanese garrison, just 17 were captured.  the rest died.  Of 18,000 Marines, there were 1,009 killed, 2,101 wounded.  Total American casualties were 1,966 killed and 2,101 wounded.

On November 23, the USS Liscome Bay was sunk with 687 killed.

Like They Said, "Bloody, Bloody Tarawa."  --GreGen

"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa"-- Part 6: Reasons For the Heavy U.S. Casualties

The reasons for the heavy casualties on Tarawa have much to do with the planning and execution of the invasion.

For starters, the Americans counted on a tide of at least four feet to allow the assault vehicles to cross the several hundred yard reef before reaching the shore on Betio.  But, Betio was at neap (an especially low) tide, landing craft were unable to make it to shore on the first day of battle.  Marines had to wade through the ocean water -- many were wounded or killed before making it to the beach.

Another issue for the Navy and marines involved in the battle was timing of attacks.  Many of the radios during the opening of the battle were damaged by water and enemy fire.  Because of severe limitation to communications, many units did not know about last minute changes to H-Hour, or the designated time when the assault would begin.

Rough seas and a long run from the Navy ships to the beach caused delays.  The time of attack was postponed twice, but many Marines did not receive the news because of communication failures.

--GreGen

"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa"-- Part 5: U.S. Public Shocked By Motion Picture

According to Annette Amerman, the Battle of Tarawa gets its notorious reputation because it was the first Marine Corps battle to be captured on motion picture -- something that was frequently seen in later battles and wars.

"Americans saw dead Marines in the beach of Tarawa, and it was very shocking to them," Amerman said.    "Everyone had already heard the term 'war is hell,' but they saw it first hand thanks to that film.

Indeed, the Navy and Marine Corps suffered very many casualties during this short battle.  Some 1,085 men were killed and 2,292 wounded in action.  Even more shocking is that those numbers are our of only 5,600 Americans in the battle.

--GreGen

"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa"-- Part 4: Never In a 100 Years

Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of the beginning of this battle.

One of the people who believed it would be impossible for Tarawa to fall was Japanese Rear Admiral Meichi Shibasaki, the island's commander, who said "a million Americans" wouldn't be able to take Tarawa in "100 years."  He was wrong, the United States captured it in 76 hours.

Retired Marine Corps Col. Joseph Alexander wrote in his book "Across the Reef: The Marine Assault of Tarawa that Shibasali's thoughts were forgivable and that the island was "the most heavily defended atoll that ever would be invaded by Allied forces in the Pacific."

--GreGEn

"Bloody, Bloody Tarawa"-- Part 3: The Japanese Were Ready

The Battle of Tarawa was the first major American offensive in the central Pacific.  Until then, Americans didn't face mush opposition during amphibious assaults.  Previous landings had met little or no hostile action.  But Tarawa was to be different.

The initial landings of the 2nd Marine Division met with heavy Japanese resistance right away.  The Japanese troops on Betio were also equipped with 8-inch, turret-mounted naval rifled guns as well as coast defense, anti-aircraft, anti-boat field artillery guns and howitzers.  They also had many kinds of light tanks and other weapons.  These soldiers were ready for anything the Americans might bring against them.

Americans had never met this kind of opposition before.

"Tarawa was a bloody, bloody battle," said Annette Amerman, a historian with the Marine Corps History Department in Quantico, Virginia.  Nit only was it an exceedingly hard-fought battle, but in reality, the Marines probably should not have been able to take the island. "There are people who argue that Tarawa should never have been taken.""

--GreGen

"Bloody, Bloody" Tarawa-- Part 2: In the Gilbert Islands

The November 1943 invasion of the Gilbert islands was the beginning of the U.S. "Island-Hopping" Campaign in the central Pacific during World War II.  U.S. commanders determined that amphibious attacks on Japanese-occupied islands was key to victory.

And, not every island would have to be attacked.  We would chose principal ones and skip others.

The island of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was the first target of the American campaign.

Tarawa is located about 80 nautical miles from the equator and is the largest atoll in the Gilbert Islands which is a 16-island chain roughly halfway between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea.  The Japanese had seized it from the British a few days after the their attack on Pearl Harbor.

Tarawa's main island, Betio, was the target if the Navy and Marine Corps.

--GreGen

"Bloody, Bloody" Tarawa-- Part 1: 75th Anniversary This Month

From the November-December 2018 VFW Magazine by Dave Spiva.

November 20 marks 75 years since the American assault against Japanese forces on Tarawa in World War II.

The victory on this central Pacific island came at a high cost for the Marines.  Mistakes were made but lessons learned.  These proved invaluable in later amphibious assaults in the "Island-Hopping" Campaign.

--GreGen

Horace Carlsen, USMC-- Part 3: Killed At Battle of Tarawa, Remains Unidentified

In November of 1943, he was among the first troops to assault the heavily fortified enemy defenses of Betio Island Red Beach One, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert islands, as part of an advance team whose mission was to establish a headquarters for tractor battalion operations.

Bud was one of the 550 Marines killed in the battle whose remains were not identified or recovered. Dogtags were removed, gravesites obliterated and records lost.In 1946, his unidentified remains were moved to Hawaii's Schofield Mausoleum.

In 1949 his remains were reinterred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Hawaii's Punchbowl in grave E1212.

--GreGen

Marines From Tarawa Atoll Accounted For in October

From Missing Marines:  Accounted For.

This site gives information on Marines whose remains have been found and identified.  These are the ones for October 2017, so far:

**  THOMAS JESSE MURPHY--  PHM2C, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines.

KIA Betio, Tarawa Atoll, 20 Nov. 1943.  Accounted for 12 October 2017.

**  ARNOLD JUNIOR HARRISON--  PFC, Co. B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine

KIA Betio, Tarawa Atoll  25 Nov. 1943.  Accounted for 10 October 2017

**  RAYMOND ARTHUR BARKER--  Corporal, Co. C, 1st Corps Tank Battallon (Medium)  "Condor."

MIA  Betio, Tarawa, 20 Nov. 1943.  Accounted for 10 October 2017

So Happy the Government Is Doing This.  Thanks.  --GreGen