1942: Marine Corps, United States

Mightier than ever before in its 166 years of service to the nation — 'Semper Fidelis' — the U. S. Marine Corps entered the year 1942 with the treacherous December attacks on our Pacific bases as prelude for a tremendous expansion program in personnel and equipment. First to fight 'on land, at sea, and in the air', there were 75,000 men in Marine uniforms at the close of 1941, with a steady increase until, less than a dozen months later, Secretary of Navy Knox announced that the Corps had passed the 200,000 mark.

Achievements in 1942.

The Philippines, Wake Island, and Guam.

When the year opened, the Marines were defending Corregidor, Bataan, and other posts in the Philippines against the Japanese. Wake Island and Guam had fallen under assaults of the numerically superior Japanese. It had taken the invaders 14 days to conquer Wake Island, where 400 Marine officers and enlisted men were stationed under the command of dynamic Maj. James P. S. Devereux. There were only twelve planes on the island. The saga of Wake is characterized by the message 'Send us more Japs' in the closing days of the siege.

Early in the year it became evident that Manila and Cavite were no longer tenable as bases, and all naval units and Marines were successfully evacuated to the southward, where they joined General MacArthur's forces. Bataan and Corregidor both fell late in April, but the Japanese paid heavily for the capture of these posts in the Pacific. Col. Samuel L. Howard was in charge of the Fourth Regiment of the Marines, which had been ordered from Shanghai several weeks before the Nipponese struck at Pearl Harbor. Marines played their accustomed valiant roles in the defense of the Philippines, more than 170 Devildogs receiving awards and decorations.

The Midway Battle.

A month after the battle of the Coral Sea in early May, when the Japanese received their first setback, came the Midway engagement. Marine Corps dive bombers and torpedo planes rushed to meet the invasion fleet as it approached this little island. Participating with Navy air and surface craft, the Marine units helped to deal devastating blows that forced the enemy to limp away after four Japanese plane carriers had been sunk, three battleships damaged, two heavy cruisers and three destroyers sunk, several cruisers, destroyers and many auxiliary ships sunk or damaged, 275 planes lost or damaged, and 4,800 men killed or drowned. The world acclaimed the battle as an 'outstanding victory,' and the Marines received a mass tribute for their great part in the achievement. Few Marine air-group commanders returned alive. In an outstanding act of heroism, Maj. Lofton R. Henderson flew his flaming plane onto a Japanese carrier. Thus, although its defense was numerically outnumbered, skill and bravery saved Midway Island from major damage.

Marines on Guard in Alaska.

To the north, in the same month of June, the Japanese sent another fleet to the chain of Aleutian Islands off Alaska. This thrust was made by a smaller fleet than that employed at Midway. Marine anti-aircraft units took part in the defense at Dutch Harbor. Two of the attacking aircraft were shot down. Marines continued to remain on guard here.

Successful Invasion of the Solomons.

The year 1942 saw the Marine Corps launch and successfully carry out America's first land offensive of World War II, when it carried the fighting to the enemy by invading the Solomon Islands in August. This attack, the Leathernecks' outstanding offensive of 1942, was timed eight months to the hour after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. The Allied world was cheered when it was announced that Marines had landed on the Solomons, almost in Japan's own front yard. Leathernecks who took part in the attack had been carefully picked after months of practice in amphibious landings and jungle fighting, for the war in the Pacific is essentially an amphibious war. Timed to the minute were landings at Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanamboga, and Guadalcanal. In most places the well-entrenched Japanese fought to the last man; in others they were caught so unprepared that they left partly eaten meals in their headlong flight before the Marines.

Raid on Makin Island.

The Marines' invasion of the Solomons was followed by a hit-run raid on Makin Island in the Gilbert Group on Aug. 17, with Lieut. Col. Evans F. Carlson leading his famous 'Raiders,' a specially trained and armed landing force.

Japanese Attempts to Retake the Solomons.

As 1942 drew to a close the Japanese sent strong fleets to the Solomons area in attempts to retake this highly strategic position, but Marines remained firmly rooted and fought them off, and even acquired new ground. The Japanese made some landings of additional troops, but American fleet and bomber patrols prevented large Japanese troop reinforcements from reaching the Solomons.

Expansion Training, and Equipment.

During 1942 the Marine Corps was greatly expanded, and maintained its prestige as one of the best equipped and most versatile groups of fighters in the world. Amphibious tractors, tanks, artillery, parachute units, chemical warfare groups, peeps, jeeps, armored scout cars, gliders, and other weapons of offense and defense were developed and improved. One of the most potent of Leatherneck mobile weapons, the amphibious tractor, or 'alligator,' played an important role in the invasion of the Solomons. This new war machine transports troops and equipment from ship to shore in any kind of weather — and it can speed up the beach without spilling its cargo. While it is not an offensive weapon, it does carry weapons and armament.

Para-Marines.

Thousands of Marines were trained in 1942 as Para-Marines, learning to drop from large transport planes, form combat units, and get into action quickly, using weapons dropped by other parachutes. Only fully trained Marines who have the highest qualities of intelligence, physical endurance, and relish for personal combat are chosen for Para-Marine service.

Fleet Marine Force.

The Fleet Marine Force was greatly enlarged during the year to make it one of the fastest-hitting and best equipped striking forces in modern warfare. Component parts of the FMF include parachute units, tanks, artillery, amphibious tractors, planes, chemical warfare groups, armored cars, and infantry units armed with pistols, rifles, machine guns, mortars and cannon. Many Marines now are armed with the famed Garand rifle, known in the service as the 'MI.' Semi-automatic in action, it has a tremendous fire power. The FMF is designed to go ashore from transports and capture shore-based objectives, and troops assigned to it receive training in individual combat during a landing operation. All parts of the FMF are taught to work together in perfect unison, essential for attaining results in this kind of operation.

Training Recruits.

Training stations were enlarged and more intensive and varied combat training was given recruits, who flocked in increasing numbers to the 'boot' camps at Parris Island, S. C., and San Diego, Calif.

Training Candidates for Commissions.

With new officer personnel needed by the rapidly expanding Corps, Candidates' Classes for college graduates who desired commissions as second lieutenants continued to be held and enlisted men who were not college graduates were given chances to apply for commissioned rank after reaching non-com grades. Many of the new officers were assigned to the Fleet Marine Force after completing platoon leaders' courses.

Combat Correspondents and Photographers.

The year 1942 saw the development of Marine combat correspondents who, after receiving regular basic training, are sent to battlefronts to send back eyewitness accounts of the action taking place. Second Lieut. H. L. Merillat and Sergeant J. W. Hurlbut wrote graphic front line word pictures of the Solomons combat, and Lieut. Karl T. Soule sent back motion pictures of the fighting which were used throughout the country. Combat correspondents are stationed in war sectors all over the world, and more are being trained at 'boot camps' for military rudiments before final indoctrination at Headquarters, Washington, where they are detailed to outgoing units.

Main Branches of Service.

During 1942 the Corps continued to offer enlisted men seven main branches of service — aviation, line, mess, musician, paymaster, and signal and radio branch — listing tasks which either closely or exactly corresponded with the several thousand classifications of civilian jobs. The Corps boasts that it has a place for every man who can meet physical requirements. Marines were given opportunity to attend 69 vocational schools to learn everything from anti-aircraft training to tank destroying. Men on combat or guard duty were offered instruction in 58 academic and vocational subjects by the correspondence school method of the Marine Corps Institute.

The Commandant.

Many Marines received promotions during the year as the Corps enlarged. Lieutenant General Thomas Holcomb, Commandant, was promoted to that grade on Jan. 22, from the rank of major general. He is the first Commandant to hold this high rank. General Holcomb, the seventeenth Commandant of the Corps, was a brigadier general at the time of his selection as head of the Leathernecks.

Death of Lejeune.

The Corps lost one of its highest and most distinguished officers with the death on Nov. 20, in Baltimore, of Lieut. Gen. John Archer Lejeune, formerly Commandant.

From Defensive to Offensive.

At the end of 1941 Marines were on the defensive in the South Pacific, greatly outnumbered by hordes of attacking Japanese. The end of 1942, however, saw the Leathernecks once more on the offensive, carrying on 167 years of traditional glorious service.

1941: Marine Corps, United States

With the Iceland expedition before it and numerous insular bases acquired from the British destined for Marine Guards, the United States Marine Corps entered the year 1941, the 166th year of its existence, with 47,811 men on active service. Going far above the initial expansion which had brought the strength of the Corps from a bare 18,000 in 1939 to a strength of 25,000 by February 1940, the aggregate numerical strength of the Marine Corps passed the 65,000 mark late in 1941.

During the year the greatest concentration of Marines continued to be the Fleet Marine Force, made up of two streamlined 'triangular' divisions, each comprising three infantry regiments with supporting weapons. Two Marine aircraft wings of six squadrons each — in effect, almost all of Marine aviation — continued to be a component part of the Fleet Marine Force, and, with the rest of the Corps, underwent considerable expansion during the year.

In addition to the air arm all other modern ordnance and equipment applicable to the mission of the Fleet Marine Force, or FMF, is in service. Parachute units, tanks, artillery, amphibious tractors, chemical warfare groups, peeps, jeeps, armored scout cars of several types, and all-important infantry outfits, armed with pistols, rifles, machine guns, mortars, and 37 mm. cannon combine to make the FMF one of the best equipped striking forces of the world today. As far as is known these divisions are the only units of their size in which such a varied collection of weapons are included under Divisional command.

The FMF is an integral part of the United States Fleet, and it comes under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of that organization. Kept in a constant state of peak operating efficiency, it is ready for immediate call at all times. To keep the two divisions of the force at such a high standard, extensive training areas are necessary, and in 1941 a new Marine Base was authorized and established on the Atlantic Coast for the use of the First Marine Division. Situated near New River, N. C., this base will be completed in 1942, and late 1941 saw the First Division quartered in a tent camp at New River, pending completion of permanent barracks. The Second Marine Division, which is the West Coast unit of the FMF, is quartered at another new base established in 1941, Camp Elliott, several miles north of San Diego, Calif.

The function of the FMF is to form a fast, highly mobile sea-borne striking force, trained and equipped to go ashore from transports and capture shore based objectives. Such ship to shore actions involve a greatly enhanced element of risk when compared to regular overland military operations. The moving of men and equipment from ship to shore under possibly adverse weather conditions is a hazardous procedure by itself. With enemy fire from troops ashore and with machine guns and bombs from enemy planes hampering the work, the increased hazards of the operation are obvious. For these reasons troops who would master the special art of Landing Operations must be highly trained. There must be perfect teamwork between all units of the landing force — planes, tanks, guns, boats, parachute troops, and infantry units. Special equipment, such as Higgins-Eureka landing boats, self-propelled equipment lighters, and amphibious tractors must be used. Such training has been continuous and intensive in the Corps during the past year.

Interesting outgrowth of the national defense network of outlying bases which has been acquired by the United States during the present European conflict is the Marine Corps Defense Battalion. Several of these specialized units have been added to the six authorized in 1940. The Defense Battalion, since it is different in function and need not be so mobile as the standard FMF battalion, carries heavier equipment and ordnance. A heavily gunned outfit, it is equipped with automatic weapons of all calibres — anti-boat, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft — and it is designed to hold an advanced base for the Navy against possible enemy attack. The size of the defense unit at any given base will vary with the size of the base, but the Defense Battalion will be the nucleus of any such holding force.

But the Fleet Marine Force has not absorbed the entire man power of the Marine Corps. Ships' detachments of Marines are serving on all of the Navy's larger ships — battleships, aircraft carriers, and heavy cruisers — and on some light cruisers and gunboats. Seagoing Marines continued to be trained at the Corps' two sea-schools at Norfolk, Va., and San Diego, Calif.

Within the continental limits, Marines were stationed at all of the Naval Bases, and new Marine barracks were established at seven new continental stations. In the face of the emergency during 1941, guard detachments were furnished to fourteen outlying posts of existing stations. On foreign duty Marine Barracks or detachments were furnished at eleven new stations, or, as in the case of two detachments, at outlying posts of existing stations.

To provide trained personnel for the new equipment with which the Corps is being provided, the existing school system continued in operation with larger accommodations, and several new schools were established. Among these, one of the newest and most important is the amphibious tractor school established in April 1941.

A barrage balloon school was also organized at Parris Island, S. C., during the year in order to train enlisted men in barrage balloon maintenance and operation. Colonel B. L. Smith, U.S.M.C., an aviation pioneer who in 1913 made the first amphibian flight, and in 1919 planned the naval trans-atlantic flight, took command of the barrage balloon school. In the fall of 1941 the First Balloon Squadron, consisting of two hundred men equipped with thirty balloons, was graduated from the school, and seven more such squadrons will be trained for duty with the FMF by the summer of 1942.

The Marine parachute school, which was organized during November 1940, continued to turn out qualified parachutists for duty with the parachute units of the First and Second Divisions, and during the summer of 1941 Marine Corps parachute detachments demonstrated their capabilities in several maneuvers, each time succeeding in completely disorganizing the rear areas of the army attacked. In September a platoon of Company 'A,' First Parachute Battalion, performed the feat of marching 40 miles in twelve hours and thirty-five minutes. Superbly trained and kept in the best physical condition, the parachute units are considered to be the crack units of the Corps.

For the procurement of officer personnel to fill out the vacancies caused by the tremendous expansion of the Corps, Candidates' Classes for college graduates who desire commissions as Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserve continued to be held, and in November 1941, the Fourth Candidates' Class assembled at Quantico for its four month training period. Upon receipt of commissions the previous three classes of candidates went immediately to platoon leaders courses, and a great number of these men are now serving in the Fleet Marine Force.

Noteworthy in the year's events was the Marine Corps expedition to Iceland. Leaving this country in June, a force of Marines took over from the British much of the job of guarding the island from any possible attack. In August a United States Army contingent arrived in Iceland to share the task of guarding it.

During the summer another phase of Marine-Army cooperation was seen when Army units were attached to the First Marine Division to form the 'Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet.' The Army contingent was enthusiastic, and the maneuvers were considered to have shown very successful cooperation between the two services.

As the year draws to a close the Marine Corps is growing to meet its quota of 75,000 men. In the Fleet Marine Force, on the many foreign stations from the Philippines to London, from Samoa to Dutch Harbor, from British Guiana to Iceland, and on the ships at sea, the Marines stand ready to fight for American freedom.

1940: Marine Corps, United States

The advent of the year 1940 found the United States Marine Corps in the midst of the greatest peacetime expansion program in its history. An extensive recruiting program inaugurated the previous fall was proceeding at a rapid pace; and on February 14, 1940, the strength of the Marine Corps reached its goal of 25,000 enlisted men.

To absorb this increase of 7,000 enlisted men, the Marine Corps continued the expansion program instituted for the Fleet Marine Force, increasing the strength of this military arm of the U. S. Fleet by bringing it to a new authorized strength of 16,000 enlisted men. In addition, the Marine Corps continued its organization of four defense battalions and augmented the strengths of Marine Detachments serving in Navy Yards, as Naval activities were greatly increased. As newly-constructed cruisers and aircraft carriers were put into commission, Marine Detachments were formed for assignment on those vessels.

In May 1940, in conformity with the increasing need for greater land and naval forces, the Congress appropriated funds to further increase the strengths of the military and naval establishments of the country. This gave the Marine Corps an additional 9,000 enlisted men, bringing the authorized strength of the Corps to 34,000; the largest it has been since the last war.

As a result of this latest increase, the Marine Corps contemplated the organization of an additional infantry regiment and an artillery battalion to be stationed on the East Coast, and two infantry battalions and one artillery battalion to be stationed on the West Coast. Two more defense battalions are also contemplated which will give the Marine Corps six of these highly trained special weapons battalions for use against land, sea or air forces.

To bring the Marine Corps to its desired strength of 34,000 enlisted men, but at the same time retain its maximum degree of efficiency, the Marine Corps continued to recall and assign to active duty Fleet Marine Corps Reservists and all junior Marine Corps Reserve officers who volunteered for active duty. Those retired officers who expressed a willingness to serve and who were possessed of specific qualifications were taken back to assist in this expansion by affecting the release of active officers for service with combatant units. In September 1940, the Marine Corps was authorized a further increase to a strength of 38,600.

The program of intensive training inaugurated for the Fleet Marine Force in 1939 was continued in an effort to absorb the new units of the Force without impairing in any way the traditional 'minute-man' effectiveness of this Fleet arm. As part of this training program, the First Marine Brigade, Fleet Marine Force, normally stationed at Quantico, Virginia, departed on October 13, 1940, for its annual maneuvers, this time to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Outside the continental limits of the United States, Marines continued on duty in Shanghai, Peiping and Tientsin, China; Cavite and Olongapo in the Philippines; Hawaii, Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, Panama Canal Zone, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Alaska.

To augment the regular Marine Corps in the event of war, a program of building up the strength of the Marine Corps Reserve was inaugurated early in the year. Four additional reserve battalions were organized, bringing the total number of these units to twenty-three, stationed in twenty-one different cities throughout the United States. In addition, members of these units over thirty years of age were given the opportunity of active duty at a Navy yard or station near their homes. This program was designed to release younger Marines for the more strenuous duty of service with combatant units of the Marine Corps.

On September 21, 1940, the Marine Corps inaugurated a program whereby recent college graduates could qualify for commissions as second lieutenants in the Marine Corps Reserve. This special Platoon Leaders' Class soon attracted 1,200 candidates for commission from which group it is contemplated obtaining about 800 junior officers. This training course consisted of a three months' period of instruction after which those qualifying for commission would be given an additional six months' tour of duty with possible extension if circumstances warranted.

On October 10, 1940, in conformity with the policy of the Navy Department concerning the utilization of the personnel of the Naval Reserve establishment, the Secretary of the Navy ordered the mobilization into active service of the ground units of the Organized Marine Corps Reserve. Twenty-three reserve battalions, aggregating a strength of 197 officers and 5,597 enlisted men, were ordered to active duty with regular units of the Marine Corps. The mobilization was directed to take place on November 7, 1940.

On November 27, 1940, the Secretary of the Navy authorized the utilization of members of the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve. This authorization placed 550 officers and 4,500 enlisted men of the Volunteer Marine Corps Reserve on a 'stand-by' status.

As the year drew to a close, the Marine Corps operated with over 14,000 more men than it did at the beginning; in addition to over 5,000 members of the Marine Corps Reserve on active duty. With numerous new stations, ships, and other activities, the Marines everywhere continued on the alert, safeguarding our national policies and possessions, and ever mindful of the important role they play in our National Defense program.

1939: Marine Corps, United States

The advent of the year 1939 found the United States Marine Corps performing its peace time mission of various activities wherever the United States Navy had need for a military force to assist in forwarding the national defense policies of the country. Marines were assigned to domestic and foreign posts and stationed aboard numerous ships of the Navy as necessary.

The President's proclamation of a limited national emergency on Sept. 5, 1939, after the outbreak of the European War, resulted in an increase of all naval activities. Existing Navy Yards enlarged their forces, ship building and construction of naval necessities were augmented, and in turn added protection became essential at all these stations. Consequently Marine guards were increased at these Navy Yards. Idle Navy Yards were put back into operation and Marine detachments were formed and sent to Key West, Florida; Tongue Point, Oregon; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Kodiak, Alaska; and Sitka, Alaska. Protection of our national interests was continued in the Far East with units stationed in Shanghai, Peiping and Tientsin, China, and in the Philippines with detachments in Cavite and Olangapo. Increased units continued on duty in the Hawaiian Islands, Virgin Islands, Guam, Panama Canal Zone, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Fleet Marine Force was numerically increased by the addition of 842 officers and men to bring it to a strength of 5,642, and a program of intensive training was inaugurated so that this 'minute-man' military arm of the United States Fleet might function efficiently and smoothly upon a moment's notice should the need arise for its use.

In furtherance of the national defense plan, four Marine defense battalions are being organized. These defense battalions consist of highly mobile and highly trained artillery units, for use either against land, sea or air forces.

This expansion of all Marine Corps activities necessitated in bringing the Marine Corps complement up to an authorized strength of 25,000. In order to accomplish this increase seventeen new recruiting stations and seventy-five sub-stations were established throughout the country. Certain specified Fleet Marine Corps Reservists were recalled to active duty and junior Marine Corps Reserve officers who volunteered were assigned to active service. Retired officers who expressed their willingness to serve were taken back to assist in this expansion.

As the year draws to an end the United States Marine Corps is operating with over 6,000 more men than it had at the beginning, and with numerous new stations and activities. Marines everywhere are on the alert safeguarding our national policies and possessions.