{"id":2992,"date":"2025-02-11T17:35:32","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T17:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2992"},"modified":"2025-02-11T17:35:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T17:35:32","slug":"battle-of-cape-gloucester-misery-manifest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2992","title":{"rendered":"Battle of Cape Gloucester: Misery Manifest"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

By Capt. Dale Dye, USMC (Ret)<\/a><\/p>\n

H<\/span>urricanes can be hell. Typhoons are typically terrible. But when it comes to all-around, rain-soaked, human misery, the tropical monsoon tops the charts. This is especially true if you\u2019re out in it with nothing but a steel helmet and the shirt on your back when relentless, solid sheets of rain leave you sucking water rather than air. Add to your misery a fanatical enemy, plus man-eating mangrove swamps and a jungle so dense it defies human incursion, and you\u2019ve got some notion of what the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marine Division faced at Cape Gloucester during World War II. <\/p>\n

\n<\/picture>
U.S. Marines wade through the surf and onto a beach during the Battle of Cape Gloucester. Codenamed Operation Backhander, the fighting would last for three miserable weeks. Image:\u00a0U.S. Navy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As Christmas approached in 1943, the division was supposedly in a rest and refit status in Australia following the brutal six-month campaign at Guadalcanal that came to an end for the Marines in January. Survivors of that first big American offensive against the Japanese in the Pacific needed the break. They were exhausted, emaciated, under-nourished and malaria-ridden after their stand in the Solomons.<\/p>\n

\"Marines\n<\/picture>
Marines board LCI-340 on Christmas Eve 1943 to liberate Cape Gloucester. Many men carry M1 Garand rifles. At the far left, a Marine carries a scope-equipped M1903A4 Springfield sniper rifle<\/a>. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Regardless, Division Commander Major General William Rupertus pushed his weary veterans hard in a relentless training schedule. He had no choice as floods of green replacements were reporting for duty to flesh out his line infantry outfits, including the 1st<\/sup>, 5th<\/sup>\u00a0and 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines plus 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines artillery batteries. Lessons learned at Guadalcanal were being incorporated into division supporting elements such as tanks, amphibian tractors, engineers, naval gunfire, air support and logistics. It was a huge task, and division leaders prayed for sufficient time to get everything done before another big mission came their way.<\/p>\n

Dialing In the Target<\/h2>\n

No good deed goes unpunished in the Marine Corps, so no one was overly surprised when the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marine Division, under General MacArthur\u2019s Southwest Pacific Area command while they were in Australia, was alerted to take part in his scheme to bull his way closer to a promised return to the Philippines. MacArthur considered the division his Marines and planned to use them in an assault on the northwest shore of New Britain island at a spot called Cape Gloucester. The landings were scheduled for 26 December. Merry Christmas.<\/p>\n

\"General\n<\/picture>
General Douglas MacArthur reviews plans for landing on Cape Gloucester. Richmond Dick Kelsey, a Walt Disney animator, made the relief map being used and stands on the far left of the photo. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the division loaded up aboard an amphibious task force at Melbourne, General Rupertus and his senior leaders reviewed the bidding at that stage of the war in the Pacific. Many were unhappy with MacArthur\u2019s plan and had argued vociferously against parts of it. A wild-eyed parochial scheme to drop the Army\u2019s 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment inland on New Britain in support of the advancing Marines was nixed as overly costly and nearly impossible given the thick jungle that covered most of the island.<\/p>\n

\"Brigadier\n<\/picture>
Brigadier General William H. Rupertus, center, on board USS\u00a0Neville<\/em>\u00a0(AP-16) during combat operations in the Guadalcanal campaign. Gen. Rupertus would later be promoted to major general. Image:\u00a0U.S. Navy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another typically grandiose element of MacArthur\u2019s strategy was to include the pivotal Japanese air and sea base at Rabaul as an objective for the operation, now code-named Dexterity. Even members of his own staff sided with the Marines objecting to that as a bridge too far. Since the Japanese had landed at Rabaul on the northeast point of New Britain in 1942, they had developed a sprawling base with port facilities and airfields manned by a formidable number of defenders. Reluctantly, MacArthur agreed that Rabaul should be bypassed and pummeled continuously by air strikes rather than subject to a ground attack. The focus of Operation Dexterity was narrowed to western New Britain and the seizure of the all-important Japanese airstrip at Cape Gloucester. Get that done, and MacArthur\u2019s flanks would be safe from enemy airstrikes as he fought on New Guinea and drove toward the Philippines.<\/p>\n

\"Major\n<\/picture>
Maj. Gen. William H. Rupertus led the 1st Marine Division during the Battle of Cape Gloucester and the Battle of Peleliu<\/a>. He also authored the U.S.M.C. Rifleman\u2019s Creed. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By this time in the war, pre-invasion landing preparations had become SOP. On 26 December, U.S. and Australian cruisers and destroyers steaming along the Bismarck Sea pounded Japanese positions on New Britain. Spotters had a difficult time seeing any effect onshore because of the thick jungle reaching right down onto the proposed landing beaches. It was the first clue to the difficulties the Marines would encounter once ashore at Cape Gloucester. Another clue was a pelting rain that started just after dawn and didn\u2019t let up much for the entire run of the operation. The winter monsoons had arrived at Cape Gloucester.<\/p>\n

\"squadron\n<\/picture>
In a pre-landing attack, these North American B-25 Mitchell bombers<\/a> hit the Japanese airfield on Cape Gloucester, December 1943. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite deteriorating weather, the U.S. Army Air Corps managed to get flights of B-24s and B-25s into action. The only indicator that the strikes had any effect was a mushroom cloud rising skyward, indicating an enemy fuel dump may have been hit. Hoping for the best, the order to land came at 0745 on the day after Christmas, and the 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines headed for the shoreline of Cape Gloucester.<\/p>\n

Meeting the Enemy<\/h2>\n

They encountered no enemy reaction as they landed on Yellow Beach 1 and 2, but the jungle was just as formidable an obstacle as Japanese defenders. Right off the landing craft, the Marines had to break out machetes and start hacking a path inland. A half-hour later, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3\/1) landed on the 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines right flank, followed shortly by 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0Battalion, 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marines (2\/1). More machetes were added to the push inland, but still not much reaction from Japanese defenders.<\/p>\n

\"Marines\n<\/picture>
Marines load onto LSTs at Oro Bay, New Guinea on December 24, 1943. Two days later they would land on Cape Gloucester. Image:\u00a0Brenner\/U.S. Navy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of that was due to the sparse numbers of defenders around Cape Gloucester. The Japanese had committed a scatter-shot unit to the defense of the central and western parts of New Britain. They were nearly as hampered by weather and terrain as the assaulting Americans. Japanese General Hitoshi Imamura had his 8th<\/sup>\u00a0Army command at Rabaul and he was only remotely in touch with his subordinate commands. Much of his fighting strength was tied up defending in New Guinea or the northern Solomons.<\/p>\n

\"US\n<\/picture>
The U.S. Marines moved through mud and thick jungle to engage the Japanese. Image:\u00a0Staff Sgt. James Carroll\/U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imamura had just a cobbled together 65th<\/sup>\u00a0Brigade to cover all of New Britain. Much of that scattered command was support troops rather than battle-tested infantry, and Major General Iwao Matsuda commanding the brigade was a transportation officer with little infantry experience. What was facing the Marines at Cape Gloucester was a Japanese force of a little more than 12,000 soldiers, many of them not trained infantrymen, and most of them without prior combat experience.<\/p>\n

\"US\n<\/picture>
On the second day of the Battle of Cape Gloucester, these Marines fire their 105mm howitzer against the Japanese troops defending the airport. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That didn\u2019t do much to ease the burden on Marines dealing with some of the most inhospitable terrain Americans had ever encountered. An official report on conditions in and around Cape Gloucester was startling.<\/p>\n

\n

Decay lies everywhere just under the exotic lushness, emitting an indescribable odor unforgettable to anyone who has lived it. Insect life flourishes prodigiously: disease-bearing mosquitoes and ticks, spiders the size of dinner plates, wasps three inches long, scorpions, centipedes.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Through that mess and more, the Marines hacked their way slowly inland, aiming to capture the vital airstrip and what few pieces of high and dry\u00a0ground they could identify.<\/p>\n

\"US\n<\/picture>
Mud like this was just one of the environmental hinderances the Marines had to overcome during the Battle of Cape Gloucester. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Japanese defenders were hindered by the same horrible terrain and pelting rain but they sucked it up and deployed units of their 53rd<\/sup>\u00a0Infantry \u2014 about 4,000 men \u2014 to defensive positions around that vital airstrip and adjacent to Borgen Bay which curved around to the south of the initial landing sites. A second Japanese combat command, the 141st<\/sup>\u00a0Infantry was scattered in strong points to the south and east, making mutual support difficult for the defenders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"overhead\n<\/picture>
Carrying their rifles high, United States Marines wade through three-foot surf at Cape Gloucester from their LST. Image:\u00a0Sgt. Robert M. Howard\/U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That put the Japanese 53rd<\/sup>\u00a0Infantry straddling the Marines\u2019 axis of advance. That advance, slow and steady, actually split the Japanese defending units in half and cut them off from each other. Any direct combat that occurred was usually an American outfit stumbling around in the rain and running into a Japanese outfit with seriously reduced visibility. And things just got worse in a place that the Marines had started to call The Green Inferno.<\/p>\n

\"Pfc\n<\/picture>
Pfc. George C. Miller carries a machine gun through the rain-soaked jungle on Cape Gloucester. He was returning from 19 days of heavy fighting on the front lines. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Battling the Elements<\/h2>\n

The 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines managed to advance inland to an open stretch called the \u201cdamp flats\u201d which was pitted with muddy sinkholes. Riflemen trying to cross the open terrain often sunk up to their hips in mud and had to be rescued by two or three buddies heaving them out of muck that had the consistency of quicksand. Casualties from sprains or broken bones began to mount. And all along the advance, which involved scattered firefights, Marines were felled by rotting trees when rain-saturated roots gave way. The first American casualty on Cape Gloucester was a Marine killed by a falling tree.<\/p>\n

\"Marine\n<\/picture>
These Marines prepare to repel a Japanese counterattack. Two men run a M1917 Browning machine gun and are supported by Marines armed with an M1 Carbine<\/a> and Thompson submachine gun. U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 1st Battalion, 7th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines finally reached a high-ground redoubt marked on maps as Target Hill. To do it, they had to overrun and destroy a Japanese 75mm gun that fortunately could not be traversed in the muddy terrain. By the end of a very miserable week of fighting against the Japanese as well as the weather and terrain, American forces on Cape Gloucester held a shaky perimeter of captured Japanese positions about 900 yards inland of the landing sites. They dug in to hold in marshy ground against repeated enemy counterattacks.<\/p>\n

\"Marines\n<\/picture>
Miserable weather led to Marines fighting the mud as much as the Japanese on Cape Gloucester. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marines were making their way toward the vital Japanese airfield. On point was a company of 3\/1 which ran into stiff enemy resistance from bunkers and strongpoints blocking approaches to the airfield. That\u2019s when infantrymen found out that the weather and soupy terrain had some negative effects on their organic supporting arms. Bazooka<\/a> and 60mm mortar rounds simply buried themselves in the ooze without exploding. Soupy mud and rain-drenched earth didn\u2019t provide sufficient resistance to trigger point-detonating fuses. Flamethrower units<\/a> called up from the landing areas didn\u2019t help. Gunners couldn\u2019t get the weapons to ignite in the constant downpour.<\/p>\n

\"USMC\n<\/picture>
An M4 Sherman tank of the 1st Marine Division rolls off LST-202 at Cape Gloucester. The Sherman tanks proved valuable during the operation. Image:\u00a0U.S. Navy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To counter these problems, artillery units from the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines came ashore and drove inland to support the infantry with their 105mm howitzers firing timed fuses that would detonate above ground. That was the plan, but the artillerymen promptly ran into problems of their own. The guns got bogged down before they could register to shoot. It took a gaggle of AMTRACs and bulldozers to move the cannons forward into firing positions on semi-dry ground. Tanks began to roll in from the landing ships and the Marine Shermans proved to be a godsend as they could traverse much muddy terrain that was impassable for everything else with wheels or tracks.<\/p>\n

\"amphibious\n<\/picture>
This amphibious tractor, or AMTRAC, is used to pull heavy fighting equipment through the surf. Officially known as the Landing Vehicle Tracked, LVTs were based on the Roebling Alligator<\/a>. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Early in the operation the weather gave both sides a break long enough to launch a few miserly airstrikes. Army Air Corps B-25 bombers headed for New Britain on a bombing run in support of the Marines. The Japanese had similar plans and sent their own bombers and fighters from Rabaul to support defenders on Cape Gloucester. At some point over the landing sites, the two air forces tangled. Nervous Navy gunners aboard ships in the beachhead area, blazed away at the Japanese aviators with an intense curtain of AA fire. Unfortunately, the gunners aboard LSTs out in the bay got confused in the melee and shot down several American planes. The Japanese were on the losing end of the air battle with most of the planes they sent shot down, but they did some damage. They managed to seriously damage a U.S. destroyer that later sank.<\/p>\n

\"Japanese\n<\/picture>
During the fighting on Cape Gloucester, Japanese bombers attempted to sneak in under the cover of night. Anti-aircraft tracer fire sent up by Marines stood out against the black night sky. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

American Marines at Cape Gloucester continued to struggle forward while Japanese defenders put up stubborn resistance. Incessant rains lasted for hours every day and it would continue that way nearly every day the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marine Division spent at Cape Gloucester. Hurricane-force winds blew in from offshore, bringing thunderstorms and lightning. Troops were temporarily blinded by lightning flashes and the peal of thunder made it hard to tell storm noise from enemy fire.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\/<\/p>\n

Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

It was miserable for both sides. A few excerpts from a 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marine Division situation report provide some insight:<\/p>\n

\n

Ground has become a sea of mud. Water backed up in the swamps has made terrain impassable except for amphibian tractors. Streams that emptied into the sea have become raging torrents all along the route of advance toward the airfield. Troops soaked to the skin, and their clothes never dried out during the entire operation.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Gen.\n<\/picture>
A decorated combat veteran of World War I, Brig. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. liked to be where the action was. Here, he moves along a muddy road with his Marines on Cape Gloucester. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Typically, the Japanese defenders of the 53rd<\/sup>\u00a0Infantry decided it was a perfect time for an all-out banzai attack. The fighting around positions held by 2\/7 was surreal at times, with rain falling in sheets with thunder and lightning flashes strobing the battlefield. Soaked weapons caked with mud misfired. Much of the fighting involved fists and bayonets before the Japanese were driven off, leaving 200 dead behind them.<\/p>\n

\"Lt\n<\/picture>
Lt. Col. John E. Weber, commanding officer of a Marine battalion on Cape Gloucester, sits on his helmet to receive a report from one of his company commanders. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Crown Jewel<\/h2>\n

General Rupertus was not a patient man. His staff had convinced him to wait for the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines being held in reserve to come ashore and augment his two regiments struggling forward at Cape Gloucester, but he wanted that airfield and congratulations from Gen. MacArthur.<\/p>\n

\"Marine\n<\/picture>
This Marine patrol pushes inland, pressuring Maj. Gen. Iwao Matsuda and his forces during the Cape Gloucester campaign. The patrol leader carries a Thompson M1A1 submachine gun. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rupertus pushed two battalions of the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marines into the advance reinforced by all the tanks he could muster. They had some success initially at a place they called Hell\u2019s Point, but hit stiff resistance from a dozen or so massive bunkers. The Japanese 75mm cannon in those bunkers proved ineffective against the Shermans backed by riflemen. The Marines killed some 300 defenders in the fight. With that defensive line penetrated, Rupertus could mass for a concerted move on the enemy airfield. He sent dozers and AMTRACs forward to clear a route, and establish supply points and medical facilities he\u2019d need when the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines landed to back his push.<\/p>\n

\"M4\n<\/picture>
M4 Sherman tanks arrive in force on Cape Gloucester. They were essential for the push to capture the Japanese airfield. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s when the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marine Division caught a valuable break. A patrol ran onto a lone Japanese soldier buried up to his neck in thick mud. This survivor turned into a goldmine of valuable intelligence. Under questioning, the Japanese soldier told his captors about plans for a large contingent of the 141st<\/sup>\u00a0Infantry to counterattack and reinforce along the axis of advance to the airfield. When Rupertus got wind of this, he decided to advance the schedule and brought the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines ashore without further delay.<\/p>\n

\"US\n<\/picture>
Marines pass ammunition to the M116 howitzer crew during a fire mission on Cape Gloucester. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As fresh troops landed, Rupertus ordered the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marines to push hard toward the airfield while the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines deployed on their left flank to stop any enemy reinforcing from that direction. As it turned out, the starch had been washed out of the Japanese forces at Cape Gloucester who were just as miserable as the Marines they were facing. What defense they put up against the final push to capture the airfield was lackluster, at best.<\/p>\n

\"US\n<\/picture>
Marines follow Sherman tanks in an attack on Cape Gloucester\u2019s airport. The Marine in front carries a Thompson SMG and has grenades at his shoulders where he can reach them in a hurry. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Backed by tanks and hub-to-hub artillery batteries, the Marines pushed through a tangled rainforest. And as they advanced, suddenly, the incessant rain stopped for a while, giving way to bright sunshine. That breathed new life into the weary, soaked Marines who advanced with vigor behind tanks and AMTRACs.<\/p>\n

\"Pfc\n<\/picture>
Pfc. Kenneth C. Crowley crouches behind a log on the first day of action on Cape Gloucester. Minutes after this photo was taken, he advanced with his unit and knocked out a Japanese pillbox. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Behind this unexpected surge of good weather, the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marines made it to the airfield and drove off the remaining defenders. When the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0Marines arrived shortly thereafter, the situation was well in hand. General Rupertus, on New Year\u2019s Eve, wired MacArthur letting him know that the airbase was in Marine hands and one of the primary objectives of Operation Dexterity had been achieved.<\/p>\n

\"Marines\n<\/picture>
After 23 days of fighting, weary Marines move off the front line for a rest. A Jeep hauls a smaller artillery piece. The jeep\u2019s tires have chains to improve its traction in the mud. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Desperate Defenders<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately for the Marines on New Britain Island, the fighting would continue against Japanese forces for another two months. As usual in operations in the Pacific, the Japanese refused to concede defeat. 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Marine Division units around Cape Gloucester fought off several suicidal assaults as they expanded their foothold and fought against more miserable weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Sherman\n<\/picture>
A Sherman tank climbs a Cape Gloucester bank after crossing a river. The Marine riflemen and tanks worked together to defeat the Japanese troops on the island. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Typical last-gasp efforts by Japanese troops included desperate attempts to shove Marines off of tactical strongpoints at Target Hill and Suicide Creek. In the first of those, elements of the 141st<\/sup>\u00a0Infantry ran up against defenders under cover of their own artillery and mortar fire. Marines resisted furiously in a fight that lasted two days before attackers were driven off, leaving some 200 dead behind them.<\/p>\n

\"US\n<\/picture>
Marines cross a Cape Gloucester stream, constantly on the alert for Japanese snipers. Image:\u00a0Tech. Sgt. R.R. Brenner\/U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fighting at Suicide Creek on 2 January was less straightforward. Advancing Marines ran into a deeply entrenched Japanese outfit guarding positions near a rain-swollen waterway. Marine Engineers were called forward with bulldozers and labored under intense incoming fire to build a log road across a swamp that flanked the creek. They got it done and paved a way for tanks to come forward, cross the raging waters and eliminate the enemy. However, the action cost four Marines killed and another 200 wounded to secure a stinking creek that cut through the fetid jungle of Cape Gloucester.<\/p>\n

\"Marine\n<\/picture>
Marine engineers work to build a river crossing on Cape Gloucester. Note also the chains used on the vehicle tires to try to deal with the island\u2019s mud. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There were other brutal fights over the next couple of weeks involving action at most of the Marine-controlled high ground, including Target Hill, Aogiri Ridge and Hill 660. Most of it was similar in nature. The Japanese attacked over sodden ground against Marines who defended from waterlogged fighting holes or the other way around.<\/p>\n

\"Marines\n<\/picture>
U.S. Marines cross a stream on Cape Gloucester while moving forward to assault a Japanese pillbox. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When crucial positions flanking Borgen Bay were declared secure on 16 January 1944, Japanese resistance essentially collapsed and the battle was reduced to scattered fighting with tenacious survivors. Those fights ranged from small meeting engagements to full-blown, battalion-level attacks, but it was clear that the Japanese in the Cape Gloucester area of New Britain had shot their bolt. Japanese General Matsuda issued orders for his remaining 1,100 troops to fall back toward Rabaul. They were chased by long-range Marine artillery that had come ashore during the preceding days as well as Marines sent by Rupertus to try and cut off their retreat.<\/p>\n

\"combined\n<\/picture>
Close to Cape Gloucester\u2019s airport, this M4 Sherman tank just fired into a Japanese pillbox and is ready to advance with the infantrymen. Image:\u00a0NARA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Right Strategy?<\/h2>\n

Controversy plagued critiques of the Cape Gloucester operation, with some critics claiming the reward fell well short of the cost to capture a lot of swampy ground and one Japanese airfield.<\/p>\n

\"Japanese\n<\/picture>
These Japanese soldiers surrendered to U.S. Marines at Cape Gloucester. After being taken as prisoner, they were fed and provided clean clothes. Image:\u00a0Howard\/U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the horrid conditions they faced, Marine viewed it from a more positive angle. Operation Dexterity taught them some valuable lessons that paid dividends later in the Pacific war. It was a rocky start due to appalling weather conditions at New Britain island, but subsequent operations proved that tanks could be valuable multipliers in jungle fighting. They also emphasized the importance of Engineers and Shore Party support, and demonstrated effective ways to use those assets in adverse weather and terrain conditions.<\/p>\n

\"Cape\n<\/picture>
Securing this Japanese airbase was one of the main objectives of the Battle of Cape Gloucester. Image:\u00a0U.S.M.C.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To learn those lessons and gain a victory at Cape Gloucester, 310 Marines were killed and another 1,083 were wounded. Records of the time don\u2019t adequately reflect the number of men put out of action by tropical disease or related illnesses. And there were a lot of those after action on New Britain. For the rain-drenched riflemen who survived, the major lesson was that the jungle and the weather can be as deadly an enemy as the Japanese.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in!<\/em><\/p>\n

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By Capt. Dale Dye, USMC (Ret) Hurricanes can be hell. Typhoons are typically terrible. But when it comes to all-around, rain-soaked, human misery, the tropical monsoon tops the charts. This is especially true if you\u2019re out in it with nothing but a steel helmet and the shirt on your back when relentless, solid sheets of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}