FORTITUDINENEWSLETTER OF THE MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL PROGRAM

VOLUME XV SUMMER 1985 NUMBER 1

LIEUThNANT HENRY B. WATSON'S MEXICAN WAR JOURNAL SHEDS NEW LIGHT ON THE CONQUEST OFCALIFoRNIA. . . AN ANCESTOR OF THE MODERN GRENADE. . . 8TH & I PARADES REFLECT ENTHUSIASM OFioTH COMMANDANT. . . EXHIBIT HONORS THE PACIFIC WAR. . . FLIGHT LINES: GRUMMAN F6F HELLCAT

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FORTITUD INEMotto of the United States Marine Corps in the 1812 era.

Summer 1985

This quarterly newsletter of the Marine Corps historical program is publishedfor the Corps and for friends of Marine Corps history in accordance with Depart-ment of the Navy Publications and Printing Regulations NAVEXOS P-35. In-dividuals and institutions desiring Fortitudine on a complimentary regular basisare invited to apply to: History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S.Marine Corps (HDS-1), Washington, D.C. 20380.

The Secretary of the Navy has determined that this publication is necessary inthe transaction of business required by law of the Department of the Navy. Fundsfor printing of this publication have been approved by the Navy Publications andPrinting Policy Committee.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Director's Page: The Journal of 2dLt Henry Bulls Watson 3

Oral History Report 9

Recent Books of Historical Interest 9

Acquisitions 10

Account Illuminates Guadalcanal Record 11

Historical Quiz: Marine Commandants 11

8th & I Parade Season Owes Origin to Gen Shepherd 12

In Memoriam 15

Museum Exhibition Commemorates 40th Anniversary of WWII 16

Recruiting Poster Art Adorns Center 17

Reserve Historical Unit Report: Women Marines Volume. Readied 18

Flight Lines: Grumman F6F Hellcat 19

World War II Chronology:July-September 1945Foundation Names Alger First Executive Director 24

THE COVERNineteen-year-old PFC Harry A. Jackson of Cody, Wyoming, produced this

ink-and-watercolor sketch, "Standing By," in 1944. The original work, by theyoung holder of a Purple Heart from Tarawa, was lost in transport, but not beforebeing photographed for documentation by the Corps' combat art program andhere becoming representative of Marines in the Pacific War. Jackson, who came tothe Marines from life as a "cowpoke," went on to study art in Europe and toestablish himself as a foremost artist and sculptor of the American west, spendingpart of each year on a ranch near Lost Cabin, Wyoming.

Fortitudine is produced in the Publications Production Section of the History and Museums Divi-sion. The text for Fortitudine is set in 10-point and 8-point Garamond typeface. Headlines are in18.point or 24-point Garamond. The newsletter is printed on 70-pound, matte-coated paper. Printingis by offset lithography.

Volume XV

HISTORYAND MUSEUMSDIVISION

No.1

Manor Corps Historical CenterBuilding 58, Washington Navy Yard

Washington. D.C. 20374-0580Telcphone: (202) 433-3838, 433-3840, 433-3841

DIRECTORBGen Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret)

HISTORICAL BRANCHCol John G. Miller, USMCDeputy Director for History

Mr. Henry I. Shaw, Jr.Chief Historian

Histories Section, LtCol Wayne A. Babb, USMC; LiCol Cyril V.Moyher, USMCR; Maj Frank M. Barha, Jr., USMC; Ma) G. RossDunham, USMC; Mr.Jack Shalimson; Mr. Charles R. Smith; Dr. V.Keith Fleming, Jr.

Reference Section: Mr. DannyJ. Crawford; Mr. Robert V. Aquilina;Mrs. Ann A. Ferrante; Miss Lena El. Kaljot; Mrs. Regina Srrosher.

Oral History Section: Mr. Benis M. Frank.

Archives: Mrs. Joyce ii. Bonneti.

MUSEUMS BRANCHCol F. B. Nihari, USMC (Ret)Deputy Director for Museums

Mr. Charles A. WoodChief Curator

Artist-irs-ResidenceCol Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCR

Marine Barracks, Special Projects: Mr. Richard A. Long. MaterialHistory: Mr. Kenneth L. Smirh-Christrnas. Exhibit: Mr. Carl M.DeVere, Sr.; Sgt RebeccaLynnJ. Mays, USMC; Mr. Benny L. Lenon,Sr. Art: Mr.John 1'. Dyer, Jr. Persona/Papers: Mr.). Michael Miller.Registrar: Mr. John H. McGarry Ill.

Museums Activities, QuanticoLrCol Rudy T. Schwanda, USMC

Officer- in-Charge

Administration: Capt David C. Uhley, USMC. Ordnance: Mr. An-thony W. Toissmell. Restoration: Mr. Joseph E. Payton. Aviation:Mr. John C. Willever. Exhibits: Mr. Ronald). Perkins. Uniforms:Mrs. Nancy F. Ktng. Securtty: Sgt Miguel Saninocencio. USMC

SUPPORT BRANCHMa) Danny R. Smith, USMC

Head/Division Enecnrive Officer

Administration: CWO2J. C. Owens, USMC. Security: GySgi C. W.Viar, USMC. Library: Miss Evelyn A. Etiglander.

Publications Pmduction: Mr. Robert E. Struder. Prodnction: Mrs.Catherine A. Kerns. Graphics: Mr. William S. Hill. Typesetting:LCpI James E. Rodriguez, USMC.

Editor, FortttndineMr. Robert E. Ssruder

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Director's Page

The Journal of 2dLt Henry Bulls W/atson

BGen Simmons

Monterey, Upper California.Thursday, May 21st, 1846. The weathercool and cloudy, the breeze from thenorthwest. W"ent on board the merchanttrading ship, Barnstable. They havequite a handsome store room fitted upon board and the shelves contain all thenotions of a regular Boston retail store.The supercargo, Mr. Millis, is a veryshrewd yankee and a very clever fellow.Sells his goods at one hundred per centprofit over the cost and duties. Boughtthis book of him. In the United States itwould have cost me fifty or seventy-fivecents. Here it cost two dollars.

S o 2dLt Henry Bulls Watson, com-manding officer of the Marine

detachment in the sloop-of-war USSPortsmouth, begins his journal. On theflyleaf he had entered in a bold hand:"Journal of a Cruise in the Pacific Ocean,in the U.S. ship Portsmouth in the Year1846." Later he would add the years"1847" and "1848."

Actually this is his second journal. Hisfirst covers the period liJanuary 1845 to20 May 1846; the second the period 21May 1846 to 5 May 1848. My firstknowledge of the journals came fromRalph W. Donnelly, former head of our

Reference Section and now retired in

Washington, North Carolina. He haddiscovered them during the course of hisCivil War researches. (Mr. Donnelly isindisputably the world's greatest authori-ty on the Confederate Marine Corps.) Hewrote me last June. Richard A. Long, ourindefatigable 19th Century researcher,was put onto this. He telephoned, wrote,and visited the owner of the journals,Miss Elizabeth Sanders, and inSeptember she graciously loaned us thejournals along with other personal papersof her great grandfather, Henry BullsWatson.

Of 9 July 1846 at San Francisco, Lt Henry B. Watson, atright, wrote: "The Marines in full uniform and the sailors intheir Sunday mustering clothes, they made an imposing ap-

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pearance.... we displayed the flag and pounded with drumbeat and fife playing Yankee Doodle to the public square inthe Yerba Buena where the proclamation was read. . .

The journals are bound, unruled sta-tionery books in quite good condition.Although the ink has turned brown withage, the handwriting is neat and not dif-ficult to read. The second journal hadbeen copied out in typescript by MissSanders, a carbon copy of which camealong with the journals. I have beenworking from that carbon, occasionallychecking it against the originalmanuscript. Under Mr. Long's tutelage,a summer intern, Miss Catherine M. Cor-rigan, who attended Gallaudet Collegeand is a graduate of Southwest CollegiateInstitute for the Deaf at Big Spring,Texas, is doing a fresh typescript of thejournals. With Miss Sanders' permission,a limited number of copies of thetypescripts will be made.

Promotions did not come fast toMarines serving with the old sailing

Navy. Born either in 1812 or 1813, Wat-son was commissioned a second lieute-nant on 5 October 1836, so he had nearlyten years in grade when he opened his se-cond journal. The Portsmouth, Cdr JohnB. Montgomery commanding, had justcome into Monterey from patrol of theMexican coast watching for British ships.War with Mexico was known to be immi-nent (and actually had been declared amonth earlier, but word of this had notyet reached California). The questionwas: Would the United States getCalifornia or would the British? Thelargest ship in the U.S. Pacific Squadronwas only a frigate. HMS Collingwood, aship-of-the-line, was in Californiawaters. American suspicions were thatthe Californians were more disposed toaccept a British protectorate than annex-ation by the United States.

California was already almost detach-ed from Mexico. In 1836, when Texasrebelled, California followed suit andran up a single-starred blue flag. Mexicowas never again able to reassert her fullauthority north of San Diego. Two fac-tions now vied for control of UpperCalifornia. One faction under Don PioPico, the civil governor, the Americanscalled the "Piconians." The other fac-tion, under Gen Jose Castro, the militarycommandante general, the Americanscalled the "Castronians." Castro had theadvantage of controlling all the revenuesof the country, which, Watson observed,"amounts to from two to three hundredthousand dollars a year."

Watson's sympathies were with Pico.He explains in his May 25th entry:

The defences of the country are totallyneglected, the people and their propertyare wholly unprotected and all therevenue seems to be or are actuallysquandered upon and by Castro and hissmall band [of] courtiers in Monterey.The people are dissatisfied with the pro-fligate manner in which the publicmoneys are squandered, suffering muchfrom losses by the Indian horse thieves,disgusted with the indolence of Castro,his impolitic course as to foreigners, hisunjust impressments recently attemptedand the heavy pressure of Taxes whichthe exorbitant duties imposed on im-ports produces debarring them almostfrom the necessities and all the luxuriesof life, have been looking around forsome time for a suitable person to amendtheir condition. This person seems tohave presented himself in the person ofPio Pico of San Pedro in Lower Calijor-nia, who it seems is now about to dicidethe question whether Castro shall usurpall the revenues of the country or

whether they shall be expended for thegood of the people to whom it properlybelongs; — strengthening his cause verymuch by profession of friendship forforeigners and desiring the incoming ofemigrants, the granting land toemigrants, &c.

W atson starts each day's entry,ship's-log style, with a weather

report— "clear" and "pleasant" are themost frequent entries. His observationsof the political situation ashore are inter-mixed with his own comings and goings,ship's business, and a good deal of detailabout his hobby which was the collectionof sea shells. At times he sounds a bitprudish, as later in his May 25th entry:

In the room where I was this eveningthere were two beds. . Some personscame in and one of the ladies presenttook a seat on the bed in order to makeroom. Her back was toward me, andwithout the least ceremony she took upthe tail of her [dress] and shoved herselfaround by throwing herself round on herbutt as she sat by lifting her feet & legsup and with some effort changing herposition, in the movement showingthose private parts which modest womenare always studious to conceal. But whatstruck me as most objectionable was thedingy and apparently unclean conditionof her under linen; — neither therudeness nor the dirt was excusable inthe lady.

The Portsmouth did not tarry long at

Illustrations are from the series,"Marines in the Conquest of Cali-fornia," by artist Col Charles M.Waterhouse, USMCR. The origi-nals of these paintings hang in theSanta Margarita Ranch HouseMuseum at Camp Pendleton.

Watson, with the relief force, described the Mule Hill camp: "We found thetroops in the most pitiable condition. . . . living on mule meat and parched wheat,they having. . . burned all their camp equipage "after the Battle of San Pascual.

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Monterey. Watson's June 1st entry reads:The weather pleasant. A courier from

Lt. Gillispie, he had overtaken Capt.Fremont. They, that is, Capt. and Lt.had had two fights with the Indians, aconsiderable number was killed. It had[been] determined some days ago to sailto-day for San Francisco. Consequentlywe got under way about eleven o'clockand we over took the Barnstable abouttwo o 'clock, she having been becalm fed]during the night. A Thick fog is overhanging the land tonight.

Two days later he wrote:The weather pleasant, breeze light.

Made sail and stood into the Bay of SanFrancisco, the Barnstable just behind us.The entrance into the Bay is very narrowbetween two hgh promontories of landprojecting out into the sea. On theeastern bank of the Bay is the ruins of anold Mexican fort. . . . We anchored atwhat is called San Salito [Sausalito]about six miles from the Yerba Buena atwhich place the B[arnstable] went.

And on 7 June he wrote:Lt Gillespie arrived today from Capt.

Fremont's camp, having left him sevendays ago. I can learn nothing fromGillespie. All his movements as well asthose of Fremont seem involved inmystry. Gillespie has had one or two verynarrow escapes from the Indians. He saysthat he shall return in a day or so to Fre-monts camp.

The mysterious Gillespie— lstLt Ar-chibald H. Gillespie—had received hisorders from PresidentJames K. Polk per-sonally eight months earlier. PresidentPolk's diary entry for the night of 30 Oc-tober 1845 is cryptic. It says that he helda confidential conversation withGillespie on the subject of a secret mis-sion on which he was about to go toCalifornia. "His secret instructions andthe letter to Mr. Larkin, U.S. Consul atMonterey, in the Department of State,"wrote Polk, "will explain the object of hismission."

U nfortunately, the copy in the De-partment of State has never been

found and Gillespie destroyed his copies,after memorizing their contents, enroute to Veracruz. After a leisurely andsomewhat adventurous crossing of Mex-ico he emerged at Mazatlan on Mexico'swest coast where he reported to CommoJohn D. Sloat, the elderly commander ofthe U.S. Pacific Squadron. He then went

on to California in the sloop-of-warCyane, Capt William Mervine comman-ding, by way of Honolulu, arriving atMonterey on 17 April.

Gillespie delivered his memorizeddispatch to Thomas 0. Larkin, the con-sul, and then proceeded north to findCapt John C. Fremont for whom he alsohad a message and some personal letters.Fremont had left St. Louis in June 1845with 60 mountain men, including thealready legendary Kit Carson. SinceDecember he had been swinging backand forth between Oregon and Califor-nia, occasionally fighting with the In-dians and skirmishing with Castro'sCalifornians.

Gillespie met up with Fremont on thebanks of Klamath Lake at dusk on 9May. With Fremont were ten of his menincluding Carson. Fremont toldGillespie that there were 800 Americansin northern California ready to take uparms. So absorbed were they in theirdreams of empire that they tutned inwithout setting a proper watch and aKiamath Indian war party caught themin their blankets. Fremont had threemen killed. The raiders left behind onedead Indian and Carson pointed out thatthe Indian's half-ax and the steel tips tohis arrows were English-made. In retalia-tion for his losses, Fremont marched tothe nearest Indian village and burned itafter killing 14 or 15 Indians.

T he combined Fremont and Gillespieforce then started south for the

California settlements, Gillespie goingon ahead to Yerba Buena, present-daySan Francisco, for supplies. It was therethat he was directed to the Portsmouthacross the bay at Sausalito. He got mostof what Fremont needed from theAmerican sloop and on the morning of11 June started back up the Sacramentoin one of the Portsmouth's boats.

Gillespie rejoined Fremont at Sutter'sFort and learned that the Bear Flag hadbeen run up at Sonoma and Californiadeclared a republic. Fremont had align-ed himself with the Bear Flaggers andsent Gillespie back to San Francisco withthe news. The Portsmouth moved herberth from Sausalito to Yerba Buena on24 June.

Watson's entry for 26 June notes thearrival of news that the difficulties withEngland had been settled. As for the warwith Mexico, Watson writes, "We also

5

learn that there are large militarypreparations making in the UnitedStates, but for what purpose I cannotdivine, certainly not to whip the Mex-icans, for poor devils they seem to bedetermined to whip themselves."

Gillespie arrived the next day. Watsonwas getting the war fever and for 27 Junehe writes:

Lt. Gillespie arrived this evening andannounced the most astonishing in-telligence, Lieut [sic] Fremont has unitedhis forces with the revolutionists. Theyhave sixty men stationed at Sutter's Fort,sity at Sonoma, and forty at SanRapheal. .

Meanwhile Fremont was skirmishingwith Castro, pushing him back towardSan Francisco Bay. On July 1st, Watsonwrites:

Fremont reached the San Salito thismorning and Castro retreated from hisposition at the White Island and tookpost at San Siando [Liando or Leandro].

Castro is secure until F. gets Boatswhich will most likely be tonight. Fre-mont crossed the bay with afew men andspiked all the cannon at the Fort amongthem very beautiful Brass eighteenpounders.

Before Fremont could get together hisboats and men, Castro retreated out ofreach and Fremont went back to Sonomato celebrate the 4th of July. There heconsolidated his filibusterers into theCalifornia Battalion, 224 mounted rifles,with himself as commander andGillespie as adjutant. The Portsmouthalso celebrated the 4th ofJuly. Watsonnoted that the winds were too high todress ship but they did run up a nationalflag at each mast head and at noon fireda salute of 28 guns.

Fremont, after relieving the neigh bor-ing Californian ranches of 700 horses

and 500 beef cattle, led his battalion toSutter's Fort where he learned that theStars and Stripes had gone up overMonterey.

Capt Mervine, now in command ofthe 50-gun frigate Savannah, had landedthere on 7 July with 250 sailors andMarines from his own ship and the sloopsCyane and Levant. Two days later therewas a parallel action at Yerba Buena.Dispatches had reached the Portsmouthfrom Monterey announcing that thelong-talked-of war with Mexico was nowofficial: Gen Zachary Taylor had won

two great victories in Texas, and CommoSloat had formally taken possession ofMonterey. Watson records the events ofJuly 9th at Yerba Buena as follows:

The weather pleasant. Agreeably to ar-rangements made last night, the Marinesmall arms men and pike men landedopposite the ship. The Marines in fulluniform and the sailors in their Sundaymustering clothes, they made an impos-ing appearance, I formed them in dou-ble column. . . . [Then] we displayed theflag and pounded with drum beat andfife playing Yankee Doodle to the publicsquare in the Yerba Buena where theproclamation was read by the lit Lieut.in English and in Spanish by the Vice-Consul when we hoisted the flag, withthree cheers from the troops and theAmerican settlers present. I then tookpossession of the custom house and con-verted it into a garrison.

Fremont raised the American flag overSutter's Fort on 11 July and then startedfor Monterey, entering the town on 22July. Commo Robert F. Stockton, whohad arrived with the frigate Congress,relieved the lethargic Sloat the next day.One of his first acts was to swear theCalifornia Battalion into the U.S. forces,characterizing them as irregular navalmounted infantry.

Fremont's quasi-Marines were thenembarked in the Cyane and on 29 Julylanded at San Diego, taking it without afight. Los Angeles was occupied next andGillespie was left at the City of theAngels—a grand name for a dirty littlepueblo of from 1,500 to 2,000

souls—with 80 men and the title ofmilitary commandant.

W atson devotes several pages of hisjournal to just how bad Gillespie

was as a governor. The following is a

sample:The Californians were acting in good

faith on their parols of honor, andfollowing their usual amusements andavocations of life and would no doubthave remained quiet, but for the newregulations introduced by Gillespie.Every one at all familiar with the habitsand character of the Californians knowsthat they invariably ride at a gallop whenon horse back, and gaming is a nationalpassion of the Spanish character, and inCalifornia where the villages are so smalland so scattering there is not the leastimpropriety in galloping through what iscalled the streets, but which in fact arelittle more than pub/ic highways.

Gillespie's harsh rule was exacerbatedby the bad conduct of his small garrison,who had discovered the delights ofCalifornia wine and brandy. He was soonbesieged by a force which he, with someprobable overstatement, estimated at

600 Californians, led by Pio Pico's

younger brother, Don Andres Pico,described by Watson as a handsomeyoung man. Gillespie capitulated on 29August and was allowed to march our oftown with full military honors. He andhis men were lifted off the beach at SanPedro by the sloop Vandalia. A monthlater the Vanda/ia fell in with Capt Mer-vine's Savannah. Mervine decided to

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have a go at Los Angeles. He landed onthe morning of 7 October, 310 sailorsand Marines plus Gillespie's 70 or sovolunteers. Mervine marched his columninto a narrow canyon and got the worseof it from Californians firing down fromthe rim.

Stockton with the Congress joinedMervine and the Savannah on 24 Oc-tober. Another landing was attemptedon the 27th. Gillespie's men were tosecure the beach before dawn. They gotspooked by a real or imagined enemy,and the landing was called off. Thesquadron now sailed for San Diegowhich was still in American hands.

A messenger reached Stockton at SanDiego on 3 December with word thatBGen Stephen W. Kearny with his Armyof the West had reached Warner's Ranchnear San Bernardo after a hard marchwest from Santa Fe. Gillespie with 39mounted riflemen was sent out to meetKearny. He reached him on 5 Decemberand must have been dismayed to learnthat the "Army of the West" was nomore than a hundred dragoons on worn-out horses. Gillespie told Kearny thatDon Andres Pico was in the vicinity ofRancho Santa Margarita— that's present-day Camp Pendleron—with a hundredCalifornians.

T he Battle of San Pascual was foughtthe next day, Kearny's dragoons and

Gillespie's riflemen against Pico'slancers. The Californians left the fieldfirst, so technically it was an Americanvictory, but Kearny's little army hadbeen roughly handled. Of a total of 153Americans, 19 were dead and at least 20more wounded. Kearny abandoned hisbaggage and dug in on "Mule Hill," so-called because mule-meat was the chiefitem on the menu. Kit Carson, who hadscouted for Kearny during the marchwest, slipped through the Californianlines, and got to San Diego with the badnews.

During most of these eventful six

months the Portsmouth had stayedberthed at Yerba Buena. Not until 6December did she lift the hook to sailsouth, reaching San Diego on 9

December. Here Watson learned of SanPascual which had just been fought.Stockton ordered ashore thePortsmouth's Marines and also 130

sailors. They landed at 7 p.m. and mar-ched six miles to the Commodore's head-

Watson called San Gabriel "the ffrst regular Battle of California. " His Marineshelped compose the American left flank in turning back the Caliornians'charge.

quartets. Joined by a like landing partyfrom the Congress, they received ordersto draw six days of half-rations of breadand pork and get ready to go to the reliefof Kearny. The column, 215 sailors,Marines, and volunteers, moved out at aquarter to eleven. They were command-ed by Navy Lt Andrew V. F. Gray, butmilitary activities, Watson noted, wereconducted by the adjutant, Lt JacobZeilin, commander of the Marinedetachment of the Congress (and a

future Commandant). They made anight march of 15 miles, paused for fourhours, and then marched another 15miles which brought them within sightof Pico's campfires. Pico withdrew andthe relief force marched into Kearny'scamp unopposed. In his December 10thentry, Watson writes:

The Gen[eralJ received us with truemilitary politeness and urbanity. W"e

found the troops in the most pitiablecondition. The men nearly naked, andwithout tents, living on mule meat andparched wheat, they having in order tofacilitate their travelling, burned all theircamp equipage and tents immediatelyafter the Battle of San Pasqual. Ibreakfasted with the General and learn-edthe particulars of the fight which tookplace the Sunday preceeding our arrival.In the camp exposed to the frost at nightand the sun by day lay the unfortunatewounded of the fight. Poor fellows, theywere pitiable indeed.

Watson goes on to give a good sum-mary of the battle but says nothing ofGillespie who was one of the wounded.On the 11th they formed up for themarch back to San Diego. "During thewhole morning," writes Watson, "smallparties of the Californians might be seenriding about the plain, and on the topsof the surrounding hills, but none ven-tured to within gun shot of ourcamp.

A two-day march got them back toSan Diego. They had thoughtfully pick-ed up 200 head of cattle and a sty full ofpigs along the way ("a very grateful reliefand change to mule meat").

K earny and Stockton together had acombined force of about 700.

Neither would yield full command to theother, so it was agreed that Stocktonwould be commander-in-chief and Kear-fly field commander. The dual com-manders started their march north to

reconquer Los Angeles on 29 December.In his journal entry for the date Watsonrates the two men as follows:

And here I may as well give a hint ofour two Commanders. Brigadier GeneralKearny is one of the most politegentlemanly and urbane men I have everknown, kind and affable in his conversa-tion, polite in his bearing and in a wordhe is both as a gentleman and a soldierone of the very finest men in the army orin the country. . . . CommodoreStockton is without exception the mostoverrated man I have ever met and I amsure that I express the sentiment of agreat many or most of the gentlemen ofthe Squadron out here, and is at times atleast in conduct a crazy man. He ispom-pous, inflated, phligmatic, morose, andnot infrequently coarse and vulgar in hismanners and conversations, wrapped upin his own importance, he is totallyregardless of the feelings of others, vainbeyond belief . . . Fond of talking, heuses a prodgious quantity [of] bombastgas and foolishness. Indeed, he goes bythe name of gaseous Bob.

Watson, who was marching with achange of clothes, a blanket, and awatchcoat in his knapsack, noted approv-ingly that:

The Gen[eral] is very plain ineverything. He on this march simply us-ed two pack mules for transporting all hiscamp equzbage, his tent and cookingutensils, and not infrequently assisted inpitching his own tents.

As for Stockton:He, on this march, had two large Bag-

gage waggons for his own personal con-venience, carrying a Brass Bedstead, anda Mahogany Table, with a large quantityof china and silver plate.

On 2 January they reached the Missionof San Luis Rey at present-day Ocean-side. Watson found it "magnificent" andhe gives a lengthy description. The nextmorning they moved out early. WritesWatson:

About evening we received a courierfrom General F/ores [Jose Maria F/ores]with dispatches. In this dispatch, GenFlorez stated, it was generally reportedand believed that a peace had been con-cluded between the U. States and theRepublic of Mexico, and demanding thatCommodore Stockton should return tothe Port of San Deigo, embark his troopsand leave the ports of California, signinghimself Governor and Commander-in-

7

chief of California. . . . To this Stocktonreplied, that he knew nothing of anypeace and that he should not return toSan Deigo, until he had taken thecapitol, that he, Stockton, was Governorand Commander-in-chief of all Califor-nia and that he wished nothing to dowith any man who did not recognize himStockton as such and further that if hecaught F/ores he would shoot him, issu-ing at the same time a proclamationgranting pardon to all other Californianswho should lay down their arms andreturn quietly to their homes.

T he morning of 7 January "about 10am, we passed the large and

decayed Mission San Juan Campistanna[Capistranol with colors flying anddrums beating. In this Mission were ly-ing a number of unfortunate Califor-nians who were wounded in the battle ofSan Pasqual, some of whom our Doctorssay are mortally wounded."

They camped that night at Santa Anaand next morning, 8 January, they reach-ed the San Gabriel, or as Watsondescribes the day:

This day is the 32nd anniversary of theBattle of New Orleans, is now the event-ful occasion of the first regular Battle ofCalifornia. We made a very [early] startthis morning in the usual order, The SanGabriel was about eight miles off Wehowever continued on . . . until we

reached some Indian huts about twomiles from the river. We had observedseveral parties of the enemy at a distancefrom our flanks. At this place near thehuts . . . we ha/ted and formed asfollows.' The Dragoons with one com-pany of sailor Musketeers. . . composedthe Front. The Right Flank, was compos-edofa portion of the marines, one com-pany of sailor musketeers . . . and onecompany of Pikemen. The Left Flankcomposed of the remains of the marinesunder my command and two companiesof sailor musketeers. . . . The rear wascomposed of . . , two companies ofvolunteers . . . under the command ofLieut. Gillespie. There were four piecesof cannon in Front, and two [to] therear. , . . In this order we advanced onthe river. We found the enemy postedon the right bank of the river on aneminence of about forty feet above thelevel of the river with four pieces of ar-tillery. They we.e about six hundredmen strong, all mounted on superb

horses, and armed with carbines, pistolsand lances about eight feet in length andas keen as razors. The lance is their bestweapon, and on horseback they use itwith remarkable ease and effect . . . weadvanced on the left bank of the River,when the enemy opened on us with theirlong gun. They fired too high hence nodamage was done.

At this point, according to Watson,Stockton and Kearny got into an argu-ment as to how the river was to be cross-ed. Kearny wanted the Navy long gunsbrought forward to cover the crossing butStockton said the range was too great.For 15 minutes the Americans stoodwhere they were without firing a shot.They then waded across the river whichwas about 50 yards wide. The Califor-nians were drawn up in line on a 40-footrise about 500 yards away. The Navylong guns got in what Watson calls some"excellent shots" and the Americans gotready to charge.

However, the Californians chargedfirst. The Americans formed squares, theclassic defense of infantry against cavalry,and at a distance of about 70 yards, ac-cording to Watson, the Californiansbroke off their attack and left the field.

Gillespie's volunteers had fought dis-mounted and the Californians had runoff their horses which gave Watson con-siderable satisfaction. The whole actionhad taken about an hour and twentyminutes. American losses were one killedand five wounded.

The Americans made camp close by.Some cattle were slaughtered and thevictory celebrated with a barbecue.Stockton made a speech in which, byWatson's account, he declared their vic-tory as splendid as those of Gen ZacharyTaylor at Palo Alto and Resaca de IaPalma and indeed as fine as any ofNapoleon's more memorable campaigns.

T he next day there was a final actionat La Mesa which Watson describes

as follows:The enemy were entrenched in a small

ravine. So soon as we had drawn themout of this position (which was nearly anhour and during which they were playingupon us with their long guns without ourreturning a single shot), we halted andopened up upon them with our bigguns, when a cannonade was kept up onboth sides for some time. The enemy as

was said having expended all their am-munition, sallied out and formed insingle files for the charge, I have never inmy life seen a more beautiful sight thanthey presented. They were mounted onelegant horses and are without exceptionthe best horsemen in the world. They allhad broad white bands around theirhats. W"e learned after that this was wornby them as a distinguishing mark, for asthey said they should break our lines andthen in the confusion which would ensuethat they might kill some of their friendsunless there was some mark by whichthey might be known. This breaking ofour lines they found they were unable todo. They formed in single file, andcharged on us at full speed. W7e remain-edat a halt firm in our ranks. They cameup to within fifty yards of our left hank,when they received a most galling fire ofmusketiy from our lines and also a crossfire from our cannon. At this dischargethey wheeled and retreated. We saw anumber of vacant saddles, and woundedhorses. The Californians retreated inconsiderable confusion, and in a fewminutes we saw their cannon and theprincij,al part of their force far in ourrear, retreating.

Stockton led his victorious army intothe City of Angels on 10 January

1847. Three days later the Californian ar-my surrendered at Cahuenga, except for

160 die-bards who chose to ride off toSonora. Stockton could now turn his at-tention to Baja California. Mazatlan,Guaymas, Muleje, San Bias, and SanJose were quickly, and for the most part,uneventfully taken.

The landing at Mazatlan was on 10November 1847, the Marine Corps' 72dBirthday. But, as we did not make 10November 1775 our official birthday un-til 1921, it is doubtful if there was anycake-cutting. A landing force of 730sailors and Marines went ashore, coveredby the frigates Congress and In-dependence and the ever-present sloopCyane. Jacob Zeilin, now a captain, wasinstalled in the Presidio as militarygovernor.

Watson received a well-deserved andlong over-due promotion to first lieute-nant on 3 March 1847 and a brevet pro-motion to captain on 20 November 1847for his services at San Gabriel and LaMesa. After leaving the Portsmouth hewould serve in the Levant, sister sloop ofthe Cyane, and later in the frigateCumberland, the same Cumberland thatwould be rammed and sunk by the Con-federate ironclad Virginia in March1862. But by that time Watson was nolonger in the Federal service. He hadresigned his commission in 1855. Duringthe Civil War he served as colonel in theNorth Carolina Confederate forces. Hedied on 25 January 1869.

The Californian Lancers at La Mesa were praised by Watson: "They weremounted on elegant horses and are without exception the best horsemen in theworld. . . . They formed in single file, and charged on us at full speed. We re-mained at a halt firm in our ranks." They retreated under "a most galling fire."

8

Oral History Report

I n the interim since the last OralHistory Report there have been a

number of new accessions to the MarineCorps Oral History Collection, as well asa number of interviews which have beenconducted for the Oral History Program.

In the Winter 1983 issue of For-titudine, this column noted that BenisM. Frank, head of the Oral History Sec-tion, and Maj Ronald H. Spector,USMCR, had gone to Camp Lejeune toconduct the first in a series of interviewswith the staff and commanders of theMarine Amphibious Units which hadparticipated in the peacekeeping missionin Lebanon. Mr. Frank subsequentlyvisited Camp Lejeune again in March1983 and Beirut in May-June andNovember of that year, and Camp Le-jeune once more in 1984 to obtain asmany interviews as possible with MAUpersonnel. Included in this package ofLebanon-related interviews are thoseconducted also with the Chaplain o theMarine Corps, Capt Eli Takesian, ChC,USN, and the Commandant's seniorMarine aide, LtCol Frank Libutti. Alsointerviewed about their tours in Beirutwere members of the Marine SecurityGuard Detachment formerly assigned tothe American Embassy there.

Another interview recently completedwas conducted with retired Reserve MajEarlJ. Wilson, who was commissioned asa public relations officer in BGen RobertL. Denig's Combat Correspondents' pro-gram early in World War II and sawquite a bit of action in the Pacific. Hisinterview will join Gen Denig's and MajNorman T. Hatch's in telling of theMarine Corps public affairs effort in thewar. Scheduled for early interviewing isformer Marine Corps combat correspon-dent Keyes Beech, who went on tobecome a very successful newsman incivilian life.

D uring this period the oral historyoutreach program, in which

members of the Marine Corps HistoricalFoundation conduct interviews for theOral History Program, was doing quitewell. On the West Coast, LtGen AlphaL. Bowser interviewed MajGen Carl W.Hoffman about his career, while on theEast Coast, veteran Marine aviatorMajGen Norman J. Anderson interview-

ed other veteran Marine aviators for theprogram. In the course of his efforts,Gen Anderson interviewed Maj Gens

Paul J. Fontana, Victor A. Armstrong,and Arthur H. Adams. He also inter-viewed BGen Austin R. Brunelli, whohad been an aide to CMC MajGenThomas Holcomb during the early daysof World War II, and later commandedthe 5th Marines. Back on the WestCoast, Foundation member JeffreyStolrow is interviewing MajGen KennethJ. Houghton in a number of sessions.

Meanwhile, Gen Anderson's memoirswere recently accessioned into the OralHistory Collection. Gen Anderson wasan American Airlines pilot who enteredthe Marine Corps prior to Pearl Harbor.He was a transport pilot during the warand later transferred to fighter aircraft.While commanding the 1st Marine Air-craft Wing in Vietnam, and during histour in Southeast Asia, he became deep-ly involved in the single-managementissue which has doctrinal ramifications tothis day. Gen Anderson's comments onthis and other Vietnam-related eventsare a rich source for researchers.

A iso recently accessioned was thelengthy interview conducted with

LtGen Ormond R. Simpson for both theMatine Corps Oral History Collectionand the Texas A&M University Collec-tion by Dr. Terry Anderson of TexasA&M. Himself a graduate of the univer-sity, Gen Simpson told of his early daysthere, comparing it with the institutionas it is now. Gen Simpson is Vice Presi-dent for Student Services at Texas A&M.He spoke of his early days in the Corpsand his World War II experiences, in-cluding his assignment as a logistics of-ficer to the staff of Gen Douglas MacAr-thur for the invasion of Japan. GenSimpson's perceptions of Gen MacAr-thur are closer to those of D. ClaytonJames in his three-volume biography ofMacArthur than those of author WilliamManchester in his widely read work. GenSimpson commanded the 3d MEB in theThailand expedition and the 1st MarineDivision in Vietnam; the interview willbe an important source for historiansworking in this era.

The Collection also recently benefittedfrom the generosity of the NavyChaplain Corps' oral history program,which contributed a number of inter-views conducted with chaplains who

9

served with Marine Corps units. Thelatest interviews received are with RAdmHenry J. Rotrige, who served at ParrisIsland and was FMFLant Force Chaplain;Capt Frederick W. Meehling, who servedat Quantico 1937-39, 1945-47, and1953-54, and during World War II wasassigned to the 3d Marine Division;RAdm Richard G. Hutcheson, Jr., whoserved with the 11th Marines in Korea;RAdm Withers Mc. Moore, who servedat Parris Island, with the 3d Marine Divi-sion in Japan, and at MCAS, CherryPoint; and RAdm Francis L. Garrett,who was at Quantico from 1962 to 1965,and in Vietnam with III MAF,1965-1966. —BMF

Recent Books ofHistorical Interest

From the library of the Marine CorpsHistorical Center, recently publishedbooks of professional interest to Marines.These books are available from localbookstores or libraries.

A Special Va/or: the U.S. Marines andthe Pacific War. Richard Wheeler.Harper and Row. 466 pp., 1983. Theauthor, a former Marine and also authorof Iwo, has written a history of theMarine Corps in the Pacific campaigns ofWorld War II. Included are WakeIsland; Guadalcanal; and the landings atTarawa, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.The stories of Bougainville, Saipan,Eniwetok, and Kwajalein are alsodescribed. The text is supplementedwith maps and photographs. $24.95

Iwo Jima, Legacy of Valor. Bill D. Ross.Vanguard Press. 376 pp., 1985. Ahistory of the battle, as well as a story ofthe men who fought there: Marines,sailors, and their Japanese opponents.The author himself served with the 3dMarine Division on the island. Includesblack-and-white photographs to comple-ment the text. $22.50

And Brave Men, Too. Timothy S. Lowry.Crown Publishers. 246 pp., 1985. Theauthor, who served two tours in Vietnamwith the Marines, traveled across thecountry interviewing Medal of Honortecipients from the Vietnam War. Theresulting book includes the personal ac-counts of these men and the men whofought along with them. $14.95—EAE

Acquisitions

Hearts of oak are our men,Hearts of oak our ships.Ready boys, ready,Steady boys, steady.

earts of Oak" was a popular seachanty, or work song, in the

days of sails and long guns. It took skilland determination to sail the seas andfight effectively in the days of America'sfrigate Navy. The Marine charged withthe duty of fighting aboard these vesselswas equipped with an array of armamentfar different from that of today's FleetMarine Force, but in some ways surpris-ingly similar.

The early nineteenth centuryequivalent of "General Quarters" was thecommand "Beat to Quarters." With thestrains of the rope-tension drums soun-ding the alarm, Marines would man theirpositions.

One of the most important positionsfor a Marine was in the fighting tops.This platform, high above the deck, pro-vided an excellent vantage point of theenemy ship. Here the Marine wouldprepare and fire his muzzle-loadingweapon. It was a French Marine's shotfrom the fighting tops that struck downAdmiral Lord Nelson in the famous Bat-tle of Trafalgar.

A nother job of the Marines aloft wasthat of lobbing grenades from their

The model of incendiary in the Museumwas used from 1775 to the W/ar of 1812,

platform down onto the decks of theenemy. With luck these grenades wouldhit a powder supply bringing the enage-ment to a quick conclusion. Theminimum impact would be ignition of afire, a serious hazard to a wooden ship.

T he Marine Corps Museum hasrecently received an example of an

early grenade. Mr. George Handzo, Jr.,delivered to the Museum a ceramic ballhe had recovered while his brother wasdoing exacavation work at the site ofPicatinny Arsenal. The Arsenal providedarms and ordnance to the Navy in its ear-ly years. The ceramic ball, once cleaned,proved to be a grenade, its probable dateof manufacture circa 8O5.

The grenade is made of glazed clay,and measures 2.56 inches in diameter. Itis hollow with a series of ten holes equal-ly spaced around the sphere.

The production of these weapons wasa laborious task. Once the clay body hadbeen baked hard, all but one of the holeswould be sealed with a flammable cloth.Through the remaining hole would bepoured a carcass (flaming shell) composi-tion made of:

Potassium Nitrate 50 partsSulphur 25 partsAntimony (powdered) 5 partsRosin 8 partsPitch 5 parts

10

The ingredients show this as a highly in-cendiary material that would be difficultto extinguish and would stick toeverything, much like modern napalm.

Once filled, the remaining hole wouldbe sealed, and a copper wire attached.The final step in production was the ad-dition of a long leather thong to the cop-per wire.

At the sound of "Beat to Quarters,"the Marines went aloft with a supp-

ly of grenades and a brazier of coals. Asthe enemy ship closed the distance, agrenade would be placed among thecoals. When heated, and the cloth seal-ing the holes set afire, the grenade waswhirled about the head by means of theleather thong. At the proper instant,with the materials burning brightly, thegrenade would be released like an an-cient sling shot. The flaming shell wouldfly through the air, and upon impact ofthe enemy's deck, would burst apart.The flaming contents would be rapidlyspread across the wooden planking. Ifnot leading to the destruction of theship, the flames would certainly hamperthe enemy's ability to fight on.

This antique weapon is a reminder ofdays long gone. A comparison however,of the skill, training, and disciplineneeded to use this weapon, and thoseissued today, show that some thingsnever change. —JHMcG

In "Fighting Tops," Col Charles M. IVaterhouse depicted the Marine at centerpreparing to hurl a grenade. A different type of grenade is employed from this posi-tion high above the deck, but the painting shows how all such weapons were used.

Historical Quiz: Marine Commandants1. Which Commandant of the Marine Corps served the

longest term as CMC?

2. Which state claims the most CMCs as native sons?

3. Who was the first Commandant to serve in the grade offour-star general?

4. How many CMCs were born outside the United States?

5. Which two Commandants had the same middle name?

6. How many CMCs attended West Point?

7. How many CMCs graduated from the Naval Academy?

8. Who is the oldest living former Commandant of theMarine Corps?

9. Since World War II, how many Assistant Commandants ofthe Marine Corps have gone on to serve as CMC?

10. How many CMCs are buried at Arlington NationalCemetery?

11

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Account Illuminates On 3 October 1942, Bauer wrote,"Our division dove on 10 zero's. We

Guadalcanal Record got 3 on the first pass. . . . I definitelyshot down four and might have gotmore. . . . At the end of [the] affair I

Q ne of the most interesting andimportant items added to the

Personal Papers Collection in recentmonths is the World War II diary ofthe late LtCol Harold W. "Indian Joe"Bauer, USMC, who earned the Medalof Honor in the skies over

noticed a parachute going down inthe water when suddenly a zero cameout of nowhere and fired a very longburst at the dangling pilot. . . . I wentafter the zero with much gusto.I'm positive he didn't get his planeback to base."

Guadalcanal in 1942. Col William D.Bauer, USMC, donated his father'sdiary to an already voluminous collec-tion of personal materials,

Pj he diary also reveals the per-sonal side of a Medal of Honor

holder of World War II. "As I sithere," he wrote in early 1942, "it is LtCol Harold W. Bauer

The account begins in December still difficult for me to realize that we1941, prior to the bombing of Pearl are actually on our way down under. I Currently, special categories ofHarbor, and continues almost daily expect to wake up any minute and items are especially wanted for theuntil LtCol Bauer was lost in combat find it all a dream." Collection: combat letters and diarieson 14 November 1942. Valuable for The holdings of the Personal Papers from all periods of Marine history,documenting the build-up of Marine Collection continue to expand at a particularly World War 11; personalCorps aviation in the early days of rapid rate during the 40th anniversary papers from Marines who served inWorld War 11, the diary is also a of World War II. The Bauer diary is shipboard detachments, from all

fascinating glimpse into aerial combat one of a number of new items that il- periods; and personal papers fromexperience during the first days of the luminate Marine Corps history of the Marines who served in armored units,battle of Guadalcanal. 1941-1945 era, from all periods.—JMM

8th & I Parade Season Owes Origin to Gen Shepherd

by LtCo/ Wayne A. Babb, USMC

E arly this summer, Governor CharlesS. Robb of Virginia was invited to

be the reviewing official for an eveningparade at Marine Barracks, 8th & I, inWashington. The invitation was not outof the ordinary since many distinguishedcivilian and military leaders have beenhonored guests at evening parades heldat the oldest post of the Corps. However,of note is the fact that the Governor,then known as Capt 'Chuck" Robb,USMC, was the adjutant at 8th and Iduring the late 1960s. During that tour,Capt Robb met his wife, the former Lyn-da Bird Johnson and the daughter of thelate President, at the Barracks' officers'mess. Even though the Governor'sparade was one of the few over the yearsto be cancelled due to inclementweather, drenching rain did not preventthe Commandant from entertaining thestate's highest official at the Comman-dant's House that evening. Nor did thewet weather preclude the Governor andhis wife from spending some time withthe current complement of Barracks of-ficers and their spouses at the restoredClosed Mess and bachelor officers'quarters at Center House.

Yet, the traditional, landing-party-manual, by-the-book parade the Gover-nor was to review, and the many otherparades held this summer and reviewedby other distinguished Americans, in thewords of Gen Leonard F. Chapman, Jr.,former commander of the Barracks and24th Commandant of the Marine Corps,"were not always that way."

T he oral histories of several retiredand deceased flag officers whose

careers were inextricably linked to thepost many regard as the "real birthplaceof the Corps" are useful for plotting thedevelopment of the Barrack's ceremonialfunctions. These comments, made withpride and with admiration, describe asearch for military perfection. Thepresent-day parade, with all its pagean-try, special lighting, and music is ex-pected to attract more than 75,000 spec-tators this summer.

In 1934, the 20th Commandant, GenLemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., then a majorhaving returned from four years with theGendarmerie in Haiti, assumed tem-porary command of the Barracks. Maj-Gen John H. Russell, Commandant atthe time, informed Maj Shepherd thathe was to go to the Marine Barracks and,in General Russell's words, "I want this

place straightened out. Make a militarygarrison of this post. It's the oldest postin the Corps and it should be the best."Having essentially a free hand to do as hewished, Maj Shepherd began the task of"smartening the men up as Gen Russelltold me to" by having a parade andguard mount every morning. In addi-tion, the officers and men conducted an

In 1934, then-MajLemue/ C. Shepherd,Jr., was ordered by MayGenJohn H. Russell,the Commandant, to make the Washington Marine Barracks the best in the Corps.

12

afternoon parade once a week and in-vited guests from the military andcivilian community of Washington to at-tend.

Many accounts show that variousceremonial functions were held at theBarracks over the 200-plus years of theCorps' existence. However, it is clear thatGen Russell's directions were the catalystand Maj Shepherd's actions were thefunctional basis of the parades held atthe Barracks today. LtCol John H. Ad-mire, in his history of the EveningParade, noted that "throughout the1800s the close-order drill and paradesperformed at the Barracks were an ex-pected and normal part of the training ofnew recruits and officers." Indeed, itmight be argued that the history ofMarine Corps expeditionary forces andtheir effectiveness is an extension of thetraining of the officers and men whojoined them from 8th and I. In 1911, therelocation of recruit training to ParrisIsland gave the Barracks the time toperfect its participation in ceremonialevents in the nation's capital. While themission of the Barracks became a bit

more ceremonial, no commander forgotthe responsibility to first train Marines asfighting men since military contingen-cies both foreign and domestic haveoften caused the cancellation orpostponement of ceremonial functions.

The integration of ceremony, drill,and training may have been inspired bythe 3d Commandant, LtCol FranklinWharton, who as noted by Col RobertD. Heinl Jr., in Soldiers of the Sea,simply ordered on 6 September 1808,"Headquarters of the Marine Corps atWashington considered as the schoolwhere young officers and recruits are tobe instructed in the various duties whichthey may be called upon to perform, it isexpected that in future the Comman-ding or Senior officer in Barracks willorder such Parades as he may thinknecessary to insure the same, exclusive ofthose already ordered; and that he willrequire the attendance of such officers onthem as he may think proper."

In LtCol Wharton's period, officerand recruit training, in addition to

the Corps' Headquarters, were located at

13

the Barracks. The Barracks at 8th and Iwas the Corps' major post until theseparation to other locations of theHeadquarters and recruit training func-tions in the early 1900s. However Spar-tan they may have been, ceremonialfunctions were a way of life at the Bar-racks from the beginning. However, un-til MajGen Russell gave Maj Shepherdhis marching orders in 1934, parade ac-tivities had little systematic structure orcontinuity.

Maj Shepherd changed all that almostimmediately.

Under the watchful eye of the Com-mandant, Maj Shepherd initiated a fullseason of regularly scheduled paradesduring the summer of 1934 and broughtto bear a strong British military in-fluence. As Gen Shepherd recorded inhis oral history transcript, "During theperiod I was in Shanghai, I was verymuch taken with the drum and fife corpsthe British regiments had out there.So when I was the executive officer at theMarine Barracks in Washington I

organized a small drum and bugle corpsto go along with the band Maj

Shepherd's tour as commanding officerof the Barracks was only a few months ashe was relieved by Col Emile P. Mosesand became executive officer. GenShepherd said about his relationshipwith Col Moses, "We became closefriends and worked in complete harmony

Gen Shepherd takes the review at a Bar-racks Sunset Parade at a time when the"British influence" was the greatest.

Returning to the Barracks on 1 Januaty 1952, the 20th Commandant and Mrs.Shepherd are serenaded by the U.S. Marine Band as they occupy their new quarters.

with each other. I admired Col Mosesvery much and learned a great deal fromhim." The structure of the SunsetParade, as these late afternoon eventscame to be known, thus was the result ofa joint effort of Go! Moses and MajShepherd.

The ceremonial era spanning the morethan two decades after Shepherd's arrivalhave come to be known as the periodwhen British influence was the greatest.The late BGen Robert H. Williams,USMC, also known as "English Bob,"and the commanding officer of the Bar-racks during the latter part of GenShepherd's tour as Commandant, said,

it was Gen Shepherd whodeveloped the parade. . . . The Sunsetformerly, now the Evening Parade, wasdeveloped as it is very largely by GenShepherd. . . . The form of the parade,its size and many details connected withit, which we might say are little

Briticisms, and the British are very goodat parades, were done by GenShepherd."

During Gen Shepherd's tour as Com-mandant in the mid-1950s, he took anactive role in expanding some of the in-novations he began 20 or so years before.He made the late Friday afternoonSunset Parade one of the most desirablesocial events in Washington. Eventhough there were no stands and the 600chairs filled every conceivable space, thegarden parties given by the Comman-dant and Mrs. Shepherd accommodateda full house virtually every Friday after-noon. In order to take full advantage ofthe potential positive impact of theSunset Parade on invited guests, GenShepherd initiated the polishing or gold-plating of the medals; double soling ofceremonial shoes; chrome-plating of riflebutts, bayonets, and other parts ofweapons; and adding cleats to heels in

order to place additional emphasis onprecision drill.

The two decades following MajShepherd's tour at the Barracks were fill-ed with changes sandwiched aroundWorld War II. When Maj Shepherd leftthe Barracks in 1936, he could not knowthat he would eventually return in aposition to refine his earlier efforts.Whatever influence Gen Shepherd mayhave had on the naming of Go! LeonardF. Chapman, Jr., as Col "English Bob"William's relief as commanding officerof the Barracks, would also be impor-tant. For it was under Col Chapman'sguidance and direction that the mostdramatic changes occurred at the Bar-racks, leading to the highly popular andsuccessful evening parades presented to-day. In an upcoming issue of Fortitudinethe Chapman years will be examined — a

period of innovations which GovernorRobb will remember well.

Formal garden parties given by the Shepherds attracted guestswho frequently helped to fill the 600 available chairs, in theabsence of grandstands, afterwards for the Friday afternoon

14

Sunset Parades. Gen Shepherd assists Mrs. Shepherd throughthe gate of Commandant's House, followed by their guests,Commissioner of the Trust Territories and Mrs. Frank Midkiff

In Memoriam

G o! Angus Malcolm "Tiny" Fraser,USMC (Ret), died on Saturday, 6

July, at the Veterans AdministrationHospital in Washington, D.C.. He hadbeen hospitalized since an accident atThanksgiving. He was 72.

Col Fraser, a decorated combat veteranof World War II, saw service around theglobe during his nearly 30 years in theMarine Corps, serving in England,China, Guam, Korea, Samoa, andTaiwan along with numerous statesideassignments.

Born in Galveston, Texas, on 5 March1913, Co! Fraser graduated from highschool at San Antonio before becoming amember of the Texas National Guard. InSeptember 1936 he enlisted in theMarine Corps Reserve and in February1939 was appointed a second lieutenantin the Reserve. He was assigned to ex-tended active duty in July 1940 and withthe outbreak of World War II wasordered with the 8th Marines to Samoa.

He returned to the United States inAugust 1943 but went back to the Pacificarea a year later. He arrived onGuadalcanal with the 29th Marines, 6thMarine Division, and was assigned asregimental operations officer during thetraining for and in operations against theenemy on Okinawa from April to June1945. He was awarded the Bronze Starwith Combat "V" for meritorious serviceduring that campaign.

ColAngusM. Fraser

Col Fraser subsequently served as a

battalion commander on Guam and laterin Tsingtao, China, until his return tothe United States in early 1946. Afterserving at Norfolk, Virginia, with theAmphibious Training Command forthree years, Col Fraser went to London,England, to attend the Joint ServicesStaff College. In December 1949, he wasassigned to the Office of the Naval At-tache, London, serving also as liaison of-ficer, Combined Operations Head-quarters.

Returning to the United States inNovember 1951, Col Fraser was next

appointed Secretary, Marine CorpsDevelopment Center, and Joint LandingForce Board, Quantico. In July 1952, hewas assigned to Camp Lejeune, NorthCarolina, for duty as Secretary of theJoint Landing Force Board.

Col Fraser was ordered to Korea in Oc-tober 1953 where he served as senior ad-visor to the 2d Korean Marine CorpsRegiment, and as executive officer, Ad-visory Group, 1st Korean Marine CorpsBrigade, earning a Navy CommendationRibbon and the award of the Republic ofKorea Ulchi Medal for his exemplary ser-vice during this period. He remained inKorea as regimental executive officer ofthe 7th Marines until November 1954.

On his return to the United States,Col Fraser was named assistant to thesecretary of the General Staff at Head-quarters Marine Corps and was promotedto the rank of colonel in October 1956.In February 1957, he was assigned to thePolicy Analysis Division and later wasnamed head of the Strategic Plan Sec-tion, Plans Branch, G-3 Division. Henext became Special Projects Officer atHeadquarters Marine Corps in April1958. Following this assignment, heentered the National War College. Upongraduation in June 1959, Col Fraser wastransferred to Quantico as Chief, TacticsSection, Marine Corps Tactics andTechniques Board.

In March 1960, he was ordered toTaiwan where he served as senior Marineadvisor to the Chinese Marine Corps,

15

Military Assistance Advisory Group.Upon his return from the Republic ofChina, Col Fraser joined the 1st MarineDivision at Camp Pendleton, California,where, in turn, he commanded the 1stService Battalion and the 1st MarineRegiment. Following this tour hebecame chief of staff of the Marine CorpsBase Camp Pendleton.

During his career, Col Fraser servedwith and was touched by such luminariesof the Corps as Generals Shepherd,Thomas, and Twining, and legendaryMarines as Thomason, Bleasdale and"Bigfoot" Brown.

He retired from active duty inNovember 1964 and moved to theWashington area where he became amanagement consultant to the Smithso-nian Institution and served as a seniorresearch analyst specializing in Chinesedefense matters with the Institute forDefense Analysis and other researchgroups. In addition to several studies heauthored while with the Institute forDefense Analysis and other researchfirms, he wrote Your Future in theMarine Corps (1969) and The People'sLiberation Army: Communist China's

Armed Forces (1973). His articles on awide variety of military topics appearedin numerous scholarly journals. He alsoserved on the Commandant's AdvisoryCommittee on Marine Corps History andmore recently on the Board of Directorsof the Marine Corps Historical Founda-tion.

A t the time of his accident, ColFraser was well along on a

biography of Gen Gerald C. Thomassupported by a grant from the HistoricalFoundation. He had thoroughly resear-ched Gen Thomas' career, made use ofhis personal papers and oral historytranscripts in the Historical Center, doneextensive oral interviews with GenThomas, and corresponded widely withMarines who had served with thegeneral. It is anticipated that thematerial Col Fraser had gathered will beused to eventually complete theproject. —DJC

Museum ExhibitionCommemorates 40thAnniversary of WWII

by Kenneth L. Smith-Christmas

' 'F rom Dawn to Setting Sun: TheU.S. Marine Corps in World

War II" is the latest major exhibition inthe Museum's Special Exhibits Gallery. Itwas opened to the public during the firstweek of June and is expected to be ondisplay into 1986.

The exhibition is composed of 16displays, each of which addresses aWorld War II campaign, from the 1941defense of Iceland to the occupation ofChina and Japan at the end of the war.Most of these exhibits were built over thepast five years and first shown in the lob-by of Headquarters, Marine Corps, onthe 40th anniversary of the battle orperiod which the display commemorates.

Although it was a great help to theAmong 16 component displays £t the one devotedto the capture of Peleliu, which in-curatorial staff to begin with existingcludes firearms used in the battle and Marines' souvenirs of the defending forces.displays, constructing a unified exhibi-

tion still required a major effort on theDisplays made for the lobby of Headquarters Marine Corps form the basis of "From

part of the exhibits staff, as each of theDawn to Setting Sun." This grouping awaited re-installation by the Exhibits Section.

component displays was completelyredesigned to fit in new cases andavailable wall space. The Exhibits Sec-tion worked for several months makingspecial mounts for artifacts and framingnew maps and documents.

A side from its obvious appeal toIt. veterans, and its timeliness, this ex-hibition is also noteworthy in that it isthe Museum's first major show based oncomputerized cataloging methods. Mostof the artifacts and about half of thedocuments were selected from print-outsgenerated by the computer located in theRegistrar's office. Since most of our ar-tifacts received prior to 1976 have not yetbeen re-cataloged and entered into thecomputer, those items chosen for thedisplays were mainly ones which havebeen mentioned in past "Acquisition"columns of Fortitudine. As examples,BGen James J. Keating's molds for the"George" medal are in the Guadalcanalexhibit, Pvt Carl A. Clausser's medals arein the IwoJima exhibit, and theJapanesesword donated by GySgt Francis H.Killeen is prominently displayed in thecenter of the exhibit on Peleliu.

16

Although limitations on spaceprevented exhibiting all of the varioussmall arms used in the Pacific theater,the most widely known ones are includ-ed. In fact, several of the 30-plusweapons on display were actually carriedor captured by Marines in campaignsranging from Tarawa to Iwo Jima.Similarly, most of the artifacts in eachcased exhibit are directly associated withthe event and the Marines who took partin it.

T his aspect of the exhibit also carriedover into the use of documents

related to individual Marines. A bonusof our comprehensive re-cataloging ef-fort for the Personal Papers Collectionwas realized when the new finding aidsturned up material which had not beenclosely examined in recent years by the

staff. Some items of importance wererediscovered among the hundreds of col-lections whch have recently been inven-toried on a page-by-page basis. From thisbounty, the curatorial staff was able tosupplement documents in the exhibitionfound through the computer search.

It is hoped that the blend of two- andthree-dimensional objects will tell thestory of the Marines in the war, as well asgive the viewer some sense of what itmust have been like to be there.Museum visitors can follow the progressof Marine units to victory, since all of thecomponent displays contain at least oneoriginal map, many of them with over-lays graphically charting the course of thecampaign in the Pacific. Mr. GeorgeMacGillivray, a Museum volunteer in thecartographic collection, researched andlocated these in the course of his work in

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regularizing this extensive collection.

A ugmenting the maps and docu-ments is a series of original

photographs which chronologicallyfollow the action and point out salientfeatures of the different campaigns. Mostof the more than 500 photographs in theexhibition were selected from the files ofthe Defense Audio-Visual Agency, butthe staff also was able to solicit a numberof unpublished personal photographs forseveral displays.

The personal side of the war is thuspresented hand-in-hand with thehistorical and technological aspects ofthe exhibit. Those who lived throughthese times can relive their memories andthose who were not alive then can gainan appreciation of the heroic struggles incombat of their fathers and grandfathers.

Recruiting PosterArt Adorns Center

R ed-and-white vertical stripes anda rectangular blue box filled with

rows of white stars are a strongbackdrop for a young Marine bran-dishing a pistol: this important exam-ple of American patriotic art wascreated as a recruiting poster by artistJames Montgomery Flagg and is one ofa number of his works in the MarineCorps Art Collection. A mini-exhibitof original poster art from the Collec-tion dating from World Wars I and II,

including this one, currently is hung inthe reception area of the HistoricalCenter's second-floor offices.

Flagg is known to have produced 47patriotic paintings later reproduced in-to posters, magazine covers, or flyers.His most famous poster, recognized bymillions from its display in post officesand recruiting stations, is undoubtedly"Uncle Sam Wants You." It's actuallya self-portrait produced with the helpof mirrors. Flagg used actors and con-temporary Marines as models for hisother posters. The Marine with thepistol in the Historical Center displayis Capt Ross E. Rowell, at the time,1916-17, in charge of the Corps'Publicity Bureau. Rowell later achiev-ed fame as a Marine aviator, beginningas the perfector of formation divebombing in support of ground actionin the second Nicaraguan campaign of

Poster artist James Montgomery Flaggconverses with his model, Capt RossE. Rowe/I, pioneering Marine aviator.

1927.

"Tell That to the Marines!" was yetanother of Flagg 's popular renditions.

"Tell That to the Marines!" is

another of Flagg's works which enjoyedinstant public recognition. The angry.figure depicted is a stage actor wholater also posed for a "Tell That to theMarines!" statue. The phrase was anunofficial motto of the Corps in WorldWar I, boosted by Flagg staging anenactment of the poster on the steps ofthe New York Public Library for a warbond drive, and singer Al Jolson andsongwriter Gus Edwards producing asong by the same name.

In September 1915 the Corps laun-ched a "comprehensive press cam-

paign" from the Publicity Bureau inNew York City. The recruiting efforteventually extended to newspapersand magazines, radio programs,recruitment letters, and, especially,posters. The Bureau secured the par-ticipation of a number of talented andrenowned American artists for the pro-duction of recruiting posters and muchof their creative outpouring has foundits way into the Collection, as a signifi-cant resource for scholars of both artand American history. —WSH

FLIGHT LINESGrumman F6F Hellcat

T he F6F Hellcat continued the sameall-metal, single-engine, single-

seat, mid-wing design used by Grum-man in its production of the F4F

Wildcat. There was, however, only afamily resemblance between the two air-craft. Early combat experiences againstJapanese aircraft demanded substantial

performance improvements over those ofthe Wildcat. As a result, the first produc-tion model of the Hellcat, the F6F-3, ex-hibited a 60 percent increase in max-imum gross weight over its Wildcatpredecessor. This permitted major in-creases in fuel and ammunitioncapacities. More significantly, the F6F-3's

powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10Double Wasp engine gave Americanpilots an advantage over their Japaneseopponents in the areas of level flightairspeed, rate of climb, and service ceil-ing. Further, as with the Wildcat, Grum-man's emphasis on superior armamentand rugged construction continued toprovide major dividends in combat.

Fifteen months after the introductionof the F6F-3 into the fleet, an improvedversion of the Hellcat, the F6F-5, enteredservice. The F6F-5, the major productiontype of the series, was nearly identical tothe F6F-3 in appearance. Despite an in-crease of over 1,000 pounds in the air-craft's gross weight it had a higherairspeed than the F6F-3.

Navy preference for the F6F as its

primary carrier-based fighter, MarineCorps satisfaction with the Corsair as afighter-bomber, and saturated aircraftproduction capacity limited the Marines'primary use of the Hellcat to its night-fighter version. Marine Night FighterSquadron 532 [VMF(N)-532] was thefirst Marine F6F unit to see action whenit began flying night combat air patrolsfrom Tarawa in January 1944.VMF(N)-541 earned the honor of beingthe first Marine F6F squadron to achievetangible results when it scored 22 vic-tories during the December '44—January'45 time frame while supporting MacAr-thur's forces in the Philippines. Most suc-cessful of all Marine Corps night fightersquadrons, however, was VMF(N)-533.Commanded by Maj Marion M.

Magruder, 'Black Mack's Killers" werecredited with 35 confirmed victories dur-ing the Okinawa campaign, and thesquadron's Capt Robert Baird was

credited with six kills, making him theMarine Corps' only night-fighter ace.

The Marine Corps Air-GroundMuseum possesses two Hellcats. AnF6F-3 (bu. no. 41476) is on display atQuantico. The other Hellcat, an F6F-5K(bu. no. 94263), is on display at theCradle of Aviation Museum, LongIsland, New York.—FMB.

The Grumman Hellcat was produced from 1 942-44 as the F6F-3 and beginning inApril1944 as the F6F-5. Both models had maximum airspeeds in excess of300 knots.

Technical Data

As depicted by the F6F-3 airplane characteristics and performance chart issued 8-4-42 for fighterconfiguration with 1,200 rounds of ammunition.

Manufacturer: Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, Bethpage, NewYork.

Type: Carrier-based fighter.

Accommodation: Pilot only.

Power Plant: One 2,000-h.p. Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10.

Dimensions: Span, 42 ft., 10 in.; Length, 33 ft., 10 in.; Height 11 ft., 11 in.

Weights: Empty, 8,992 lbs.; Gross, 11,486 lbs..

Performance: Max. speed, 380 m.p.h. at 24,000 ft.; Service ceiling, 35,400ft.; Range, 1,000 st. mi.; Climb at sea level, 2,310 ft. per mm.

Armaments: Six fixed, forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns.

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Reserve Historical Unit Report:

Women Marines Volume ReadiedCol Mary V. Stremlow. USMCR, a former member of

Mobilization Training Unit (Historical) DC-7, returned to theHistorical Center on 28 May. For the next three days, she andMrs. LauraJ. Dennis, the Center's volunteer public affairs of-ficer, worked on captions for the upcoming publication of "AHistory of Women Marines, 1946-1977." The history will jointhe works already published on the services of women in theMarine Corps of World Wars I and II.

The project was conceived in 1975 by then-Col Margaret A.Brewer, the last Director of Women Marines and subsequentlythe first woman brigadier general in the Marine Corps. At thattime she noted that the phasing out of women-only organiza-tions was starting a new era for women in the Corps, and en-ding an old one. Gen Brewer felt that this significant period inthe history of women in the Marines deserved to be recordedfor posterity. For that reason, Mary Stremlow, then a lieute-nant colonel, was recalled to active duty for one year on 1 Oc-tober 1976, to research and write the history. A year later, inSeptember 1977, the newly promoted Col Stremlow delivereda draft manuscript of the history.

InJanuary 1977, MSgt LauraJ. Dennis, USMCR, was assign-ed as research assistant on the project. MSgt Dennis, whobegan her Marine Corps career in 1953 when she joined aReserve unit in Detroit, was serving on active duty at Head-quarters Marine Corps with the Division of Public Affairs, nowDivision of Information, when she was reassigned to the historyproject. She retired from the Reserve in January 1978 with 22years of service, and two months later, at the Director's request,rejoined the staff at the Center in her present civilian volunteerstatus.

In the intervening years, the draft manuscript has beenedited and sent out to many woman Marines and otherknowledgeable sources for comments. Those comments havebeen incorporated into the original text, and photographic il-lustrations have been researched and selected.

Col Stremlow joined the Women Officer Candidate Coursein 1953 as Mary Vertalino and was commissioned in 1955 aftergraduating from Buffalo State Teachers College. Her active du-ty included tours .s a commissary officer at Camp Lejeune, aninstructor at Woman Officers School at Quantico, an inspector-instructor of the Woman Reserve Platoon and woman officerselection officer at Boston, and as a company commander, S-3,and executive officer of Woman Recruit Training Battalion,Parris Island.

Col Stremlow is aided by typesetter Mrs. Catherine A. Kerns.

Since leaving the regulars in 1963, Col Stremlow has con-tinued to have frequent tours of active duty at Woman OfficersSchool, Quantico, and at Headquarters Marine Corps, whereshe has served on several special projects and boards. From May1978 to April 1981, she was a member of MTU (Hist) DC-7,and from 1981 to 1985, she served as the officer-in-charge ofthe Mobilization Station in Buffalo.

Col Stremlow, who currently is the manager of administra-tion at Sierra Research Division, LTV Aerospace and Defense inBuffalo, is a member of MTU NY-2, which works with the25th Marines. As the Regimental Education Support Team(REST), the unit is developing lesson plans for recurringclasses, such as drug and alcohol abuse and voting rights.

Col Stremlow is currently proof-reading and correcting theamended manuscript and writing a preface. The history willthereafter be sent to the Government Printing Office forpublication. —CVM

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FOUNDATION NEWS(Continued from page 24)

LtCol John E. Gray, USMCR (Ret)Col Ronald L. Sowers, USMCRCol WilliamJ. Wise, USMC (Ret)Col John C. Vernon, Jr., USMCRMr. Clifford J. OsbornDr. Paul W. RosseyLtCol Richard McCarthy, Jr., USMCR (Ret)Mr. James B. SalesLtCol Frederick C. Grawe, USMCR (Ret)LtCol George A. Jonic, Jr., USMCRMr. James M. RosedMr. Robert B. SheaCol William G. Paul, USMCR (Ret)Mr. Maurice W. FletcherCol Phil Yeckel, USMCR (Ret)Mr. John M. HennesseyCol Maxie R. Williams, USMC (Ret)CWO2 Lawrence E. P. O'Brien, USMCRLtCol Richard R. Willich, USMC (Ret)Maj Joseph McNamara, USMCRLtCol Wayne L. Twito, USMC (Ret)LtCol Alan G. Bralower, USMCR (Ret)LtCol R. W. Murphy, Jr., USMCR (Ret)Maj Joseph N. Mueller, USMCRCol M. L. Williams, USMC (Ret)Sgt David V. Enter, USMC (Ret)Col James R. Smith, USMCRBGen Leonard E. Fribourg, USMC (Ret)Maj Elva B. Spencer, USMCR (Ret)LtCol Nathaniel B. Rosoff, USMCR (Ret)Mr. John M. PriestleyCol J. Shelton Scales, USMCR (Ret)Mr. J. Stewart BryanCol John T. Coyne, USMCR

Members' inquiries about the Foundation's activitiesmay be sent to the office at the Center or calls can bemade to (202) 433-3914. —The Secretary, MCHF

World War II ChronologyJuly-September 1945

Final Operations and the Endof the War Against Japan

ijuly. The final phase of the naval war againstJapan open-ed when the Third Fleet sortied from Leyte, Philippines, to at-tack the home island and destroy the Japanese naval and airforces.

10 July. The Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CinCPac)ordered MajGen Louis E. Woods' Tenth Army Tactical AirForce, on Okinawa, to conduct operations in conjunction withthe Eighth Air Force, U.S. Army Strategic Air Force, in thePacific.

13 July. The Far East Air Forces expanded to conduct tac-tical operations in support of the planned invasion of Kyushu,Japan.

16 July. At Alamogordo, New Mexico, the first atomicbomb was successfully exploded.

On the scene for the occupation of Nagasaki, Japan, on 23September1945 was Marine SSgt Martin Cohn, who recordeda

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17 July-2 August. The Potsdam Conference met in Ger-many. The U.S., in company with the United Kingdom andthe Republic of China, issued the Potsdam Declaration callingfor the unconditional surrender of Japan (26 July).24-26 July. Pilots on board the Marine escort carrier Vet/a

Gu/f(VMF-513, VMTB-234, and CASD-3) flew sorties againstPagan and Rota Islands north of Guam.1 August. Marine Carrier Group 4 on board the Marine

escort carrier Cape G/oucester (attached to Task Group 31.2),departed Okinawa to cover minesweeping operations in theEast China Sea and to launch strikes against shipping in theSaddle and Parker Island group near Shanghai.

6 August. The first atomic bomb to be exploded in combatwas dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

8 August. The USSR declared war on Japan, to be effectiveon 9 August.

9 August. Marine aircraft flew their last bombing mission in

company formation of the 2d Marines. The regiment re/zevedMarines of the cruisers Biloxi and Wichita on duty ashore.

and authorized Adm Halsey to begin the rescue of Alliedprisoners immediately.30 August. BGen William T. Clement, USMC, comman-

ding the Fleet Landing Force, received the surrender of theYokosuka Naval Base area, and the First Naval Districtcapitulated to RAdm Robert B. Carney, USN.

2 September. Japan surrendered formally to the AlliedPowers on board the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.The Marine detachments of the Missouri as well as Marine of-ficers from Fleet Marine Force, Pacific; the staffs of Com-mander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet; and the Commander inChief, Pacific Ocean Area along with the Third Fleet were pre-sent.

BGen William T. Clement is escorted by the admiral comman-ding the Yokosuka Naval Base at Tokyo during its surrender toelements of the Third Fleet Landing Force on 30 August 1945.

the Bismarcks when PBJs from Marine Bomber Squadrons 413,423, 443 and Marine Aircraft Group 61 headquarters raidedRabaul.

9 August. The second atomic bomb to be exploded in com-bat was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

10 August. Japan sued for peace on the basis of the termsenunciated in the Potsdam Declaration (26 July).

11 August. President Truman informed Japan that a

Supreme Commander would accept its surrender and that theEmperor and High Command would have to issue a cease-fireto all Japanese armed forces before the Allies could acceptJapan's suit for surrender.

14 August. President Truman announced that a cease-firewas in effect and that the war had ended. Gen MacArthur wasdesignated Supreme Commander Allied Powers (SCAP) andgiven authority to accept the surrender of Japan for the govern-ments of the U.S., Republic of China, United Kingdom, andUSSR.

14 August. Adm Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, PacificOcean Area (CinCPOA), ordered the cessation of all offensiveoperations against Japanese forces.14 August. Japan accepted the Allied unconditional sur-

render terms.20 August. The Japanese emissaries to Manila received

General Order No. 1. Under its terms, the Japanese com-manders of forces in the Pacific islands south of Japan wouldsurrender to CinCPOA or his representatives; and the com-manders of forces in Japan proper, the Philippines, and thesouthern section of Korea surrender to the Commander inChief, Southwest Pacific Area (CinCSPA) or his represen-tatives.29 August. Adm Nimitz (CinCPOA) arrived in Tokyo Bay

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NOTE. By the end of the war, the Marine Corps had reacheda peak strength of 485,833, The major Marine ground com-mands in the Pacific consisted of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, atOahu, Hawaiian Islands; the IllAmphibious Corps on Guam,and the V Amphibious Corps on Maui, Hawaiian Islands.Marine Divisions were located as follows: the 1st Division,Okinawa; the 2dDivision, Saian, the 3dDivision, Guam; the4th Division, Maui, the 5th Division, at sea en route to Japan,'and the 6th Division (less the 4th Regimental Combat Team atYokosuka), Guam. Of the Marine aviation organizations, Air,Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, was based at Ewa and the Marineaircraft wings were distributed as follows: the 1st Wing, Miii-danao, Philippunes,' the 2d Wing, Okinawa,' the 3d Wing,Ewa; and the 4th Wing, Majuro. The groups and squadrons ofthe wings were based either with the wings or on various islandsthroughout the Pacific. A Marine carrier group in four escortcarriers, under the operational control of Carrier Division 27,was attached to the 3d Wing.

The Surrender of Japanese Forces in the Pacific

20 August. VAdm George D. Murray, USN, Commander,Marianas, organized the Marianas Surrender Acceptance andOccupation Command (Task Group 94.3) to standardize theconduct of the surrender and occupation program. It was com-prised of the Truk, Bonins, and Palau Occupation Units, theGuam Evacuation Unit, and three other units commanded bynaval officers.22 August. The Japanese garrison on Mille Atoll sur-

rendered; it was the first Japanese group in the Pacific OceanArea to capitulate.2 September. Japanese army and navy officers on Truk

Island, the largest Japanese force in the Pacific, surrendered.The terms of the capitulation committed Japanese troops onthe following islands to surrender: Truk, Wake, the Palaus,Mortlake (Nomoi), Mule, Ponape, Kusaie, Jaluit, Maloelap,Wotje, Puluwat, Woleai, Rota, Pagan, Nomoluk, Nauru, andOcean.2 September. The commander of Japanese forces on Rota

Island capitulated to Col Howard N. Stent, USMC, represen-ting the Guam Island Commander, MajGen Henry L. Larsen.2 September. The Japanese area commander capitulated the

Palau Group and all forces under his command, includingYap, to BGen Ford 0. Rogers, USMC, Island Commander,Peleliu.3 September. The commander of the Japanese forces in the

Bonins surrendered to Commo John H. Magruder, Jr., USN,on Chichi Jima.4 September. The Japanese commander capitulated his

forces to BGen Lawson H. M. Sanderson, USMC, commanderof the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, representing the Com-mander, Marshalls-Gilberts Area, and the atoll was designateda Naval Air Facility.7 September. Gen Joseph W. Stilwell, USA, accepted the

surrender of the Japanese Ryukyus garrison, signifying thebeginning of American political hegemony in the area.

11 September. Lieutenant Colonel Hideyuki Takeda, Im-perial Japanese Army, surrendered the last unified element ofthe Japanese defenders on Guam.

The Occupation of Japan

8 August. Advance copies of Adm William F. Halsey'sOperations Plan 10-45 for the occupation of Japan weredistributed, setting up Task Force 31 (Yokosuka OccupationForce).

10 August. Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, directed the 6thMarine Division to furnish a regimental combat team to theThird Fleet for possible early occupation duty in Japan. BGenWilliam T. Clement, USMC, Assistant Division Commander,was named to head the Fleet Landing Force.

10 August. RAdm Oscar C. Badger, USN, was designatedCommander, Task Force 31 (Yokosuka Operation Force), andall ships were alerted to organize and equip bluejacket andMarine landing forces for occupation duty in Japan.

11 August. Preliminary plans for the activation of TaskForce Able, to participate in the occupation of Japan, wereprepared by the III Amphibious Corps. The task force was toconsist of a skeletal headquarters detachment, the 4th Marines(Reinforced), an amphibian tractor company, and a medicalcompany.

11 August. Concurrently, officers designated to form GenClement's staff were alerted and immediately began planningfor Task Force Able's departure forJapan. Warning orders were

Senior Marine officers present aboard the battleship USS Mis-souri in Tokyo Bay for the formal surrender ofJapanese forces

passed to the staff directing that a regimental combat teamwith attached units be ready to embark within 48 hours.

14 August. Amplification ofJCS General Order No. 1 call-ed for key areas of Japan, Korea, and the China coast to be oc-cupied.

20 August. The 4th Regimental Combat Team assigned tooccupation duty in Japan, arrived on Guam and joined TaskForce 31.21 August. LtGen Robert L. Eichelberger, USA, comman-

ding the Eighth Army, directed that the landing by Task Force31 at Yokosuka, Japan, be made at the naval base. The reservebattalion of the 4th Marines was directed to land on Futtsu Sakito eliminate any threat by shore batteries and coastal forts.28 August. The first American task force, consisting of com-

bat ships of Task Force 31, entered Tokyo Bay and dropped an-chor off Yokosuka.30 August. The 11th Airborne Division, USA, and the

various advance headquarters staffs landed at Atsugi fromOkinawa in conjunction with the arrival of the amphibiouslanding force—comprising U.S. Marines and sailors, Britishsailors, and Royal Marine commandos—at Yokosuka and theharbor forts off Miura Peninsula. The first landing craft carry-ing elements of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, went ashore atFuttsu Saki, found the coastal guns and mortars rendereduseless, and reembarked. The main landing of the 4th Marineson Beaches Red and Green, Yokosuka, went without incident,and the regiment moved to the 'initial occupation line" andset up a perimeter defense for the naval base and airfield.31 August. Company L of the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines,

landed at Tateyama Naval Air Station on the northeasternshore of Sagami Wan to reconnoiter the beach approaches andcover the 3 September landing by the 112th Cavalry, USA.

1 September. Allied troops had gained control of most ofthe strategic area along the shores of Tokyo Bay, except Tokyo.

3 September. The 112th Cavalry, USA, relieved Company Lof the 3d Battalion, 4th Marines, at Tateyama Naval Air Sta-tion, and the Marines returned to Yokosuka.

14 September. A reconnaissance party led by Col Daniel W.

22

on 2 September 1945 were, from left, LtGen Roy S. Geiger,BGen Joseph H. Fellows, and BGen W/illiam T. Clement.

Torrey, USMC, commanding Marine Aircraft Group 22, land-ed and inspected Omura airfield, selected as the base of Marineair operations in southern Japan.

16 September. An advance reconnaissance party from the VAmphibious Corps—led by Col Walter W. Wensinger,USMC, and consisting of key staff officers of the Corps and the2d Marine Division — arrived at Nagasaki to prepare for the lan-ding of Corps troops supported by Army units.16 September. Marine Aircraft Group 31 at Yokosuka air-

field came under the operational control of the Fifth Air Force.19 September. Adm Raymond A. Spruance, USN, as Com-

mander Fifth Fleet relieved Adm Halsey, Commander, ThirdFleet, of his responsibilities in the occupation of Japan.20 September. LtCol Fred D. Beans, USMC, relieved BGen

William T. Clement, USMC, commanding Task Force Able, ofhis responsibilities at Yokosuka, and the general and his staffreturned to Guam to rejoin the 6th Marine Division.20 September. A second reconnaissance party from the V

Amphibious Corps, which included key officers from the Corpsand the 5th Marine Division, arrived at Sasebo and completedpreparations for the landing of Corps troops augmented by Ar-my units.

20 September. An advance flight echelon of Marine AircraftGroup 22 flew onto Omura airfield from Okinawa to supportoccupation operations.22 September. The 5th Marine Division and the V Am-

phibious Corps headquarters troops arrived at Sasebo. The26th Marines (less the 3d Battalion), reinforced by the 2d Bat-talion, 28th Marines, landed on beaches at the naval air stationand relieved Japanese guards on base installations and stores.They were followed by units of the 13th and 27th Marines and

Photographers from the 2d Marine Division in October 1945surveyed ground zero and the extensive devastation caused by

23

the 5th Tank Battalion which established guard posts andsecurity patrols ashore.23 September. MajGen Harry Schmidt, USMC, V Am-

phibious Corps commander, established his command postashore at Sasebo and took control of the 2d and 5th MarineDivisions.23 September. Most of the remaining elements of the 5th

Marine Division landed at Sasebo, and MajGen Thomas E.Bourke, USMC, set up his command post ashore. Patrols beganprobing the immediate countryside; Company C (Reinforced)of the 27th Marines was sent to Omura to establish a securityguard over the naval air training station there.23 September. Marine Fighter Squadron 113 landed on

Omura airfield.23 September. The 2d and 6th Marines, 2d Marine Divi-

sion, landed simultaneously on the east and west sides of theharbor at Nagasaki for occupation duty and relieved the Marinedetachments from the cruisers USS Biloxi and W"ichita whichhad been serving as security guards.24 September. Gen Walter Krueger, USA, commander of

the U.S. Sixth Army, assumed control of all forces ashore. Theremainder of the 2d Marine Division landed at Nagasaki.27 September. An advance party of the V Amphibious

Corps reached Fukuoka, largest city in Kyushu and ad-ministrative center of the northwestern coal and steel region.30 September. Leading elements from the V Amphibious

Corps began arriving at Fukuoka, Kyushu. BGen Ray A.Robinson, USMC, Assistant Division Commander of the 5thMarine Division, was given command of the Fukuoka Occupa-tion Force which consisted of the 28th Marines (Reinforced)and Army augmentation detachments.—RVA

the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. The 2dand 6th Marines performed occupation duties in the city area.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVYHEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20380

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

24

BULK RATE

POSTAGE AND FEES PAID

USMC

PERMIT NO. G-63

Foundation Names Alger First Executive Director

T he Marine Corps Historical Foundationhas hired its first Executive Director; LtCoI RichardJ.

Alger, USMC (Ret), assumed the duties on a part-timebasis on 1 July.

LtCol Alger is a 1954 graduate of the U.S. NavalAcademy. He served in a variety of command and staffbillets in his nearly 25 years of active duty, including abillet as operations officer of the 5th Marines in Vietnamin 1967.

the Foundation, succeeding Mr. Henry I. Shaw, Jr. Mr.Shaw is recovering from recent major surgery and hasresumed his tasks as Chief Historian in the History andMuseums Division.

LtCol Moyher currently is on active duty with the Divi-sion, writing a history of the Marine Corps Reserve since1966. He also serves as the administrative officer for MTUDC-7, the Reserve historical mobilization training unit.

Since retirement, LtCol Alger has been employed byDun and Bradstreet and Arthur Anderson & Co. He cur-rently markets financial planning for A. L. Williams andresides in nearby Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife,Joan.

On 10 June, Foundation President LtGen Donn J.Robertson, USMC (Ret), announced the appointment ofLtCol Cyril V. Moyher, USMCR, as the new Secretary of

New officials Lieutenant Co/one/s Moyher, left, andA/ger.

On 9 August, the Commandant, Gen Paul X. Kelleyand several former Commandants, all members of

the Foundation, will review the Evening Parade at MarineBarracks, 8th & I, in commemoration of the 40th anniver-sary of VJ Day.

As of 14 June, the MCHF had 960 members. Those whohave joined since the listing in the spring issue of For-titudine include:

Col John T. Fishbach, USMCRLtGen Foster C. LaHue, USMC (Ret)Col Don R. Duffer, USMC (Ret)BGen William H. Gossell, USMCRLtCol Keith Miller, USMCR (Ret)Col Philip S. Inglee, USMCRMaj Robert B. St. Clair, USMCRCapt Robert C. Link, USMCRMaj Julian B. Lesser, USMCR (Ret)Capt Harvey J. Fitzpatrick, USMCRCol Donald E. Marousek, USMCR (Ret)SSgt Robert F. Brown, USMCR

(Continued on page 19)