The Battle of Guam in 1944

In June 1944, the United States changed its strategy of "island-by-island attack" on the Pacific battlefield to "leapfrog strategy", that is, it crossed some minor islands defended by the Japanese army to seize the most critical and important stronghold in the Pacific Ocean, cut off Japan's air and sea communication lines and established the strategic base of the United States navy and air force. Therefore, the US military decided to bypass the Caroline Islands and go straight to the Mariana Islands, with the aim of conquering Saipan and Tinian, retaking Guam and breaking through Japan's internal defense circle.

Admiral Nimitz, commander-in-chief of the US Pacific Fleet, named this campaign "Surprise Attack" and personally commanded it. To this end, more than 64 warships, more than 1, carrier-based aircraft and 62 land-based aircraft were dispatched, including the US Fifth Fleet and the 58th Aircraft Carrier Task Force. The landing force was 3 marine divisions, 2 infantry divisions and 1 marine brigade * * * 128, people. On June 11th, 1944, the US 58th Special Task Force under the command of General Mitchell took off 225 carrier-based aircraft to carry out a surprise attack on the airport on Saipan Island.

By August 3rd, 1944, nearly 1, Japanese troops in Tinian Island were wiped out, and Lieutenant General Kakuda Kakuji, commander of the First Air Force, died. On August 11th, 1944, the commander of the 31st Army, the supreme commander of the Japanese garrison in Guam, committed suicide, and most of the more than 18, Japanese troops on the island were killed. The "surprise attack" won a total victory, and the occupation of the Mariana Islands by the US military broke through Japan's internal defense circle. The Japanese ruling clique was in a panic and internal contradictions intensified. tojo hideki was forced to resign as prime minister and was replaced by the former North Korean governor-general, the army general Koko Kuo-CHO, who was known as the "Tiger of Korea". Guam is the largest island in the Mariana Islands, 3 miles (48 kilometers) long and 9 miles (14 kilometers) wide. It has been ruled by the United States since it was seized by the United States from Spain in 1898 until it was captured by the Japanese after the Pearl Harbor incident on December 11, 1941. This is not like other highly fortified islands in the Mariana Islands, such as Saipan, because Saipan was ruled by Japan after World War I, but in 1941.

Allies' plan to invade the Mariana Islands requires heavy bombing. First, the shore-based aircraft from the aircraft carrier and the Marshall Islands in the east will be shelled near the shore by battleships after gaining air superiority. Guam was chosen as the target because its huge area can be used as the logistics base of the Allies to support the next military action against the Philippine Islands, Taiwan Province and Ryukyu Islands. It is suitable for large ships to berth in apra Deepwater Port; The two airports on the island can also be used for B-29 super fortress bombers to take off and land.

The military invasion of Saipan was scheduled for June 15th, 1944, and the landing operation in Guam was tentatively scheduled for June 18th. The original schedule was very moderate, but the invasion of Guam was delayed for one month due to the unpredictable large number of defenders in Saipan and the large-scale attack of Japanese aircraft carriers. Guam is surrounded by reefs, cliffs and large rocks, which is a great challenge to the attacking troops. On July 21st, the US military landed on both sides of Cape Orodi Peninsula in western Guam in an attempt to cut off the airport. The 3rd Division of the US Marine Corps landed at 8: 28 am in the northern part of the peninsula near Agana, and the 1st Marine Corps Reserve Corps landed at the southern part near Agate, and Japanese artillery destroyed 2 tracked amphibious landing vehicles. However, by 9 o'clock, the tanks had all landed on two beaches, and the landing operation of the 77th Infantry Division of the US Army was even more difficult. Because of the lack of amphibious vehicles, soldiers had to wade in the water covered with reefs after leaving the landing craft.

In the evening, the US military set up a bridgehead with a depth of about 2, meters. In the first few days of the campaign, the Japanese army launched counter-attacks, mostly at night and used infiltration tactics. They infiltrated the US defense lines several times, but were forced to retreat due to the loss of a large number of personnel and equipment. Lieutenant General Jincheng, a high-ranking army, was killed on July 28, 1944, and Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Kobayashi took over the command.

On the first day of the campaign, the supply of American troops was difficult. The landing ship failed to get close to the reef hundreds of feet away from the beach, and there was a lack of amphibious vehicles. However, the two beachheads were connected on July 28th, and the airport at Cape Orodi and the port of Abra were captured by American troops on July 3th, 1944.

The Japanese army was exhausted by the counterattack on the beachhead of the US military. In early August 1944, they were short of food and ammunition, and there were only a handful of tanks left. Therefore, Hideyoshi Kobayashi withdrew his troops to the south of Guam and planned to use the mountainous area in the central part of the island to fight back. However, the US military mastered the sea and air control rights in the vicinity of Guam, so it was difficult for the Japanese army to expect supplies and reinforcements. Hideyoshi Kobayashi only hoped that it would be completely defeated.

The heavy rain and dense jungle made the American army face a difficult situation, but after the breakthrough in Dashan, Barriga from August 2, 1944 to August 4, 1944, the Japanese defense line collapsed. The rest of the war was just to pursue the north. As in other situations in the Pacific, the Japanese refused to surrender and almost all the soldiers were killed. The Japanese army has built three airports in Guam, the third of which has not yet been completed. At first, the Japanese army did not pay much attention to Guam's defense. It was not until the Marshall Islands fell that the Japanese army began to strengthen Guam's defense. The Japanese army's reinforcements to Guam were much more successful than Saipan, and a large number of reinforcements and materials were shipped to Guam.

Guam's defenders are the 29th infantry division, the 48th independent mixed brigade, the 1th independent mixed wing, the 52nd anti-aircraft artillery brigade and the 54th naval guard, with more than 2, men, more than 2 guns and more than 4 tanks under the unified command of Lieutenant General Gao Pinbiao, head of the 29th division. The 29th Division was originally the Kwantung Army, well-trained, well-equipped and with strong fighting capacity.

Although Guam was a territory of the United States for more than 4 years before the war, it was not until the US military began to formulate an attack on Guam that it found that the relevant information was very sketchy and knew nothing about the situation after the Japanese occupation, so it continued to conduct aerial photography reconnaissance by plane.

The US military originally planned to land in Guam on June 18th, 1944. However, after landing in Saipan, it was felt that the strength of the landing troops needed to be strengthened, and it would take some time for reinforcements to reach the battlefield. In addition, the naval fleet had to fully deal with the Japanese mobile fleet. Therefore, on July 8th, 1944, spruance decided to postpone the landing operation until July 21st, 1944. In addition to the original Marine Corps Third Division and the temporary 1st Brigade, the landing troops also added the Army. The 77th Division, originally the general reserve, was on standby at Pearl Harbor. After receiving the order to participate in the war, it left Pearl Harbor in early July 1944 and arrived at Eniwetok Reef Lake in the middle. The landing in Guam is still undertaken by the southern formation under the command of Major General Connolly, which has 6 battleships, 5 escort carriers, 1 cruisers, 53 destroyers, 2 frigates, 75 landing ships, 21 transport ships, and 265 ships in total. The ground combat troops include the 3rd Marine Division, the 1st Marine Brigade and the 77th Infantry Division, with about 55, people.

The preparations for American artillery fire on Guam began as early as June 11th, 1944. All Japanese planes on the island were wiped out, and the Japanese airport was severely damaged and could not be used. From June 21, 1944 to July 7, 1944, the U.S. military conducted several naval gun bombardments and plane bombardments on Guam. Since Saipan only carried out two days of artillery preparation before landing, the effect was not satisfactory, which caused great casualties to the landing troops. Therefore, the U.S. military greatly strengthened its artillery preparation for Guam, and from July 8, 1944, it carried out a fierce bombardment for thirteen days. 6258 rounds of 46 mm and 356 mm shells, 3862 rounds of 23 mm shells, 243 rounds of 152 mm shells and 16214 rounds of 127 mm shells were fired. Although the Japanese army used the delayed landing time of the US military to set up a large number of obstacles and mines on the beach where the US military might land, and repaired some permanent shelters and fortifications on the island, the long-term shelling by the US military seriously damaged the Japanese fortifications and almost destroyed all the firepower exposed by the Japanese army.

Since July 16th, 1944, the 3rd, 4th and 6th underwater blasting teams of the US Navy have been carrying out underwater blasting on the beachhead to be landed for three consecutive nights, blowing up reefs and obstacles, clearing the way for landing.

On July 19, 1944 and July 2, 1944, all the warships of the U.S. military who served as naval gun fire support carried out extremely fierce shelling on the landing sites of Agate and Asan.

On July 2th, 1944, spruance personally arrived in Guam on the flagship heavy cruiser Indianapolis to supervise the war. On July 21, 1944, Wan Li was clear and calm, which was a good weather for sending troops. Since the early hours of the morning, the US military has provided direct fire support with six battleships, three escort carriers, eight cruisers and 32 destroyers, and adopted a new tactic. Warships and planes simultaneously attack the same target in a coordinated manner, stipulating that the trajectory of naval guns should not be higher than 365 meters, and the dropping height of aircraft should not be lower than 457 meters, so that ships and planes can drop bombs.

at 8: 3, with the support of heavy artillery fire, the U.S. army began to land by surprise. The 3rd Marine Division landed at Asan Beach in the northern part of Orot Peninsula, and the 1st Brigade and the 77th Division of Army War landed at Agate Beach in the southern part of Orot Peninsula. Ashan Beach, three regiments of the Third Marine Division launched at the same time, and attacked side by side on the 18-meter-wide beach. Because there are many coral reefs in the coast, only tracked landing vehicles can land, so the troops were transported back and forth by tracked landing vehicles. The initial landing was very smooth, and the Japanese resistance was negligible. Around noon, all the troops, vehicles and artillery of the whole division landed, and it was immediately found that the terrain of the landing beach was extremely unfavorable, with highland in front, sea in the back and dangerous wings. The artillery deployed by the Japanese army on three hilltops and anti-inclined planes covered the entire landing beach, and more than 2, American troops were crowded on the narrow landing beach. Every shell fired by the Japanese army would cause great casualties to the American army, and the terrain to be attacked by the Third Army Corps was the most sinister, so the casualties were the greatest and the progress was the least. The 21st Regiment of Marine Corps and the 9th Regiment of Marine Corps were in a better situation. With the effective support of naval gun fire, they both occupied the hills facing each other and repelled the Japanese counterattack.

The Japanese resistance at the beach head of Agate in the south is more fierce than that in the north. As soon as the American tracked landing vehicle reached the coral reef, it was violently bombarded by Japanese artillery fire. In a flash, 24 tracked landing vehicles were destroyed, accounting for one eighth of the total. Due to the heavy losses of tracked landing vehicles, many soldiers had to wade ashore and were held back in front of the Japanese shelters, unable to move forward, and the supplies were not transported ashore as planned, which made landing very difficult. The 1st Marine Brigade fought its way out, and reached the first scheduled goal at 11: noon. The brigade commander of the 1st Marine Brigade also went ashore, set up a command post and led the troops to fight bravely. Because of the complicated terrain, obstacles, mines and wrong guidance, the tanks accompanying the landing troops have not been able to enter the battle. Only one tank played a role in the fierce battle for Jiaan stronghold, went around the rear of the Japanese position, destroyed the solid stronghold with artillery fire, and opened the way for the infantry to move forward. All day, the fighting was fierce. After nightfall, the Japanese army launched a counterattack as usual. The American army had long been prepared and fired flares. As soon as it found the Japanese attack, it immediately summoned naval guns to shoot. Although the Japanese offensive was fierce, it could not compete with the American artillery fire.

On July 22nd, 1944, American troops at the northern Assan Beach began to advance with the support of naval gun fire. The 9th Army Regiment captured Pitty Shipyard, and its vanguard troops had arrived at Apura Port. The 21st Marines captured the highland face to face and drove the Japanese down the hill. The 3rd Army Corps was the hardest, suffered heavy casualties and made slow progress. After many reinforcements, it took a bird's-eye view of the highland on the beach and pushed it to Agra-Tengjue Highway, so that American tanks could advance along this highway. The southern beachhead was also a bitter battle. After a bloody battle, the Fourth Army Corps eliminated the Japanese army on the Alifan Mountain. Although the 35th Regiment of the 77th Infantry Division made slow progress, it finally joined the 1st Brigade of the Army War in the dark, forming a unified and consolidated landing site.

on July 23, 1944, the American troops in the south continued to attack and finally captured all the highlands with a bird's eye view of the beach.

On July 24th, 1944, after three days of fierce fighting, the American army in the north wiped out all the Japanese troops on the highlands with a bird's eye view of the beachhead. The American army in the south began to attack the enemy of Mai Su, and the Japanese army fought to the death and prevented the American army from attacking.

On the evening of July 25th, 1944, the Japanese army launched a fierce counterattack against the American army. After many days of careful preparation, it took the gap in the American defense line as the target. First, it concentrated artillery bombardment, and then a small number of troops infiltrated the assault. The American army fought with all its strength and repelled the Japanese army's repeated charges. However, the Japanese army ignored the casualties and attacked wave after wave, and finally broke through the American defense line from the gap between the third and ninth regiments of the American Army in the north. Some Japanese troops even rushed to the beach, and the rear of the US army quickly organized handyman to intercept them. One Japanese army rushed to the field hospital of the Third Marine Division of the US Army, and the wounded and sick took up arms and went into battle. The wounded who could not move even shot on the bed, and the US army quickly transferred two engineering companies to destroy this Japanese army. Fighting in other areas continued until noon on July 26, 1944, which eventually shattered the Japanese counterattack, leaving as many as 4, bodies.

on July 26th, 1944, Major-General Chongsong, head of the 48th Independent Hybrid Brigade of the Japanese Army, was killed.

On July 27th, 1944, the 77th Division of the Southern American Army captured Tengjue Mountain, the commanding height of Guam, and the 22nd Marine Corps attacked a highland overlooking the airport under heavy artillery fire. The Japanese army could not support it under the artillery fire of the American Army, but abandoned the highland before the American Army launched an attack. On the same day, American troops in the north occupied Fangti Terrace.

On July 28th, 1944, the American army finally captured Mai Su, and the troops from the north and the south joined forces in Tengjue Mountain. On the same day, Lieutenant General Gao Pinbiao, head of the 29th Division, the supreme commander of the Japanese army in Guam, was killed in the battle, and came to Guam to inspect the commander of the 31st Army, Xiao Tuan, who was stranded because of the fighting. Knowing that the US forces and firepower have a greater advantage, Xiao Tuan left only two brigades to cover the narrowest waist of Guam in order to carry out lasting resistance, and personally led the main force to retreat to Mount Santa Rosa to prepare for the final battle.

On July 29th, 1944, the 1st Brigade of the Army captured the Orot Peninsula, so that the US military controlled half of Guam. Major General Geiger, commander of the third marine corps, the highest commander of the US military commanding Guam operations, decided to adjust the deployment. The third marine division was on the left, and the 77th infantry division was on the right side to attack the north side by side. The first marine brigade was responsible for covering the rear and eliminating the Japanese remnants in the occupied areas. After a short battlefield break, the US military launched an attack on July 31, 1944. With the strong support of naval gun fire, it progressed smoothly. At about eleven o'clock, the Third Army Corps occupied Agra, the capital of Guam.

On August 1st, 1944, Geiger ordered the American army to speed up its advance and strive to occupy Mount Santa Rosa before the Japanese army established the last line of defense.

on August 2, 1944, American troops captured the Tejan airport.

On August 3rd, 1944, the 77th Division conquered Da Village in Barriga, and the water wells in the village solved the problem of the lack of fresh water for American troops.

on August 4th, 1944, the American army seized a solid defensive position of the Japanese army and wiped out 346 enemy troops.

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