Tag Archives: Cape Gloucester

Happy First Day of Fall!

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With the Autumnal equinox falling on the 23rd rather than the 22nd this year, you are already a day behind, gents.

Time to make sure the batteries in your smoke detectors/ NODs/red dots are changed out, your deer rifle is zeroed, you’ve got the last of the summer canning done, and you’re getting ready to plant those winter root veggies and kale.

Speaking of which, how about these scarecrows of the Emperor’s army, encountered on the push to Tokyo:

Japanese Scarecrow, Saipan, 29 June 1944. “Advancing Marine units on Saipan found many dummy positions left by the enemy similar to this wooden searchlight platform with a scarecrow manning it.” From the Photograph Collection (COLL/3948), Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections.

Dummy Japanese gun crew. “To make Marines think the enemy was strong in one section on Cape Gloucester, the Japanese rigged up this scarecrow gun and crew.” Photographed by Howard, 15 January 1944. National Museum of the U.S. Navy. 127-GW-971-71518

Ready for Action, 77 Years Ago Today

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Official caption: “PFC Kenneth C. Crowley, USMC, Plymouth, Mass., crouches behind a log on the first day of action on Cape Gloucester. A few minutes after this picture was made, he advanced with his unit and helped knock out a Japanese pillbox. Hdqtrs No. 72489. Marine Corps Photo.”

Note Crowley’s M1 Garand– which the Marines had only been issuing for about a year at this time–, extra bandoliers of clipped 30.06 ammo, and camo helmet cover. NARA 127-GR-85-72489

The 1st Marine Division hit the beaches at Cape Gloucester on 26 December 1943, fighting Iwao Matsuda’s Imperial Japanese Army’s 65th Brigade to annihilation over the course of a three-week campaign in thick jungle, suffering 1,300 casualties in the process.

While there are three Crowleys listed from Massachusetts as having died in WWII while serving with the Department of the Navy, none are the above-mentioned Kenneth.

Ack Ack in the sky

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“Ack Ack in the sky: When Japanese bombers attempted to sneak in on Cape Gloucester under cover of darkness, Marine units there sent up this concentration of ack-ack tracer fire. It makes very pretty pattern picture but the Japanese didn’t appreciate it and they abandoned the attack.”

USMC Photo 127-GR-87 by Sgt. George Sylvester

A hot December

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74 Years ago today, these Devils would probably rather be back home over an open fire than on a sandy beach.

the-marines-land-marines-hit-three-feet-of-rough-water-as-they-leave-their-lst-to-take-the-beach-at-cape-gloucester-december-26-1943

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Caption: The Marines Land. Marines hit three feet of rough water as they leave their LST to take the beach at Cape Gloucester, December 26, 1943