World War II · The Pacific · September–November 1944
Peleliu: The Old Breed, the Wildcats and the Battle Nobody Expected, 1944
Planned as a four-day operation to take an airfield, Peleliu became a seventy-three-day siege of coral caves that cost nearly 10,000 American casualties and almost the entire Japanese garrison. The Marines, the Army’s 81st Division, Angaur and Ulithi, in nine illustrated chapters.
On 15 September 1944 the 1st Marine Division landed on Peleliu, a coral island in the Palaus, expecting to take it in a few days. The Japanese garrison under Colonel Kunio Nakagawa had dug itself into the island’s ridges under a new doctrine that abandoned the banzai charge for a slow, deadly defense from caves. The battle lasted seventy-three days. It broke two Marine regiments, brought the Army’s 81st Infantry Division in to finish it, and became one of the most costly and most argued-over American battles of the Pacific war.
Key facts
What happened
Peleliu was part of Operation Stalemate II, planned to protect the flank of the return to the Philippines. Admiral Halsey recommended cancelling it two days before the landing, but Admiral Nimitz let it go ahead (Chapter 1). Colonel Nakagawa’s garrison of about 10,900 men waited in some five hundred caves and tunnels that three days of bombardment barely touched (Chapter 2). The Marines crossed a wide reef in amphibian tractors under heavy fire and lost 1,111 men on the first day (Chapter 3).
On the left, a single company held the Point for thirty hours; in the center, the Marines smashed a Japanese tank attack and took the airfield on the second day (Chapter 4). Colonel Puller’s 1st Marines then fought into the ridges of the Umurbrogol and lost 1,749 men in six days on Bloody Nose Ridge (Chapter 5). To the south, the Army’s 81st Infantry Division took Angaur, and one of its regiments occupied the great anchorage at Ulithi without a shot (Chapter 6).
The 321st Infantry and the 5th Marines sealed off the north, and a battalion of the 5th took Ngesebus behind a screen of Marine Corsairs; then the 7th and 5th Marines were worn down in the Umurbrogol Pocket (Chapter 7). The 81st Division took over in mid-October and finished the battle on 27 November, three days after Nakagawa killed himself in his command cave (Chapter 8). Chapter 9 counts the cost and asks whether the battle was worth it.
Why it matters
Peleliu was the first battle fought against Japan’s new island defense, the system of caves and defense in depth that would be used again at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and the first lessons in how to defeat it were learned there at great cost. It produced some of the best American writing about the war, above all Eugene Sledge’s With the Old Breed. And it remains the clearest case in the Pacific war of a battle whose value was doubted before it began and is still debated now.
The Carolinas connection
Camp Lejeune, Montford Point and a dog named Prince
The 1st Marine Division grew into a division at New River, North Carolina, now Camp Lejeune. The Black Marines of the 11th Depot and 7th Ammunition Companies, who carried ammunition and stretchers under fire on Peleliu, trained at Montford Point, also at Camp Lejeune. And the D-Day photographs include Cpl. William R. Scott of Greensboro and his war dog, Prince. See Chapter 3 and Chapter 9.
How to use this collection
Read the nine chapters in order for the whole story, or start anywhere. Each chapter has its own photographs, maps or charts, a command decision to try, and sources. The maps below can be played phase by phase; select any place for details and a link to the chapter that tells its story.
The collection
9 chapters
Read in order for the full story, or start anywhere.
01March – 15 September 1944The Island Nobody Needed? Why the Palaus Were InvadedThe Palaus in Japan’s mandate, the two roads to the Philippines, Operation Stalemate II, Halsey’s advice to cancel it and Nimitz’s decision to go ahead.
021944Nakagawa’s Fortress: Caves, Coral and a New Way to DefendColonel Kunio Nakagawa’s 2nd Infantry, five hundred caves in the Umurbrogol ridges, a doctrine that abandoned the banzai charge, and a bombardment that missed most of it.0315 September 1944D-Day, 15 September 1944: White and Orange BeachesThree regiments cross a reef 600 to 800 yards wide in amphibian tractors under flanking fire; 1,111 casualties on the first day.
0415–18 September 1944The Point, the Tank Attack and the AirfieldCaptain George Hunt’s company holds the Point, Japanese tanks charge across the airfield and are destroyed, and Marines fight in heat above 105 degrees.0516–23 September 1944Bloody Nose Ridge: Puller’s 1st Marines, 16–23 SeptemberThe Umurbrogol ridges, Everett Pope on Hill 100, the 7th Marines in the south, and a regiment that lost 1,749 men in six days.
0617 September – 21 October 1944Angaur and Ulithi: The Wildcats’ First FightThe Army’s 81st Infantry Division lands on Angaur, fights for a month in the Lake Salome bowl, and takes the great anchorage at Ulithi without a shot.0723 September – 18 October 1944Ngesebus, the North and the Umurbrogol PocketThe 321st Infantry and 5th Marines seal the north, Corsairs cover the landing on Ngesebus, and the 7th Marines are worn down in the Pocket.
0815 October 1944 – 22 April 1947The Wildcats Finish It: The Last Weeks in the PocketThe 81st Division takes over, inches into the China Wall with sandbags, flame and bulldozers, Nakagawa dies on 24 November, and the last holdouts surrender in 1947.091944 – todayThe Cost and the Memory: Was Peleliu Worth It?The casualty count, the argument over whether the battle was needed, the men who wrote about it, the Montford Point Marines, and Peleliu today.Maps
Three interactive maps
The first map places the Palaus between the two American roads to the Philippines. The second follows the battle on Peleliu phase by phase, from the landings to the Pocket. The third shows Angaur. Press Play, or choose a phase.
Interactive map 1 of 3 · the western Pacific
The Palaus in the Pacific war, September–October 1944
Interactive map 2 of 3 · Peleliu and Ngesebus
Peleliu and Ngesebus, 15 September – 27 November 1944
Interactive map 3 of 3 · Angaur
Angaur, 17 September – 21 October 1944
Forces
Who fought
Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen on one side; a reinforced Japanese regiment on the other. Filter by service.
Interactive · filter
Who fought in the Palaus, September–November 1944
Landed on Peleliu 15 September; fought until mid-October.
Chapter 1 →Landed on the White beaches; lost 1,749 men by 21 September on Bloody Nose Ridge.
Chapter 5 →Took the airfield, the north and Ngesebus; besieged the Pocket in October.
Chapter 7 →Cleared the south, then fought in the Pocket until relieved in October.
Chapter 5 →Black Marines from Montford Point who carried ammunition and wounded under fire.
Chapter 3 →Corsairs and spotter planes that flew from the island against the ridges and Ngesebus.
Chapter 7 →Took Angaur and Ulithi and finished Peleliu.
Chapter 6 →Fought on Angaur, then on Peleliu from 23 September to the end.
Chapter 7 →Fought in the Lake Salome bowl until 21 October.
Chapter 6 →Occupied Ulithi, then took the last of the Pocket.
Chapter 8 →Carried and landed the assault troops.
Chapter 1 →Bombarded Peleliu from 12 September.
Chapter 2 →Directed the defense of the Palaus; its main body was bypassed on Babelthuap.
Chapter 2 →Defended Peleliu from caves until 24 November.
Chapter 2 →Defended Angaur until 21 October.
Chapter 6 →You decide
Command decisions
Every chapter puts you in a commander’s place before showing what actually happened.
Command decision · you decide
Go ahead, or call it off?
You are Admiral Nimitz on 13 September 1944. Halsey reports Japanese air power in the Philippines is weak and recommends cancelling the Palau landings. The Marines land in two days.
Numbers
By the numbers
Every figure carries its source. Where sources disagree, the Army’s official history is used and the difference noted.
American casualties in the Palau operation
The Japanese garrison’s fate
People
Commanders, fighters and writers
Select a name for the chapter where they appear.
Predicted a short battle; resisted bringing in the Army.
Pulled out the shattered 1st Marines on 21 September.
Led his regiment into the ridges; it lost 1,749 men.
Cleared the south, then fought in the Pocket.
Recommended cancelling the Palau landings.
Decided the landings would go ahead.
Ended the bombardment a day early.
Took Angaur and Ulithi and finished Peleliu.
Built the cave defense; died 24 November.
Directed the defense of the Palaus from Koror.
Held Hill 100 through the night; Medal of Honor.
Led his battalion in the ridges; Medal of Honor in Korea.
Took and held the Point; wrote Coral Comes High.
Mortarman; wrote With the Old Breed.
Wounded early in the battle; wrote Helmet for My Pillow.
Wounded and captured; later wrote about the battle.
Valor
Eight Medals of Honor
All eight went to Marines; five were posthumous, and six were for covering grenades with their bodies.
Shielded two Marines from a grenade. Chapter 3
Covered a grenade to save his squad. Chapter 3
Destroyed a dozen positions alone. Chapter 5
Covered a grenade to save four Marines. Chapter 5
Held Hill 100 through the night. Chapter 5
Covered a grenade to save two Marines. Chapter 7
Covered a grenade while carrying wounded. Chapter 7
Rolled onto a grenade to save a comrade. Chapter 7
Gallery · 7 photographs · select to enlarge
How they are remembered
Myth or fact
What people get wrong
Myth or fact · open each card
Six things people get wrong about Peleliu
Peleliu was a short battle.
It was planned as one. It lasted seventy-three days. See Chapter 1.
The bombardment destroyed the Japanese defenses.
It destroyed little that mattered; most positions were hidden in caves and the Japanese did not fire back to reveal them. See Chapter 2.
The Marines finished the battle alone.
The Army’s 81st Infantry Division relieved them in October and took the last of the Pocket on 27 November. See Chapter 8.
The Japanese died in banzai charges.
Apart from the D-Day tank attack, they fought from caves under orders that forbade wasteful charges. See Chapter 2.
The airfield was vital to the Philippine campaign.
It played little part. Ulithi, taken in the same operation without a shot, was far more valuable. See Chapter 9.
Only Marines received the Medal of Honor because only Marines fought.
All eight medals went to Marines, but soldiers of the 81st Division fought on Angaur and on Peleliu for longer than any Marine regiment. See Chapter 6.
Gallery · 12 photographs · select to enlarge
Peleliu in photographs
Gallery · 12 more photographs · select to enlarge
More from the island, the ridges and the anchorage
Before and after
Then and now
Drag the slider to compare.
Quiz
Test yourself
Eight questions. Every answer is explained in the chapters.
Score: answer a question to begin.
1. Who recommended cancelling the Palau landings two days before D-Day?
Halsey recommended it on 13 September 1944; Nimitz let the landings go ahead. See Chapter 1.
2. How wide was the reef the Marines had to cross?
Only amphibian tractors could cross it. See Chapter 3.
3. What was the Point?
Capt. Hunt’s K Company held it for thirty hours. See Chapter 4.
4. How did the Japanese mainly fight at Peleliu?
Under a new doctrine that forbade wasteful charges. See Chapter 2.
5. How many casualties did Puller’s 1st Marines suffer in six days?
Geiger then pulled the regiment out. See Chapter 5.
6. Which island was taken without a shot in the same operation?
The 323rd Infantry occupied it 22–24 September. See Chapter 6.
7. Who finished the battle in the Umurbrogol Pocket?
Organized resistance ended on 27 November 1944. See Chapter 8.
8. Which memoir by a Peleliu Marine is often called one of the finest of the war?
Eugene Sledge published it in 1981. See Chapter 9.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When was the Battle of Peleliu?
The 1st Marine Division landed on Peleliu on 15 September 1944. Organized Japanese resistance ended on 27 November 1944, when the Army’s 81st Infantry Division took the last positions in the Umurbrogol Pocket. The battle lasted seventy-three days. The last Japanese holdouts surrendered on 22 April 1947.
Where is Peleliu?
Peleliu is a coral island about six miles long at the southern end of the Palau Islands in the western Pacific, some five hundred miles east of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is now a state of the Republic of Palau.
Why did the United States invade Peleliu?
To take its airfield and protect the flank of the planned invasion of the Philippines, and, with Angaur and Ulithi, to gain airfields and fleet anchorages. See Chapter 1.
Who fought at Peleliu?
The U.S. 1st Marine Division under Maj. Gen. William H. Rupertus and the Army’s 81st Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Paul J. Mueller, part of Maj. Gen. Roy S. Geiger’s III Amphibious Corps, against about 10,900 Japanese under Col. Kunio Nakagawa of the 14th Division’s 2nd Infantry Regiment.
How many Americans died at Peleliu?
The Army’s official history counts about 1,250 Marines killed (including about 115 missing) and 5,275 wounded, and 542 soldiers of the 81st Division killed and 2,736 wounded or injured on Peleliu and Angaur. Navy losses were additional. See Chapter 9.
How many Japanese died at Peleliu?
More than 11,000 on Peleliu and about 13,600 in the whole Palau operation. Only about 400 were taken prisoner, most of them Korean and Okinawan laborers.
Why is it called Bloody Nose Ridge?
Bloody Nose Ridge was the Marines’ name for the southern ridges of the Umurbrogol mountains north of the airfield, where Col. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller’s 1st Marines lost 1,749 men in six days. See Chapter 5.
What was the Umurbrogol Pocket?
Was the Battle of Peleliu necessary?
It is still argued. Admiral Halsey recommended cancelling it two days before the landing, and the Army’s official historian concluded that the Palaus proved less valuable than expected. Ulithi, taken in the same operation, was very valuable. See Chapter 9.
Did the Army fight at Peleliu?
Yes. The 81st Infantry Division took Angaur and Ulithi, sent its 321st Infantry to Peleliu on 23 September, and took over the battle from the Marines in mid-October. Army troops finished the Umurbrogol Pocket.
Who won the Medal of Honor at Peleliu?
Eight Marines: Capt. Everett P. Pope, Pfc. Arthur J. Jackson and 1st Lt. Carlton R. Rouh, who survived; and Cpl. Lewis K. Bausell, Pfc. Charles H. Roan, Pfc. John D. New, Pfc. Richard E. Kraus and Pfc. Wesley Phelps, who were killed. Six of the eight covered grenades with their bodies.
Who was Colonel Kunio Nakagawa?
What did the Montford Point Marines do at Peleliu?
Two companies of Black Marines trained at Montford Point, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the 11th Marine Depot Company and the 7th Marine Ammunition Company, landed with the 16th Field Depot, carried ammunition and served as stretcher bearers under fire. Gen. Rupertus commended both companies. See Chapter 3.
Which books tell the story of Peleliu?
Eugene B. Sledge’s With the Old Breed (1981), Robert Leckie’s Helmet for My Pillow (1957), George P. Hunt’s Coral Comes High, and Gordon D. Gayle’s official history Bloody Beaches (1996). The HBO series The Pacific (2010) dramatizes Sledge’s and Leckie’s stories.
What was the Point at Peleliu?
A coral knob at the north end of White Beach 1, full of Japanese guns that fired along the landing beaches. Capt. George P. Hunt’s K Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines took it on D-Day and held it, cut off, for about thirty hours. See Chapter 4.
Can you visit Peleliu today?
Yes. Peleliu can be reached by boat or small plane from Koror in Palau. Wrecked tanks and amphibian tractors, caves, memorials and a small museum remain, and the battlefield is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Unexploded ordnance is still being cleared, so visitors should stay on marked paths and use local guides.
Sources
Sources and further reading
- Gordon D. Gayle, Bloody Beaches: The Marines at Peleliu (Marine Corps History and Museums Division, 1996), NPS online edition — the basic modern Marine Corps account, written by the officer who commanded 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines
- Bloody Beaches: The Marines at Peleliu (Project Gutenberg edition) — full text of Gayle’s monograph
- Frank O. Hough, The Assault on Peleliu (USMC Historical Monograph, 1950), HyperWar — the original Marine Corps operational history
- Robert Ross Smith, The Approach to the Philippines, ch. XXII (U.S. Army in World War II) — Angaur: landings, the Lake Salome bowl, casualties and the airfield
- Robert Ross Smith, The Approach to the Philippines, ch. XXIII — the 321st Infantry on Peleliu and the sealing of the north
- Robert Ross Smith, The Approach to the Philippines, ch. XXIV — Ulithi, the relief of the Marines, the end in the Pocket, final casualties and the Army’s assessment
- Bernard C. Nalty, The Right to Fight: African-American Marines in World War II — the 11th Marine Depot and 7th Marine Ammunition Companies at Peleliu and Rupertus’s commendation
- Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients by Unit — biographies of the eight Peleliu recipients
- Wikipedia, "Battle of Peleliu" — a general summary with references, used to cross-check dates and totals
- HistoryNet, "Hell on Peleliu" — a narrative of the battle
- HISTORY, "Battle of Peleliu" — a short popular overview
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