Guedal Canal Campaign Analysis

On September 15, 1944, the United States Marines landed on the Island of Peleliu not knowing the horrors that await them on the beaches. Peleliu was part of the Palau Islands in the western Pacific and part of an overall campaign to capture air bases to be used as staging areas for a final attack on the Japanese home islands. Commanding the First Marine Division, Major General William Rupertus, originally thought the invasion of the Peleliu would take four days to complete, but took over two months to capture from ferocious Japanese resistance. The First Marine Division, took between forty and fifty percent casualties between all three regiments1. This fact alone makes the overall invasion seem unnecessary, but this was not the only time where
During the Guedal Canal Campaign in 1942, the Americans proved their ambition to posses air bases when capturing Rabaul. Once captured by the Americans, the Japanese saw how important it was and attempted to recapture it. As a result, the Americans lost two aircraft carriers in their already limited supply, forcing them to borrow one from Britain.5 The Americans knew that air power in the Pacific was strategically important and this incident showed that the Americans would do anything maintain air superiority. Based on the previous experience of the Americans, it can not be said that the invasion of the Palau Islands was unjustified because of the high casualty rate, but rather the grim fact of war. In order to be one step ahead of the Japanese, it necessary the Americans have as many air bases as possible in the Pacific in order to maintain air superiority even if the cost of doing so is
The Americans had “total local air and naval superiority, with lavish naval gunfire and bombs, with the dreaded napalm weaponry, and with a 4:1 troop superiority.”6 The American’s advantages, made them overconfident for the invasion beforehand. This was not surprising since this formula worked great for the Americans in past campaigns and they believed securing the Palau Islands would be no different. The Japanese knew of the great power the Americans possessed and had to change strategies because of this. As a result, the Japanese changed tactics from banzai charges to being burrowed deep into caves and jungles, which surprised the Americans, leading to higher casualties. Also, the Japanese used this terrain of jungles, swamps, and coral reefs of Peleliu to use for cover and also hinder the movement of American soldiers, since they were unfamiliar with the terrain. After this battle, the Americans knew of what the Japanese were capable of and would have to be cautious in order to avoid an event like this from happening again. Based on these new experiences posed by the invasion, it would have to set new expectations for the future battles Iwo Jima and