Battle Orders S.
6 primary works • 7 total works
Book 1
US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1941-43
by Gordon L. Rottman
Published 18 February 2004
The early days of the Pacific War found the United States facing an enemy who had occupied a series of islands in the South Pacific. The enemy's goal in this region was to provide an outer defensive zone to protect bases from which future conquests would be launched. The enemy was Japan. This highly detailed study reveals how, despite being often poorly equipped and sometimes fighting with little external support against a resolute enemy, the Marines evolved into a well-equipped and ideally organized amphibious assault force that eventually aided in the defeat of an empire.
Book 7
US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1943–44
by Gordon L. Rottman
Published 24 September 2004
The year 1944 saw a great deal of Marine Corps activity. The early defeats suffered by America in the Pacific were past; the pivotal naval battle for Midway had been won, and the Solomon Islands had fallen once again to the Allies. As 1944 dawned, a new Marine Corps - organised, trained and armed for the coming battles - prepared to launch itself into the outer defenses of a still defiant Japan. In this book, the 1944 re-organisation of Marine units is studied in detail, including the implementation and history behind the "fire team" concept that is still a key factor in Marine organisation and tactics today.
Book 8
US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1944-45
by Gordon L. Rottman
Published 29 October 2004
The year 1945 saw the execution of three of the Marine Corps' largest and most vicious battles - Peleliu, Okinawa and Iwo Jima - and the Marines' performance in these arenas reflected the massive changes that had taken place in the Corps over the preceeding four years. These battles, the recent re-organisations, new units and weapons systems were intended to prepare the Marines for the planned invasion of Japan in November 1945. In this companion volume to Order of Battle volumes 1 and 7, Gordon Rottman studies this re-organisation in detail, discussing new assault units, provisional combat support groups, and service units.
Book 9
The Japanese conquest of the Pacific comprised of a complex series of widely scattered operations intended to neutralize American, Commonwealth, and Dutch forces, seize regions rich in economic resources, and secure an outer defense line for the "Greater Southeast Asia Co-prosperity Sphere." Albeit victorious, the forces deployed from Japan and China were not always ideally trained and equipped for the challenging conditions they encountered. This book, the first of several covering the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II, examines the forces in existence at the beginning of the war, and task organization for the conquest of the Philippines, New Guinea, the South Seas area, and the Dutch East Indies, from December 1941 to the Battle of Midway in June 1942.
Book 12
US Special Warfare Units in the Pacific Theater 1941-45
by Gordon L. Rottman
Published 29 April 2005
The bitter fighting in the Pacific Theater required new forms of warfare, and the gathering of detailed intelligence information on the remote and varied islands and their determined defenders. As a result, new scout, raider and reconnaissance units were formed
Book 22
US Airborne Units in the Mediterranean Theater 1942-44
by Gordon L. Rottman
Published 10 October 2006
This book is the first of three to examine the genesis, organization and operational deployment of the US airborne divisions in World War II. This volume discusses pre-war and early-war airborne units, detailing how the first ones were formed and the tactical reasons for this. Task organization for combat and details of attached units are also dealt with, together with the unit's command relationship with higher headquarters. The units discussed include the 82d Airborne Division, 1st Special Service Force, 1st Airborne Task Force (1ATF), 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 551st Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 550th Airborne Infantry Battalion.
v. 26
This book examines the wide variety of airborne units that served in the Pacific Theater. Among the units covered are the 12,000-strong 11th Airborne Division; the elite 1st Special Service Force; the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (Separate); and the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment. The nature of the enemy and the terrain in the PTO, and long distances that had to be covered, provided significant and diverse challenges to both Army and Marine Corps parachute units. Internal organization, weapons and equipment, command and control, training, combat missions, and combat operations including the 11th Division's fighting in the Philippines, and the 503rd PIR's legendary jump onto Corregidor and recapture of the island are all covered.