thedrifter
06-15-09, 06:12 AM
June 15, 2009
Tiny islands huge part of Allied victory
Veteran tells story of gruesome invasion
BY R. NORMAN MOODY
FLORIDA TODAY
Marines assembled in the Pacific for the Battle of Saipan, a crucial step in defeating the Japanese in World War II, at the same time Allied forces launched the invasion of Normandy to oust the Nazis.
Sixty-five years ago today, on the day of the invasion of Saipan, John Teuchert was a small-town Pennsylvania Marine turning 20. He was among the combined 165,000 troops engaged in those Mariana Islands operations.
The objective for his unit, the 4th Marine Division, was to start at the south end of fortified Saipan. The 4th and 2nd Marine Divisions and the Army's 27th Division would make the initial assault on the island. The 4th and 2nd Divisions later would continue on to neighboring Tinian.
"When we landed and went in there, we were being hit right and left," said Teuchert, who now lives in Barefoot Bay.
At the end the first two days, 4,000 Americans had been killed or wounded. But by the first night, 20,000 Marines had come ashore to face the Japanese defenders, many in caves.
By the time Saipan was declared secured 25 days later, American troops had suffered more than 16,500 casualties, including 3,500 killed in action. About 28,000 Japanese were killed in the battle.
Even so, Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, overshadowed the less-publicized Operation Forager, the Battle of Saipan, which was a stepping stone toward the defeat of Japan. More than 9,000 were killed or wounded in the D-Day invasion of Normandy 65 years ago.
During World War II and even today, the focus was on the European theater of war, not on the Pacific.
"One gets a lot more press, and the other doesn't," said Bob Taylor, an associate professor of history at Florida Tech.
Taylor said the troops, who island-hopped the Pacific, did not get the recognition of the ones who fought at Normandy.
"They fought and died in faraway place many Americans had never heard of, and many still haven't," he said. "Americans paid for those places with their lives."
Carnage all around
Saipan and neighboring Tinian provided the air bases needed for American B-29 bombers to reach Tokyo, 1,250 miles away.
The Enola Gay, carrying the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, left from Tinian -- as did the B-29 Bockscar, which bombed Nagasaki.
Teuchert, who turns 85 today, fought the bitter battle and saw fellow Marines die around him as they advanced on the entrenched Japanese army.
"You're young. You have no fear," he said. "You figure they're not going to get me."
But the carnage was all around. Sniper bullets were coming from unknown directions, and rockets seem to be coming from everywhere.
"You could actually see a 16-inch shell going through the air," he said.
Japanese snipers killed Marines and soldiers nearby as they fought their way onto the island in a brutal first day combat. It was D-Day in Saipan.
"One of my buddies -- they killed him," he said. "It went through his head. One of our sergeants was blown right out of his shoes."
Hundred of the Japanese civilians on the island committed suicide by jumping off cliffs, some clutching their children, after they were told by their leaders that Americans would torture them.
"The Japanese there were indoctrinated that we were going to rape the women and take the kids," Teuchert said. "It was so foolish."
Wounded
Teuchert fought in the Marshall Islands, Saipan and Tinian before Iwo Jima in 1945, where he was seriously wounded.
Iwo Jima, the tiny island only 660 miles south of Tokyo, became a primary objective of American forces in bringing the war in the Pacific to a conclusion.
After a fierce battle, Marines gained control of the island in February 1945.
During the fight on Iwo Jima, a shell landed nearby, hitting Teuchert and fellow Marines. His right arm was broken and blown backward, so that when he reached over with his left hand, he thought he had lost the limb.
"It was so close that it took my buddy's leg off," he said.
His injury marked the end of combat for Teuchert, who by then had gone from 190 pounds to 150.
He went on to civilian life, working in security, including for the Department of Defense, where he retired, putting the war behind him.
Teuchert has five children, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
"I don't dream about the war," he said. "I don't mind talking about it."
Contact Moody at 242-3651 or nmoody@floridatoday.com.
Additional Facts
World War II timeline, Pacific theater
Sept. 3, 1939: United Kingdom and France declare war on Germany, beginning World War II.
Dec. 7, 1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
Dec. 8 1941: The United States declares war on Japan.
Dec. 11, 1941: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
June 6, 1944: Allies invade Normandy, France.
June 15, 1944: U.S. Marines invade Saipan Island.
Feb. 19, 1945: U.S. Marines invade Iwo Jima Island.
May 7, 1945: Germany surrenders to the Allies.
Aug. 14, 1945: Japan surrenders to Allies.
Sept. 2, 1945: Japanese officials sign terms of surrender on USS Missouri.
405,399: Total American combat and other deaths in World War II
-- "World War II: The Home Front," the VA and FLORIDA TODAY research
Ellie
Tiny islands huge part of Allied victory
Veteran tells story of gruesome invasion
BY R. NORMAN MOODY
FLORIDA TODAY
Marines assembled in the Pacific for the Battle of Saipan, a crucial step in defeating the Japanese in World War II, at the same time Allied forces launched the invasion of Normandy to oust the Nazis.
Sixty-five years ago today, on the day of the invasion of Saipan, John Teuchert was a small-town Pennsylvania Marine turning 20. He was among the combined 165,000 troops engaged in those Mariana Islands operations.
The objective for his unit, the 4th Marine Division, was to start at the south end of fortified Saipan. The 4th and 2nd Marine Divisions and the Army's 27th Division would make the initial assault on the island. The 4th and 2nd Divisions later would continue on to neighboring Tinian.
"When we landed and went in there, we were being hit right and left," said Teuchert, who now lives in Barefoot Bay.
At the end the first two days, 4,000 Americans had been killed or wounded. But by the first night, 20,000 Marines had come ashore to face the Japanese defenders, many in caves.
By the time Saipan was declared secured 25 days later, American troops had suffered more than 16,500 casualties, including 3,500 killed in action. About 28,000 Japanese were killed in the battle.
Even so, Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, overshadowed the less-publicized Operation Forager, the Battle of Saipan, which was a stepping stone toward the defeat of Japan. More than 9,000 were killed or wounded in the D-Day invasion of Normandy 65 years ago.
During World War II and even today, the focus was on the European theater of war, not on the Pacific.
"One gets a lot more press, and the other doesn't," said Bob Taylor, an associate professor of history at Florida Tech.
Taylor said the troops, who island-hopped the Pacific, did not get the recognition of the ones who fought at Normandy.
"They fought and died in faraway place many Americans had never heard of, and many still haven't," he said. "Americans paid for those places with their lives."
Carnage all around
Saipan and neighboring Tinian provided the air bases needed for American B-29 bombers to reach Tokyo, 1,250 miles away.
The Enola Gay, carrying the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, left from Tinian -- as did the B-29 Bockscar, which bombed Nagasaki.
Teuchert, who turns 85 today, fought the bitter battle and saw fellow Marines die around him as they advanced on the entrenched Japanese army.
"You're young. You have no fear," he said. "You figure they're not going to get me."
But the carnage was all around. Sniper bullets were coming from unknown directions, and rockets seem to be coming from everywhere.
"You could actually see a 16-inch shell going through the air," he said.
Japanese snipers killed Marines and soldiers nearby as they fought their way onto the island in a brutal first day combat. It was D-Day in Saipan.
"One of my buddies -- they killed him," he said. "It went through his head. One of our sergeants was blown right out of his shoes."
Hundred of the Japanese civilians on the island committed suicide by jumping off cliffs, some clutching their children, after they were told by their leaders that Americans would torture them.
"The Japanese there were indoctrinated that we were going to rape the women and take the kids," Teuchert said. "It was so foolish."
Wounded
Teuchert fought in the Marshall Islands, Saipan and Tinian before Iwo Jima in 1945, where he was seriously wounded.
Iwo Jima, the tiny island only 660 miles south of Tokyo, became a primary objective of American forces in bringing the war in the Pacific to a conclusion.
After a fierce battle, Marines gained control of the island in February 1945.
During the fight on Iwo Jima, a shell landed nearby, hitting Teuchert and fellow Marines. His right arm was broken and blown backward, so that when he reached over with his left hand, he thought he had lost the limb.
"It was so close that it took my buddy's leg off," he said.
His injury marked the end of combat for Teuchert, who by then had gone from 190 pounds to 150.
He went on to civilian life, working in security, including for the Department of Defense, where he retired, putting the war behind him.
Teuchert has five children, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
"I don't dream about the war," he said. "I don't mind talking about it."
Contact Moody at 242-3651 or nmoody@floridatoday.com.
Additional Facts
World War II timeline, Pacific theater
Sept. 3, 1939: United Kingdom and France declare war on Germany, beginning World War II.
Dec. 7, 1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
Dec. 8 1941: The United States declares war on Japan.
Dec. 11, 1941: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
June 6, 1944: Allies invade Normandy, France.
June 15, 1944: U.S. Marines invade Saipan Island.
Feb. 19, 1945: U.S. Marines invade Iwo Jima Island.
May 7, 1945: Germany surrenders to the Allies.
Aug. 14, 1945: Japan surrenders to Allies.
Sept. 2, 1945: Japanese officials sign terms of surrender on USS Missouri.
405,399: Total American combat and other deaths in World War II
-- "World War II: The Home Front," the VA and FLORIDA TODAY research
Ellie