#peleliu

[igotyoubabeheffron]

BATTLE OF PELELIU Tom Lea for LIFE Magazine (1945) | The Pacific (2010)

Part 1/2

(h/t @sidsledge for the link to the issue)

[sgtgrunt0331-3]

A wounded U.S. Marine, is given a drink of water from the canteen of a buddy while he waits for the stretcher bearers to come for him.

As temperatures exceeded well over 100 degrees, the Marines continued to push through the stubborn and deadly Japanese defenses on the island of Peleliu in September 1944.

[theworldatwar]

USAAF aircraft set off on a mission to locate an airfield at Peleliu, Palau Islands, 1944

[sidsledge]

Tom Lea’s paintings of the Battle of Peleliu for a LIFE magazine article — June 11, 1945.

At dawn on Sept. 15, 1944 the U.S 1st Marine Division invaded Peleliu, a small coral Pacific island in Palau group. With one of the first waves ashore went LIFE Artist Tom Lea to set down in sketches and words what the men did in battle and what the battle did to the men.

[carbone14]

Membres des Underwater Demolition Team 10 (UDT 10) à bord du sous-marin USS Burrfish de retour de mission de reconnaissance et de sabotage avant l’invasion de l’île de Peleliu – Bataille de Peleliu –Campagne des îles Mariannes et Palaos – Guerre du Pacifique – Septembre 1944

©Navy Seal Museum

De gauche à droite : Leonard Barnhill, John MacMahon, le lieutenant M.R. Massy, Bill Moore et Warren Christensen.

John MacMahon sera capturé par les Japonais la nuit après que cette photo a été prise et tué pendant sa captivité.

Les Underwater Demolition Team sont les précurseurs des Navy Seals.

[todaysdocument]

"Peleliu Island...Marines move through the trenches on the beach during the battle."

Record Group 127: Records of the U.S. Marine CorpsSeries: General Photograph File of the U.S. Marine Corps

This black and white photograph shows about a dozen African American marines mostly lying low in the sand.  They are dressed for battle with helmets and other gear.  A few are looking at the camera.  In the background, three marines are standing near a line of trees.

[colonel-dynamite-gun]

That painting of a battle shocked soldier that's a semi popular meme, is actually from a June 1945 issue of Life magazine by combat artist Tom Lea, depicting the toll that the bloody battle for the island of Peleliu had on its attackers.

Some period language below cuttoff

[monkeyssalad-blog]

USMC R4D Douglas Skytrain waiting to take off - Pacific Theater WW2 by TK622 Via Flickr: Exact date and location unknown, but presumably Peleliu Airfield late 1944 to early 1945. R4D was the US Navy designation of the USAAF C-47.