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PACIFIC OCEAN - While Hollywood continues to churn out
fictional fantasies about futuristic wars, Special Forces
operations or superhero-esque spying organizations, few are
capable of capturing the level of difficulty and
insurmountable odds of the true story of the raiders of
Makin Island.
The modern day military cinema is
littered with scenes of such operations, launching a silent
sneak attack in the dark of night using their tiny rubber
raiding crafts, with faces blackened to match their attire.
What few know, however, is that one raid, often
overshadowed in the events of World War II, set the stage
for a series of military operations that are now common
place in both reality and the silver screen.
Over the
course of two days, Aug. 17 - 18, 1942, Marine Lt. Col.
Evans F. Carlson led 222 men from two companies of the 2nd
Raider Battalion on a raid of the small, triangular-shaped
Makin Island, a small atoll in the Pacific's Gilbert Island
chain. With Carlson were two notable officers, Major James
Roosevelt, Carlson's executive officer and son of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, and 1st Lt. Oscar F. Peatross, who
would later author a manuscript and rise to the rank of
major general in the Marine Corps.
A raid at that
time was not new to the military, nor was the concept of
Marines working with the Navy to accomplish such a raid, nor
was the son of a president serving in battle.
The
raid did, however, serve as the first amphibious raid
attempted from submarines, a precursor to what is now
considered routine by the U.S. Special Forces.
Carlson's team embarked the submarines USS Argonaut and USS
Nautilus in Pearl Harbor and began the long journey to Makin
Island before disembarking early that Monday morning under
the shroud of night in their tiny rubber raiding crafts.
Immediately the raiders found trouble. Heavy seas, rain and
strong wind swamped the small boats and drowned out their
outboard engines.
Strong tides then threatened the
submarines, forcing them to back away. Never deterred,
Carlson instructed his company commanders to push forward to
the beach. Without engines however, the Marines had to
paddle vigorously through the misery to reach their landing
zone on time; a mark that they still hit.
Peatross'
boat was one of the first to reach the beach where he and
his crew were clouded in confusion, unaware of the rest of
the raider's whereabouts.
As Peatross recounted in
his memoirs, “so far, I had many more questions than
answers. Doubt began again to gnaw at my self-confidence.”
Before the rest of the boats hit the beach and still
concealed from enemy detection, Carlson's team spotted a
large troop transport and small boat that they would surely
encounter. Using only radios, Carlson's own compass
readings, 6-inch guns, and a whole lot of good fortune and
expert marksmanship, the submarine Nautilus fired blindly
and sunk both vessels.
It was a struggle from that
point to simply regroup and carry out the mission objectives
and the raiders would go on to face heavy sniper fire, flame
throwers, tanks, machine guns, and a barrage of bombings and
air attacks from a total of 12 planes.
Against all
odds and outmanned, the raiders evaded the bombings and
eliminated nearly every enemy. Carlson's raiders even shot
down two of the planes, one of which was carrying 35-40
reinforcements.
History debates the success of the
mission objectives, as the treacherous obstacles and
“Murphy's Law” scenarios impeded the men's ability to
fulfill every objective, it is logged generally as a mission
accomplished.
And Carlson's mission? To detract
attention from the Japanese forces in Guadalcanal.
“Its exposed position left it sufficiently sensitive to a
raid as to bring out the reaction we desired, which was to
deter the reinforcement of Guadalcanal, under attack by the
First Marine Division even as the commodore spoke,” said
Peatross in his manuscript, recalling the time they first
heard news of the planned raid.
The mission was also
designed to serve as a morale booster of sorts; one that
would encourage the troops while showing the world that the
U.S. was taking control of the Pacific.
“What's
better than a sneaky little raid to show we're on the
offensive?” asked Chief Gas Turbine System Technician
(Electrical) Dale A. Furr.
The undeniable ability of
the raid to boost spirits and instill pride within the ranks
has since led to two feature films and the naming of two
proud U.S. warships, which have carried with them the same
will, determination, and teamwork that brought the majority
of the raiders home from that battle.
The first was a
Casablanca-class escort carrier (CVE 93), commissioned less
than two years after the battle, May 9, 1944, that served a
purpose very similar in nature to today's amphibious assault
ships.
CVE 93 quickly rose to action and joined in
the war efforts, creating her own legacy through hard work,
dedication and human sprit.
As described by then
Radioman 2nd Class Gus Youngkrist, “Her guns and planes
destroyed 21 Japanese planes, many small ships, and an
undetermined number of enemy installations on a score of
islands. She was awarded five battle stars, the Navy Unit
Commendation and the admiration of her Force and Fleet
Commanders. Yet her history is more than a history of
numbers, it is a record of a group of men working together,
successfully completing a big job.”
Today, the Navy's
newest deployable amphibious assault ship carries with it
the same Makin Island name as she carries forward the
traditions and spirit of the events before her.
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SAN DIEGO (Nov. 14, 2011) The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) departs Naval Base San Diego on its first operational deployment to the western Pacific region. Makin Island is the Navy's newest amphibious assault ship and the only U.S. Navy ship with a hybrid-electric propulsion system. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Lill)
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Furr, assigned to the current namesake, USS Makin Island
(LHD 8), and regarded by much of the crew to be an expert on
Naval history, said the use of the namesake is appropriate
for the type of ship.
“A lot of the amphibious
assault ships are named after major actions,” he said. “As
far as Makin Island is concerned, I don't think anything was
done on that scale with Marines on subs during World War
II.”
The ship itself was designed with Navy
and Marine Corps integration as its primary function and has
the ability to conduct a wide range of amphibious operations
while supporting any variety of landing craft as well as a
full flight deck capable of launching air assaults,
reconnaissance and rescue missions.
As this newest
crew of more than 2,500 Sailors and Marines walks the
passageways in the early stages of the ship's second
deployment, they pay tribute to the original raiders by
proudly serving on the ship that carries with her the
moniker “Raiders” and Carlson's famous motto of “Gung Ho,”
which, translated from the Chinese, means “work together.”
Not to be understated and in yet another tribute to the
events of the raid, the two rigid hull inflatable boats that
Makin Island carries with her are named Nautilus and
Argonaut.
Makin Island, the flagship of the Makin
Island Amphibious Ready Group, is on a deployment with the
11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to promote peace and freedom
of the seas by providing security and stability in the 7th
Fleet area of operations.
And as this journalist puts
a wrap on this story, he will retire to his dinner chow and
sit in a nice corner of the mess decks named “Carlson's
Caf�.”
By U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Lindahl
USS
Makin Island Public Affairs
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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