Talk:Merrill's Marauders

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Operations[edit]

The article says "In February 1944 six combat teams - coded Blue, Green, Khaki, Orange, Red and White - began a 1000-mile march over the Himalayas and through jungle to Burma."

The hills on the Burma-India border are the Patkai Range. Although they might be considered to be a branch of the Himalayas, they are much lower. Saying that MM crossed the Himalayas produces images of them climbing glaciers and other aspects of extreme mountaineering.Vgy7ujm 05:34, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

That makes sense, although the references that I had read on the subject had simply listed them as the Himalayas. I suppose they were written that way to make it easier for people to understand the area in question. I'll go ahead and clarify that section. EvilCouch 05:52, 4 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]


The wording above is misleading in other ways also. The 1000 mile trip was from the training area in India to their jumping off point at Ningbyen, in Burma. Only 100 of it was made on foot. The movement was made by boat and train from 8 Jan 44 to 7 Feb 44 between the training area and Ledo, in Assam (the first 900 miles), and then by march through the hills 100 miles to Ningbyen, which took 10 days. The 750 miles mentioned near the end of the article is much closer to the mark for the aggregate of the campaign, which covered 80 days to the arrival at Myitkyina. The Army monograph listed as "extra reading" offers an easy-to-follow timeline of their campaign:

  • 28 Feb to 3 March, approach march from Ningbyen to Walawbum.
  • 3-7 March, operations at Walawbum, relieved by the Chinese 38th Division.
  • 7-11 March, rest and evacuation of 250 casualties; assigned next mission 11 March, to set up two blocking forces
  • 12-28 March, 1st Battalion marches to Shaduzup
29-30 March, operations at Shaduzup by 1st Battalion
31 Mar-2 April, 1st Battalion marches east to join rest of force
  • 12-23 March, 2nd and 3rd Battalions march to Inkangahtawng, below Shaduzup, to block the road for 24 hours
24 March, Kamaing Road blocked by 2nd Battalion, rear covered by 3rd Battalion
25-28 March, 2nd and 3rd Battalions withdraw along same route, receive orders to block Japanese movement north at Nhpum Ga
29 March, 2nd battalion sets up perimeter at Nhpum Ga, blocking trail; 3rd Battalion holds drop zone at Hsamshingyang 5 miles to north; Merrill becomes ill and is evacuated
30 March - 7 April, 2nd Battalion cut off and besieged at Nhpum Ga
  • 1-6 April - 3rd Battalion unsuccessfully attempts to force open the trail between Hsamshingyang and Nhpum Ga
  • 3-6 April - 1st Battalion forced-marches to rejoin rest of force at Nhpum Ga
  • 7 April - 1st Battalion circles Nhpum Ga to south and Japanese withdraw after 10-day siege
  • From 9 Feb when they left Ledo to 7 April, a period of 60 days, the 5307th marched 500 miles and took 700 casualties from battle and sickness, most from the 2nd Battalion. They then moved 15 miles north to Naubum to rest and reorganize before receiving orders on 27 April to take Myitkyina airfield, moving out April 28.--Reedmalloy (talk) 02:16, 11 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Nisei MIS?[edit]

They were all around, as Sgt Roy Matsumoto

http://www.marauder.org/nisei01.htm

The Marauder 2nd Battalion was trapped at Nhpum Ga (Maggot Hill), every night Roy Matsumoto would crawl out close to the Japanese lines and listen to them talk and secured information. One night he returned with information that the Japanese were going to attempt to cut off a part of the perimeter. After helping set up an ambush Roy waited with the rest of the Marauders for the attack to start. When the attack came the Marauders sprang the trap mowing down the first wave of attackers, when the second wave stalled in confusion Roy stood up and yelled for them to attack attack, causing the second wave to meet the same fate as the first. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Takima (talk • contribs) 00:24, 7 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

More than 6,000 Military Intelligence Service (MIS) students graduated. Then, they were shipped out to every major combat unit in the Pacific, translating Japanese maps and technical manuals, combat orders, enemy diaries, and interrogated Japanese POWs. General Douglas MacArthur stated, "Never in military history did an army know so much about the enemy prior to actual engagement." And General Charles Willoughby, G-2 intelligence chief, said, "The Nisei saved countless Allied lives and shortened the war by two years." The vital role of the MIS Nisei linguists in the successful combat strategy of the American forces was generally concealed and kept low-key. Accordingly, the MIS Nisei were almost totally absent from the press information and pictorial record of the Pacific War.

Japanese American Military Intelligence Service (MIS) servicemen made vital contributions to both the Allied victory in the Pacific War and the peaceful Occupation of Japan. This select group of soldier-linguists used their understanding of Japanese language and culture to translate captured documents, monitor enemy transmissions, and interrogate prisoners of war. Called the “eyes” and “ears” of every combat command, the MIS linguists’ much needed language skills were vital, but their ethnic ancestry and cultural awareness gave them a better understanding of Japanese people and culture. These sensibilities allowed them to approach the Japanese with humanity, even in wartime, which helped them when they communicated with POWs and made them cultural ambassadors during the transition from war to peacetime occupation .The secret nature of their work, classified for decades after the war, has kept them out of history’s spotlight. As a result, many of their deeds have gone unrecorded and their heroic deeds unrecognized. Col. Sidney Forrester Mashbir, Commandant, Allied Translator and Interpreter Section, pronounced: “The United States of America owes a debt to these men [Nisei linguists] and to their families which it can never fully repay.”

Serving in the U.S. Army during WWII, Nisei soldier served because they were Americans like any other American boys. Having been interned themselves or having family in the internment camps, made it difficult, but their decision to serve their country during war-time was firm and decisive. The decision to fight against the country of birth of their parents and grandparents was difficult, but they had to decide. For many MIS linguists who volunteered from within the confines of internment, it was also difficult because they had been reclassified by the Draft Board as 4C "Enemy Alien". To fight in Europe would have been an easier decision, but to fight Japan and eventually fight on Japanese soil was not an easy choice to make. That is why even to this day many Nisei MIS veterans are reluctant to talk about their role during WWII.

Takima (talk) 22:24, 6 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Stockade rats[edit]

WTF? I have never heard the phrase before, and a googletube search shows only this page and its various copies as hits. A search of googletube news and scholar also came zilch. There is ONE fiction book in googletube books that uses the phrase. I suggest we delete the sentence, but maybe youse guyse know soemthign I don't. Thanks!--Cerejota (talk) 09:53, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

"Allegedly" is weasel word and should be removed. The phrases, "stockade rats" should be removed since it isn't exactly clear as to how serious the infractions were or what is being implied. The entire sentence should be removed unless it can be verified. I found one reference on page 37 of Ogburn's book where a character is quoted as saying that he was told he had to volunteer or be court-martialed, but the character tells it like a joke so that wouldn't carry enough weight. On page 33 he talks about Captain Tom Senff saying "The only thing stupider than volunteering, is asking for volunteers. We've got the misfits of half the divisions in the country." This is followed by a section dealing Ogurn's surprise at the number of the volunteers who had gotten into trouble (the night before, I assume) - mostly drinking. I don't find that strong enough to support the sentence in question. I haven't seen anything anywhere else. --Steve (talk) 18:43, 3 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
It has been about 2 weeks with no further comment on this sentence. I'll go ahead and remove it until such time as it can be substantiated. --Steve (talk) 19:27, 17 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Orde Wingate's rank[edit]

I changed Orde Wingate's rank from Brigadier General to Brigadier which is the appropriate designation in British forces. However he was promoted Major General (acting) late in 1943, so depending on dates, he might have been Major General. However Brigadier General is wrong. 96.54.32.44 (talk) 00:53, 24 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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External links modified[edit]

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The Japanese commander escaped?[edit]

This article states that the Japanese commander escaped with 600 of his men, etc. However, according to both the Chinese[1] and Japanese[2] sources, the commander committed suicide, after defying the order to fight till the last man and ordering the remaining troop to escape.無聲 (talk) 00:53, 7 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

References

  1. ^ https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E5%AF%86%E6%94%AF%E9%82%A3%E6%88%98%E5%BD%B9
  2. ^ https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E4%B8%8A%E6%BA%90%E8%94%B5
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