Merrill’s Marauders February - May 1944 [Illustrated Edition]
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THE 5307th COMPOSITE UNIT (Provisional) of the Army of the United States was organized and trained for long-range penetration behind enemy lines in Japanese-held Burma. Commanded by Brig. Gen. (now Maj. Gen.) Frank D. Merrill, its 2,997 officers and men became popularly known as "Merrill’s Marauders." From February to May, 1944 the operations of the Marauders were closely coordinated with those of the Chinese 22d and 38th Divisions in a drive to recover northern Burma and clear the way for the construction of the Ledo Road, which was to link the Indian railhead at Ledo with the old Burma Road to China. The Marauders were foot soldiers who marched and fought through jungles and over mountains from the Hukawng Valley in northwestern Burma to Myitkyina on the Irrawaddy River. In 5 major and 30 minor engagements they met and defeated the veteran soldiers of the Japanese 18th Division. Operating in the rear of the main forces of the Japanese, they prepared the way for the southward advance of the Chinese by disorganizing supply lines and communications. The climax of the Marauders’ operations was the capture of the Myitkyina airfield, the only all-weather strip in northern Burma. This was the final victory of the 5307th Composite Unit, which was disbanded in August, 1944.
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Merrill’s Marauders February - May 1944 [Illustrated Edition] - Anon
This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com
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Text originally published in 1945 under the same title.
© Pickle Partners Publishing 2013, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Publisher’s Note
Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.
We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.
AMERICAN FORCES IN ACTION
MERRILL'S MARAUDERS FEBRUARY - MAY 1944
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
Maps 5
Sketches 5
Illustrations 5
Foreword 7
CHAPTER I — INTRODUCTION 8
The War in Burma, January, 1942 - March, 1943 8
From Defense to Offense 11
Origin and Training of the American Force 13
Area of Operations 17
Supply 21
Evacuation of Casualties 23
Communications 23
CHAPTER II — FIRST MISSION: WALAWBUM 25
On the Move 25
Kamaing Road Block 26
Japanese Withdrawal 29
Mission Accomplished 31
CHAPTER III — SECOND MISSION: SHADUZUP AND INKANGAHTAWNG 33
On the Move to Shaduzup 35
Into Position 38
The 1st Battalion is Relieved 40
On the Move to Inkangahtawng 41
Inkangahtawng Block 43
The Japanese Strike Toward the Tanai Valley 45
Nhpum Ga 49
Beginning of the Siege 52
The 3d Battalion Increases its Effort 55
The Relief Force Wins Through 58
CHAPTER III —THIRD MISSION: MYITKYINA 62
The Force and the Mission 63
From the Tanai to the Hpungin Valley 65
Ritpong 67
Diversion at Tingkrukawng 68
H Force's Attack on Myitkyina Air Strip 70
Reinforcements for H Force 71
Preliminary Assault on Myitkyina 72
Checkmate 73
ANNEX NO. 1: CASUALTIES 77
ANNEX NO. 2: DECORATIONS 78
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS 78
LEGION OF MERIT 78
SILVER STAR 78
SOLDIER'S MEDAL 79
OAK LEAF CLUSTER TO SILVER STAR 80
Illustrations 81
REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 104
Maps
1—Japan's Advance to the Southwest
2—Japanese Conquest of Burma
3—Situation in Burma, February 1944
4—Burma Relief and Drainage
5—North Burma-Area of Operations
6—First Mission
7—Road Block at Walawbum
8—Attack on I and R Platoon
9—Completion of Walawbum Operation
10—Plan for Second Mission
11—Shaduzup
12—Approach to Inkangahtawng
13—Inkangahtawng
14—Withdrawal from Inkangahtawng
15—Establishment of Nhpum Ga Perimeter
16—Second and Third Days at Nhpum Ga
17—Isolation of Force at Nhpum Ga
18—First Attempts to Open the Trail
19—Progress Toward Nhpum Ga
20—End of Siege at Nhpum Ga
21—Situation Around Myitkyina
22—Routes to Myitkyina
23—Attack at Ritpong
24—Tingkrukawng Engagement
25—Arrival of Forces at Myitkyina
26—Positions of Troops near Myitkyina
27—From the Hukawng Valley to Myitkyina
Sketches
1—Japanese S-shaped Machine-gun Formation
2—Nhpum Ga Perimeter
Illustrations
Brig. Gen. Frank D. Merrill
Col. Charles N. Hunter
Deogarh Training Camp
Ten Miles a Day
At the Halfway Mark on the Ledo Road
Supply Drops
Marauders Clear the Drop Field
L-4's Evacuated Wounded From Forward Strips
An Ambulance Plane
Entering the Jungle Trail
A Village Basha
Walawbum
Troops of the Chinese 38th Division
Kachin Guides
A Seagrave Hospital Unit
Native Bridge Across the Tanai River
A `Borrowed" Elephant Equipped With a Native Rack
One of the Marauders' Two 77-mm Howitzers
An Orange Combat Team Mortar Crew
Japanese Light Machine Gun
K Force Men
Starting Across the Kumon Range
The Myitkyina Air Strip
Insignia
Foreword
In the thick of battle, the soldier is busy doing his job. He has the knowledge and confidence that his Job is part of a unified plan to defeat the enemy, but he does not have time to survey a campaign from a fox hole. If he should be wounded and removed behind the lines, he may have even less opportunity to learn what place he and his unit had in the larger fight.
AMERICAN FORCES IN ACTION is a series prepared by the War Department especially for the information of wounded men. It will show these soldiers, who have served their country so well, the part they and their comrades played in achievements which do honor to the record of the United States Army.
s/G. C. Marshall
G. C. MARSHALL
Chief of Staff
WAR DEPARTMENT
Military Intelligence Division
Washington 25, D. C.
4 June 1945
Merrill's Marauders is an account of the operations of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) in north Burma from February to May, 1944. The Marauders' effort was part of a coordinated offensive, the Allied reconquest of north Burma. Details of the offensive are summarized briefly to set the operations of the 5307th within the larger framework. On 10 August 1944 the 5307th was reorganized as the 475th Infantry Regiment.
The combat narrative is based mainly on interviews conducted by the historian of the 5307th after the operation and on information furnished the Historical Branch, G-2, War Department, by the Commanding General and several members of the unit. Few records were available because the Marauders restricted their files in order to maintain mobility while they were operating behind the Japanese lines. During the second mission a Japanese artillery shell scored a direct hit on the mule carrying the limited quantity of records and maps kept by the unit headquarters. During the third mission the heavy rains made preservation of papers impossible for more than a day or two. The unit's intelligence officer was killed at Myitkyina, and his records were washed away before they could be located.
This study is the fifth of a series called American Forces in Action,
designed exclusively for military personnel. No part of the narrative may be republished without the consent of the A. C. of S., G-2, War Department, Washington 25, D. C.
The manuscript was submitted by the Historical Section of the India-Burma Theater. One photograph is by Acme Newspictures, Inc. (page 25); three are by Capt. Logan E. Weston (pages 35, 63, 85); two aerials are by the U. S. Army Air Forces (pages 38; 104); all others are by the U. S. Army Signal Corps. Readers are urged to send directly to the Historical Branch, G-2, War Department, Washington 25, D. C., comments, criticisms and additional information which may be of value in the preparation of a complete and definitive history of the operations of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional).
CHAPTER I — INTRODUCTION
THE 5307th COMPOSITE UNIT (Provisional) of the Army of the United States was organized and trained for long-range penetration behind enemy lines in Japanese-held Burma. Commanded by Brig. Gen. (now Maj. Gen.) Frank D. Merrill, its 2,997 officers and men became popularly known as Merrill's Marauders.
From February to May, 1944 the operations of the Marauders were closely coordinated with those of the Chinese 22d and 38th Divisions in a drive to recover northern Burma and clear the way for the construction of the Ledo Road, which was to link the Indian railhead at Ledo with the old Burma Road to China. The Marauders were foot soldiers who marched and fought through jungles and over mountains from the Hukawng Valley in northwestern Burma to Myitkyina on the Irrawaddy River. In 5 major and 30 minor engagements they met and defeated the veteran soldiers of the Japanese 18th Division. Operating in the rear of the main forces of the Japanese, they prepared the way for the southward advance of the Chinese by disorganizing supply lines and communications. The climax of the Marauders' operations was the capture of the Myitkyina airfield, the only all-weather strip in northern Burma. This was the final victory of the 5307th Composite Unit, which was disbanded in August, 1944.
The War in Burma, January, 1942 - March, 1943
Burma had been conquered by the Japanese 2 years before the Marauders' operations (Map No. 1, opposite). During the 6 months between December, 1941 and May, 1942 the enemy had overrun the, Philippines, much of Oceania, all of the Netherlands East Indies, all of the Malay Peninsula, and almost all of Burma. In the Pacific Ocean his advance threatened communications between the United States and Australasia. On the Asiatic mainland his occupation of Burma menaced India, provided a bulwark against counterattack from the west, cut the last land route for supply of China, and added Burma's raw materials to the resources of an empire already rich.
Figure 1 - Map 1.
For the conquest of Burma the Japanese had concentrated two divisions in southern Thailand (Map No. 2, page 4). In mid-January, 1942 they struck toward Moulmein, which fell on the 30th. British, Indian, and Burmese forces, aided by the Royal Air Force and the American Volunteer Group, resisted the Salween and Sittang