Navy Medicine January-February 1944
Jennifer Mitchum
By the close of 1943 the Allies had finally penetrated the Japanese defense perimeter in the central and southern Pacific. The dual offenses of ADM Halsey through the Central Pacific, and GEN MacArthur's
northwestern advance toward the Philippines were picking up steam. The recent conquest of the Gilberts
provided the eastern stepping stones to Tokyo. In inching toward the Philippines, Allied troops landed at Cape Gloucester in western New Britain.
Cape Gloucester
The fighting at Cape Gloucester, on the northwestern tip of New Britain, mirrored that on Guadalcanal and Bougainville. Troops had to endure "...rainstorms that never let up,...vehicles bogging down,... dirty
fighting and general wretchedness."(1) U.S. troops raised the flag on the last day of 1943, but the roughest fighting was yet to come as the Allies moved to rid the nearly 7,500 defenders from the Cape's perimeter and hills.
Despite difficulties, beach medical parties worked diligently treating casualties, and evacuating them with amtracs. Surgical teams, comprised of at least one surgeon and five corpsmen, proved extremely valuable in this operation. Incidentally, the Cape Gloucester operation was believed to be the first time in the Pacific campaign that surgical teams embarked on LSTs (landing ship, tank) and saw the use of the recently installed hospital facility aboard LST-464.
After 16 days of fighting, U.S. troops drove the enemy out. The campaign was costly for both sides; about 3,100 defenders and 240 marines died. Interestingly, 25 men were crushed by huge falling trees, an unusual hazard peculiar to tropical rain forests. In addition, 772 Americans were wounded.(2)
LST 464
Because the Allied forces in New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago lacked hospital ships, the Navy reconfigured LST-464 to hold a medical facility in the summer of 1943. The tank deck was altered to provide for a ward with 60 bunks in triple tiers. Four surgical beds were available for the seriously ill. Also included were an operating room, sterilizing room, dental office, laboratory, dressing room and x-ray room. Later, a second ward forward on the tank deck was added along with a sick officer's quarters and a consultation room for out-patients. The medical staff consisted of about 40 corpsmen and 6 medical officers, with additional surgeons and other medical officers assigned during amphibious operations.
Despite carrying a hospital facility, LST-464 was not officially designated as a hospital ship. This meant she was unprotected and unregulated by the Geneva Convention rules. Therefore, LST-464 was
afforded no protection by the laws of war, retained her armament, and continued to carry some combat
personnel and equipment.
LST-464 was the only LST in the Pacific to be fully reconfigured as a hospital facility. During amphibious operations LST-464 provided care for personnel of small craft lacking medical officers, received and cared for Marine casualties, and provided base hospital facilities for personnel constructing advanced bases.(3)
The Marshalls
The Marshall Islands were the key to ADM Halsey's drive across the Pacific. The Marshalls,
comprising 34 atolls and single islands, had been under Japanese mandate for nearly 25 years and were well fortified. The enemy's main defenses were on Wotje, Maloelap, and Mili Atolls. The Japanese's secondary line of defense was on Eniwetok, Kwajalein, and Jaluit. The Americans first attacked Kwajalein and then Eniwetok.
The First Assault
Kwajalein was comprised of more than 90 islands and islets. Japanese air bases were located on the connected islands of Roi and Namur; their naval and seaplane bases were on Kwajalein island and Ebeye respectively. Therefore, American forces conducted simultaneous amphibious assaults on Roi, Namur, and
Kwajalein. The Marines would take Roi and Namur, and the Army, Kwajalein.
American troops landed on and quickly secured some of the smaller islets near Roi, Namur, and Kwajalein to support the principal landings. Casualties remained low and shore party medical sections and battalion aid stations operated relatively smoothly.
Roi and Namur
Appearing to be a "tougher nut to crack then Betio,"(4) Roi and Namur were smaller but more heavily defended with proportionally bigger garrisons. However, a lengthier and more effective preliminary naval and aerial bombardment made the 31 Jan assault comparatively easier than Betio. On Roi, where an airstrip
occupied most of the island, enemy opposition was light and there were few American casualties. Troops swept across the island quickly and occupied it completely by 1 Feb. Namur was more difficult and took an additional day to secure.(5)
Navy medical personnel attached to Marine units carried minimum gear ashore. Battalion aid station inventories included splints, litters, plasma, morphine, sulfa drugs, battle dressings, tourniquets, ophthalmic ointments, stretcher bandages, adhesive tapes, burn ointment, and brandy. Shortly after landing, medical personnel set up battalion aid stations on and near the beaches in deep shell craters, pill boxes, and dugouts.
Doctors and corpsmen performed admirably even when under fire.
Two construction battalions (Seabees) also landed in the Roi-Namur operation with a complement of one dentist, four medical officers and eight hospital corpsmen. Initially, there was no rigid medical system in place, so medical personnel who had been attached to the Seabees moved throughout the island treating wounded where needed. On D-Day+3, the Seabee medical battalion on Roi set up a sick bay. Sick call
treatments consisted mainly of dressing minor war wounds and coral cuts, tending to wounds caused by
accidental shootings, and treating ear fungus infections.
In a Japanese air attack on 12 Feb, 25 men were killed and 130 seriously wounded.(6) Later on that day, Seabees repaired a mess hall for use as a temporary aid and evacuation station. The following day, Seabee medical personnel boarded SS Typhoon, which was being used as an emergency hospital ship, with about 60 wounded for evacuation to Hawaii.
Medical Evacuation
Overall, medical evacuation was prompt and efficient. On Roi, corpsmen served as litter bearers and evacuated casualties from battalion aid stations. On Namur, where the casualty rate was greater, bandsmen assisted corpsmen with evacuations. Patients were transferred from transports to hospital ship Solace(AH-5) which arrived at Roi on 3 Feb. Solace departed for PearlHarbor the next day with 362 wounded.(7)
Kwajalein Island
As on Tarawa, the Japanese concentrated their defenses along beaches in an integrated and interlocking system of trenches, pillboxes, anti-tank traps, and blockhouses. Although air and naval pre-invasion
bombardment inflicted some damage, the Army encountered strong resistance once ashore on 1 Feb. After a tough struggle, the island fell 3 days later.
Since Kwajalein Island and surrounding islets were primarily an Army operation, Navy medical
personnel remained aboard ships and rendered care to wounded evacuated from the beaches. The senior
medical officer aboard the transport USS Harry Lee (AP-17) reported to BUMED that evacuation was usually prompt and adequate first aid had been rendered ashore. DUKWs (amphibious trucks) and boats brought wounded to the ship D-Day+1 through 3. Personnel experienced difficulty removing patients from DUKWs because litter handles extended beneath the overhangs of the gunwales and choppy seas made it difficult to hoist patients aboard. LCVPs (landing craft, vehicle, personnel) proved to be better in transferring casualties onto hospital ships. LCVPs had greater carrying capacity and were more seaworthy.
The hospital ship USS Relief (AH-1) received battle casualties on the east side of Carlson Island in Kwajalein Lagoon from USS Harry Lee and other vessels. On 4 Feb, Relief sailed for Hawaii with 607 patients.(8) In the latter part of February, she would return to the Marshalls, bringing medical supplies for
use in establishing shore hospitals on Roi Island. Afterward, she would embarked battle casualties from Navy transports and serve as a station hospital at Majuro for 3 months.
Sanitation and Disease
During occupation of the Marshalls, no epidemics or infections from indigenous diseases were
reported. At sick call, medical personnel treated many sunburn cases, minor cuts and abrasions, and small pyrogenic skin infections.
Disposing of the dead was an arduous task. On 3 Feb, the Graves Registration Section began searching for the dead. It was difficult to remove the Japanese that had been buried under debris and destroyed
fortifications. Most Americans were buried on Aqua Pura, a little speck of land between Roi and Namur.
By 7 Feb the Kwajalein Atoll was in American hands. It was one of the most complicated amphibious campaigns in history-- involving landings on 30 different islets, fights on at least 10 of them, and prolonged bloody battles on four. The price, however, was less than that of the Gilberts. There were few Navy
casualties because few vessels were damaged. There were 372 soldiers and marines killed and 1,582 wounded out of 41,446 troops committed.(9) The Japanese, as usual, suffered very heavy casualties, with 7,870 of 8,675 killed.(10)
Eniwetok Atoll
Eniwetok Atoll, comprised of 40 islets, is farther west than Kwajalein, and 1,000 miles from the Marianas. The Americans wanted to use Eniwetok as a staging point in their east to west progress. As at Kwajalein, the enemy's main defenses were on islands in the north and far south. A long coral-surfaced bomber strip with strong defenses was on Engebi (north), and search radars and coast defense guns were on Eniwetok and Parry Islands (south).
The Navy's carrier and surface force raided Truk on 16-17 Feb and Saipan a week later to prevent enemy naval and air interference. After a period of pre-invasion bombardment, troops occupied a few large islets surrounding Engebi on 17 Feb.
The next day, about 3,500 Americans landed on Engebi and secured it by late afternoon. Most of the defenders as well as 85 marines were killed and 166 Americans were wounded.(11)
Eniwetok
Unlike Engebi, Eniwetok and Parry Islands proved tougher than the Americans expected, for enemy defenses had been well camouflaged from reconnaissance. The enemy almost fooled the Americans into thinking Eniwetok and Parry were unoccupied, but intelligence officers found papers on Engebi indicating there were slightly over 800 defenders on Eniwetok and about 1,350 on Parry. Unaware of such defenses, Eniwetok was not heavily bombarded. Troops landed on Eniwetok on 19 Feb and met stiff opposition.
During the height of the battle, doctors and pharmacist's mates aboard ships worked around the clock
treating casualties. Medical personnel at sea were overwhelmed with the numbers of casualties. Hospital ship Solace (AH-5) arrived at Eniwetok on 21 Feb, picked up 391 casualties, and then returned to Pearl Harbor.(12) Most were Army patients. The Americans finally secured the island on 21 Feb. About 700 defenders had been killed. The Americans had 94 wounded and 37 had either been killed or missing.(13)
Parry Island
United States forces pounded Parry Island for 3 days before troops were put ashore on 22 Feb. Eyewitnesses wondered if there would be anything left when the smoke cleared.(14) There was plenty. Enemy emplacements were so well camouflaged that the Americans found many of them only by stumbling upon them. Japanese anti-tank guns and mines inflicted horrific wounds. The worst cases were transferred to Solace shortly after being wounded for more definitive treatment. Luckily, many survived due to exceptional medical care. By late evening on 22 Feb, Parry Island was secure but at great cost with more than twice as
many casualties than at Eniwetok. The Allied had 73 killed and missing and 261 wounded.(15) More than 1,000 defenders had died.
Elsewhere
As the war progressed, the Navy Medical Department continued to expand to meet the ever-increasing need. In preparation for the upcoming Normandy invasion, three additional dispensaries with bed capacities ranging from 46 to 800, were established in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Navy took over the Royal Victoria Military Hospital in England on 28 Feb and established it as Base Hospital No. 12. In CONUS, a neuropsychiatric center for patients suffering from fatigue and stress was under construction in San Leandro, CA.
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References
1. Morison SE. Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier 22 July 1942-1 May 1944, p 386.
2. Ibid., p 388.
3. History of the Medical Department of the LST-464, 17 Dec 1945, Unpublished paper, BUMED Archives.
4. Morison SE. The Aleutians, Gilberts, Marshalls June - April 1942, p 240.
5. Ibid., p 248.
6. Ibid., p 287.
7. U.S. Navy Medical Department Administrative History, 1941-1945, Vol. I: Narrative History, chap. 7, p 13.
8. Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Volume V: R-S, p 68-69.
9. Morison, SE. The Aleutians, Gilberts, Marshalls June - April 1942, p 278.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid., p 304.
12. Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Volume V: R-S, p 554.
13. Morison SE. The Aleutians, Gilberts, Marshalls June - April1942, p 304.
14. Ibid., p 301.
15. Ibid., p 304.