Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Liberating Guam WWII cont'd *3

Rear Admiral Richard L. Conolly was in command of the Southern attack force for Guam's recapture. The assault troops, III Amphibious Corps, were under the command of Maj. General Roy S. Geiger, USMC. The III Amphibious Corps was composed of the Third Marine Division commanded by Maj. General Allen H. Turnage, USMC, to land at Asan and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade under the command of Brig. General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., USMC, to land at Agat.

The opposing Japanese on Guam were under the command of Lt. General Takashina Takeshi, Imperial Japanese Army (UA), commanding the 29th Infantry Division and Southern Marianas Army Group. His superior, General Obata Hideyoshi, UA, commander of the 31st Army, was present on Guam - his headquarters was in Saipan but was unable to travel to that island for its defense - but he did not exercise local command until the death of Takashina. Thus, the United States returned to liberate Guam, to liberate the Chamorros. W-Day was scheduled for July 21, 1944. But before that date, for 13 consecutive days, the skies thundered with naval and air bombardment. Targeted were the villages of Agana, Asan, Agat, and Sumay, along with Orote Peninsula.

"That evening, we ran away from the camp because the Americans started shooting at the island from ships. During the day, the incendiary bombs were constantly fired and at night, the cannon from the ships. The incendiary bombs were dropped from airplanes... Agana was completely destroyed... Engracio Damian

In preparation of the American landings, on July 14, for three days and two nights, and under the cover of naval gun fire, Navy underwater demolition teams conducted reconnaissance of the invasion beaches and removed over 900 obstacles from Guam's reefs. These frogmen proved to be effective.


Admiral Conolly stated that "positively, landings could not have been made on either Agat or Asan beaches nor any other suitable beaches without these elaborate but successfully prosecuted clearance operations."

During the night of July 20, the invasion fleet reached their assigned positions off Guam's western shore.

"The weather conditions on Guam on the morning of 21 July 1944 should have been perfect. According to the record, there was a clear, tropical, sunny sky without any clouds. However, no one should have enjoyed such a beautiful bright day. The island of Guam which soldiers saw on the 21st was entirely covered by cannon smoke. The sky, ocean and mountains were smoke covered. The U.S. landing had begun." ... Masao Hiratsuka, Guam Fighting

"With the first gray of dawn and the sun showing its figure on the horizon, the ocean scene shook the Japanese defenders. In addition to large enemy battleships, over one hundred war vessels and over two hundred transport ships covered the early morning seaface." ... Masao Hiratsuka, Guam Fighting

On July 21, 1944, beginning at 0530, for three hours the beaches off Asan and Agat were shelled and bombed.

"The Americans that we had been longing to come, came and dropped their bombs . . . Every time the bombs dropped, my brother and I would go into a shallow hole up a dokdok tree." . . . Francisco K. Acfalle

Off the reefs, to the horizon, American battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and landing craft, along with over 50,000 U.S. troops, prepared to retake Guam. At 0819, in Asan, the Marines, loaded into their amphibious Landing Vehicles, Tracked (LVT) for the assault, reached the line of departure. The first waves of LVTs hit the beach at 0829 in Asan and at 0832 in Agat.

"The traces of crafts' wakes were really beautiful, Like floating threads of a loom. ... Then I realized the enemy would soon be invading the beach..." 2nd Lt. Yasuhiro Yamashita, Third Battalion of the 18th Regiment

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