WWII E151 The 7th Marines: Final Chapter at Peleliu
Episode Description
The 7th Marines landed on Peleliu under the command of Colonel Herman H. Hanneken. Veterans of Guadalcanal and Cape Gloucester, they now faced a new kind of hell. Their mission was to seize the island’s eastern shore, then pivot south to clear Japanese positions threatening the airfield.
Over weeks of unrelenting combat, they fought through blockhouses, mangrove swamps, and the notorious Bloody Nose Ridge, in brutal, close-quarters action. Acts of valor, like PFC Arthur J. Jackson’s Medal of Honor assault, stood against staggering casualties, disease, and exhaustion.
The episode follows the 7th Marines from their D-Day landing through the grinding fight inland, their eventual relief, and the debate that still surrounds whether Peleliu was worth the cost.
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References
Alexander, J. H. (2004, November). “Surprise and Chagrin”: The Navy’s Battle for Peleliu. Proceedings, 130(11). U.S. Naval Institute.
Carrell, T. L. (2022). Peleliu’s forgotten WWII battlefields (NOAA Technical Report OER‑44481). U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean Exploration and Research.
First Marines Special Action Report (15 Sept 1944). (1944, September 15). First Marines Special Action Report: Peleliu initial landings, weather, unit actions. peleliuhistorical.org.
Gayle, G. D. (1950). Bloody Beaches: The Marines at Peleliu. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
Hough, F. O. (1950). The Assault on Peleliu. Historical Branch, G‑3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
Melson, C. D. (1996). Condition Red: Marine Defense Battalions in World War II [Pamphlet, 32 pp.]. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
Nakagawa, K. (1944, September 15). After‑Action Report to Lt. Gen. Sadae Inoue [Personal AAR]. In Peleliu operations summary. peleliuhistorical.org.
Shaw, H. I., Jr., Nalty, B. C., & Turnbladh, E. T. (1966). Central Pacific Drive: History of U.S. Marine Corps operations in World War II (Vol. III). Historical Branch, G‑3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
United States Marine Corps History Division. (1984, Spring). Fortitudine (Vol. 13, No. 4). Marine Corps Historical Program.