How to Train and Rush a US Marine Division to Guadalcanal 

The Marines did a lot of their preperation near where I live in Paekakariki in New Zealand. They had a huge camp and used it to get ready for the Pacific landings, often with live fire. Tragically some died when a landing craft was swamped by a rogue wave. Some of the buildings, the flag pole and the graves are still intact, and they are proudly kept in immaculate condition, and every July 4 and Memorial Day the flag of the US is raised. Brave young men, we thank them all, every one.

The Marines performed admirably despite the initial bumps in the road regarding halved training and equipment left behind. The Marines of Guadalcanal are a breed of their own.

Whilst taking Guadalcanal was VERY important, let's remember that the Navy lost over 1000 men during the battle of Savo Island on 8-9 August - almost as many men as the Marines lost during the entire campaign. The Navy battles during the campaign significantly reduced the Japanese forces - and the air losses to Japan were significant. The importance of the total combined arms campaign can never be forgotten.

2:12 The sign behind the recruitment table, "If you can speak, read, or write Japanese report the fact immediately to the First Sergeant" and the obvious need to speak the enemy's language makes the internment of the Nisei all the more insane in hindsight.

My dad was 3rd Marine Div 1942-1945. He fought on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Guam. When I went to enlist in 1972 he told me if I came home and said I joined the Marines he would knock all my teeth out so the Corps wouldn’t take me😂. He wasn’t kidding- so I joined the Air Force!

I lived on Guadalcanal for 18 months. The relics and the scars of battle are still there, and the Marines are still honoured there.

When my dad joined the Marines right after Pearl Harbor, he was issues a WW1 helmet and an 03 Springfield. They bunked at the Del Mar Racetrack in the horse stalls. He was sent to the 2nd Division. Guadalcanal, Tarawa (first wave) and Siapan. Took a lot to scare that guy.

My Uncle Jerry was there, age 17 and went all the way to Iwo Jima, of the group of 250 only 4 made it to the end of the war. He passed away in his forties from Pneumonia and diabetes. Man does not die of old age, sickness or mortal wounds he only dies if he is forgotten. Lets us not forget.

I have my grandfathers journal from his time on Guadalcanal, I reread it every Memorial Day. My dad was 3 when he died and it’s the only thing we have of his.

Damn these how to guides are getting specific

I was in 1st MarDiv in 2011 to 2016; very proud of my history and everything these Marines have done.

The most crucial part of the initial planning was the allocation of the very scarce fast freighters for the invasion convoy. Every other high priority operation anywhere also "wanted them "yesterday"". The majority of the Japanese force in place starting out were Koreans building the airbase, with minimal skills and equipment when it came to jungle combat. The capturing intact of the well overstocked supply dumps on the first day by the marines would greatly boost the odds in their favor during the long, terrible, fight ahead.

Thank you. My Grand dad trained at Perris Island. He was a 1st US Marine division sent to Guadalcanal . Carried the squad automatic weapon (BAR). Received a Purple Heart, hand grenade landed in his fox hole injuring his leg. Showed me the scar when I was 12. It looked like wound up skin pinched in a spiral. He told my older brother, that he fought hand to hand with his entrenching tool. To this day i have his Eagle Globe and Anchor. I have it locked up in a safe. I never want to lose it.

My father was in the Second Division but attached to the First for this landing. They had supplies for 3 days but were not resupplied for weeks. They ate captured Japanese food, mainly rice. Through the 6 months on Guadalcanal they used the WWI "03" bolt action rifles. Only in later campaigns were they equipped with the famous M1. Later in the war back at the San Diego base he met a woman Marine, married her and made me. Without the atomic bomb he likely would have been in the invasion of Japan.

I've read the Helmet For My Pillow book by Robert Leckie several times, a great book and first hand account of being a US Marine prior to and during Guadalcanal campaign

For all of the notoriety the battle has in pop culture, a lot of people seem to fail to understand the importance of the battle. The Solomon Islands stand between Australia and the US and Japanese airbases there would be able to effectively cut Australia off from her allies. Failure at Guadalcanal could have potentially forced Australia out of the war (perhaps unlikely but still a possibility) and opened up Allied shipping lanes in the Indian ocean to attack from the Japanese and endangered the supply lines of Allied troops in North Africa (remember that transiting the Mediterranean was too dangerous at this point to be able to supply the British troops in Egypt). Lt. Col. Maxwell wasn't exaggerating when he said it was of worldwide importance. It also helped to bleed a lot of the Japanese fleet and their precious oil reserves attempting to resupply it

"Helmet for My Pillow" is Leckie's WWII memoir, and is a priceless read for those interested in WWII Marine history.

The quote by Leckie is really what sums up what differentiates Marines that people do not understand. Most people assume Marines are inherently better at everything and just more "badass". Although generally physical fitness and other skills are higher than the average Soldier, Airmen, Sailor, etc... What makes Marines different is the mindset, attitude, stubbornness, and MOST importantly, the history. The history is drilled into our heads every single day through boot camp and beyond and this creates a strong desire to live up to the valiant acts and strong combat history of the Marine Corps and individual Marines in battles. Confidence in your fellow Marines, yes, a bit of ego, a rich combat history, and solid training creates the force which are Marines. I was attached with a British unit in Afghanistan and worked with many other countries. I will tell you that there were some extremely capable and impressive units that 1:1 were probably more capable than many US Marines. That part is not arguable. But what is lacking in many cases is the above mentioned. You just cannot replace the effectiveness of how the Marine Corps builds a US Marine mentally. Attitude, confidence, and trust in your fellow Marine is everything. Semper Fi.

I enjoyed watching The Pacific series and still have the copy.

Thank you for this video. I'm about to watch and I love this topic. My general knowledge on the topic is that after the victory at Midway, the USN and Admiral King in particular were looking for a way to follow up that success by seizing the initiative and forcing Japan to fight an attritional battle on ground the USA chose. The discovery that the Japanese were building an airstrip on Guadalcanal was recognized as the opportunity to do exactly that. What followed was a bold move, landing the 1st Marine Division on short notice under contested skies and contested waters to seize the airstrip. A storm front was successfully used to hide the relatively small invasion fleet. There were hiccups, supplies were loaded onto the supply ships so hastily that the initial landing of supplies, a process cut short by the defeat at Savo Island, was not able to be done by highest priority first. Therefore, the Marines were left with little to eat among other critical shortages. Thankfully, they had captured a significant amount of food from the Japanese and therefore, while rations were short for a time, the Americans did not come close to starving, unlike the Japanese would later in the campaign. The bold move of seizing the airstrip, renamed Henderson Field, touched off the world's first combined land, sea, and air campaign and was exactly the attritional battle the Americans had been looking to create. All of it centered on a dirt airstrip located on a hateful malarial swamp of an island that nobody in their right mind would want to live on nor ever visit voluntarily. The Guadalcanal campaign is one the greatest military stories in human history. Bring on the videos!!

Those of "The Old Breed" truly are that. Those like Robert Leckie are long gone from today's military and civilian population. The beautiful prose by which he spoke and wrote about his experiences is something to behold and strive for. His heroism and valor in the face of the enemy is only slightly more common, I'm afraid. We salute you and all of your compadres.

I so love this channel. Spotlighting on the lead up to Guadalcanal. Telling us things we knew, some things we didn’t know in a concise detailed report. Simply the best!

In the 1980s I worked with a petroleum geologist that was a marine Lieutenant in WWII and he told me of dock workers on strike when they were prepping for an invasion. I know now that he was with The Old Breed. He was very gentle soul that never revealed the hell he must of gone through.

I enjoyed reading Robert Lackie's Helmet for My Pillow.

Unprepared? At about 6:40, a young marine falls four times after exiting his landing craft!

As a NZer the strike is embarrassing. God bless those Marine boys.

I have nothing but respect for US Marines.

There were only about 54 thousand US Marines in 1942. Buy 1945 there were About 470 thousand US Marines a totally different force. A totally different Marine Corps.

Oohrah! Semper Fi Marines!!! A dock worker's strike, during war!... amazing!

When the Marines stopped in New Zealand to pick up supplies on the way to Guadalcanal, the New Zealand unionized dock workers ("wharfies") refused to help them load their ships. The port director was openly hostile to the Americans and the wharfies frequently walked off the job. Turning a deaf ear to the danger posed by the Japanese, they took frequent breaks for tea and laughed at the idea of working past 5pm. Most of the loading was done by the Marines themselves, who worked around the clock, under floodlights at night, and kept going even during driving rain. One Marine approvingly noted a graffiti left on a Wellington wall: "All wharfies is bastards".

Let’s leave behind mosquito nets and insect repellent before months on Guadalcanal. Great effing idea

Wellington dock workers on strike...during a war? What du heck.

As an 80s era Marine I can tell you that nothing had changed in 40 years. We were still tasked with doing eveything with nothing and we did it. Once a Marine always a Marine.

You did a good job, boys. Remember that.

Thanks for the tutorial, I followed it to the letter and would appreciate another one teaching me how to continue my island hopping campaign.

This was an interesting look into how to train your marine in WWII.

A warfie strike during a full on war in the Pacific .. that’s just crazy .. only in NZ I guess

May they never be forgotten. Semper fi.

Excellent video as always, but I think this is the first time Operations Room didn't post a vid too. Well done though. Cheers from Tennessee

I had an uncle who was on Guadalcanal, he never talked about it much ,it was not something he wanted to remember. He talked about the friends he made and the good times he had while on leave. But than my father didn't share much of his war experiences either.

Great footage

Outstanding !!! The World's Finest US Marines. Semper Fi

Thanks for putting this together. BTW, when you say, ‘1st Marines’ you will be referring to the 1st Marine Regiment. 1st Marine Division is always referred to in its entirety or simply, ‘1st MarDiv’.

My grandfather served in this campaign with the 1st Marines. He never talked about his time in service until the last year of his life and I think he only did then because there were some things he had to finally let go of so he could go in peace.

Let's not forget the 164th Infantry Regiment of the Americal Division which landed on Guadalcanal October 13, 1942. Fought side buy side with the Marines to take and clear the Island. Also went on to fight on Bougainville. The 164th Americal Division was the first Army Division to fight in WW2 European or Pacific theater. The stories these men told about the fighting were horrific.

Fantastic, as always.

Thanks for another great video!

WTF? I was unaware of the truncated training these guys received prior to the actual assault.

What kind of short-sighted fools go on strike during a war in which your nation is in the line of advance of the enemy?!

When he made the list of "items that did not make the cut" i thought it was a list of the only things that MADE the cut..lol.

I knew a man in Alabama in 1964 that joined the marines at age 13 and wound up in Guadalcanal. He broke down mentally and was sent home.

Watching this made me rewatch The Pacific.

The Wellington longshoremen were on strike during a war? I would have them all fired, arrested and shipped off to battle as privates.

Semper Fi! 1st Mar Div 1990-97 “The Old Breed”

My father, Sgt. Herman J. Sasse (then a Private), was on one of those landing craft at Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. He had been 18 years old at that time for less than a month. By the time he rotated stateside in 1944 he had taken part in most of the battles in the Solomon Islands, including Bouganville. I believe a few of the clips in this presentation showed US personnel using M1 Garands. My father said neither he nor anyone he served with in the Solomons saw a Garand until early in 1944. They were using M1903 Springfield bolt action rifles from WWI. The Marines did use the Reising submachine gun and the BAR from the beginning though.

There is a tradition on active duty to hold a small party for the squad member who has completed his first YEAR. Up to that point he is a newbe and is assumed that he barely knows which way is up. Imagine being these guys after your 2 1/2 days of field training in basic!

7:10 DD 390 Ralph Talbot, Bagley class destroyer named for Marine Lt Ralph Talbot who earned the Medal of Honor during WW1

I’m happy I saw this video and the pacific, we need more shows and movies about the war

I remember reading my father’s copy of “The Island” by Capt Herbert L Merrillat(?), USMC several times when I was young. (My father was a Marine, 57-67.) Even did a book report on it in 6th grade, maybe. Certainly a very different choice than The Hardy Boys Mysteries or “Hello, God. It’s Me, Margaret”! I was a weird kid LOL. It was very dry, like you were reading the Division’s official history, but being 9 or 10 at the time I just really couldn’t fully comprehend what I was reading. Nobody who hadn’t BTDT could! But yeah, the Marines in WW2 did so much with so little and they did it in the absolutely most unfit for human habitation places on earth. I’m not in any way denigrating what the army did and went through in Normandy, the Ardennes, or during THEIR Pacific campaigns, but the Marines did it first and found out the hard way what worked and didn’t work so the next guys who went ashore on some hellhole might have a slightly better chance of survival. Unfortunately the Japanese learned from their experiences, too, so that better chance of survival never really materialized. But that didn’t stop the Marines! Somewhat on topic, can you imagine what a difference Amtracs would have made at the Normandy landings? They carried fewer men than Higgins boats, sure, but a couple .30 & .50 cals on every one just pounding the shit out of the bunkers and pillboxes on the beach would have had to lessen the direct fire the men took. It’s hard to keep shooting when sand and concrete fragments keep getting blown into your faces. And if they’d had something like today’s Mk19! 20mm Oerlikons, maybe?

Amphibious landings are some of the most complex and difficult things to pull off in war. That they were able to plan it and execute it in such a short time is a miracle.

Fun fact, steak and eggs is tradition after the crucible in boot camp. Love my service and proud of my title oorah, always, for you future Marines, be proud to carry on tradition. Be proud of being the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen. Semper Fidelis!!

Great video, we need more videos like this. Back when people were great marines and soldiers

One of my Jr High teachers was a Marine on Guadalcanal. He missed a few days due to malaria.

The marines made some great people

It’s important to realize that the Japanese efforts to capture New Guinea were taking place at the same time as the US attack on Guadalcanal. Each campaign influenced the other enormously.

Please edit and correct. I understand that it is confusing to some, but it matters to many... "The First Marines" refers to the First Marine Regiment, not the First Marine Division. It may be difficult for a non-Marine to understand, but we Marine infantry (artillery Marines also do this) identify ourselves through our regiments first and foremost...divisions are a very distant second. It seems petty, but it absolutely is not. Prior Walking Dead.

My grandfather was in the 10th marine division

I was wondering if you planned to do more about the rest of the land battles on Guadalcanal? After the video on the battle of alligator creek you switched to the naval battles and haven't said anything more about the land war. Yes all the naval battles are important but the soldiers struggled for months there and I'm sure there is more story to be heard about that. Love your work and was glad to see you collaborated with Drachinifel.

Read the thumbnail as 'How to Rush A' and actually wondered whether you guys played Counter Strike recently. Ah, my weekend brains 😂

Those striking dockworkers should have been conscripted, given rifles, and sent to fight the Japanese. They would have longed for the good old days when they were back loading and unloading cargo.

When the narrator says "1st Marines" in reference to the 1st MARDIV, this is incorrect. In the Marine Corps when we name a numbered unit followed by the word "Marines" this is in reference to a regiment, not a division. For example... I was a member of the 2nd Batallion, 7th Marines. AKA the 7th Marine Regiment.

Montford Point has since been renamed Camp Johnson in honor of the first African American marine. It's a satellite base of Camp Lejeune, home of 2nd Marine Division. Most of the Marine Corps' logistic MOS's are trained there. I went through diesel mechanic school there in 2002.

thanks for this how to, helps a lot

Your animation is the best.

I didn’t even know this channel existed, wow

These guys are heroes.

Tips hat 🧢 to our American cousins, Guadalcanal deserves a far higher standing in historical parlance. 🇬🇧🙏🇺🇸☘️📚

Nice video. When showing an obvious animation like at the start of the video, you don't need to caption it "animated". I think we all get it.

well done

Steak and eggs is the traditional Marine breakfast before a landing. I don't when or where it started, but it was still a tradition when I was active, and I assume it still is now.

And do it all on a shoestring with a lot of WW1 rifles and machine guns

Small note: When referring to say "1st Marines" this would be actually referencing the 1st Marine Regiment and not the division. Much like the Marine version of 133rd Infantry [Regiment] and 7th Cav [Regiment] in the Army. This gets further confusing when Marine Infantry, Artillery, and Combat Engineer regiments are all referred to as "Marines" I.e. 5th Marines, 11th Marines, and 17th Marines of the 1stMarDiv respectively. Though the composite combat engineer regiments would not survive as full regiments by the end of the war and were often reduced to 1-2 battalion organic to the division. Parlance of the time would have been "First Marine Division" though I've seen it shortened to "1stMarDiv" in period paperwork I'm not sure if the "Mar-Div" name was a thing back then. A mouthful I know, but "accuracy" and all that.

6 divisions of marines fought in the pacific theatre....20 US army divisions also fought there, yet no one remembers them.

7:18 Picture is Maj.General Roy S. Geiger USMC Do Your Homework, Semper-Fi.

4:30 the guy looking down the barrel of the gun😂 the 1940s were different man

Cant overstate how bad the Longshoreman strike screwed up the invasion timeline. You get what you pay for when you grab the first junior enlisted Marine, no matter how Gung Ho he may be. If its not what he was trained for, especially menial manual labor. They may think why does the ammo need to be loaded last? We're gonna need that first! Yes, I promise you that will go through a Private or PFC's mind. With the sneak attack by the 8th Fleet into the slot in my mind is blamed for chasing the US Navy off which is true, but it should have been off loaded already by the time. Its why you never hear of such a logistic SNAFU after. The US Navy either learned how to load ships, or used the damn trained dock workers.

2006 was 13 weeks of training. Fun times 😂

Robert Leckie was one of the Point of view characters in the miniseries "The Pacific", counter part show to "Band of Brothers"

You never know, might need to return 1st MARDIV back to this address someday.

all of the years playing cs:go i've never heard of rush a before.

Not to be a jersey. But the 1st Two pictures you showed were US Navy Blue jacket shore parties. The first one I know was the Blue jacket landing party from the USS Florida at Veriqruz. My Great Uncle was a US Navy sharpshooter on the Florida and served at Veriqruz and the Great War on the Battle ship. The second picture is also at Veriqruz after the sailors dyed there Uniforms and white "cracker jack" hats in coffee. Marines wore Campain hats which looked like Marine Drill instructors hats.

I cannot work out why they never used constant forward patrols. Seemed to be "West point training without contact with the enemy" thinking

Note to self: Don’t put your drinking water in used oil drums without washing them out good first!😮

A few minor errors but overall a good episode I will recommend.

4:27 protip: dont stare down the barrel lol

The guy coming out of the landing craft at 6:40 fell over 4 times in 8 seconds...... maybe that fella should have considered a support unit....

In this video it talks about this Marine unit. The 25th infantry division was activated in 1941,right after the JAPANESE bombed PEARL HARBOR

Great video, but I keep getting confused... when you say "1st Marines," I can't tell if you're talking about the 1st Marine Division, or the 1st Marine Regiment. When you talk about a regiment in the Marine Corps, it's customary to address them as "X Marines," and each division is addressed either as "X Marine Division," or shortened to "X MarDiv." So every time I heard "1st Marines," I thought you were talking about the regiment. Which, of course, is inside 1st MarDiv, so that made it worse. Besides that, great video, really enjoyed the focus on logistics and training that goes into preparing for combat. We often see combat as 90% of what the military does, but there is so much preparation that goes into it, and so much admin to make sure everyone is ready (love that the pay clerks got left behind 😂). It's cool to see that side every once in a while.

yey new vid

6:10 At least the POGs were higher on the list than the mosquito nets!..lololol