Before the outbreak of World War II, the US military equipment was old, the level of training was low, after the United States entered the war, the size of the army continued to expand, some units just formed to go to the battlefield, and in the next few years of the war became the ace of the US army, the strongest of which was the US Marine First Division.
The United States Marine Division, formed on February 1, 1941, was primarily opposed to the Japanese. Japan was the main participant in World War II and was the second largest country in the Axis power group. During World War II, Japan launched a frenzied invasion that raged throughout Asia and the Pacific.
The first large-scale contest between the U.S. Marine Division and the Japanese took place during the Battle of Guadalcanal in July 1942, when the Japanese deployed more than 36,000 men on Guadalcanal, and the U.S. Army also assembled more than 60,000 men, including 16,000 men from the First Marine Division.
In December 1943, the rested First Marine Division set out again, this time with the goal of capturing the Japanese airfield in the Gloucester Headland area. Due to the rapid operation of the secret, the landing operation of the First Marine Division progressed unusually smoothly, but later it was counterattacked by the Japanese army fiercely, and in the defense of the 660 Heights, in the face of the Japanese army's fierce and death-defying attack, the First Marine Division showed courage and repeatedly repelled the enemy, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties, and finally the First Marine Division successfully completed its mission.
In 1944, the First Marine Division landed on Peliliu Island, and in this fierce battle of more than 30 days, the Japanese army shrank in the elaborately built bunker fortifications, killing and injuring the American landing troops with firepower, and the First Marine Division experienced a tragic battle for the first time, and many veterans recalled after the war: "It was simply a massacre!" In this battle, the First Marine Division lost 1,252 casualties and wounded 5,274, but was once again commended by the president.
In 1945, the U.S. Marine Division, along with the U.S. 3rd Amphibious Army, launched the Largest Amphibious Operation in the Pacific, the Battle of Okinawa. The Battle of Okinawa lasted 96 days, and the fierce battle lasted more than 82 days. When the American offensive was blocked, the First Marine Division was ordered to take over the Army's 27th Infantry Division to attack southwards, taking the lead in breaking through the Shouri Line, but it also paid the price of 1655 casualties, but the First Marine Division also received the third presidential commendation for its bravery in this battle.
The U.S. Marine Division, formed in just a few years, experienced several major wars, grew up in the fires of war, achieved a series of impressive achievements, was commended by the president three times, and finally became one of the strongest units of the US military in World War II. It is worth mentioning that after the end of World War II, the US 1st Marine Division was also stationed in North China for occupation missions, and it was not until September 1, 1947, that it was fully withdrawn from China.
During the Korean War, the U.S. Marine First Division was besieged by the 9th Corps of the Volunteer Army around Chosin Lake, and was almost annihilated by the Volunteer Army, and at the last moment it was able to break through with its strong mobility and firepower. To this day, the U.S. Marine Division remains the ace of the U.S. military.