Merrill's Marauders
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Merrill’s Marauders, officially 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), was a United States long range penetration special forces unit in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II which fought in the Burma Campaign. Along with six other Ranger Battalions, they are the only World War II-era United States Army Rangers.
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[edit] Formation
In the Quebec Conference (QUADRANT) in August 1943 Allied leaders decided to form a US deep penetration unit that would attack Japanese troops in Burma. It was partially modelled on Orde Wingate's Chindits Long Range Penetration Force. A call for volunteers attracted about 2900 men.
A Memorandum from the Operations Division (OPD) of the War Department dated 18 September 1943 (OPD 320.2) stated the strength of the American Long-Range Penetration units as "960 jungle-trained officers and men from the Caribbean Defense Command. 970 jungle-trained officers and men from the Army Ground Forces [based in the Continental United States], 674 battle-tested jungle troops from the South Pacific Area [veterans of Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands assembled at Noumea, New Caledonia, and General Douglas MacArthur's was directed to furnish 274 battle-tested troops [from the Southwest Pacific Area, veterans of New Guinea"[1] Some of the Pacific jungle fighter volunteers were serving sentences at the "guardhouse" and were offered amnesty from minor military crimes. Unit members referred to them as 'The Dead End Kids'; they were interspersed throughout the three battalions of the unit.
The unit was officially designated as 5307th Composite Unit (provisional) with a code name Galahad. They were sent to India arriving in Bombay on October 31, 1943 to train and were reinforced with Air Corps and Signal Corps personnel.
The Galahad troops trained in long-range penetration tactics under the direction of brigadier general Charles Orde Wingate, commander of the Chindits. At Deolali, 200 km (125 miles) outside Bombay, the troops endured both physical conditioning and close-order drill. After moving to Deogarh in central India, they received instruction in scouting and patrolling, stream crossings, weapons, demolitions, camouflage, small-unit attacks on entrenchments, evacuation of wounded, and the novel technique of supply by airdrop. In December the Galahad troops conducted a weeklong maneuver with the Chindits.
American General Joseph Stilwell was determined that the only U.S. combat troops in the theatre would not serve under Wingate who was a British officer. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten the supreme Allied commander of the South East Asia Command (SEAC) was persuaded by Stilwell who was deputy supreme Allied commander, that they should serve under the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC). Stilwell appointed brigadier general Frank Merrill to command them, leading American correspondents to dub the unit "Merrill’s Marauders".
[edit] Operations
The Marauders were organized into two combat teams per battalion. In February 1944 six combat teams - coded Red, White, Blue, Khaki, Green and Orange - began a 1000-mile march over the Patkai region of the Himalayas and into the Burmese jungle. 600 men remained in India as the headquarters unit.
In Burma, they were outnumbered by the men of the Japanese 18th division but caused heavy casualties. They harassed supply and communication lines and cut off the Japanese rear at Maingkwan. In March they severed Japanese supply lines in the Hukawng Valley. On May 17 they helped Chinese troops to capture Myitkina airfield; the town surrendered August 4.
The Mauraders had advanced 750 miles and fought in 5 major engagements (Walawbum, Shaduzup, Inkangahtawng, Nhpum Ga, and Myitkyina) and 32 skirmishes with the Japanese Army. They lost 700 men, only 1,300 Marauders remained at capture of Myitkina and of these, 679 had to be hospitalized. This included General Merrill who had suffered a second-heart attack before going down with malaria.
[edit] Legacy
The Marauders have the extremely rare distinction of having every member of the unit receive the Bronze Star and in June 1944 the unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation
- The unit must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions as to set it apart and above other units participating in the same campaign.
In 1966, this award was upgraded to the Presidential Unit Citation.[1]
The Marauders were consolidated with the 475th Infantry on August 10, 1944. On June 21, 1954, the 475th was redesignated the 75th Infantry. It is from the redesignation of Merrill's Marauders into the 75th Infantry Regiment that the modern-day 75th Ranger Regiment traces its current unit designation.
Colonel George A. McGee is inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for extraordinary valor and exemplary service as commander of the 2d Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit, known as Merrill's Marauders. In August 1943 the War Department selected Colonel McGee to command a battalion-size unit formed from volunteers from the 33rd Infantry Regiment which was redesignated as 2d Battalion, 5307th Composite Unit. Colonel McGee served as battalion commander from the formation of Merrill's Marauders until their last mission at Myitkyina in June 1944. Colonel McGee led his battalion in missions behind enemy lines in the steaming jungles of Burma to sever Japanese communications and supply lines. Many of Colonel McGee's soldiers suffered from malaria, typhoid, malnutrition and other ailments, but fought gallantly against the Japanese in major battles at Walawbum, Nhpum Ga, Inkangawtaung, Shadazup, and Myitkyina, and were involved in over 30 minor engagements with the enemy. Though Colonel McGee served in many capacities during his twenty years of service in the Army, he considered his command of the 2d Battalion of Merrill's Marauders the highlight of his military career. Colonel McGee's dedication to duty and superb leadership continue to lead the way for Rangers past and present.
[edit] See also
- China Burma India Theater of World War II
- The Ledo Road
- Merrill's Marauders (film) (1962)
- Frank Merrill
- Samuel V. Wilson
- Long range penetration
- United States Army Rangers
- Former United States special operations units
[edit] References
- ^ Ogburn Jr, Charlton The Marauders (1956)
[edit] Further reading
- Barker, Alan, "Merrill's Marauders" , Ballantine (1972).
- Jon Latimer, Burma: The Forgotten War, John Murray, (2004). ISBN 0719565766.
- Ogburn Jr, Charlton The Marauders New York, Harper, (1956)
- Hopkins, James "Spearhead", Merrill's Marauders Society (2000). ISBN 0801864046.
- Hoyt, Edwin, "Merrill's Marauders" , Pinnacle Books (1980). ISBN0523406711.
- Hunter, Charles Newton, "Galahad" , Naylor, (1963).
- Weston, Logan, "The Fightin' Preacher" ,Vision Press (1992) ISBN 0962857971.
[edit] External links
- USCMH MERRILL'S MARAUDERS February - May 1944
- Office of the US Surgeon General: Office of Medical History: Book 5, The Marauders and the microbes index
- http://www.ranger.org/rangerHistoryWorldWarIIMerrillsMarauders.html
- http://www.marauder.org/
- OSS Detachment 101 in Burma: see GALAHAD section
- Command and General Staff College - US Army Combined Arms Center
- Merrill's Marauders - Roll of honour, awards and images.
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