Map 1. Movements of the 6th Marine Division. Map 2. Okinawa Shima. Area Captured by 6th Marine Division. 1 April-21 June....

Last of the famous Marine divisions of World War II , the Sixth was activated on 7 September 1944 on Guadalcanal, the same island that the First Marine Division had landed on exactly twenty five months before. Although the Sixth Marine Division was new in name, the elements that composed it were, for the most part, as old as the war itself. From the First Provisional Brigade that had fought so notably on Guam came two regiments: the Fourth Marines and the Twenty Second Marines. The other regimen

When the Sixth Marine Division began its training program for its first—and only—operation, it had several initial advantages: Over two thirds of its officers and men were veterans, well schooled in the ways of the wily Japanese; it started off with the experience gained from nearly four years of war; the structure of the entire division was organized to benefit from this experience. Through October, 1944, and on into February, 1945, the division trained vigorously. Special emphasis was placed o

During the period 1-6 March 1945, the Sixth Marine Division was aboard ship engaged in amphibious landing rehearsals for the Okinawa operation. On the first day troops practiced debarkation and deployment of landing craft; on the next two days the two assault regiments, the Fourth and Twenty Second, landed on the beaches of Guadalcanal and practiced limited maneuvers ashore. Then followed a critique and on the next day there was a full-scale dress rehearsal. Although limited in their extent, the

Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, was Love-Day for the Okinawa operation. With the bright clear dawn came enemy planes but the invading armada—over 1400 ships—drove off or destroyed the attacking planes. From the transports the troops could only see small portions of the island; the preliminary bombardment from the naval task force and the bombs from our planes, diving through the clouds, raised a haze of smoke and dust that covered most of the area behind the landing beaches. Forming into long waves

It was General Shepherd’s plan to have the Twenty Second and Fourth continue the drive up the mainland of Okinawa until Hedo Misaki was seized. To destroy the enemy known to be on Motobu, the General committed the Twenty Ninth Marines, which had been in Corps reserve during the first four days of the operation. For the time being, the Fourth Marines was held as a reserve near the base of the peninsula. Patrolling continued. Many captured enemy soldiers and civilians had stated that the main Japa

During the latter part of April the Tenth Army had found its XXIV Corps heavily engaged in southern Okinawa. It was decided that the III Amphibious Corps would be assigned the western half of the southern line on about 7 May. It was further decided that on 1 May the First Marine Division would be attached to the XXIV Corps and committed in the vicinity of Machinato Airfield. Its mission was clear out the Jichaku plateau area and then strike toward Shuri, the core of the Japanese defensive positi

After the seizure of Naha and the area to its east the Sixth Marine Division prepared to continue its drive to the south by making an amphibious landing on Oroku. General Shepherd ordered his Division Reconnaissance Company, a flexible group that worked under G -2 or G -3 as the situation demanded, to cross the estuary during the night of 1-2 June and reconnoiter possible landing beaches as well as explore the area inland where the beachhead would be established. Using plastic boats, the company

On 15 June the III Amphibious Corps instructed the Sixth Marine Division to be prepared to pass through the right of the First Marine Division on Mezado Ridge on 17 June. The mission assigned the Sixth Marine Division was to seize Kuwanga Ridge, part of Ibaru Ridge, and the Kiyamu Gusuku hill mass. Although their plight was hopeless, the enemy still held out in the southernmost part of Okinawa, evidently intent upon exacting as stiff a price, in terms of lives, as possible before being destroyed

On 16 July General Shepherd and his staff arrived at Guam and set up his new command post. By direction of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, a base camp had been built for the Sixth Marine Division on Guam. As soon as the units had moved into their new areas, construction was begun on chapels and recreation facilities. A division training order was issued on 23 July outlining a program to last from 6 August to 15 December 1945. On 26 July General Shepherd published a letter of gratitude from the peop

During the month of September the Sixth Marine Division prepared for an operation, the forthcoming occupation of Tsingtao, China. From 2 October until 11 October the division was aboard ship en route to China and commenced unloading at Tsingtao on the latter date. While aboard the division command ship en route to Tsingtao, General Shepherd stated the general mission of his command: “Our mission is to land and occupy Tsingtao and the adjacent Tsangkou Airfield; to assist local authorities in mai

1. I wish to express my appreciation of the heroic part played by the officers and men of the 1st Battalion, 29th Marines (Reinf), while attached to the 2d Marine Division, in the defeat of the Japanese forces on Saipan. 2. This battalion landed on the Japanese base of Saipan, Marianas Islands, on D -day, 15 June 1944, and immediately upon landing was attached to CT -8 and subsequently committed to front-line action on the original beachhead. For a period of twenty days until the zone of action

The basic design for the shoulder patch of the Sixth Marine Division was submitted by Colonel Victor Bleasdale of the Twenty Ninth Marines. The design as finally adopted, incorporated ideas of Corporal Michael W. Pawl and Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. The artist who actually drew and colored the design was Lieutenant George Thompson. The outside diameter of the patch is three inches and the diameter of the inner circle is two and one fourth inches. Embroidered on the red outer border are