| Men of the Fourth Marine Regiment, Sixth Marine Division, pass a destroyed LVT-4 “Alligator“ Amtrac, probably the victim of a mine, at dawn on June 4, 1945, on Oroku Peninsula, the last American amphibious operation of World War II. Note the large hole in the LVT at center left of the photo. USMC General Lemuel Shepherd, commander of the Sixth Marine Division, ordered the First and Second Battalions of the Fourth Marines to land the Oroku Peninsula, which would cut off the last line of Japanese defense and allow the Americans to resupply by sea. Before the landing took place, a large problem for the Fourth Marines was the lack of serviceable Amtracs; only 16% of the Ninth Amphibious Battalion‘s 103 LVT-4s available at the start of the campaign were operational, and the other Amtrac units were in similiar shape. Because of the steady rain of weather and concentrated Japanese fire, the Amtracs were pressed into supply and troop carrier roles from the first day of the campaign that precluded adequate maintenance. Now, as Fourth Marines headed for the landing beach in a mix of Marine and Army alligators, several broke down ferrying the First Battalion. Because of these delays, reinforcements from the 29th Marines were unable to arrive on the beachhead until 1000 Hours. Nevertheless, the outflanking maneuver was deemed a success, as it put the Sixth Marine Division behind the Japanese. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1360.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.91 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 2925 x 2309 |
| Photographer | Giossi, A. J. |
| Photographer Title | Corporal, United States Marines |
| Caption Author | Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 04, 1945 |
| Location | Oroku Peninsula |
| City | Okinawa |
| State or Province | Ryukyus |
| Country | Japan |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2007, ©2024 MFA Productions LLC Image in the Public Domain |
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