Dirty Little Secrets *During the invasion of Guam in July 1944 one navy destroyer was assigned to fire on Japanese latrines. The men aboard the destroyer were disappointed at being given so lowly an assignment, but all the other targets were already covered. However, the Japs, thinking that the US Navy wouldn't waste ammunition on latrines stored most of their reserve ammo in what looked like outhouses. Gunners on destroyers wondered if they were using a new high explosive round when they would hit a latrine because of the huge explosion. It wasn't a new 5-inch shell but what was hidden in those outhouses. American planners could ascertain how many gooks were on an island by counting the number of outhouses. The Japanese never learned to camoflage their outhouses. * Excerpts taken from "Dirty Little Secrets of WWII" by James F. Dunnigan & Albert A. Nofi

The following is taken from HISTORY OF U.S. MARINE CORPS OPERATIONS IN WORLD WAR II Vol. I: Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal: Part Two: War Comes, Chapter 2: Japan Strikes: Guam Falls The Washington Naval Disarmament Treaty of 1922 provided for the maintenance of the status quo in regard to fortifications and naval bases in certain areas of the Pacific. American adherence to these terms through the 14-year life of the treaty had the practical effect of weakening the defenses of the Philippines and preventing the development of Guam as a naval stronghold. The Hepburn Board of 1938 recommended that Guam be heavily fortified and garrisoned 7, but Congress failed to authorize the expenditure of the necessary funds. Unhappily, the planners of Rainbow 5 had to concede the capture of the island in the first stages of a war with the Japanese. It was almost as if they could look over enemy shoulders and see the terse direction to the commander of the Japanese Fourth Fleet to "invade Wake and Guam as quickly as possible"8 at the onset of hostilities. (See Map 2) Guam was a fueling station for naval vessels making the long run to and from the Orient, a relay point for the trans-Pacific cable, the site of a naval radio station, and a stop for Pan American clippers. Assigned to protect its 20,000 natives and its 228 square miles of rugged, jungled terrain was a token force of 153 Marines. Backing them up was a Guamanian infantry unit, the 80-man Insular Force Guard, and a volunteer native naval militia with 246 ill-armed and ill-trained members.9 The island's government departments and naval station activities were manned by 271 regular Navy personnel. A naval officer, Captain George J. McMillin, was both island governor and garrison commander. Japanese landing on Guam depicted by a propaganda artist who shows a portion of the troops and transports of the South Seas Detached Force. The war threat was so real by October 1941 that all women and children of U.S. citizenship were evacuated from Guam. On 6 December the garrison destroyed all its classified papers and like other Pacific outposts awaited the outcome of the U.S.-Japanese negotiations in Washington. The word came at 0545 on 8 December (7 December, Pearl Harbor time). Captain McMillin was informed of the enemy attack by the Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet. In less than three hours Saipan-based Japanese bombers were over the island. The initial enemy target was the mine sweeper USS Penguin in Apra Harbor; this small ship's 3-inch and .50 caliber guns were the only weapons larger than .30 caliber machine guns available to the Guam garrison. Under repeated attacks, the Penguin went to the bottom, and her survivors joined the forces ashore. The attack continued throughout the daylight hours with flights of bombers hitting the various naval installations and strafing roads and villages. The island capital, Agana, was cleared of civilians, and the few local Japanese were rounded up and interned Continued Guam Falls, Page 2 Copyright 2006 nopukob.com