The Battle of Peleliu, September-November 1944, is one of the most controversial and least-known battles of the Pacific War. The small coral island, just six square miles, became a killing ground for American Marines who had no idea what awaited them.
The Japanese commander, Colonel Kunio Nakagawa, had abandoned the suicidal banzai charges that characterized earlier Pacific battles. Instead, he built a honeycomb of 500 underground caves and tunnels connected by tunnels, with hidden gun positions and a network of mutually supporting pillboxes that turned the island into a fortress. The Japanese had stockpiled enough food, water, and ammunition for months.
When the 1st Marine Division landed on September 15, 1944, they expected to secure the island in three days. It took 73. The battle for Bloody Nose Ridge alone lasted two weeks. Marines fought in temperatures exceeding 115 degrees Fahrenheit, drinking water from shell craters, with Japanese snipers hidden in every cave mouth.
The 1st Marine Division suffered 6,500 casualties — nearly 40 percent of its strength. After the battle, military historians concluded that the island had no strategic value. The airfield that was supposed to be the prize was never used. General William H. Rupertus, who commanded the landing force, had predicted the island would be taken in three days.
The Japanese defenders fought to the last man. Of 11,000 Japanese on Peleliu, only 202 surrendered. The remaining 10,798 were killed in the caves and tunnels. The battle was so horrific that it has been called the costliest battle of the Pacific War per square yard.