soc.history.war.world-war-ii

On Mar 30, 5:02 pm, "a425couple" wrote:
> "Rich Rostrom" wrote
>
> > I think it would be extremely difficult
> > for the Japanese to invade and capture
> > Midway while - transports were -- bombed repeatedly.
>
> Rich, I notice you have not yet responded directly to
> my 1st reply to this OP. I am eagerly looking forward
> to your always thoughtful and informative postings.
>
> Again, on above, I have trouble thinking that once
> the carriers are out of picture, the bombers will be
> frequent enough to cause a big problem.
>
> Meanwhile, my computer is giving me absolute fits,
> and enough other things kinda pressing, , , not
> finding all I would like in my books.
> Please lay out what you have on number of ground
> troops the Japanese had to use on those 12 transports
> and 4! dedicated Destroyer Divisions!
> And how many troops did Col Shannon have, I'd
> figure the Defense Battalion plus two Ranger Companies,
> as under 1,000 (but obviously would 'draft' in everyone!).
>
This is from "Marines at Midway" by Lieutenant Colonel R.D. Heinl,
Jr.,
USMC Chapter 3, online at
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/Midway/USMC-M-Midway-3.html#fn18:

"The actual landing on Midway was to be accomplished by approximately
1,500 Special Naval Landing Force troops who would storm Sand Island;
and by 1,000 Army troops of the Ikki Detachment, to land on Eastern
Island."

On the US side the Marines had a "strongly reinforced Defense
Battalion", Later reinforcements of "Two rifle companies of the 2d
Marine Raider Battalion, together with a platoon of five light tanks,
would augment the small infantry reserve already at Midway"

It's strange that at both Wake and Midway the USMC did not follow
their pre-war doctrine (dating back to around 1900) that there should
be an equal proportion of fixed force (mostly artillery) and mobile
force (infantry) in a base defense force. They would have probably
defeated the second Japanese attempt to take Wake if they did. The
Royal Marines had larger base defense organizations in WWII called
Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisations (MNBDOs) that included an
infantry battalion.

Joe