Cause And Effect Essay On Raiders

On the night of 17 August 1942, two thousand miles southwest of Hawaii, the Raiders surfaced in the middle of a tropical storm. The heavy rain and high sea states frustrated the Raiders as they made their way up to the main deck of the submarine to pull and build their inflatable rubber boats which were in the storage locker on deck. The Raiders had difficulty timing their jumps from the submarine to the rubber boats resulting in many falling in. Additionally, due to a faulty design of the spark plugs in the outboard motors, the Marines paddled to shore. Eventually, at 0430, just before civil twilight , the Raiders made landfall. Carlson’s original plan was for A and B companies to land on different beaches, but due to the heavy weather he

made a last minute decision to land to as one cohesive unit. Unfortunately, not all of the Raiders received this information and one team ended up landing further south than the rest. Later, they realized the southern landing point was the rear of the Japanese defenses . The main Raider element landed and began to move against strong enemy resistance. The Raiders were well prepared for the barrage of Japanese machine guns and Snipers.

Once the Japanese realized the Raiders overwhelming abilities were crushing them, they attempted two Banzai Charges . Most of the Japanese were killed in this action. Around the afternoon as the battle began to subside, the Japanese attempted to land reinforcements via seaplanes. The Marines forced one to crash and the other to ignite from viscous machine gun fire. Moreover, the Japanese also attempted to send two small ships into the lagoon which the submarines sunk using their deck guns. Although the Raiders did not realize it, they almost destroyed all of the entire Japanese forces. The Raiders also gained valuable resources by gaining favor with the local Makin inhabitants. It is through this relationship they were able to gain much needed intelligence on enemy positions. As the Raiders mission was complete, orders for departure were passed, readying the rubber boats. Unbeknownst to the Raiders, the surf began to become incredibly difficult to navigate. The engines on the boats still did not work, forcing the men to paddle. Already exhausted from the ensuing battle the Raiders quickly became at a

disadvantage. Men and equipment began to disappear as boats capsized. After multiple attempts and five hours of paddling only a few boats made the rendezvous with the submarines. It was at this point when Carlson assessed the situation and began to develop a strategy to get his men home as he knew Japanese reinforcements were more than likely in route. Carlson made the order to have the submarines come into the lagoon for the extraction. As the order was given, Carlson and the rest of the Raiders used the remaining boats and some native outriggers to shuttle the men across the lagoon to the waiting submarines. As a true Marine officer, Major Carlson was the last man to board the submarine and begin the journey back to Pearl Harbor. The Raiders arrived home to Pearl Harbor as heroes, only to realize in the ensuing chaos of the extraction thirty Raiders never made it home. Carlson was the first to pay homage to his men who had sacrificed their lives, at their memorial he was quoted as saying:

Being human we mourn the loss of each.

But I believe these gallant men who so eagerly, so willingly, went forth to meet the enemy would not have us weep and bemoan their passing. … They believed that if this country of ours is to be saved, the job of saving it belongs to those who enjoy the benefits of our institutions. They didn’t ask someone else to perform the task for them. They went out to do it themselves to the supreme heights of human achievement. Rather than have us weep over this achievement, I believe they would have us rejoice with them at the example of courage, of fortitude, and of nobility of character they have set for us. … We salute you as comrades. We salute you as Raiders, as Marines, as Americans, as men. God bless

you!

While the success of the Raiders throughout the Pacific campaign was significant, by the fall of 1943 the Marine Corps had made it clear, there was no longer a role for the Raiders. The Marine Corps large-scale amphibious assaults against a well-defended enemy negated the requirements for a small and lightly armed unit that could penetrate deep into enemy territory. Once the United States War Machine was fully mobilized, Marine Corps leadership believed there was not a need for clandestine raids on Japanese territory. The Marine Raiders found themselves disbanded in January 1944, largely due to a resentment of an “elite of the elite” within the larger Marine Corps. Throughout the entirety of World War II, the Marine Raiders would have seven Medal of Honor recipients and 141 Navy Crosses making it one of the most decorated Marine Corps units.