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Under the Southern Cross |
The United States of America was preparing for unknown events of WWII well before Japanese bombers sunk the USS Arizona and other American ships at Pearl Harbor. The December 7, 1941 event only ended the guessing game of when American troops would be sent to meet the enemy.
A heightened military state had been in effect for months before the attack in the South Pacific. The United States was sending millions of dollars in military aid to Europe under the Lend-Lease agreement. And, on the personnel side, the U.S military had begun beefing up its numbers in expectation of armed conflict.
National Guard units from many states were mobilized and made ready for the impending threat. After Pearl Harbor, these units were pressed into immediate combat with the enemy. In most cases, the divisions formed from National Guard units would fight in Europe and in the South Pacific until the last days of the war.
On January 23, 1943, just six weeks after Pearl Harbor, Task Force 6814 steamed from New York harbor bound for the South Pacific. The force arrived for the defense of New Caledonia on March 12. Leaving from San Francisco, the 164th Infantry Regiment arrived at New Caledonia on April 9. New Caledonia was an important defensive position for the Allies to fend off any invasion of Australia.
The American units, composed of National Guardsmen from Massachusetts, Illinois, and North Dakota, were formed into the Americal Division on May 2, 1942. Designated the 132nd, 164th, and 182nd Infantry Regiments, they and associated units would serve under the newly appointed division commander, BG Alexander M. Patch. Elements of the division were the first U.S. combat troops to engage the enemy in any theater in WWII.
Cronin details the battles of the Americal Division from New Caledonia to the occupation of Japan. Along the way, he accounts for the valorous deeds of Americal soldiers on Guadalcanal, the Northern Solomons, the Southern Phillipines, and Leyte. The jungle battles were fierce, and the soldiers of the Americal carried the battle to an enemy intent to fight to the end. The Americal Division was saved from a costly invasion of the Japanese homeland only by the success of the atomic bombs.
The Americal Division served with distinction. It accounted for one Medal of Honor citation. Some elements were awarded by the Navy with its Presidential Unit Citation. The only U. S. Army division never assigned a number, the Americal Division will always be remembered as a premier fighting unit of the South Pacific.
If you would like to purchase a copy of Under the Southern Cross, please send $15, check or money order made payable to ADVA, to:
Mr. Wayne Bryant.
4411 Dawn Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27405-9570
Contributed by:
Gary L. NollerFor more reading material related to the Americal Division, there's the Army's Official History of the division and additional bibliographical information.