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Liberation was not the best way to describe the defeat of the Japanese in Asia and the Pacific. Much of what the Japanese conquered were European colonies. But liberation certainly describes what happened when the Americans landed on Guam. Guam is was the only U.S. territory with a substantial population that was occupied by a foreign power during the War. The Philippines was a little different. At the time of World War II, the Americans had granted the Philippines independence and self government. Formal transfer of power in the Philippines was to occur in 1943. This was delayed by the Japanese invasion. Filipino attitudes toward the Americans were generally positive, but varied, although the brutality of the Japanese changed many minds. The Guamanian Chamorros, although not yet American citizens were almost uniformly pro-American. The American benevolent, if paternalistic treatment of the Chamorros had changed life for the better through a more active economy, public health programs, and public schools. The U.S. Navy administrators had respected Chamorro traditions and safe guarded their property. A clear affection existed between the Americans and the Chammoro people even before the Japanese invasion. Nearly 3 years of brutal Japanese rule only confirmed Chamorro attitudes toward the Americans. There was no doubt among the Chamorros that the Americans would return and they resisted the Japanese as best they could. Needless to say, the Chomorros were jubilant to see the Americans returning to drive out the Japanese. No no captive people in the Pacific were more glad to see the Americans than the Chamorro people. For the Marines and Army soldiers, the reception by the Chomorro people was uplifting. It made it clear what they were fighting for. The invasion, however, was a harrowing experience. Despite the month of fighting, needless to say, the Chomorros were jubilant to see the Americans returning to drive out the Japanese. The Chamorros served as guides and helped the Americans located Japanese emplacements throughout the island. Of course most of the Japanese on the island fought to the death so there were few left to to actually prosecute. And most of the small number that surrendered may not have been the ones committing war crimes. Some of the Saipan Chamorros working for the Japanese were prosecuted.
Liberation was not the best way to describe the defeat of the Japanese in Asia and the Pacific. Much of what the Japanese conquered were European colonies. But liberation certainly describes what happened when the Americans landed on Guam. Guam is was the only U.S. territory with a substantial population that was occupied by a foreign power during the War. The Philippines was a little different. At the time of World War II, the United States had granted the Philippines independence and self government. Formal transfer of power in the Philippines was to occur in 1943. This was delayed by the Japanese invasion. Filipino attitudes toward the Americans were generally positive, but varied, although the brutality of the Japanese changed many minds. The Guamanian Chamorros, although not yet American citizens were almost uniformly pro-American. The American benevolent, if paternalistic treatment of the Chamorros had changed life for the better through a more active economy, public health programs, and public schools. The U.S. Navy administrators had respected Chamorro traditions and safe guarded their property. A clear affection existed between the Americans and the Guamanian Chamorro people even before the Japanese invasion. Nearly 3 years of brutal Japanese rule only confirmed Chamorro attitudes toward the Americans. There was no doubt among the Chamorros that the Americans would return and they resisted the Japanese as best they could. Needless to say, the Chamorros were jubilant to see the Americans returning to drive out the Japanese. No captive people in the Pacific were more glad to see the Americans than the Chamorro people. For the Marines and Army soldiers, the reception by the Chamorro people was uplifting. It made it clear what they were fighting for.
The Americans invaded Guam (July 21). This was more than a month after bombing began (June 11). Naval shelling began (June 27). This was a much longer bombardment period than Saipan was subjected to. This was in part because the battle for Saipan took longer than expected. The amount of ordinance was extraordinary. Which mean in a era before smart bombs that there was no way to avoid civilian casualties with such an awesome expenditure of fire power. Civilian deaths were, however much lighter than on Saipan. There were two reasons for this. First, there were very few Japanese civilians on Guam and the Chamorros were not committing suicide like the Japanese on Saipan. Second, the Japanese had interned most of Chamorros in six concentration camps in the south of the island. And unexpectedly, The Americans landed in the south and within the first week the south of the island was liberated. And the Americans had identified the camps and avoided firing on them.
The fight for Guam was a harrowing experience for the long suffering Chamorros. It began with the American invasion (July 21). There were over 20,000 well-armed Japanese soldiers, sailors, and airmen on Guam. Most knew after the fall of Saipan and the defeat of the Japanese fleet that they were not going to survive. They had only one concern, to take as many Americans with them as possible. Very few Japanese surrendered. Eventually some 1,250 Japanese were captured, most to badly injured to resist. The Japanese were dug into the hilly terrain of Guam. The toughest fighting was during that first week. The Japanese had artillery dug into the hills over looking the landing beaches. Once the beach head was secured, this major advantage was reduced as the Americans moved out if the beach head into the hills. The only way to get them out was the application of massive artillery and air bombardment before the American marines and soldiers proceeded to reduce the Japanese positions one by one.
The largest Banzai charge of the Pacific War occured on Saipan, but there was also one mounted on Guam (July25). It came as was often the case at night and in seven waves. Some 3,500 Japanese my have been killed. Had it not been fio the Banzai charge they certainly could have killed more Americans.
The battle for Guam went on for nearly 3 weeks, but within the first week and a half most of the Chamorros were safely in American hands because the concentration cams were in the south where the Americans landed. There were Chamorros hiding in the north, but the great bulk of Chamorros were in concentration camps set up by the Japaneses. And these were liberated during the early phase of the campaign. As the fighting moved north the Japanese combat power declined as they began running out of ammunition and food. Still they were dangerous to any Chamorros they came across. The final battles were fought in the extreme north. The Americans took Manengon (August 1). The 77th Division fought the Battle of Barrigada (August 2). The Marines fought the Battle of Finegayan (August 5). The Marines in Yigo discovered the Chamorros massacred at Chagui'an (August 6). Guam was finally declared secure (August 10). The Japanese mounted a final Banzai assault occurred at Mataguac (August 11). One source writes, "With Bushido at the heart of Japanese culture - in the home, in the schools, in the military, in general society - the Japanese soldier was a tremendous and fearsome opponent no matter the odds, the superiority of force brought up to face him, no matter the enemy to go before him." 【Rogers, pp. 205-06.】
The Japanese military on Saipan demanded that civilians honor the Bushido Code and never surrender to the Americans. The killed civilians trying to surrender. They supplied grenades to those wanting to commit suicide and actually killed many of those who hesitated. The situation on Guam was different because there were very few Japanese civilians. Now we know that there wee incidents of the Japanese killing Chamorros for no apparent reason. But they did not demand that they commit suicide. Most of the civilians in the concentration camps survived. We believe that it was dangerous for the Chamorro hiding outside the camps, especially in the north where it took the Americans more time to dislodge the Japanese. There was also the danger of civilians been killed inadvertently from the military fighting underway which lasted nearly 3 weeks.
Despite the month of fighting, needless to say, the Chomorros were jubilant to see the Americans returning to drive out the Japanese. The Chomorros served as guides and helped the Americans locate Japanese emplacements throughout the island. This was of immense utility because the Japanese lost their mobility in their dug in positions. The Americans would have suffered far greater casualties in they had to find the Japanese positions on their own.
The American landed (July 21). There was tough fighting to secure the beachhead. The Japanese had the high ground with artillery zeroed in on the landing beaches. Once the beachead was secured, the Americans were able to
add the power of land artillery to the awesome power of naval artillery and carrier close air support. Adm. Nimitz was converned about the possible inadvertent casuasltuies anong bthe Chamorros. He raised this with Gen Roy Geiger, who commanded the III Amphibious Corps that invased and liberated Guam. Americans patrols finally had reached the outskirts of the Manenggon concentration camps (July 30). The men of the Army 77th Division overran the main camps (July 31). Some of the Japanese guards were killed, and the rest fled. The Americans were horrified at what they found. The Japanese camps were camps in name only. There were no real facilities. There was little shelter. The Japanese were providing little or non food, The Chamorros were starving. And there was no medical care being provided. Starvation and disease festered in the camps. The troops handed out handed out C-rations, candy, and cigarettes to the hungry refugees. There were no facilities at these camps. So the Americans set up refugee camps with needed facilities along the coast. The Chamorros trekked back westward across the center of the island to refugee camps set up at Finile in Hågat and Anigua. The Marines and soldiers escorted them for security and aided those unable to make the journey on foot. Here they were provided with shelter, medical care, and clothing.
Of course most of the Japanese on the island fought to the death so there were few left to to actually prosecute. Very few Japanese soldiers actually surrendered. A large proportion of the Japanese who survived, were men so badly injured that they were incapable of resisting being captured. The Allied powers after the War tried Japanese military personnel all over the Pacific. One of these trials was conducted on Guam. Ten death sentences were carried out, including three admirals and one lieutenant general. Captain Iwanami was one of the officers hanged on Guam. Dr. Hiroshi Iwanami was hanged for murdering ten American POWs. He was the commanding officer of the naval hospital on Truk, Japan's important base on the Caroline Islands. Iwanami was found guilty of overseeing, actually enjoying the horrific murders of 10 wounded American POWs that were delivered to his hospital (1944). The Allied military court convicted 24 Japanese for committing war crimes on Guam. These were men not captured on Guam, but arrested in Japan or other locations. Only eight of those convicted were actually hanged. A major factor leading to the executions was murders involving cannibalism. 【Rogers, pp. 205-06.】 There were also prosecutions of a small number of Saipan Chamorros who cooperated with the Japanese.
Borja, Paul J. "Japanese soldiers: Death before dishonor".
Rogers, Robert F. Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam.
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