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New information released about shovel squad's during WWII

Mare

By Mare
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Mare

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The raiders were created by an order by president Franklin D. Roosevelt after he had received proposals to create an elite unit that was to be the American counterpart to the British Commandos by Colonel William Donovan and Major Evans Carlson. The name "Marine Commandos" was proposed by the commanding general of the second Marine Division, however this was rejected by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Major General Thomas Holcomb. Major General Holcomb re designated the First Battalion Fifth Marines as the First Separate Battalion, and later created the Second Separate Battalion. The debate over the creation of the "commando" units ended when the new commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz requested these type of special operations units to help raid lightly defended islands that the Japanese were in control of. Since the units would be "raiding" these islands, the Commandant selected the term "Raiders" for them and activated the First Marine Raider Battalion on February 16th , 1942.

As the Raiders began to see action in the pacific theater high command took notice to last ditch stratagems by the Japanese called "banzai" charges. Wave after wave of imperial soldiers crashed against the defensive lines of so many Marines with catastrophic death tolls on both sides.

The Raiders needed a counter to these charges if their hit and run tactics where ever faced with a banzai charge.

February 19th 1945, Marines attempted to invade a small island held firmly by the imperial grip of the Japanese army. During the invasion even to its last days in march Marines encountered erratic banzai charges. both 2nd and 1st platoons of the 1st MRB where attacked by these Banzai charges and although 1st Platoon fended the crazed Japanese with a hail of fire 2nd Platoon was not so lucky. The raiders where engaged with only seconds to react, the Banzai charge was a sneak attack to the flanks of the platoons column. With mere moments to quickly defend themselves some of the Marines grabbed their entrenching tools rather than their rifles yelling and flailing striking down even the most fanatic of the Japanese. This was the first time a Banzai charge of such a magnitude was thwarted by charging marines. The soldiers of 2nd platoon as well as a few who became separated from 1st platoon where nicknamed the shovel squad. News of the thwarted charge reached high command 1 month before the inevitable capture of Iwo Jima. Although command considered the idea of a prototype squad equipped with superior hand to hand combat methods and more specialized tool for melee engagement the idea eventually became void due to one proven fact about the Marines. Their bad ass to begin with......

OORAH.......

we are marines

come at me bro

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