G.I. Stories 1941-1945

06/09/2026

"As daylight waned, Shisler's [Maj. Clair W. Shisler, 3/22 commander] troops collided with a series of log emplacements carefully hidden in the dense underbrush. These positions had survived naval shells and were impervious to damage from mortar rounds. Marine infantrymen and engineers finally killed or at least stunned the defenders with bursts from flamethrowers and with satchel charges. Shisler continued to press the attack, but progress was slow.

Across the battalion boundary, which was a line drawn on a map rather than a recognizable terrain feature, 1/106 plodded onward. Cornett's troops lagged a short distance behind the Marines, so a gap soon was opened between the units. To the rear, elements of the 104th Artillery were beginning to come ashore." From: "Central Pacific Drive" by Shaw, Nalty, & Turnbladh. Official History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II

PRESENTED FOR HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

Source: NARA, 428-NPC-10699

04/09/2026

This footage captures the brutality of the war in the Pacific. Part of the campaign in the Marshall Islands, the landings on Eniwetok Atoll included taking Engebi, Eniwetok, and Parry Island by a combined force of Marines and Soldiers respectively from the 22nd Marine Regiment and 106th Infantry Regiment. Eniwetok was declared secure February 21.

I believe this footage was actually filmed on Eniwetok because of the presence of Marines and soldiers in the same location.

Source: NARA, 428-NPC-10699

02/09/2026

If you blink, you'll miss it: look for the Marine tanker pushing the wading trunks off of the M4 Medium Tank on the beach. I always wondered how soon this happened after an amphibious landing, and this clip answered my question.

LVTs of the 4th Amphibian Tractor Battalion land Marines and M4 Medium Tanks of Company C, 4th Tank Battalion support the landings of the 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division on Roi, Marshall Islands.

Source: NARA, 428-NPC-1471



PRESENTED FOR HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

02/09/2026

"Photograph of two U.S. Marines, First Lieutenant Marvin Rankin and Corporal Southard, plotting their position while under fire by J*panese forces on Roi Island. [...]"

Photo taken by USMC combat photographer Norm Hatch. February 1944.

Source: "Norm Hatch Photograph Collection," National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation. Accessed via The Portal to Texas History

01/09/2026

LVT(A)-1s of the 4th Amphibian Tractor Battalion and M4 Medium Tanks of Company C, 4th Tank Battalion support the landings of the 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division on Roi, Marshall Islands.

LVT(A)s are "Landing, Vehicle, Tracked, Armored." I believe that the The LVT(A)s shown here are the earlier LVT(A)-1 which have a turret similar to that of an M3 "Stuart" with 37mm. The M4 Medium "Shermans" of C Company, 4th Tank Battalion are outfitted with wading trunks/deep-fording kits. The large trunks were removed and discarded soon after the tanks made it to shore.

Source: NARA, 428-NPC-1471



PRESENTED FOR HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

31/08/2026

Original caption: "Photograph of Marine Corps Combat Correspondents and civilian war correspondents setting up a press club after landing on Namur Island, in the Kwajalein Atoll. In the foreground, one of the members in good standing unfurls a small American flag on a broken tree. [. . .]"

Photo taken by USMC combat photographer Norm Hatch. February 1944. Remember... we'd never know what the war looked like without these men who accompanied the Marines, soldiers, and sailors to "the sharp end."

From "Norm Hatch Photograph Collection," National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation. Accessed via The Portal to Texas History

28/08/2026

Another view of the landings by the 23rd and 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division on Roi-Namur, Marshall Islands on February 1, 1944. This footage was filmed by a Navy photographer attached to the Marine assault force.

The large cloud in the background is likely another view of the torpedo magazine exploding on Namur. Finding a large concrete structure, Marines mistook it for a blockhouse or bunker. After tossing in satchel charges, the torpedo warheads detonated. According to Marines who were on Roi and Namur, the island shook and disappeared in dust and smoke. Unfortunately, this resulted in the Marines in the immediate area being KIA. I read that approximately 20 men were lost in the immediate aftermath of that event.

Source: NARA, 428-NPC-1471



PRESENTED FOR HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.

28/08/2026

𝘼𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙧 - In 1931, Sandor Klein received a Pulitzer Traveling Scholarship for his art studies. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York, and traveled through Europe in the early 1930s on the Pulitzer scholarship. During WWII, he served as a combat artist in the United States Coast Guard. These photos show him reuniting with his brother on Namur in early February 1944, and Sandor at work on a painting for a Coast Guard LST.

Original caption (first photo): "BROTHERS REUNITED IN KWAJALEIN INVASION - 'Fancy meeting you here,' Coast Guard Combat Artist Sandor Klein (left), and his Marine brother, Mac Klein, run upon each other 48 hours after they had come ashore in the initial assault on Namur Island of Kwajalein atoll. By that time, Mac had killed six J**s and Sandor had had a narrow escape under a burst of J*p machine gun fire. They are sons of Mrs. Mollie Klein of 1680 Crotona Park, East, Bronx, N. Y."

Source: NARA, 26-G-3283



Second Photo: Close-up of Sandor Klein's dungarees with "U.S.C.G. Combat Artist" inked on the sleeve.

Third Photo: Sandor Klein at work. Original caption: "COAST GUARDSMAN PAINTS INVASION INSIGNE [sic] - Coast Guard Combat Artist Sandor Klein paints the unofficial amphibious force insigne an alligator spewing out tanks aboard a Coast Guard manned transport participating in amphibious invasion operations. Coast Guardsmen have manned transports, invasion barges and LSTs (Landing Ship Tanks) during invasions. Coast Guardsmen Klein, onetime winner of the Pulitzer prize for oil painting, was a well known New York artist before the war."

28/08/2026

Operation Flintlock was a success. The operation began on January 31 and the islands were secured by February 4. Army and Marine casualties were comparatively low, yet there were still a combined 372 KIA and over 1500 WIA. J*panese casualties were between 5000-7000, including Korean forced laborers.

This clip gives an insight to the tough situation on the beach at Roi. Men of the 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division were immediately in combat and under fire when they hit the beaches. The Marine photographers were in the thick of the action, shoulder to shoulder with the men in the assault wave.

Source: NARA, 127-R-2586



PRESENTED FOR HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

27/08/2026

Original color footage of "Operation Flintlock" landings on Roi-Namur by 23rd and 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division.

Please subscribe to the YouTube channel for more footage like this. I make $0 off of this, just doing it as a service to make this original footage more accessible.

February 1, 1944 – This original color footage was filmed leading u...