Disposition & Plan, HQs CBI Theater

On Feb 24, 1944, the forward command post of the HQs China Burma India Theater was located on the Kamaing Road in the vicinity of Taipha Ga. The plan of this headquarters for the capture of Walawbum called for the 22nd and 38th Chinese Divisions to execute a frontal attack on Maingkwan. The 5307 (P) was to penetrate enemy positions from the left and strike directly at the objective. The Marauders’ were to sever the enemy’s main supply route (Kamaing Road) at the objective and destroy a command post believed in the vicinity. The movement to the rear of the enemy front lines was to be rapid and secret. They were not to attack the objective until ordered by the Commander China-Burma-India Theater, Gen Joseph Stilwell. This order was to be given when an attack by the Marauders could facilitate the advance of the 22nd and 38th Divisions and was to be coordinated with this advance.

By Feb 24 the Chinese 22nd and 38th Divisions had secured the road from Ledo and were forward of Taipha Ga attacking in the direction of Maingkwan. The Merrill’s Marauders had departed Ningbyen and were moving rapidly by trail, approximately 10 miles to the north of the Chinese, in the direction of Tanja Ga.

5307 Merril’s Marauders Situation

When the 5307 arrived in Ledo, India on Feb 8, 1944, it was organized for combat into 3 battalions each composed of 2 combat teams, each combat team had as its basic elements about; 1 and 1/2 rifle companies; 1 heavy weapons company; 1 I&R Platoon; 1 Headquarters Platoon; 1 Pioneer Platoon; 1 Demolition Platoon and 1 Medical Section. The 5307 (Codenamed Galahad), was a US long-range penetration special operations unit (LRPG) in the South-East Asian Theater which fought in the Burma Campaign. The unit became famous for its deep-penetration missions behind Japanese lines, often engaging Japanese forces superior in number.

5307 Formation

A call for volunteers attracted around 3000 men. A Memorandum from the Operations Division (OPD), War Department dated Sep 18, 1943, (OPD 320.2) listed the proposed composition of the new American long-range penetration force, which would be an all-volunteer unit. The Caribbean Defense Command provided 960 jungle-trained officers and men, 970 jungle-trained officers and men came from Army Ground Forces (based in the Continental United States) and a further 674 ‘battle-tested’ jungle troops from the South Pacific Command (Army veterans of the Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns), with all troops to assemble at Noumea, New Caledonia.

Gen Douglas MacArthur was also directed to transfer 274 Army combat-experienced volunteers from the Southwest Pacific Command, veterans of the New Guinea and Bougainville campaigns. A few Pacific veteran volunteers came from stockades where volunteering earned them their freedom. They were sprinkled throughout the unit and called ‘Dead End Kids’ after the Hollywood film series juvenile delinquents. The unit was officially designated as 5307 (Composite Unit) (P) with the code name Galahad. The men were first sent to India arriving in Bombay on Oct 31, 1943, to train.

Here they were reinforced with Army Air Corps and Army Signal Corps personnel, as well as an animal transport company with mules and experienced mule drivers. Officers and men were equipped with US HBT cotton OD uniforms, M-1943 fatigues (Herringbone Twill), Type II field shoes (with or without canvas leggings), jungle boots, canvas load-bearing equipment, blanket (one-half blanket per man), poncho, and a machete or kukri for brush clearing.

Small arms included the .30 M-1 Rifle (Garand), the .30 Springfield M-1903-A4 sniper rifle, the .30 M-1 carbine, the .45 Thompson submachine gun, the .45 ACP M-1911, the .30 BAR, and the .30 M-1919 Browning air-cooled belt-fed machine gun. Mules were used to haul radios, ammunition, and heavier support weapons, including bazooka (2.36 Rocket Launcher) and the US M-2 60-MM Mortar; the latter was often employed without its base plate in order to speed deployment.

The 5307 was originally destined to train in long-range penetration tactics with Orde Wingate’s Chindits. At Deolali, 200 Km (125 miles) outside Bombay, the troops endured both physical conditioning and close-order drill, before entraining for Deogarh, India. The unit was to have 700 animals that included 360 mules. There were to be as many more but the ship that carried them was torpedoed in the Arabian Sea. They were replaced by 360 Australian Waler horses that had originally been with the 112th Cavalry in New Caledonia who were deemed unfit for jungle warfare. They had traveled to India where they served with the Chinese Army before being assigned to the 5307.

From the end of Nov 1943, to the end of Jan 1944, the 5307 remained at Deogarh and trained intensively. All officers and men received instruction in scouting and patrolling, stream crossings, weapons, navigation, demolitions, camouflage, small-unit attacks on entrenchments, evacuation of wounded personnel, and the then-novel technique of supply by airdrop. Special emphasis was placed on train fire marksmanship at pop-up and moving targets using small arms.

In Dec, the 5307th conducted a week-long maneuver in coordination with Chindit forces. However, Gen Joseph Stilwell was determined that the only US combat troops available in the theater would not serve under British command. As the only Allied ground commander without a subordinate contingent of infantry forces from his own army, Stilwell was aware that he would have a minimal influence upon Allied ground strategy in Burma unless he could gain command of the Marauders.

Adm Louis Mountbatten, the supreme Allied commander of the South East Asia Command (SEAC) was persuaded by Vinegar Joe Stilwell, deputy supreme Allied commander, that they should serve under the Northern Combat Area Command (NCAC). Stilwell appointed Gen Frank D. Merrill to command them, leading American war correspondents to dub the unit Merrill’s Marauders.

5307 COMPOSITE UNIT (PROVISIONAL)
Organization for Combat (Feb 24 – Mar 9 1944)

Gen Frank D. Merrill – COMMAND GROUP
COMMAND POST GROUP REAR BASE SUPPLY
1st Battalion
CT RED & CT WHITE
2nd Battalion
CT BLUE & CT GREEN
3rd Battalion
CT ORANGE & CT KAKHI

From Ledo, the unit made a foot march of approximately 150 miles. The last 50 miles were made in the enemy territory over narrow, leech-infested trails. The entire march was accomplished in about 17 days, including a two-day rest at Ningbyen. On Mar 2, the unit had penetrated 30 miles behind the enemy’s front lines and was within 15 miles of the objective on the north bank of the Tanai River at the Walawbum Trail crossing. Due to the rapid advance of the 22nd and 38th Chinese Divisions and the nature of the terrain this position was both their final assembly area and line of departure. Several men, too sick to move forward with the unit, were left with the Kachines, friendly native tribesmen, at Nhten. One scout had been killed. The total strength of the unit was about 2746. In spite of the arduous march, the strain of constant alertness and several minor encounters with the enemy, morale was good and spirits were high. This spirit is attributed both to the specialized nature of their training, which had prepared them for this type of operation, as well as the volunteer nature of the unit.

The terrain in the zone over which the 5307 was to operate was true jungle. A thick, almost impenetrable maze of bamboo, vines, trees, and dense, dank underbrush screened the objective. This mass of heavy vegetation blocking the approach was made more difficult by four streams running generally parallel to the Tanai River. One narrow trail, which forked at Sana Ga, lead to Wesu Ga, Lagang Ga, and Walawbum, was the only open path from the final assembly area. While the terrain was rough, it was relatively level except for a small knoll just north of Walawbum on the west side of the Numpyek River and the high ground on the east bank of the river east of the objective. Enemy elements, thought to be the 55th and 56th Regiments of the 18th Japanese Division, were believed to be located between Maingkwan and Walawbum along the Kamaing Road, scattered generally east and west. On the march from Ningbyen the Marauders had contacted isolated outposts and patrols along the trail. Walawbum was known to be a base of enemy operations although the exact strength was unknown.

Rain posed no problem for this was the dry season. However, a considerable rise in temperature and humidity added to the fatigue and discomfort of the men. This rise in the moisture content of the air increased the burden of keeping weapons-free of rust and in operating condition. The 5307th was totally dependent upon airdrop for their supplies. On the ground, their own and the backs of pack mules provided the only means of transport. Cargo planes were to bring in all their ammunition, food, and equipment and liaison planes were to evacuate the sick and wounded. Air supply was possible because of the air superiority achieved by the 10th Air Force and necessary due to the distance from the base of supply, the absence of roads, and the mobile nature of the organization. To secure vital airdrop zones an elaborate and efficient standard, the operating procedure was used on the march and in the combat zone.



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