Operation Flintlock, Marshall Islands 1944 | Roi-Namur: Roi's Perimeter | Easy Red 2 скачать в хорошем качестве

Operation Flintlock, Marshall Islands 1944 | Roi-Namur: Roi's Perimeter | Easy Red 2

2/1/1944 After the Marines secured their beachheads on Roi on 1 February 1944, they quickly turned to establishing and tightening a defensive perimeter around the island. Roi was small—just over a mile long—and its airfield dominated the terrain, so the Marines pushed outward from the runways to capture the revetments, repair shops, fuel dumps, and surviving blockhouses that bordered the field. The initial perimeter was shallow and exposed, especially along the northern and eastern edges where scattered Japanese machine-gun nests and shelters still held out. Marine rifle companies advanced systematically, clearing each revetment and trench with grenades, flamethrowers, and tank support, gradually smoothing the perimeter into a continuous defensive line. Engineers and scouts marked cleared areas, while heavy machine guns and mortars were emplaced to cover likely avenues of counterattack. By early afternoon, the Marines had tightened the perimeter enough to secure the entire island interior, pinning the last defenders against isolated pockets near the northern shore. With no room for maneuver and their defensive network shattered by bombardment, Japanese resistance collapsed quickly. The perimeter was then expanded to include key logistical points: the lagoon shoreline, the bomb-scarred hangar complexes, and the northern tip of the island. Once these were secured, the Marines established communication lines, resupply points, and anti-aircraft positions in preparation for the expected Japanese air or naval response—though none came. By sunset, the perimeter on Roi was solid, and the island was effectively in American hands, allowing the division to shift its full attention to the much harder fight on Namur the next day.