What was the battle in which the Marines were most valorous?

[AlbertoC]

With the date of release of Order of Battle: U.S. Marines drawing near, we at Slitherine would like to present you with a poll: of all the new battles included in the expansion, which one do you think was the best showcase of the “uncommon valour” of the Marines? In which one did they perform at their best and leave the biggest mark on history?

• Battle of Tulagi (August 1942)
• Battle of Guadalcanal (September 1942)
• Battle of Munda Point (July 1943)
• Battle of Bougainville (November 1943)
• Battle of the Gilbert Islands (November 1943)
• Battle of the Marshall Islands (January 1944)
• Battle of Saipan (June 1944)
• Battle of Guam (July 1944)
• Battle of Palau (September 1944)
• Battle of Iwo Jima (February 1945)


And in case you missed them, check the infographics featuring the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa (Gilbert Islands) and Iwo Jima!

Order of Battle: U.S. Marines is an expansion for Order of Battle: Pacific completely focused on the battles of the “jarheads” and it’s due to release on 7th April.

[Loki1942]

Well, many famous and valorous battles in that list. But there can be only one and that would have to be Iwo Jima, every battle obviously had its own flavor of terror but Iwo Jima must have been one special kind of hell.

[TangSooDo]

When I was in the Corps (1967-1971) there would be no question that Iwo Jima was the one that was talked up and memorialized the most. I had a Gunnery Sergeant who was at Iwo, and in those days we had a number WW2 veterans still serving. Since then I have read a lot of history, and each campaign had its unique characteristics. Guadalcanal was a long, drawn out campaign in which the jungle environment was nearly as big an enemy as the Japanese and in the beginning the Marines were left ashore with limited supplies and support. Tarawa involved that horrible wade across hundreds of yards when Amtracs couldn't cross the reef - imagine wading chest deep in the water with all your gear while constantly under fire. I am fairly sure that more Marines died in a day at Tarawa than in any other single day in Corps history. Peleliu is reputed to have had the highest rate of casualties of any amphibious operation of WW2. Then there was Okinawa, a huge battle that lasted nearly three months and that some say actually involved a larger total force, including air, naval and land, than the much more famous Normandy. It's noteworthy that Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa were each battles in which the Japanese didn't contest the beaches but rather hunkered down in caves and bunkers and waited for the advance of American forces, making for agonizing and drawn out fighting that inflicted very heavy casualties.

Iwo is most famous in the Corps in large part because it was an all Marine Corps show -- three divisions and no US Army divisions. I say pick your poison; all of the battles were terrible.

As a final note, there were more USMC casualties in Vietnam than in WW2 although not as many combat deaths, probably a tribute to medical advances and wide use of helicopters in Vietnam.

[Dragoon.]

I can not imagine any other answer than Iwo Jima.

Remember what is inscribed at front of the Iwo Jima Memorial.

[RussW]

Chodan
We served the same time 67--71..I served in 26th Marines at Khe Sanh I had an uncle who was at IWO and returned to service in Korea,,,He was the cause of me wanting to be a Marine....Semper Fi always