RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: lilpurplepearl on Saturday 25 May 13 09:26 BST (UK)
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Hello Chatters,
I'm wondering if someone would know ALL of the Brigades/Regiments from the USA that served in the Pacific arena with our Diggers in WW2 or at least point me in a direction where I could find out?
My "Family History Research Network" (aka:family grapevine) has revealed some interesting mysteries that I'd like to try & see if there is any basis to.
Cheers,
:)
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I would think a post on the USA board may yield a close result for your question.
I would think that their were a few more than Brigades and Regiments, :o More like Whole Armies.
I know one thing, if they had not been involved via Pearl Harbour then we would have eaten a lot of rice before the war was over.
Between Marines and Army personnel there were numbers close to a million.
Neil
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Thanks Neil, I don't know why I didn't think of that (re: posting on the USA board) :-[
lol I doubt we would've been eating a lot of rice before the war was over, but I won't get started on that.
Cheers,
:)
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Or google General Macarthur.
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Also the AWM may be able to help. I would also suggest putting your query to their Research Centre.
If the query relates to a US military unit that was defending Australia in the NT or around Darwin, I suggest contacting the NT Library which has a large resource / list of Australian, Dutch, British, Canadian and US units stationed in the NT during WWII.
FYI, the same Japanese Convoy which attached Pearl Harbour, also attached Darwin on 19 February 1942, but with twice as many aircraft, and a large number of those killed where US sailors on the USS Peary.
Cheers
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Hi,
With reference to US Military Units in Darwin during WW2 maybe the Darwin Military Museum can assist if you email them.
http://www.darwinmilitarymuseum.com.au/
Regards
Gerry
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_divisions_during_World_War_II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Forces_in_the_South_West_Pacific_Theatre
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Pacific_Fleet
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I was in Darwin for the 70th anniversary commeration services. OH and I took photos of each of the plaques along the waterfront. If that will help, I am happy to re-size these and post on RChat. (Unit details and dates on most).
Cheers, JM
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I re-sized and tried to attach ONE of the photos by modifying my last post.
I must be doing something wrong.
Here it is
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Umm I don't know what if any of this post has to do with DARWIN ???
The OP is asking what American Units served in the Pacific arena during WW2.
After looking myself I decided not to try and post all of the ARMY and MARINE Divisions which are made up of Brigades and Battalions. In effect they had more in some of their divisions than we had in the Pacific War. While most of our troops were elsewhere fighting Germany and Italy. The vast majority of our Pacific contingent were made up of Reservist's drawn into the conflict by the Japanese when they threatened invasion of Australia.
From: Lilpurplepearl. I doubt we would've been eating a lot of rice before the war was over, but I won't get started on that.
I don't know what your knowledge is of the Pacific theatre war but Australia could have been made the Base for the Japanese should they have decided. WE didn't have enough troops to defend ourselves in early 1942 and only their preoccupation with annoying the USA into dropping their embargo on them, which backfired so badly and ended in America joining the war. This stopped the invasion and took Japanese troops away from Australia and into the Indo-Pacific Islands which then created the full blown Pacific war.
Should Japan have decided to use its full fleet, its full Air force and It's full army on a preemptive simultanous strike on the main three eastern Australian Capitals. We would have had a very different war.
I wonder if Winston and the European Generals would have let the Australians return to try and get the Japanese out of Australia. ::)
Pig Iron Bob wanted to draw a line at Brisbane and not let the Japanese go any further south ::)
I wonder who told him they would start at Rocky or somewhere north. ???
Neil
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:)
The medal awarded to many was the Pacific Star, some got the Burma Star. Pacific Star medal included service from 8 Dec 1941, and covered the ABCD territory.
A .... Australian ( ;D including The Territory of Papua and New Guinea, and the LAND based units including those in the NT with flying operations to the Pacific Star territories ;D ;D )
B ...... British (including Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore)
C ...... Chinese (including Mainland and the Islands in the China Sea)
D ...... Dutch (including Timor, Sumatra, etc)
So the Pacific Theatre of War during the Second World War included territory that while NOT wholly within the Pacific Ocean at the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, included territory that extended from the Pacific into the area to the North and North West of the continent of Australia.
Umm I don't know what if any of this post has to do with DARWIN ???
The OP is asking what American Units served in the Pacific arena during WW2.
::) ;D
Cheers, JM
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic-Pacific_Campaign_Medal
"It was awarded to any member of the United States Military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945"
The wiki page has lots of info that would help our OP follow up and sort out the precise answer to the question ;D
ALL of the Brigades/Regiments from the USA that served in the Pacific arena with our Diggers in WW2 or at least point me in a direction where I could find out?
(JM special request :) :) Please don't overlook the NZ Diggers, not just the Aussies received the Pacific Star :) )
Cheers, JM
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Someone please, please, please ;) clear this up for me, maybe I am more confused than ever ::)
What does this have to do with american military units in the pacific ???
Erato seemed to have come the closest in the posts ???
Neil
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Sorry Neil for confusion,
But, I think that if the OP establishes which 2nd AIF, RAN and RAAF units contained service personnel who were awarded the Pacific Star, and same for NZ Diggers AND compares that with the US military units listed on the wiki page I posted, the OP can then determine where both the "Diggers" (Aust and NZ forces) and the US military were all in the same battles together.
It is my understanding that the Pacific Arena (Theatre/Theater) during WWII was not restricted to just that part of the South West Pacific off the eastern coast of Aust.
http://www.awm.gov.au/units/event_461.asp
http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/ajrp2.nsf/437f72f8ac2c07238525661a00063aa6/04fe8252bce8187eca256a1d00111139?OpenDocument
Cheers, JM
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Ergh, No, It was the Indo-Pacific Theatre and stretched south from China and The Phillipines, West to Burma Thailand South to New Zealand and East to Hawaii. It was in Square Miles larger than the European Theatre. :o
Actually quite a small bit off the Australian East Coast. :P By comparison that is. Did you go out to the Memorial Cemetery while in Darwin Area. Very moving to think it was actually on our soil.
Cheers ;D
Neil
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I think the Burma Star covered the Sub-Continent to the Malay Peninsula, but I also think the Pacific Star covered the Dutch East Indies, which of course is NOT in the Pacific....
:)
Yes, OH and I spent much of our Darwin visit at various memorials, museums and with official parties that trip.
Both OH and I are related to several who served during Coral Sea Battle (and various other rellies in 2nd AIF and in RAAF and I have NZ rellies who also served) .... Coral Sea .... that significant battle turning the opposing navies around just off the east coast :) .
Cheers, JM