Belleau Wood (CVL 24) - Naval Cruise Book

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From vAugust 3 through August 10 we operated in an area 30 60 miles to the east and southeast. At the start of this period American ground forces had driven across the island splitting the japanese forces into north ern and southern components. In succeeding days BELLEAU WUOD targets were all in the northern sec tion where our planes bombed and strafed wooden and metal structures, roads, and junctions occupied by ref treating enemy troops. Not a single Jap aircraft was sighted. By the time we departed the Yanks had occuf pied nearly all the northern half of Guam. On the morning of August 13 the task group anchored in Eniwetok for the first time. The fleet anchorage was moving west. -Eniwetok is one of the most symmetrical atolls in the Pacific. With a diameter of 25 miles, it provided a com' modious anchorage for the fleet and attending auxiliaries -tankers, freighters, repair ships, tenders, transports, hospital ships, and small craft. The thin ring of land protrudes scarcely 15 feet out of the ocean. Average width is measured in tens of yards. The backbone of palms and grass is fringed by white coral beaches, so-bright in the blazing sun that it hurts your eyes to look at them. The brilliantemerald of the shallow waters around these white coral beaches is duplif cated nowhere. But there was little attraction ashore, other than a splendid beach for swimming. An occasional baseball Held was leveled oif. Majuro, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, fand later Ulithij at best were merely effective protection from the ocean's swells. FL! GL-IT 'UECK PHRHDE 1 f - i' 'x 0 ff: jf K-1 ll s f ' J L 0 :ask o S lb L 1 U Q V I . d I - ,J Q h 169' Q ' , 1 o ' W, 2 ' l ' H Y '-f ZXAA ' X To ai' - fir,- - ru, . 5 1 N' as Y Tm X RIRDHLE DECK RPG Bites Rm' 57 553 AJZHMMZM' ' Wwainfiif i'lr.......

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G Ll M C HUISE 9 july 31-August 13, 1944 To break in her new air group, the L'Beulah Kas we devotedly called herj joined the fleet which was out west attending the occuf pation of Guam where the ground forces were moving in after sef curing Saipan. For us, the cruise was only a brief sally, but it felt good to have a small part in again raising Old Glory on this famous island. l I x 2 .iii

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PALAU, lhcPHHJHN E1 fWlFBH URUT I Cllll ISE A10 August 28-September 21, 1944 91 MM f f ,si Af ff QP, As September approached, Admiral Williani F. Halsey, Commander Third Fleet, had relieved Admiral Spruance, Commander Fifth Fleet. Task Force 5 8 was then designated Task Force 38, commanded by Vice Admiral John S. McCain. The arrival of the FRANKLIN made it 16 carriers in the Force. With the securing of a foothold in the Marianas, a long stretch had been completed on the Road to Tokyo: But the forces on Guam and Saipan were way out there by themselves, surrounded by Nips on all sides'-Bonins, Philf ippines, and Carolines. And We hadn't as yet touched the Philippines. They were frontier country. To establish a support for our Marianas' tentacles, the strategists called for the invasion of Palau in midfSeptember. To clear the way sailed Task Force 38. On August 28 a long column of carriers and supporting ships had filed out from Enivvetok and headed south around the Carolines. ,,.,,,,,,. -M---1.-sv-sv-um... m .,, ..,.. . ...... I ., ,, .,,,.,, ,, .VN ,lznlv-N 1.