“=The Price= _Lying there in terror looking longingly up the slope to
better cover, I saw a wounded man near me, staggering in the direction
of the LVTs. His face was half bloody pulp and the mangled shreds of
what was left of an arm hung down like a stick, as he bent over in his
stumbling, shock-crazy walk. The half of his face that was still human
had the most terrifying look of abject patience I have ever seen. He
fell behind me, in a red puddle on the white sand._”]
Colonel Nakagawa directed construction of beach obstacles, using
rails and logs, and ordered antitank ditches dug. He emplaced troops
in machine gun and mortar pits along, and inland from, the beaches,
augmented by all the available barbed wire. On the north and south
flanks of the beach, he constructed concrete emplacements to shelter
and conceal antitank and antiboat artillery sited to enfilade the
expected waves of landing craft.
Inland, he incorporated the already-built blockhouse and adjacent
reinforced buildings into mutually supporting defensive complexes, with
interconnecting communication lines and trenches.
Although believing the western beaches to be the most probable route of
attack, he did not leave the southern (Scarlet) and eastern (Purple)
beaches undefended. He committed one battalion to organize defenses
in each area. The Purple Beaches were thoroughly organized, with
contingent orders to the defenders to move into central Peleliu if
the battle developed from the west, as expected. But the battalion
committed to the south, Scarlet Beach, had orders to defend those
stronger, more permanent emplacements to the end. Nakagawa assigned
about 500 infantry and artillery to defend Ngesebus and about 1,000
naval personnel to defend northern Peleliu. Not under his command were
the 1,500 defenders of Angaur.
The major part of his force and effort was committed to the 500 caves,
tunnels, and firing embrasures in the coral ridges of central Peleliu.
The naval units’ extensive earlier tunneling into the limestone ridges
rendered occupants largely immune to general bombardments. Only lucky
hits into the mouths of caves, or point-blank direct fire could damage
the hidden defenses and their troops. The tunnels were designed for,
or adapted to, various purposes: barracks, command centers, hospitals,
storage and ammunition magazines, cooking areas complete with fresh
water springs and seepage basins, and of course firing embrasures
with elaborate concealment and protective devices, including a few
sliding steel doors. Colonel Nakagawa expected very heavy prelanding
bombardments. He expected his troops to survive them, and then to carry
out his mission of delaying and bleeding the Americans.
On Koror, Lieutenant General Inoue was busy with the bulk of his
forces, preparing for expected attacks against Babelthuap. The Allied
“Stalemate” plan had indeed called for invasion of Babelthuap. As the
anticipated invasion drew near, Inoue issued a proclamation to his
troops, clearly reflecting Tojo’s instructions to delay and bleed.
He pointed out the necessities to anticipate and endure the naval
bombardment and to use the terrain to inflict casualties on the
attackers. Without actually ordering troops to die, he included the
words, “we are ready to die honorably.” He went on to say that dying,
and losing the territory to the enemy, might contribute to the opening
of a new phase of the war.
[Illustration: