Marines in the Atlantic, Europe and Africa

Researched by Alexander Molnar Jr., USMC/USA (Ret.). Excerpted from Marine Corps History on MarineLink the Official Homepage of the United States Marine Corps

Yes and no. Marines were involved in training Army troops for the D-day landings. They were also on some navy ships in Europe, and were posted to Iceland to prevent the Germans from taking it. But they did not participate for the most part in major combat operations in Europe. The USMC was used almost exclusively in the Pacific.

Overshadowed in history by Marines who fought World War II's Pacific island battles, fewer than 6,000 Marines participated in the Atlantic, North African and European campaigns.

Before World War II, Marines served in various European and North African embassies as attaches. However, that role changed with the outbreak of hostilities between the United States and the Axis powers in 1941.

The first Marine unit of combat troops to serve on land in the Atlantic theater was the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade. More than 4,000 Marines commanded by Brigadier General John Marston arrived in Reykjavik, Iceland, in July 1941. The Marines augmented the British forces already in place to prevent Iceland from falling to the Germans. Iceland was strategically located for air and naval control of the North Atlantic lifeline between the British Isles and North America.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Marines assigned under Marston received orders to leave Iceland. They began departing on Jan. 31, 1942, and were completely gone by March 9, 1942.

Masters of amphibious warfare tactics, Marines served as planners for the North African, Mediterranean and Normandy invasions. The brief and violent raid by a 6,000-man Canadian and British commando force on the French port city of Dieppe on Aug. 19, 1942, was planned in part by Marine Brigadier General Harold D. Campbell, the Marine Corps advisor to the British Staff of Combined Operations. He was awarded a Legion of Merit for his expertise in developing techniques for large-scale amphibious operations against heavily defended beaches.

Marines trained four Army infantry divisions in assault from the sea tactics prior to the North African landings. Leading the way during Operation Torch, the November 1942 North African invasion, Marines went ashore at Arzeu, Algeria, and moved overland to the port of Oran, where they occupied the strategic Spanish fortress at the northern tip of the harbor.

Another Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS Philadelphia landed Nov. 10, 1942, at the port of Safi, French Morocco, and secured the airport against sabotage until Army forces arrived the following day.

Nine months earlier, on Jan. 7, Brigadier General Lewis G. Merritt, a Marine Corps pilot serving as an observer with the Royal Air Force in Egypt, was aboard a Wellington bomber shot down by ground fire behind German lines in the Halfya Pass. He and the crew were rescued by a special United Kingdom armored car unit that broke through enemy lines.

Assigned to the secretive world of spies and saboteurs were 51 Marines who served with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services to engage in behind-the-lines operations in North Africa and Europe from 1941 to 1945. These OSS Marines served with partisan and resistance groups in France, Germany, Yugoslavia, Italy, Austria, Albania, Greece, Morocco and Egypt; on the islands of Corsica and Sardinia; in Rumania; and in North and West Africa. Ten of these OSS Marines also served with forces in Ceylon, Burma, Malaya and China.

Marine Colonel Peter J. Ortiz was twice awarded the Navy Cross for heroism while serving with the French Resistance.

Shipboard detachments of Marines served throughout the landings in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Normandy invasion as gun crews aboard battleships and cruisers. A 200-man detachment was normally carried aboard a battleship, and 80 Marines served aboard cruisers to man the secondary batteries of 5-inch guns providing fire for the landing forces.

During the June 6, 1944, Normandy invasion, Marines, renowned as expert riflemen, played a vital role reminiscent of the days of the sailing Navy when sharpshooters were sent to the fighting tops. Stationed high in the superstructures of the invasion fleet, Marine riflemen exploded floating mines in the path of the ships moving across the English Channel to the beaches of Normandy.

On Aug. 29, 1944, during the invasion of southern France, Marines from the battleship USS Augusta and the cruiser USS Philadelphia went ashore in Marseilles harbor to accept the surrender of more than 700 Germans who had fortified island garrisons.

Although few, these proud Marines played a vital role in the Atlantic, African and European campaigns of World War II.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.

I'm the "Confederate with a pipe"!! LOL

Hear hear!

Lest we forget: Actor Sterling Hayden served in the US Marine Corps during World War II under the name John Hamilton. He was assigned to the OSS and one of his jobs was supplying weapons to the Yugoslavian resistance. He eventually rose to the rank of Captain and was awarded the Silver Star for heroism.

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Jeff C.

Interesting info

Very interesting info. Especially for me! Hi Im Martin from Holland, please read my story about my grandfather, a usmc ww2 sergeant fought in Europe and post a reply. Sorry for my english!

The father of my grandfather owned weapons in his garten in Holland during the war. One day the german kitchenmade told her german boyfriend about the weapons. They arrested him and sent him to a concentration camp in Poland (he would survive with 42 KG). My grandfather, 17, could escape through France, Spain to England where he met his grandfather, a Dutch General. My grandfather couldnt join the dutch army because of his age, so his grandfather let him join the us marines. He got his training on a lot of places, from Camp davis till California and back to Scotland,Roseneath. What is funny to tell that he had a nice evening in the "black"camp what was forbidden to enter for "white"soldiers. He spent the following 2 days in a small cell. Anyway, he became placed as a detachement on warships in Europe and first saw North Africa, Tunesia where he didnt saw action, only gard. He saw first action on the shores of sicily, near syracuse. He told me 3 times about this landing where many soldiers lay dead while he was running on the beach (many foreign soldiers too, algerians mainly). At this point he is always getting emotional, as a the result lack of details. Im not sure it is right, maybe he participated in the algeria landing, something is mentioned above. Some details are lost because his whole life he tries to forget the war, nightmares he often had.

He told me about the Italians, of how scared they where. When the italians appeared to lose the battle, they would join the US forces and fight against the germans. My grandfather only stormed the beachhead, and returned to the ship. He saw action somewhere else in italy, dont know where yet. But he got wounded there in his leg, bullet and got aid at gibraltar. He fought also at kaiserslautern and got wounded by a grenade fragment in his neck. You can still see the wounds he got. He was also talking about executing ss soldiers, all lined up and get shot down with his bren )very interesting story). That is another remarking detail, he used UK firearms like the enfield no4, stengun and brengun, but also the tommy gun. After europe the sergeant went to austrialia to train for the pacific war which he never fought on. He made a journey through Australia with a french ex/oss. After that he went to America and drove many miles. In 1946 he had the chance to become an American citizen, but returned to his family here in Holland. I can only ask him a few details once a while,because after a half an hour chat, he refuses to talk because of his emotions. One story he visualizes often is running out a foxhole towards a german soldier behind a tree, aiming his mp at my grandfather. He thought that this was it, but at that moment a bullet pierced the helmet and head of the german soldier. He leaned dead against the tree, with blood running over his face. My grandfather slashed him towards the ground and emptied his MG on him, because of adrenaline and shock.

He still lives here. He owns some american medals, I will place pictures soon. Added a picture of his dogtag.

Is it possible to track down his number somewhere? thanks
Temminck
L. JAC.
4501412
PROT.
BL. GR. O