The exploits of the US Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II are legendary, with the ?old' 1st Division standing out for special recognition. The PT boat squadrons, however, were a new weapon in the armoury of the US Navy, being used for both dangerous combat and rescue work. In this heavily illustrated book both outfits are examined in detail, with fascinating information on their organisation and training, weapons and equipment, and combat operations. The United States Marine Corps' 1st Division??The Old Breed'?is the oldest, largest, and most-decorated division-sized unit in the Corps. Divisional regiments first saw service as early as March 8, 1911, when the 1st Marines was formed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before performing in fifteen major engagements during World War I. In World War II the 1st Division was blooded at Guadalcanal, and then went on to fight throughout the entirety of the Pacific campaign. The Pacific War saw some of the most uncompromising warfare in World War II. Each amphibious landing and bloody battle to take the Pacific islands was a small-scale version of Europe's D-Day, and the USMC was at the heart of the action. The 1st Division would earn three World War II Presidential Unit Citations for its role at Guadalcanal, Peleliu, and Okinawa?each was well deserved. Motor torpedo boat development began in the early 1900s but it was not until the late 1930s that the US Navy seriously took on the challenge to create its own programme. PT-boats first saw action at the outset of World War II at Pearl Harbor and in the Philippines. By the end of the war over 600 had seen service in the Pacific theatre, the English Channel, and Mediterranean Sea. In 1940 the US Navy's PT-boats were organized into Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons, regularly shortened to the nickname of ?Ron'?and this book covers the operational history of these. Forty-five Rons were commissioned, of which thirty-seven saw service by war's end, including Ron 2, among whose boats was USS PT-109, commanded by future president Lt (JG) John F. Kennedy, who would win the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroics.
