General Orders 1946 - Fort Benning

mounted and vigo~ousl3~ attacked the positions of the 80th Pi,eld Artillery Ballalion
and elements of the 63d Infantry Regiment and G3d Field Artillery
Battalion in the same area with small-arms, grenades, and mehine-gnn fire.
Without hesitation, the cannoneers, except those necessary to man the picces, deployed
as infantry. Making nse of bazookas, machiue guns, and carbines, the
men Of the 80th li'ield Artillw Battalion re~ulsed the attack and then. seizing -
rhe initiative, sent bazooka tenmi forward, deployed their is-mm howitzers ta
more advantaxeous positions for direct fire, and, at dam, enznxed in a 7,ieiouS
artillery anel with the tanks, at ranges of 50 to 300 yards. ~ne& tanks scored
direct hits on several gun pits. Whcn the last enemy gun was silenced, it mas
found that six enemy medium tanks, five light tanks, ten personnel carriers and
two 10.7-mm howitzers with prime movers had been destroyed in the close
proximity of lhe battalion nosition area. The 80th Field At ttlleru Battalion
distinguished itself in aclion by its extraordinary heroism and exhibited such
mlinntry, determination, and esprit de corps as to make it outstanding in this
engagement. The magnificent courage and devotion to duly by all nlemhers
of the 80th Field Arlillerpi Battalion are a creClit ana inspiiradon to the armed
forces of thc Uuitcd States. (General Orders 148, IIeadquarters GLh Infmtry
Division, 25 July 1945, as approved by the Commander in Chief, United States
Army Forces, Pacific.)
2. The 713th Tank Battalion, Armored Flame Thrower (Prol;isional), is cited
for outstanding performance of duly in action against the cncmy ou ~kinnwa-'*'.'~
Shimn from 9 to 22 June 1946. After eumpleting 70 days of fierce fighting,
during which seemingly impregnable enemy positions nt Ka6-azu and Shuri were
reduced, the 718th Tallk Battalion, Armored Flnmo Thrower (Pr02;isional).
continued forward in the assault of the Yaeju-Dake escarpwcnt, the final and
n10st rugged enemy stronghold. Supporting two Army and two Marine divisions,
the tanks of this battnlion preceded the infantry and advanced under henay
enemy fire and in the face of violent sliieidal counterattacks. In caves and
crevices throvghout the jagged face of the escarpment, the enemy had established
mutually supporting gun positions, which delivered a devastating rolnme
of flrc against thc ndTanciug troops. The bnttalion tanks approached to withiu
RO yards of these fortifled positions and proceeded up the fnce of the escnrp
rnent, burning out all positions ns they progressed. Many times tank crews
wevc forced to dismount under heavy Japanese fire to extricate their tanks, or
to carry the flame gun hose attachment up the fnce of the cliff, so that they
could burn out by hand those enemy pockets which were innecessi1~le to the
tanks. After 4 vicious days of close-in fightiug, during which the tanks fired
a total of 400 missions, the infantry gained the top of the eseal'pment. Conrinning
to spearhead the attack, the flame thrower tanks advanced from crag to
crag and assisted tbe infantry in burning out or destroying the remainder of
the enemy troops on the island. Throughout the assault, detnchmeuts of
Battnlion Headquarters Company and Service Company ahly supported the
tanks by iuruisiling liaison teams to the infantry front line troops and hy
hauling 120,000 galluns of napalm up to the front lines. To conserve time, these
gallant service troops refurlled the tanks under enenry ohsexvation within 300 to
500 yards of the front lines. The aggressive and conrag&mn uae of this
weapon inflicted an estimated 5,000 casualties upon the encmy, reduced our own
casllaities, and played a substantial part in bringing about final victoly. This
meration was the first in which a tank unit eyni~,ped with flame-thrower guns
was used, and the great success in aiding the advance of our troops :!gainst
the determined stand of the Japanese was duc largel~ lo tile cool skill, relent-
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