Corporal Hal L Nielsen
Hal Lamb Nielsen was born on March 15th, 1920 in Cache County, Utah to Libbie and Floyd Nielsen. After graduating from a local high school, Hal immediately married his sweetheart, Glade Downey, in 1938. A year later, Europe was plunged into a second world war, and it was a matter of time before the US would be dragged into it as well. That day came on December 7th, 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Hal was employed by the US Government at the Ogden Ordnance Depot at the time, meaning he was exempt for the draft, but as US troops fought and died in places such as Guadalcanal, North Africa, and Italy, Hal wanted to do his part abroad.
On October 6th, 1943, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and went through boot camp, qualifying as a sharpshooter in the process. Due to his experience with ordnance and manufacturing, Hal was quickly promoted to Private First Class and transferred to the Tank Battalion Training Center at Camp Elliott on December 11th to become a tank crewman. This specialized training took three and a half rigorous months before he joined the 56th Replacement Battalion, left the states aboard the USS Rochambeau on May 13th, and sailed for the Pacific. His destination was the island of Pavuvu, which he arrived at on June 1st, and quickly joined Company A, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division on the 14th as a replacement after the Cape Gloucester and New Britain campaigns. Pfc Nielsen would only have two months to train and get acquainted with his company before they shipped out aboard the USS Crescent City for Peleliu, the division’s next target and his first taste of combat. |
Peleliu
On September 15th, the 1st Marine Division had arrived and began loading the LVTs with troops for the landings. For the past three days, naval bombardments presumably softened up the islands defenses and the division’s previous luck with their landings gave a sense of secureness to the Marines. They would soon be caught by surprise. As the first waves rushed towards the beaches, Japanese shells began to quickly take a toll on crafts, and resistance multiplied as they reached the beaches. Pfc Nielsen’s Company A made their way to the White Beaches with the 4th wave to support the 1st Marine Regiment battling it out in the area. Thankfully, naval mines had been cleared by demolition teams previously, but their slow pace caused all but one of Co A’s eighteen tanks to be hit with explosive shells before reaching the beach. However, only three were permanently knocked out of action and Pfc Nielsen immediately went to work clearing enemy gun emplacements.
Even with the help of the Sherman tanks, the Marines were locked in an eight hour, confusing and fierce fight and by the end of the day, only held their two mile landing zone. The rest of the invasion force fared better than the 1st Marines and Pfc Nielsen’s Company A, who were consistently battered by a heavily fortified Japanese position called “The Point.” However, nearly all elements were able to reach the outskirts of Peleliu’s crucial airfield by nightfall, and with the help of Pfc Nielsen’s tanks, linked up with the sole company that held “The Point” for thirty hours. On the second day, the advance was much more favorable, at least until they reached Hills 200 and 210. Immediately the 1st Marine Regiment and Company A attacked, with tanks, LVTs, and infantry falling left and right, and once past, had to fight up a series of ridges around Horseshoe Causeway. The next few days saw some of the hardest and costliest fighting of the campaign, with the 1st Marine Regiment suffering 70% casualties by September 20th, when they were relieved.
Pfc Nielsen’s 1st Tank Battalion’s job was not done however; they continued to support operations on Peleliu until the terrain physically did not allow them to help the infantry. No matter how many hits were sustained, there were never less than 18 tanks operational at the same time, a testament of their determination to the Marine infantry. As stated by the 1st Tank Battalion during their sixteen days of heavy combat, the “infantry rendered most faithful close-in protection to tanks regardless of frequently heavy casualties. This saved many badly needed tanks from destruction. Tank crews reciprocated by fighting tanks unbuttoned when necessitated by rain or other causes in an effort to match the indomitable spirit and sacrifice of the infantry.” While the majority of the battalion left Peleliu on October 1st, Pfc Nielsen boarded the USS Mormac Port on the 20th and returned to Pavuvu for some badly needed rest after the hell they had barely survived through. After gaining needed replacements, Pfc Nielsen was transferred to the Headquarters and Service Company of his battalion and resumed training. His MOS now became 022, a barber, and he acted as a messman while also preparing for the division’s next operation; Okinawa.
Okinawa
On February 27th, 1945, Pfc Nielsen left Pavuvu aboard LSD 7 and sailed for Guadalcanal to conduct amphibious landing exercises before continuing to Okinawa. American planes had bombed the island since October of the previous year, and a huge preliminary bombardment pounded the island before the assault waves landed at 8:30 AM, the 1st Tank Battalion following directly behind the 1st Marines at Blue and Yellow Beaches. To everyone’s surprise, they were met with virtually no resistance, at least for now. The Japanese had learned from previous invasions that they could not physically drive the Americans to the sea, so their new objective was to inflict as many losses as possible from a series of heavily defended points on the island. The lack of enemy presence was ominous, but the Marines began advancing shortly after landing and by April 4th all three regiments of the 1st Marine Division were on the eastern shore of Okinawa with their first objectives met. Shortly after however, it became increasingly difficult for the division to move further into the island as resistance heightened.
On April 30th, they relieved an army regiment and began attacking across the Asa River, but were repulsed again and again until changing tactics and driving towards Hill 60 and Nan Hill. Any sightings of Pfc Nielsen’s tanks were immediately met with enemy mortar fire, but both hills eventually fell by May 9th. Their next objective was Shuri Heights, including the infamous Wana Ridge. This proved to be a ridiculously costly and tedious advance. All through the 10th to 14th, the 1st Marines supported by the 1st Tank Battalion fought desperately for the ridge, even capturing it once, but were forced back due to relentless Japanese fire. The attack resumed on May 21st but initially met little success, until news came that Shuri Castle had been captured. Immediately, the 1st Marine Division bypassed Wana and relieved the 5th Marines to the south who had taken it, and entered the town by May 29th. Resistance had finally begun to crumble, but was not over yet.
As the Marines swept across the island, two specific fortified objectives lay in the path of Pfc Nielsen and the 1st Marine Division; Kunishi Ridge and Yuza Peak. The advance began in early June in coordination with their tanks, but in only two days on the ridge, 150 casualties were suffered by a single battalion. After Marine tanks and artillery destroyed the enemy’s will to fight, the area was finally captured, leading to the final pockets of resistance quickly crumbling, and on June 22nd, the island was declared secure after over three months of savage fighting. Pfc Nielsen’s battered 1st Tank Battalion remained at Okinawa for the mop up operations for the next few months, during which Japan announced their unconditional surrender, ending the war in the Pacific and World War Two as a whole on September 2nd, 1945. The ecstatic Marines barely had time to celebrate before they boarded LSV 6 twenty four days later and sailed for China as part of the occupation force. Arriving at Tiensen on October 6th, Pfc Nielsen and the 1st Marine Division began the process of repatriating enemy personnel and keeping order in the region, until he was transferred back to the United States on November 13th and discharged as a Corporal on December 21st, 1945.
Home
After returning to his wife Glade, they eventually moved to Glade, Idaho where Hal worked as a wholesale distributor at Chevron Oil beginning in 1951 until his retirement, when they moved to California. Glade and Hal had four sons and two daughters, all active members of the LDS Church. Additionally, Hal found a love for singing and became a member of the Downey Madrigal Choir and a men’s quartet. On February 15th, 1999, he sadly passed away from a long illness surrounded by his family.
On September 15th, the 1st Marine Division had arrived and began loading the LVTs with troops for the landings. For the past three days, naval bombardments presumably softened up the islands defenses and the division’s previous luck with their landings gave a sense of secureness to the Marines. They would soon be caught by surprise. As the first waves rushed towards the beaches, Japanese shells began to quickly take a toll on crafts, and resistance multiplied as they reached the beaches. Pfc Nielsen’s Company A made their way to the White Beaches with the 4th wave to support the 1st Marine Regiment battling it out in the area. Thankfully, naval mines had been cleared by demolition teams previously, but their slow pace caused all but one of Co A’s eighteen tanks to be hit with explosive shells before reaching the beach. However, only three were permanently knocked out of action and Pfc Nielsen immediately went to work clearing enemy gun emplacements.
Even with the help of the Sherman tanks, the Marines were locked in an eight hour, confusing and fierce fight and by the end of the day, only held their two mile landing zone. The rest of the invasion force fared better than the 1st Marines and Pfc Nielsen’s Company A, who were consistently battered by a heavily fortified Japanese position called “The Point.” However, nearly all elements were able to reach the outskirts of Peleliu’s crucial airfield by nightfall, and with the help of Pfc Nielsen’s tanks, linked up with the sole company that held “The Point” for thirty hours. On the second day, the advance was much more favorable, at least until they reached Hills 200 and 210. Immediately the 1st Marine Regiment and Company A attacked, with tanks, LVTs, and infantry falling left and right, and once past, had to fight up a series of ridges around Horseshoe Causeway. The next few days saw some of the hardest and costliest fighting of the campaign, with the 1st Marine Regiment suffering 70% casualties by September 20th, when they were relieved.
Pfc Nielsen’s 1st Tank Battalion’s job was not done however; they continued to support operations on Peleliu until the terrain physically did not allow them to help the infantry. No matter how many hits were sustained, there were never less than 18 tanks operational at the same time, a testament of their determination to the Marine infantry. As stated by the 1st Tank Battalion during their sixteen days of heavy combat, the “infantry rendered most faithful close-in protection to tanks regardless of frequently heavy casualties. This saved many badly needed tanks from destruction. Tank crews reciprocated by fighting tanks unbuttoned when necessitated by rain or other causes in an effort to match the indomitable spirit and sacrifice of the infantry.” While the majority of the battalion left Peleliu on October 1st, Pfc Nielsen boarded the USS Mormac Port on the 20th and returned to Pavuvu for some badly needed rest after the hell they had barely survived through. After gaining needed replacements, Pfc Nielsen was transferred to the Headquarters and Service Company of his battalion and resumed training. His MOS now became 022, a barber, and he acted as a messman while also preparing for the division’s next operation; Okinawa.
Okinawa
On February 27th, 1945, Pfc Nielsen left Pavuvu aboard LSD 7 and sailed for Guadalcanal to conduct amphibious landing exercises before continuing to Okinawa. American planes had bombed the island since October of the previous year, and a huge preliminary bombardment pounded the island before the assault waves landed at 8:30 AM, the 1st Tank Battalion following directly behind the 1st Marines at Blue and Yellow Beaches. To everyone’s surprise, they were met with virtually no resistance, at least for now. The Japanese had learned from previous invasions that they could not physically drive the Americans to the sea, so their new objective was to inflict as many losses as possible from a series of heavily defended points on the island. The lack of enemy presence was ominous, but the Marines began advancing shortly after landing and by April 4th all three regiments of the 1st Marine Division were on the eastern shore of Okinawa with their first objectives met. Shortly after however, it became increasingly difficult for the division to move further into the island as resistance heightened.
On April 30th, they relieved an army regiment and began attacking across the Asa River, but were repulsed again and again until changing tactics and driving towards Hill 60 and Nan Hill. Any sightings of Pfc Nielsen’s tanks were immediately met with enemy mortar fire, but both hills eventually fell by May 9th. Their next objective was Shuri Heights, including the infamous Wana Ridge. This proved to be a ridiculously costly and tedious advance. All through the 10th to 14th, the 1st Marines supported by the 1st Tank Battalion fought desperately for the ridge, even capturing it once, but were forced back due to relentless Japanese fire. The attack resumed on May 21st but initially met little success, until news came that Shuri Castle had been captured. Immediately, the 1st Marine Division bypassed Wana and relieved the 5th Marines to the south who had taken it, and entered the town by May 29th. Resistance had finally begun to crumble, but was not over yet.
As the Marines swept across the island, two specific fortified objectives lay in the path of Pfc Nielsen and the 1st Marine Division; Kunishi Ridge and Yuza Peak. The advance began in early June in coordination with their tanks, but in only two days on the ridge, 150 casualties were suffered by a single battalion. After Marine tanks and artillery destroyed the enemy’s will to fight, the area was finally captured, leading to the final pockets of resistance quickly crumbling, and on June 22nd, the island was declared secure after over three months of savage fighting. Pfc Nielsen’s battered 1st Tank Battalion remained at Okinawa for the mop up operations for the next few months, during which Japan announced their unconditional surrender, ending the war in the Pacific and World War Two as a whole on September 2nd, 1945. The ecstatic Marines barely had time to celebrate before they boarded LSV 6 twenty four days later and sailed for China as part of the occupation force. Arriving at Tiensen on October 6th, Pfc Nielsen and the 1st Marine Division began the process of repatriating enemy personnel and keeping order in the region, until he was transferred back to the United States on November 13th and discharged as a Corporal on December 21st, 1945.
Home
After returning to his wife Glade, they eventually moved to Glade, Idaho where Hal worked as a wholesale distributor at Chevron Oil beginning in 1951 until his retirement, when they moved to California. Glade and Hal had four sons and two daughters, all active members of the LDS Church. Additionally, Hal found a love for singing and became a member of the Downey Madrigal Choir and a men’s quartet. On February 15th, 1999, he sadly passed away from a long illness surrounded by his family.