The Sixth Marine Division

Born on the battle‑scarred shores of Guadalcanal in September 1944, the Sixth Marine Division assembled a mix of battle‑hardened veterans and raw newcomers. Its leaders—Major General Lemuel C. Shepherd and Brigadier General William T. Clement—brought wide‑ranging wartime experience, from the Pacific islands to London’s strategic planning rooms. The division’s structure reflected that diversity, stitching together seasoned regiments with freshly recruited battalions to create a force ready for the fierce island campaigns ahead.

The regiments that formed the backbone of the Sixth carried their own storied pasts. The Twenty‑second Marines had fought from Samoa to Eniwetok and played a key role in the Guam landing, while the Fourth Marines traced their lineage to the famed Raider battalions and earned their first combat baptism at Emirau before joining the Guam assault. Meanwhile, the Twenty‑ninth Marines arrived with a blend of combat veterans and green troops, already scarred by heavy losses on Saipan. Together, these units forged a new division poised to tackle the Pacific’s toughest battles.