The Old Breed is the name adopted by the 1st Marine Division during World War II. The name originally appeared in John W. Thomason’s description of Marines he fought with in France during WWI.*
In World War II, it was the first division sized amphibious striking force in the US Military.
“Old Breed General” is a literary nonfiction book about United States Marine General Rupertus who served in the Marine Corps from 1913-1945, and was a commanding officer of the Old Breed 1st Marine Division from March 1942 to November 1944.
Old Breed General is a story about how General Rupertus and the Marines faced multiple crises over many years yet overcame them through brains, grit and collaboration. It is also a sweeping body of historical work that reveals newfound insights – professional and personal-regarding the character of our grandfather, legendary Marine Corps Major General William H. Rupertus, and the military machinations behind pivotal battles in the Pacific.
*Alexander, Joseph A. “The ‘Old Breed’ Girds for Battle.” Naval History Magazine. Volume 24, Number 2. April 2010.
Who was General William H. “Bill” Rupertus?
Rupertus is most known for writing the “My Rifle The Creed of a United States Marine” (aka “The Rifleman’s Creed”), leading the First Marine Division in the Pacific in WWII, first as assistant division commander (ADC), then division commander, in the bloody battles of Tulagi, Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Talasea, and Peleliu. He was also the namesake of the USS Rupertus, DD851.
He was born November 19, 1889, in Washington, DC.
He died March 25, 1945, in Washington, DC at a dinner party of 1stMarDiv veterans at Col. Kilmartin’s house at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I.
My sisters and I never met our grandfather, or our grandmother Sleepy, his beautiful wife. She died in 1955 after a three-month battle with Leukemia.
Their son, our father Pat Rupertus, was sixteen at the time. He was at Landon School when she died. Then he went onto USNA (class of 1962), and became a USMC aviator who did two tours of Vietnam.
Gen. Rupertus’s parents were of German descent and came to America in the 1800s. They lived and worked in a thriving German American community in Washington, DC.
Sleepy’s parents were of Irish and English descent. Her mother’s family came to America in the 1600s. Her father, Patrick Hill, came from Ireland in the 1800s. He served in the US Navy for over thirty years. She had two sisters, Dixie and Josephine (who married naval officers), and a brother Owen, a graduate of USNA. They, and General Rupertus’s family, including our parents, are all buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC.
What is the one thing you want people to know about your book?
I went into this book to tell my grandfather’s story and get it down for family, history, and the USMC.
I found men and women faced unbelievable challenges they had to overcome to survive. Yet, their stories have been lost to time. And, in some cases, their medals are put up on E-bay.
Or, since our grandfather died in 1945, scuttlebutt, and years later oral histories, has led to inaccuracies which have been repeated over, and over.
But the one big thing? The build up to WWII mirrors what is happing today.
Why is this book relevant now?
This book is relevant because the Pacific is back in play.
China’s military and imperialism is growing as Japan’s was in the 1920s and 1930’s when Japan built their Navy and went on a conquest in China and the Pacific for land and raw materials.
In addition, China’s threats on Taiwan, expansion in the South China Sea, and across the South Pacific… is concerning.
Finally, our military is training in the Pacific on some of the same islands we fought over in WWII, including Peleliu.
We can use this historical knowledge to guide us in the present.
What was Rupertus’s military path?
His long military career began and ended in Washington, DC. He attended McKinley Tech High School, The Emerson Institute, and enlisted in the Washington DC National Guard, where he worked at the Naval Gunnery for three years, before leaving (as an officer) to become a cadet at the US Revenue Cutters School (Predecessor to the US Coast Guard Academy), where he graduated second in his class.
On November 14, 1913, he accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.
He was a member of the competitive Marine Corps Rifle Team who won a number of matches in 1913-1915.
He was on the USS Florida during WWI.
He was with the 1st Provisional Brigade in Haiti 1919-1923 were he was also Chief of the Gendarmerie d’ Haiti.
He had two tours of duty with the 4th Marines in China (Peking and Shanghai) as a commanding officer.
He was the commanding officer of the Marine Barracks in Sunnyvale, CA, Washington, DC., Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and San Diego.
After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, he was promoted to CO of the Marine Barracks, San Diego, where he wrote My Rifle the Creed of a US Marine.
In March 1942, he joined the First Marine Division as ADC (Assistant division commander) under General Vandegrift in New River, NC, to train the infantry to prepare for battle in the Pacific.
He led attacks on Tulagi (the first Allied victory in the Pacific, August 7-9, 1942) and Guadalcanal, and in July 1943 was promoted to division commander and led the Marines on Cape Gloucester, Talsea and Peleliu.
In November 1944, he returned to Quantico as commandant of the Marine Corps Schools.
On March 25, 1945, he died of a sudden heart attack at a party at the Marine Barracks Washington, DC at 8th and I.
He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on March 28, 1945.
Three months after he died, the USS Rupertus DD 851, was named in his honor.
Who was William H. Rupertus as a Leader?
Rupertus demonstrated leadership skills from a young age, was highly educated, and spoke over five languages. He had a laser focus on understanding and achieving the mission before him in all he did. This included an innate tenacity of purpose that got him through his health challenges, the loss of his entire first family, detente with the Japanese in China during the Battle of Shanghai, and victory in the battles in the Pacific.
What did not kill him made him stronger. He cared for many officers, including General Vandegrift, his staff and the enlisted men of the infantry. His focus may have made him appear tough, and insensitive. However, those who knew him saw his dedication, perseverance, smarts, humor, optimism, and humility.
Stories of hardship, challenges, and grit?
Diagnosis: After being told at age 23 that he would die by age 28 of Bright’s Disease (kidney failure), he lived another 32 years – and gave them to the Marine Corps.
WWI USS Florida: Marine Detachment at sea. Excelled with fire control batteries. Prepared to defend allies in Europe.
Haiti: In Haiti, 1913-1923, he managed the threat of the Cacos and trained Haitians for the Guarde D’ Haiti.
Peking: In 1930, he prevailed over the loss of his wife (Marguerite, age 38) and two children (Ann Rodney, age 4, and Will, Jr. age 14) to Scarlet Fever while he was with the 4th Marines at the Peking Legation in Peking, China.
Shanghai: Eight years later, Rupertus was back in China (this time Shanghai) with his second wife (our grandmother Sleepy) and oversaw the 1st Battalion, 4th Marines’ defense of the Shanghai International Settlement as the Japanese attacked, then took over Shanghai. An immensely challenging and dangerous situation. Rupertus managed the threat and made sure the Marines held their fire.
During WWII, 4 Major Battles. Rupertus and his echelon were first to meet the Japanese as the attack force in the Pacific on Tulagi. He participated in the bloody battles of Henderson Field and Koli Point on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu.
Cape Gloucester Terrain: He started an improvised air force of piper cubs to help get food and vital supplies to the Marines in the jungles of Cape Gloucester and Pavuvu.
Peleliu. Peleliu, one of the most brutal Pacific battles before Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Despite the Japanese change in strategy, the Americans prevailed.
Why was the Rifle Creed Written?
To save lives! And to encourage the 1000s of young men enlisting in the Marine Corps ready to fight the Japanese after the attack of December 7, 1941, to slow down and engage their hearts and minds around the rifle. He knew they would have to carry with them onto the beaches and jungles of the Pacific against a fierce enemy.
It was published March 14, 1942, in the Marine Corps San Diego Chevron.
It is significant today as Marines still are riflemen and riflewomen. It has been recited by Marines (and other military) at boot camp for years, and was in Full Metal Jacket, Call of Duty, and various other movies and videos.
What were his Awards and Honors?
Haitian Campaign Medal 1921
Marine Corps Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
China Service Medal
World War 1 Victory Medal with Grand Fleet
Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal
Navy Cross Tulagi, Solomon Islands
Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Peleliu
Army Distinguished Service Medal, Cape Gloucester, New Britain
American Defense Medal
American Campaign Medal
The Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal
The World War II Victory Medal
The Presidential Unit Citation
He also received the unique Faciat Georgius commemorative medal for service on Guadalcanal.
At six miles long and two miles wide, Peleliu had an estimated 10,000 Japanese troops and a vital airport and harbor. All of which threatened the Allied operation in the south Pacific and Philippines, only 500 amiles away.
General MacArthur wanted the Marines to attack the garrison at Peleliu to guard the Allies’ approach to the Philippines.
On March 12, 1944 a directive was given to Admiral Nimitz to speed up the plan to defeat Japan with specific plans to “Occupy the Marianas-Palau’s line.” Early steps, including pre-boming by March 30th were taken but it was not until May 10 that Nimitz accelerated it, naming it Operation Stalemate, and alerting the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to being immediate planning for allocation of troops for a planned D-day of September, 15, 1944.
After numerous hurdles and staff changes, the Joint Chief’s plan was copied and sent out to the commanders and staff in the Pacific by May 29.
General Rupertus sent his D-3 from the 1st Marine Division, Lt Col. L.J. Felds, to Pearl Harbor to participate in the planning with the Navy. They scrutinized the plan, islands and coordination of assault troops and supporting units.
By June 2, the JCS updated plan was made available to the 1st Marine Division and division ADC Brigadier General O.P Smith went to Guadalcanal to get the revised plan.
By July 7, there was another change. Due to transportation issues and troop commitments elsewhere, they tossed out some items and came up with a newer plan Admiral Nimitz renamed “Operation Stalemate II”.
The planners and Rupertus worked diligently for months, despite multiple changes, to implement a successful amphibious attack on the volcanic island surrounded by coral. Rupertus sent the plan to the Commander Western Attack Force for approval.
It would be a coordinated operation with the army’s 81s Infantry Division.
The 1st Marine Division was given the major task to take Peleliu and Ngesebus.
The 81st would take Angaur and Ulthili and support the Marines on Peleliu when their tasks were achieved.
The plan was approved. Training would commence so they could meet the September 15 D-day.
But in early September, as the Marines and task force was already underway, Admiral Halsey sent an alert to stop the attack as unnecessary, but General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz overruled it.
The planners were optimistic and thought it would be a quick mission, echoed by Gen. Rupertus, yet it turned out to be a tougher mission from the minute the Marines landed on the beach.
“A horrible place.”
The Japanese were deeply embedded in the island’s honeycombed caves, living in brilliantly fortified and connected tunnels, from which they put up fierce resistance.
Though the Marines secured the airport in the first four days, the battle to secure the entire island of Peleliu lasted for weeks and became a battle of attrition for the highly embedded and determined Japanese against the Marines and Army.
The highest number of casualties took place routing out the enemy. *
Marine/Navy casualties: 6526 KIA: 1,252
81st Infantry casualties: 3098 KIA: 404.
Japanese KIA: 10,600
*Gale, Gordon. 1992.”Bloody Beaches: The Marines at Peleliu.” WWII Commemorative Series.
Scuttlebutt -Is it true or false?
Click the statements below to see if they are right or wrong.
Rupertus stayed on the ship at Tulagi
False. It is inaccurate to say Gen. Rupertus stayed afloat during the Tulagi campaign and was not on the island (we know this intel from his diary, the excellent record of events, contact between him and Gen. Vandegrift, photos, Guadalcanal Diary Book, Marine and Australians memoirs, and condolence letters.). He was on the island!
Rupertus never was on Guadalcanal
False. Rupertus was on Guadalcanal many times and commanded the Battle of Henderson Field when Gen. Vandegrift was away in Noumea. Sick, so not in command? False. The entire campaign began on August 7, 1942 Rupertus did not get sick with Dengue until late October, got better, then was back on Guadalcanal for Koli Point action. Dengue came back. He recovered and remained on Guadalcanal with his staff until they left for Australia in January 1943.
Rupertus had no previous combat experience
True.
On actual war combat. Many officers had limited to no battle experience going into WWII. But, Rupertus was prepared for battle by his work on the USS Florida in WWI, as Chief of the Gendarmerie in Haiti (1919-1923), and as a commanding officer of the 4th Marines guarding the American sector of the Shanghai International Settlement (1937-1938), during the Battle of Shanghai.
Rupertus did not like subordinates
False. We know he did like his subordinates because of the advocating in his letters to General Vandegrift and the many condolence letters sent to our grandmother after he died.
Rupertus left the Marines on Pavuvu to be with MacArthur or his “new wife.”
False. Rupertus did not leave Pavuvu in May 1944 to go on vacation with Gen. MacArthur and then go see his new wife Sleepy and infant son Pat in Washington. He went to Washington with Col. Selden per General Vandegrift’s original request (to come back to report to HQ, do media tour and recruit) – three months earlier. But General MacArthur would not release Rupertus or the 1st Marine Division at that time in March 1944. When Rupertus did go back to Washington to work at the Marine Corps Headquarters, he was lucky to see Sleepy, his wife of seven years and his five-year-old son, Pat, because they lived in Washington. Rupertus and Selden returned to the Pacific in mid June, 1944.
Rupertus was stingy on decorations.
False… He wrote to Gen. Vandegrift about awards recommendations. And he wrote to our grandmother right after Peleliu, that he had to work on the awards and citations. He also gave commendations to those who fought at Peleliu including the Army, the Black Marines, and the Dog Platoon.
From what others said, the Marine Corps itself is stingy on awards.
Nobody liked Rupertus. He changed after the loss of his family.
False. He had plenty of friends and fun. Letters, photos, funeral, condolence letters, etc. = proof.
And, who would not change for a bit after losing one’s wife and children -and all he had been through?
Maybe he got more pensive. Maybe he looked for those he could trust.
Rupertus did not like the media.
(Which is why there were not many on Peleliu).
False. Rupertus loved the media and joked with them. According to General Deakin’s oral history, Admiral Forte did not want to carry them on the naval ships to Peleliu. And, according to General Silverthorn’s oral history, it was not that the media were told that Peleliu’s victory would be three days that they left – all the press followed General MacArthur to catch the story of his triumphant return to the Philippines!
*You can find these oral histories at the USMC Archives.
Rupertus did not like the Army.
False.
We have photos, letters and telegrams from Army officers including General Krueger and General MacArthur thanking Rupertus and the 1stMarDiv for their great work on Cape Gloucester, and hosting Eleanor Roosevelt in Australia. He liked the Army, but he was a Marine.
On Rupertus wanting the Army (or not on) Peleliu.
- We know he did like and appreciate the Army.
- Revert focus to preparing the Army? Should they bring in the Army who was deep in battle at Angaur?
- General Geiger, fresh off the Battle of Guam where there was heavy resistance, came in late to the planning. He must have known this could be an issue on Peleliu. He had overall command of the operation and wanted Rupertus to bring in the Army. Rupertus agreed to honor Geigers order. As soon as the Army was available, they came.
This Operation Stalemate was a battle for Peleliu, Anguar and Ulithi. The Marines were to attack Peleliu (September 15, 1944), and the Army would attack Anguar (September 17, 1944) and Uthili (September 21, 1944).
As General Geiger’s operations officer, Colonel William Wachtler said,
“It is probable that he [Rupertus] felt, like most Marines, that he and his troops could and would handle any task assigned to them without asking for outside help.”
The Battle of Peleliu started on September 15, 1944. The 81st Infantry’s battle for Angaur started on September 17.
Many authors and historians leave out how brutal it was on Anguar (September 17 -October 22, 1944). Though Angaur was declared secure on September 20, it was only when half the island was clear that the Army’s 81st’s 321 RCT was able to leave Angaur to reinforce the Marines on Peleliu. They arrived on Peleliu September 23, 1944. At this point, Chesty Pullers 1st Regiment could be relieved and began pulling out. The remaining 81st Infantry had to battle it out on Angaur and Ulithi until these islands caves were deemed totally cleared out. That would not be until October 22.
The remainder of the 81st was not available to reinforce the Marines until October 22.
Brigadier General Oliver P. Smith, assistant 1st Marine Division commander, said of the first week of fighting, “Seven days after the landing, all of the southern end of Peleliu was in our possession, as well as the high ground immediately dominating the airfield. All the beaches that were ever used were in use. There was room for the proper deployment of all the artillery, including the Corps’ artillery. Unloading was unhampered except by the weather and hydrographic conditions. The airfield was available and essential base development work was underway.”
Peleliu was declared secure by General Geiger on September 27 with a flag raising ceremony.
The bloody fight to clear the enemy from the caves would last another two months.
While Col. Chesty Puller’s 1st Marine regiment was relieved, the remainder of the 1st Marine division, the 321 RCT, and General Rupertus were still in the battle.
By October 14 the assault phase of the attack on Anguar was declared complete.
On October 20 the Army officially took over Peleliu so the the 1st Marine Division could be relieved.
At this time, the command was given over to the commander of the 81st Infantry Division, General Paul J. Miller.
On October 26, the 81st’s 323 RCT left Ulithi and joined the action on Peleliu to relieve the 321 RCT who had been on Peleliu with the Marines since September 23. The Army had the tough job of “mopping” up the remaining Japanese on Peleliu who refused to surrender. It would take another month.
Rupertus wrote a stellar letter of commendation for the 321st RCT who served with the Marines while he was on Peleliu.
Spread too thin. Indeed a paucity of resources.
After reviewing this battle for many years, in my opinion, trying to attack all three islands almost at once had its consequences in resources and reinforcements. Especially with General MacArthur landing in the Philippines with the army on October 20. There was no back up.
The Marines and army had to work together, doing the best they could, under these unbelievably extreme circumstances on Peleliu, Angaur and Ulithi. And they prevailed to victory against unreal odds and an extremely tenacious and embedded enemy.
It was a brutal battle on both sides with many lessons learned.
Marine/Navy casualties 6526 KIA: 1,252
81st Infantry Division: 3089 casualties. KIA: 404.
Over 10,600 Japanese were KIA on Peleliu, including the Japanese commander on Peleliu Col. Nakagawa, and General Murai.
*This data on the Army you can find in the Operation Report for the 81st Infantry titled “Operation on Peleliu Island.” November, 1944.
*The data on the Marines you can find on the USMC WWII 50th Anniversary Fact Sheet on the Battle of Peleliu. And, USMC Brigadier General Gordon D. Gayle’s “Bloody Beaches: The Marines at Peleliu.”
Rupertus said Peleliu would be tough by quick.
True.
He and the planners thought it would be like Tarawa -but on a larger scale. The night before D-day, he wrote to our grandmother Sleepy that the division had trained as much as possible. And he prayed they would not have more casualties than they planned.
It was a sizeable conventional assault they had used throughout the Pacific.
According to the Marine Corps, “Operation Stalemate II had become the Pacific’s largest amphibious operation thus far in WWII Pacific, involving more than 800 vessels and 1,600 aircraft.”*
However, what was thought to take a few days, turned into weeks. The Japanese were tasked to defend Peleliu at all costs, fighting from hidden caves and tunnels, and dragging the battle out in hopes of killing and injuring as many Americans as possible- on the beach and up close. The Japanese had changed their strategy. Our bombing campaign did little to stop them.
First Marine Division veteran of Peleliu, C. Everette Pope (who was awarded the Medal of Honor), said in an interview: “I knew nothing about Rupertus. He made a mistake with his prediction. But we all believed it would be relatively simple. Rupertus never had an opportunity to present his view on the operation, that I know of.”
Yes, he died in March 1945 while WWII was still raging.
As General O.P. Smith later said – “Not all of us thought it would go be as fast, but none of us had the forbearance to see it would last as long as it did.”
WWII Pacific veteran Woody Williams told me he and the Marines were told the battle for Iwo Jima would take only four days and that they would not even have to get off the ship. They were actually off that ship and in the battle on the first day.
Rupertus and the planners made mistakes in their predictions and may have been overly optimistic about the pre-battle naval gunfire. The navy had been strafing Peleliu since March 1944. Then, days before the Marines landed they again dropped bombs on Peleliu.
The naval commander said they had bombed all targets. Little did anyone know the Japanese were hidden deep within the island’s caves and tunnels – and had survived the bombing campaign.
Yet, when their best-laid plans change, they need to move on to focus on the mission, which they did.
Throughout the Pacific, the Japanese used the art of surprise. As was witnessed throughout the entire Pacific War, especially in Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
How can we learn from the past to avoid this surprise in the future?
Now that we find our Marines back in the Pacific and on Peleliu in 2024?