These three African American Amphibious Truck (DUKW) Companies were assigned to the 4th and 5th Marines along with 18 other Army support units. They participated in D day on Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945. In the Iwo Jima landings, beginning on 19 February 1945, the 442d and 592d Port Companies and the 471st, 473d, and 476th Amphibian Truck Companies were assigned to the Garrison Force but attached to the V Amphibious Corps (Marine) for the assault. One port company remained attached to corps; the other went to the 5th Marine Division. One Dukw company was attached to the 13th Marine Regiment, one remained attached to corps, and the third was attached to the 4th Marine Division with the primary mission of hauling ammunition and cargo for the 14th Marine Regiment and evacuating casualties from the beaches. The Dukw companies, carrying ammunition and supplies between ship and shore and returning to ships with wounded from the beaches, were given full credit by the Marine Corps for their work in the Iwo Jima landing. (http://old.quartermasterfoundation.org/black_service_units_in_combat.htm)
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From the book “The Exclusion of Black Soldiers from the Medal of Honor in World War II” by Elliott V. Converse, et al., (1997) we find the following:
A description of the action as Pvt. Maurice A. Paris, one of the 476th truck drivers, as he headed his DUKW toward shore shortly after nightfall on the second day:
“Getting on the beach was far from easy. I circled a couple of times, then started in, gritting my teeth. A string of mortar shells increased my temperature when they landed about 20 feet in front of my Duck. I kept going. All during the time I was working, the Japs kept dropping mortar and machine-gun fire all around. I figured the sands of time had just about run out for me. Sure enough, just as soon as I got the last 105mm gun unloaded, a mortar shell scored a direct hit at the stern, and knocked out my Duck. The next day found me dodging shells in another Duck. You see the stuff had to be landed.”
“In addition to five silver stars, the men of the 476th earned 17 bronze stars (including one to Private Maurice A. Paris). During the Iwo Jima invasion, two of the 476th’s soldiers were killed, six wounded, and three injured. The unit also lost 29 of its 48 DUKWs to enemy fire and rough surf.”
“In the four days from 19 to 22 February 1945, the courageous soldiers from the 471st, 473rd, and 476th Amphibian Truck Companies won 19 Silver Stars (14 to black enlisted men, some posthumously) at Iwo Jima.” Among them was T/5 Tommie L. Holloway, 471st ATC, who “landed his DUKW under heavy mortar fire and loaded with a howitzer, gun crew, and ammunition, on one of the Iwo Jima beaches. While he was driving his vehicle to an artillery battery to be unloaded, sniper fire pierced his windshield. After delivering the cargo, he found the road back to the beach jammed; he and his assistant driver had to dig in. When an officer asked Holloway to carry small-arms ammunition to some Marine infantry, he responded immediately. As Holloway attempted to reach their position, the driver’s compartment of his truck was hit several times by machine-gun fire from an enemy pillbox, and he was forced to take cover again. Holloway waited for dark, delivered the ammunition to the Marines, and returned to the breach. At dawn, he attempted to get back out to the ammunition ship, but his DUKW was in such bad shape that he had to return to shore. There he patched the bullet holes with sticks and rags. The repair job worked, and for two more days, Technician Fifth Grade Holloway made many trips back and forth until the ammunition ship was unloaded. All the while, he ignored both enemy fire and the fact that his DUKQ was becoming less seaworthy with each successive trip.”
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The University of South Carolina’s Digital Collection includes the following two reels of live footage of Iwo Jima’s D-Day, which includes footage of the 473rd Amphibious Truck Company. Title: USMC 100385: Assault on Iwo Jima, Compilation (reels 1 and 2). A compilation of censored films from Cpl. A.S. Tracy; Sgt. William F. Genaust and Sgt. Louis L. Louft documenting the transport to and assault on Iwo Jima. Genaust and Tracy show scenes from D-Day through 21st of fighting along Red and Yellow Beaches. Of note is the movement ashore of G Battery (13th Marines), featuring the gun crew for “”Glamour Gal””. Crew members are: Cpt. James S. McDermott; Sgt. Joseph L. Pipes; Cpl. William G. Smith; Pfc. Richard J. Samulevich; Pfc. Norman B. Jefferson (Native American); Pfc. Fermin A. Martinez; Pfc. Thomas D. Hanby; Pfc. Thomas O. Bratcher; Pfc. William G. Kuhn; Pfc. Chris Behnke; Pfc. Everett J. Reynolds. DUKWs from the 473rd Amphibious Truck Company provide transport for the batteries.
https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/MarineCorps/id/2258/
https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/MarineCorps/id/2259/
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They and their fellow Army units were highly decorated for their actions and bravery on Iwo Jima. Their citation read as follows:
“For outstanding heroism in support of Military Operations during the seizure of enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, February 19 to 28, 1945. Landing against resistance which rapidly increased in fury as the Japanese pounded the beaches with artillery, rocket and mortar fire, the Support Units of the Fifth Amphibious Corps surmounted the obstacles of chaotic disorganization, loss of equipment, supplies and key personnel to develop and maintain a continuous link between thousands of assault troops and supply ships. Resourceful and daring whether fighting in the front line of combat, or serving in rear areas or on the wreck-obstructed beaches, they were responsible for the administration of operations and personnel; they rendered effective fire support where Japanese pressure was greatest; they constructed roads and facilities and maintained communications under the most difficult and discouraging conditions of weather and rugged terrain; they salvaged vital supplies from craft lying crippled in the surf or broached on the beaches; and they ministered to the wounded under fire and provided prompt evacuation to hospital ships. By their individual initiative and heroism and their ingenious teamwork, they provided the unfailing support vital to the conquest of Iwo Jima, a powerful defense of the Japanese Empire.”
History of the 476th:
On 5 July 1944, the 43rd Amphibian Truck Battalion was activated at Camp Gordon Johnston. The 471st and 473rd Amphibious Truck Companies trained alongside the 476th in the use of the amphibious truck known as the DUKW, using the bay and sandy beaches to practice operating, loading and unloading these truly amphibious vehicles.
On October 21, 1944, the entire battalion departed Camp Gordon Johnston and traveled by train to Ft. Lawton in Seattle Washington, arriving on October 26. On October 29, they boarded Sea Partridge, a cargo and passenger ship, for the voyage to Oahu, and arrived on November 5. In Hawai’i the companies trained with the Marines in preparation for the invasion of Iwo Jima, which of course was a closely held secret. By January 1945, the company consisted of one captain, three first lieutenants, two second Lieutenants and 177 enlisted soldiers. Various transfers in and out of the company and promotions of officers occurred throughout the history of this company.
On February 4, 1945, the battalion departed Hawai’i with the Marines in transport ships and arrived in Eniwetok on February 14. Along the way they practiced landings on small islands. They left Saipan on February 17, and the invasion of Iwo Jima began on February 19. The battle lasted until early March, and for weeks the American dealt with the remaining Japanese that were willing to fight to the death rather than surrender. The famous flag raising on Mt. Suribachi occurred on February 23, the first B-29 landed on the repaired airfield on March 5, and by March 6 Fighter planes were arriving. By April 30 the 43rd Battalion had brought in 20,175 tons of supplies. Many of the 476th would remain on Iwo Jima until the spring of 1946.
The 471st, 473d, and 476th Amphibian Truck Companies and two Marine DUKW units were attached to the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and the 1st Field Artillery Group (Provisional). Their initial assignment on Iwo Jima D Day, 19 February 1945, was to land the artillery. The DUKW’s, preloaded with artillery and supplies, were launched from the tank decks of LST’s and set out on their scheduled runs to the beaches. Initial landings were severely handicapped by enemy fire and heavy surf. All of the DUKW’s experienced difficulty in beaching without aid from tractors or vehicles with winches. The front wheels of the DUKW’s were not capable of pulling them forward when they hit the steep beach. If a vehicle with sufficient power was not available, the DUKW’s overturned and were pounded by the surf. Several DUKW’s had been overloaded against the advice of the DUKW company officers and sank almost immediately upon leaving the LST’s, while others were swamped when lack of fuel or mechanical breakdown caused motors to fail. Despite the adverse conditions, most of the artillery was landed successfully. After emplacing the artillery, the DUKW’s hauled ammunition and other high-priority supplies from ship to shore and evacuated casualties. Continuous operation under rugged conditions resulted in heavy losses of equipment. On 1 March 1945 the hundred DUKW’s that were still seaworthy were pooled under the command of the V Amphibious Corps and used to unload urgently needed ammunition. On11 March the three Army DUKW companies and another, the 475th, which had arrived in the early support shipping, were transferred from Marine Corps control to the Army garrison force. Despite the fact that 133 DUKW’s, over half of those employed, were lost in the course of the campaign, the DUKW units were reported to be the most reliable and rapid means of bringing critical supplies and ammunition from ship to shore or to gun positions, and aiding the wounded was considered invaluable. “The Transportation Corps: Overseas Operations,” by Joseph Bykofsky and Harold Larson (1990).
Officers at the time of the Iwo Jima Campaign:
Capt. Jules Blaustein, O1575761 Commanding Officer
1Lt Andrew I. Meditz, Jr. O-1946571 Platoon Officer
1Lt. John B. Green, O-1535465 Platoon Leader
1Lt. Gilbert M. Hooker, O-251953 Motor Officer
1Lt. Louis M. Cohen, O-1945556 Executive Officer
1Lt. John F. Williams, O-1946639 Platoon Leader
The Enlisted Men and Officers earned 5 Silver Stars and 17 Bronze Stars
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471st:
| Service ID | 32953055 |
| Name | Jack J Williams |
| From | Essex County, New Jersey |
| Casualty Date | October 25, 1944 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Group | 471st Amphibious Truck Company |
| Casualty Type | Missing in action |
| Burial | Courts of the Missing, Court 5 Honolulu Memorial National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Notable Awards | ★ Purple Heart |
Just added June 15 2022:
Learn more about these three companies https://history.army.mil/html/topics/afam/476th_ATC/index.html
If you have additions or corrections please contact us at archivist@campgordonjohnston.com