MATTISON-ALDEN

MAKIN  ISLAND  RAIDER  BECAME  WAR  CRIME  VICTIM

One of the first American offensive ground combat operations of World War II occurred on 17-18 August 1942, a Marine attack on Japanese forces on Makin Island in the Pacific.  The aim was to destroy installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence and divert Japanese attention from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.  The force was drawn from the Second Raider Battalion and the plan was for the group, totaling 221 Marines, to embark aboard the submarines USS ARGONAUT and USS NAUTILUS and land from rubber boats powered by small 6hp outboard motors. Once in the objective area things began to go wrong as the submarines surfaced to discover rain, high winds and huge stormy seas.  Despite the storm conditions a landing was ordered and shortly after midnight the raiders began their journey ashore.  Shortly after 5AM the first group reached the beach in spite of the rough seas and the failure of many of the outboard motors.  During the landing much ammunition and equipment was lost and due to communications difficulties a group of 13 Marines inadvertently landed behind enemy lines.  While the main raider force awaited the signal to advance an accidental burst of gun fire alerted the Japanese and eliminated any hope of surprise.  At 7AM the main group of raiders advanced from the beach and met strong resistance from Japanese snipers and machine guns which stalled the advance and inflicted casualties.  The Japanese then launched two banzai charges that were wiped out by the raiders, killing most of the Japanese on the island, a fact unknown to the raiders.  In the early afternoon twelve Japanese planes arrived, including two flying boats carrying reinforcements.  As they attempted to land in the lagoon they were destroyed by gun fire from the raiders.  The remaining planes bombed and strafed but inflicted no US casualties.  During the day the natives on the island willingly assisted the Marines, carried ammunition and provided intelligence which suggested that enemy reinforcements had come ashore.

At 7:30PM the raiders began their planned withdraw using 18 rubber boats, many of which no longer had working outboard motors.  Despite the very heavy surf seven boats with 93 men made it back to the waiting submarines.  At 11:30 PM an attempt by another group of raiders failed to reach the submarines.  Having lost most of their weapons and equipment, exhausted survivors struggled back to the beach to link with 20 armed men who had been left on the island to cover their withdrawal.  The following morning several boatloads of raiders were able to fight the surf and reach the sub but 72 men with just three rubber boats were still on the island.  On the morning of August 18 a rescue boat left the subs to stretch a rope ashore so the remaining raiders’ boats could be pulled out to sea but just as the operation began Japanese planes attacked sinking the rescue boat and forcing the subs to crash dive.  Late that night raiders still on shore managed to signal the subs to meet them at the lagoon entrance and a raft of three rubber boats lashed to two native canoes and powered by two remaining outboard motors managed to bring exhausted raiders 4-miles to the mouth of the lagoon where they were able to board the subs.  Due to conditions the Marines were unable to evacuate the bodies of their fallen comrades so natives were paid to bury them in a hidden common grave.  Believing all the raiders had departed the island the group returned to Pearl Harbor where it was established that Marine casualties were 18 killed and 12 missing in action.  Only after the war would the Marine Corp discover that in the disorganized confusion of battle nine of the missing Marines had been left alive on the island.  With the assistance of natives the group evaded capture for a time but was finally captured.

Little information has been preserved concerning Private Alden C. Mattison who is one of the 12 raiders who were initially listed as missing in action.  His movements during the battle remain a mystery and the details of how and when he joined the other eight raiders are unknown.  It is clear, however, that when captured the nine were all together.  It has been recorded that the group managed to stay concealed on Makin Island for a few days and then the group made it over to Little Makin Island where they spoke with an elderly French priest who gave them his outrigger canoe for escape.  According to the priest, fearing the men might not make it back to Hawaii, he gave supreme unction to the four Catholics and he saw them shove off in the canoe.  He advised that a short time later he witnessed a Japanese ship intercept the canoe and capture the men a few miles offshore.  According to translated Japanese documents the group was captured on August 24, on August 30 they were transferred to a ship and arrived on Kwajalein on September 2.  After the war the Japanese claimed the captured marines received satisfactory care at the hands of their captors on Makin Island and humane treatment continued after they were moved to Kwajalein.  This has been disputed by Kwajalein natives who reported the marines were subjected to harsh and cruel treatment.  In early October a Japanese Vice Admiral advised there was no need to send the prisoners to Tokyo and a staff officer from a higher headquarters advised that a recently established policy permitted the disposal of the men as was seen fit.  Accordingly, the Vice Admiral ordered the prisoners beheaded.  On October 16 the captives held no hopes for pardon or rescue as they walked blindfolded, one by one, to the edge of a pit dug for the purpose, and placed in a kneeling position each was beheaded using swords, according to Japanese naval tradition.  A prayer for the souls of the departed was reportedly offered, a woven fiber mat was placed over the bodies and the pit filled in.  From testimony of a native who witnessed the execution and others, the Vice Admiral was tried after the war in a war crimes court and was convicted of atrocities for which he was hanged at Guam.  The body of Private Mattison has never been recovered.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)