A wounded US Marine is given a drink of water from the canteen of a buddy while he waits for the stretcher bearers to come for him. The US Marines fought the enemy in tough conditions in Peleliu Island.

A wounded US Marine is given a drink of water from the canteen of a buddy while he waits for the stretcher bearers to come for him. The US Marines fought the enemy in tough conditions in Peleliu Island.

 September 16 1944.  On September 15, 1944, US 1st Marine Division landed on Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands of the western Pacific. .  

The Battle of Peleliu resulted in the highest casualty rate of any amphibious assault in American military history: Of the approximately 28,000 Marines and infantry troops involved, a full 40 percent of the Marines and soldiers that fought for the island died or were wounded, for a total of some 9,800 men.

In the United States, this was a controversial battle because of the island's questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate, which exceeded that of all other amphibious operations during the Pacific War. 

The National Museum of the Marine Corps called it "the bitterest battle of the war for the Marines".

Although it was proven in hindsight to have been strategically unnecessary, the invasion of Peleliu and the high rate of casualties are widely considered a mistake mostly because of the leadership of Major General William Rupertus, who confidently predicted he would secure the island in three or four days.