UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAMS AND THE GEOMORPHOLOGICAL AND ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF A WORLD WAR II AMPHIBIOUS LANDING ON A CORAL REEF IN THE PACIFIC

Abstract

Human conflict can alter the geomorphological characteristics of landscape. These traces of war are cultural heritage, and in some cases, may be the last physical manifestations of war. As such, they can offer important insights into human actions and their consequences. In a bitterly contested action during World War II, United States Marines landed on the western beaches of Peleliu on 15 September 1944. The violence associated with this landing altered reef geomorphology. Explosions from artillery shells, mines, and bombs, all contributed to changing the offshore reef structure. In particular, Underwater Demolition Teams used explosives on the reef's edge to remove obstacles for landing craft. Traces of this Underwater Demolition Teams activity may still be evident in the form of craters on the reef. Archaeogeomorphology is the field of study concerned with anthropogenic changes to landscape. Anthropogenic changes in geomorphology may disturb the ecology of a coral reef by altering environmental conditions, which in turn affect coral species composition. Through a comparison of disturbed and non-disturbed areas, this thesis examines the archaeogeomorphological and ecological effects of a World War II amphibious invasion on the coral reefs of Peleliu in the Republic of Palau. Additionally, ecological effects are placed within a warfare ecology framework. Finally, this thesis provides a historical analysis of Underwater Demolition Teams, with a particular focus on their actions at Peleliu within the context of a Key terrain, Observation and Fields of fire, Cover and concealment, Obstacles, and Avenues of approach and withdrawal analysis (KOCOA).