page_title: Harold E. Rosecrans
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Harold E. Rosecrans / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: General Douglas MacArthur reviews plans for landing on Cape Gloucester. Captain Richmond "Dick" Kelsey, responsible for making the relief map, is on far left. Colonel Amor Sims, on right.
context_page_description: Harold Ellett Rosecrans was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general, who commanded 2nd Battalion 5th Marines during the during the assault on Tulagi Island. He later commanded 17th Marine Regiment during Battle of Cape Gloucester.
context_section_description: Following the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, Rosecrans was transferred to 5th Marine Regiment located in New River, North Carolina, in March 1942 and succeeded Lieutenant Colonel William J. Whaling as commanding officer of 2nd Battalion on March 28. The 5th Marine Regiment sailed to South Pacific aboard transport ship USS Wakefield and reached Wellington, New Zealand, in June 1942. Rosecrans was already promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in January 1942.
  At the beginning of August 1942, Rosecrans received orders to capture the Tulagi Island held by Japanese Forces. The 2nd Battalion landed on the morning of August 7 behind the 1st Marine Raider Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edson, and Rosecrans and his men subsequently repealed several Japanese attacks with the nightfall. In the evening of August 8, the Tulagi operation was declared successful, with 347 Japanese killed in action and another 3 surrendered. Marines from 2/5th Marines and 1st Raider Battalion lost 45 men. Rosecrans was subsequently decorated with the Silver Star for his leadership during the operation.
  Rosecrans and his battalion left Tulagi on August 21 and rejoined the rest of 5th Marine Regiment at Guadalcanal. However, his unit was kept in reserve at Henderson Field. On 11 September 1942, Rosecrans was wounded by enemy air attack and sent to the rear for treatment. He handed temporary command to Captain Joseph J. Dudkowski, before Lieutenant Colonel Walter A. Reaves was appointed the battalion's commanding officer.
  Upon his recovery, Rosecrans was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed quartermaster of I Marine Amphibious Corps under Major General Clayton Barney Vogel for a brief period before he was ordered to take command of newly activated 17th Marine Regiment (Engineer) on January 21, 1943. He led this regiment during the Battle of Cape Gloucester and was relieved by Colonel Francis I. Fenton on February 19, 1944.
  He was subsequently ordered back to the United States and assigned to Marine Corps Base Quantico, where he was appointed director of the Marine Corps Command & Staff School. Rosecrans remained in this capacity until November 1944, when he was transferred back to the Pacific and appointed commanding officer of the 7th Field Depot within III Marine Amphibious Corps. Rosecrans' unit was redesignated 7th Service Regiment, and he sailed with that unit to Okinawa in June 1945. His regiment consisted of engineer company, signal company, military police company, ordnance company, supply company, transport company and several Marine ammo companies. For his service on Okinawa, Rosecrans was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V".
caption: Rosecrans (first from right) looks on General Douglas MacArthur studying a map of Cape Gloucester.
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