The Japanese soldiers desperately tried to stop the advancing American troops on the beach road on Peleliu Island, and counterattacked with field artillery and 77mm field guns. The Japanese soldiers were killed and fell by the American troops. The bodies of the field artillerymen were scattered around the collapsed 77mm field gun.

　　The Japanese soldiers desperately tried to stop the advancing American troops on the beach road on Peleliu Island, and counterattacked with field artillery and 77mm field guns. The Japanese soldiers were killed and fell by the American troops. The bodies of the field artillerymen were scattered around the collapsed 77mm field guns.The killing each other between friend and foe resumed. The American army, despite suffering many casualties, had succeeded in landing about one regiment at the southwest end of the airfield in this second forced landing. By the evening, they had further expanded their position and advanced to the southeast end of the airfield with tanks. The Japanese army's resistance was fierce.

　　From the night of the 16th to the 17th, the second day of the landing on Peleliu Island, the American forces had almost taken control of the southern part of the island, including the airfield. The losses on both sides were heavy, and the flow of casualties did not stop. After the Americans had established a beachhead, the Japanese army's losses began to rise sharply. Judging that the situation was unfavorable, at 4:30pm on September 16th the Japanese army was ordered to carry out the “First Counterattack Plan”. A suicide squad was formed from the First Battalion, which was on standby as a unit directly under the Second Regiment headquarters. The counterattack began with the second battalion's reserve unit, which had been engaged in fierce fighting since the morning in the coastal positions, and the division tank corps, the only mechanized unit of the Japanese soldiers defending Peleliu.

　　The ground battle was rough, and the US forces suffered many casualties in their attack on the Umbrugol Ridge. Despite the difficult situation and the high rate of attrition among the Marines, they were reluctant to accept reinforcements from the US forces. Part of the 81st Infantry Division, which was also assigned to Stalemate II, was deployed in the landing operation on the neighboring island of Angar on September 17. The tactical advantage on Peleliu had waned. The Japanese forces in the northern part of Peleliu, which received sporadic reinforcements from northern Palau, were gradually reduced and casualties increased as the line of defense in the Umurbrogol massif was surrounded by the Marines.

　　In the Battle of Peleliu, the number of American casualties rose to 1,544 dead and 6,843 wounded. The 7th Marine Regiment suffered 46% of the casualties, compared to the 749 casualties suffered by the 7th Infantry Regiment. By today's standards of combat effectiveness, it would be considered “unfit for combat”. Although nearly 11,000 Japanese soldiers were killed in action, only 301 of the Japanese troops on Peleliu Island were taken prisoner.