Guadalcanal
The 132nd Infantry attacks at 0630. The 3rd Battalion advances in line from Hill 31 for a short distance into the jungle. Company I on the left meets heavy fire. At 1400 the battalion establishes positions just south of the tree line on Hill 31. The casualties for the day include 4 killed and 18 wounded. 15 Japanese are killed. The 1st Battalion moves in column to the southwest out of the ravine between Hills 29 and 30 at the same time 3rd Battalion begins its attack. C Company in the lead is hit by fire from Japanese patrols. A Company moves south and east to bypass the Japanese and then turns southwest again followed by B Company. By 1000 A Company has reached a point just east of the Gifu's eastern bulge. Before the day's end, C Company has cleared out the enemy in its front and rejoins the main body of the battalion. The 1st Battalion digs in on a line east of the Gifu, its left flank near Hill 27, but a 200-yard gap remains between the 1st and 3rd Battalions. Casualties for the 1st Battalion's action include 2 killed and 4 wounded while killing 25 Japanese.
At 0630 The 2nd Battalion moves out to attack in line of companies, each company in single file. They begin to climb up the southeast slopes about 0730, deploying as the terrain permits. E Company is on the left and F Company on the right, while G and H are in reserve. The leading troops reach the summit a little after 0900, and by 1130 all assault troops reach the top without firing a shot. A Japanese 3-inch mountain howitzer is discovered in the open and the crew are all killed before they can deploy. The 2nd Battalion begins organizing a defense on Hill 27. Before foxholes and machine-gun emplacements are completed, the Japanese attempt to recapture the hill using mortars, grenade dischargers, machine guns, rifles and some artillery. In about 40 minutes the 2nd Battalion suffers 8 men killed and 70 wounded, but still hold the hill against 6 successive attacks by the Japanese during the afternoon. In late afternoon the 2nd Battalion moves back off the exposed crest and digs in for the night on the reverse slope. Heavy artillery concentrations on the enemy's positions keep him from getting close enough to the 2nd Battalion to break its lines. By dawn the last enemy soldier had been killed or driven off.
|