Guadalcanal
The artillery barrage begins at 0550 carried out by 6 field artillery battalions: the 8th, 64th, 89th and 90th of the 25th Division, the 2nd Battalion, 10th Marines and the 221st from the Americal Division. At 0620 when the artillery has ceased, aircraft from the 2nd Marine Air Wing strikes at positions on the reverse slopes. After the bombardment, F Company, 8th Marines, moves to the southwest corner of Hill 66 to be in position to tie the 2nd Marine Division's left flank to the point where the 25th Division's right flank will be upon reaching its objective. B Company, of Col Jurney's battalion, leaves Hill 66 to seize the water hole. F Company, 8th Marines, and B Company join their flanks and secure the 1st Battalion's right flank. With flanks secure the 1st Battalion moves off Hill 66 in column of companies with A Company leading followed by C and D. The artillery bombardment prevented any vigorous enemy resistance and only 3 machine guns fire at the 1st Battalion. By 1140 the entire battalion has reached its objective on Hill 57. They organize their positions on Hill 57 and fire in support of the 3rd Battalion's advance against Hill 52.
Lt-Col George E. Bush, the 3rd Battalion Commanding Officer, planned to move south from Hill 55 to take Hills 50 and 51, then to attack west to seize Hills 52 and 53. Since Hill 52 was too formidable to be taken by a frontal assault, he hoped to take it by a double envelopment from the south and north. L Company is on the left (south) and I on the right (north) with K in battalion reserve. A machine gun platoon from M Company is added to each assault company. 2 37-mm guns from the Antitank Platoon of the Battalion Headquarters Company, plus M Company's 81-mm mortar platoon, are to constitute the base of fire on Hill 54, which is also the site of the battalion's Command Post.
The 3rd Battalion leaves its assembly area at 0300. By 0610 the battalion has climbed Hill 55 and reached its line of departure on the north slopes. At 0635 the battalion moves southward to deploy for the attack. L Company captures Hill 51 without opposition and establishes a base of fire there. Capt Oliver A. Roholt, the company commander, sends the 1st Platoon to attack the southeast corner of Hill 52. By 0700 the platoon is halfway up the east slope. Near the crest Japanese machine-gun and mortar fire from their front and left force them to halt. Instead of attacking the flank of the enemy, the platoon has actually attacked along the front of the enemy line exposing its own left flank to the enemy. Col Bush had planned to call artillery support to neutralize the crest but L Company had moved too rapidly. Artillery can not fire without endangering the 1st Platoon. Capt Roholt orders the platoon to withdraw 100 yds to the east to enable him to cover the whole crest with mortar fire. The platoon withdraws all the way back to Hill 51 having the '100 yards' part of the message missing when seen by Capt Roholt. L Company can not renew the assault on Hill 52 but continues to fire at the crest. The terrain created difficulties of control and communication which make a deep southern envelopment impracticable. This discovery causes the regimental commander to abandon the idea of envelopment from the south.
At 0635 I Company, under Capt H. H. Johnson, Jr, moves off Hill 54 in the northern envelopment attempt and advances along the edge of the woods north of the Horse. They receive enemy fire from two directions: machine guns and mortars on Hill 52 on the left and rifle fire from woods on the right. A platoon is deployed to cover the right flank. A base of fire is established on a small ridge about 200 yards southwest of Hill 54 and they prepare to attack Hill 52. While mortars and antitank guns strike Hill 52, I Company assaults uphill. Enemy machine guns and mortars stop them 200 yards short of the objective. The attempted double envelopment has failed on both flanks.
At 0930 Capt Johnson requests help. Col Bush decides to commit K Company, but shifts the attack to the north to envelop Hill 52 from the northeast and north. Capt Ben F. Ferguson, K Company commander, is ordered to advance west beyond I Company to make a deeper envelopment. Slowed by rifle and machine-gun fire, K Company covers the 900 yards between its reserve positions on Hill 54 and the north slopes of Hill 52 by 1300. While on this movement, heavy weapons on Hill 54 and L Company's 60-mm mortars on Hill 51 continue to fire on Hill 52.
Col Bush's final plan for the capture of the hill calls for another envelopment. The holding force, I Company, is to attack from the northeast while K Company, with 1 rifle platoon from L Company and a machine gun platoon from M Company attached, envelops the position from the north. L Company, holding Hill 51 with 1 platoon is in reserve. The attack is to be supported by all guns available. The assault companies are in position waiting for pre-assault artillery barrage. About the same time between 1430 and 1500 planes bomb Hill 52 successfully. After the bombing the artillery put a 20-minute concentration on Hill 52. Under cover of 37-mm and mortar fire the attack is launched. K Company resumes its position on the north slopes of Hill 52. A platoon from L Company covers the gap between K and I Companies. The soldiers crawl close to the crest under cover of supporting fire, then with bayonets fixed rush and capture it. By 1635 the 3rd Battalion has cleaned out the enemy's positions on the western slopes, captured 6 machine guns which had survived the bombardment, killed 30 Japanese, and secured the hill. A cordon defense on Hill 52 is organized for the night.
The results of the 25th Division's first day of combat: 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, has reached the division objective in its zone. The 3rd Battalion, meeting heavier resistance, has advanced 1,600 yards toward its objective and captured Hills 50, 51 and 52. Over half the Galloping Horse is in American hands. Col Mitchell's 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry, in regimental reserve, occupies the Hill 50-51 area and establishes contact with the 3rd Battalion, 27th Infantry, and the 3rd Battalion, 182nd Infantry on the Matanikau. It has been unnecessary to commit the division reserve, the 161st Infantry.
During the night 8 Japanese destroyers attempt to bring supplies. 1 is damaged by PT boats.
The task of the 35th Infantry is to relieve the 132nd Infantry at the Gifu, capture the Sea Horse, cover the Corps' left flank, and push west to seize and hold the objective in its zone, a line south of the head of the Galloping Horse about 3,000 yards west of Mount Austen. For the operation, the 3rd Battalion, 182nd Infantry, under Lt-Col Roy F. Goggin, and the 25th Division's Cavalry Reconnaissance Troops are attached to the 35th Infantry. Col Robert B. McClure, Commnding Officer of the 35th, orders the 2nd Battalion and the Reconnaissance Troops to relieve the 132nd at the Gifu, press that strong point and keep in touch with Col Goggin's battalion on the right. The 3rd Battalion, under Lt-Col William J. Mullen, Jr, is to advance southwest of Hill 27 (south of the Gifu on Mount Austen), then swing north to seize Hills 43 and 44. Lt-Col James B. Leer's 1st Battalion is initially the regimental reserve. The 3rd Battalion, 182nd Infantry, is to protect the 25th Division's artillery positions on the open ground north of Mount Austen and east of the Matanikau by advancing south from Hill 65 to block the river gorge and the ravine between Hill 31 and 42 against Japanese infiltration. The battalion is to maintain contact with the 27th and 35th Regiments on either flank.
The 3rd Battalion begins its envelopment at 0635. Fearing that the enemy might have observed his troops, Lt-Col William J. Mullen keeps I Company, the battalion reserve, spread over the bivouac area to deceive Japanese while the assault companies, K and L, form in the dense woods prior to attacking. At 0800 K and L Companies are ready to move. Advancing in column of companies, the battalion then turns north toward the Sea Horse. K Company, in the lead, cuts a trail about 1,000 yards that leads down to low ground along a branch of the Matanikau. At noon it reaches a small knoll about 700 yards southeast of Hill 43. It is on ground dominated by ridges and bluffs on all sides. The battalion has turned northward too soon and is now southeast instead of southwest of hill 43. They have to advance farther west before they could envelop the south flank of the Sea Horse. At 1300, as artillery fire is placed on the Sea Horse requested by the 35th Infantry. K Company advances over the west trail, and L Company follows an old trail on K's left. I Company, having been relieved by the 1st Battalion, is to follow the assault company on the best route. Col Mullen is hoping his battalion can reach the greater security of high ground before dark. K Company turns west and, to cover its right flank while crossing a branch of the Matanikau, posts a couple of machine guns and some riflemen on a knoll facing northeast toward the gorge cut by the branch. A group of Japanese from Col Oka's command post farther down the river attack toward the southwest and nearly break through to strike the company's right flank, but they are stopped by a couple of soldiers who rush up to man one of the machine guns whose crew had been killed or wounded.
While advancing to the west, K Company surprises a Japanese supply party near a water hole at the junction of the 2 trails, kill 7 and disperse the rest. Having reached a point almost due south of Hill 43, the companies swing northward toward their preliminary objective, the wooded hill south of Hill 43. After dispersing a few Japanese in their front, by 1700 K and L Companies have reached high ground 400 yards south of the open slopes of Hill 43. As dusk is falling, the 3rd Battalion halts and digs in for the night.
While the 3rd Battalion is advancing toward the Sea Horse, Col Leer's 1st Battalion, in reserve, moves farther west. Patrols from A and C Companies cover the right and left flanks. Platoons from B and D Companies relieve I Company at the water hole in a gulch about 600 yards south of Hill 43.
The 2nd Battalion, 35th Inf, makes a reconnaissance in force. After an artillery and mortar preparation, 2 combat patrols from each company try to move forward but are stopped by Japanese fire. The battalion commander requests tanks sent up to Mount Austen to crack the pillbox line, but the only tanks on the island are under Marine control.
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