Guadalcanal
The 8th Marines brings up tanks to crack the Japanese emplacements, but do not achieve much success. A flamethrower is brought up in the afternoon and burns out the Japanese emplacement 10 minutes after its two-man operating team reach the front. 2 more emplacements are burned out later in the day.
B Company relieves C Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry. The 64th Field Artillery fires a 30-minute concentration on the Japanese held ridge ending at 1005. Machine guns and mortars then open up. B Company, reinforced by 1 platoon form D, moves around the enemy's right flank and strikes him in the rear. B Company takes the position, killing 13 and capturing 12. B Company halts for the night.
The 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, attempts to break through the Gifu to advance west to make contact with the 3rd Battalion on the Sea Horse. After a 15-minute preparation by all battalion mortars, the Antitank, G and F Companies are to assault the Gifu and converge after gaining 500 yards on their respective fronts. E Company, in reserve on Hill 27, is to help envelop the strongest points on enemy resistance developed by the attack. Mortars fire from 0645 to 0700 when assault companies begin to advance. Most are halted almost immediately. G Company gains about 100 yards, but by 0940 is stopped by machine guns. Unable to advance any further G Company returns to its original lines in the afternoon along with the rest of the battalion. Attacking northward from Hill 27, F Company makes no progress. The Antitank Company advances a few yards to the west but is halted when fire from eastern pillboxes kill 5 and wound 10. Several more attempts are made by different sections of the battalion but almost no progress is made. A misinterpretation of orders for 1 platoon to fall back was read for the entire battalion which is what in fact happened.
|