Posted on 10/26/2003 12:18:06 PM PST by MadelineZapeezda
On Guadalcanal the Marines built an air field. And Japanese commander Isoroku Yamamoto immediately grasped what that meant. No effort would be spared to dislodge these upstart Yanks from a position that could endanger his ships during any future operations to the south. Before long, relentless Japanese counterattacks had driven supporting U.S. Navy from inshore waters. The Marines were on their own.
That's not true. The Japanese were building an airstrip. That's one reason why we were trying to seize the island. This is an important fact because when we first landed, the Japanese (and a lot of Korean slave laborers) left in a big hurry, leaving behind a lot of Japanese supplies, including tons of rice and a bulldozer.
The Marines appreciated the "gift". In fact, they might not have survived without it. After the US Navy's defeat at Iron Bottom Sound, the Marines got very little resupply, and were dangerously low on food for some time. The captured Japanese rice kept them alive and fighting. We also used the bulldozer to finish the airstrip.
On Guadalcanal the Marines built an air field. And Japanese commander Isoroku Yamamoto immediately grasped what that meant. No effort would be spared to dislodge these upstart Yanks from a position that could endanger his ships during any future operations to the south. Before long, relentless Japanese counterattacks had driven supporting U.S. Navy from inshore waters. The Marines were on their own.
That's not true. The Japanese were building an airstrip. That's one reason why we were trying to seize the island. This is an important fact because when we first landed, the Japanese (and a lot of Korean slave laborers) left in a big hurry, leaving behind a lot of Japanese supplies, including tons of rice and a bulldozer.
The Marines appreciated the "gift". In fact, they might not have survived without it. After the US Navy's defeat at Iron Bottom Sound, the Marines got very little resupply, and were dangerously low on food for some time. The captured Japanese rice kept them alive and fighting. We also used the bulldozer to finish the airstrip.
gnip
A thread that is definitely worthy of a bump to the top after all these years.
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