Posted on 08/07/2007 4:37:48 AM PDT by abb
On this day in 1942, the U.S. 1st Marine Division begins Operation Watchtower, the first U.S. offensive of the war, by landing on Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands.
On July 6, 1942, the Japanese landed on Guadalcanal Island and began constructing an airfield there. Operation Watchtower was the codename for the U.S. plan to invade Guadalcanal and the surrounding islands. During the attack, American troops landed on five islands within the Solomon chain. Although the invasion came as a complete surprise to the Japanese (bad weather had grounded their scouting aircraft), the landings on Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tananbogo met much initial opposition from the Japanese defenders.
But the Americans who landed on Guadalcanal met little resistance-at least at first. More than 11,000 Marines had landed, and 24 hours had passed, before the Japanese manning the garrison there knew of the attack. The U.S. forces quickly took their main objective, the airfield, and the outnumbered Japanese troops retreated, but not for long. Reinforcements were brought in, and fierce hand-to-hand jungle fighting ensued. "I have never heard or read of this kind of fighting," wrote one American major general on the scene. "These people refuse to surrender."
The Americans were at a particular disadvantage, being assaulted from both the sea and air. But the U.S. Navy was able to reinforce its troops to a greater extent, and by February 1943, the Japanese had retreated on secret orders of their emperor (so secret, the Americans did not even know it had taken place until they began happening upon abandoned positions, empty boats, and discarded supplies). In total, the Japanese had lost more than 25,000 men, compared with a loss of 1,600 by the Americans. Each side lost 24 warships.
The first Medal of Honor given to a Marine was awarded to Sgt. John Basilone for his fighting during Operation Watchtower. According to the recommendation for his medal, he "contributed materially to the defeat and virtually the annihilation of a Japanese regiment."
ping
Ahhh, "Guadalcanal Diary" - I think it said the first casualty was a Marine who sliced open his hand while trying to get at a coconut.
Great book - read it 40 years ago and reread it back in the 80's.
Quagmire. Sending our children to fight under such conditions. They were mean to the Japanese, many of whom were there to write poetry. Roosevelt’s fault.
This author is now considered to be the definitive historian of the battle. I have his book on my shelf and it’s on my ‘books to read’ list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_B._Frank
On the night of October 24, 1942, the weapons man of the hour was
“Manila John” Basilone, the platoon sergeant of the heavy .30-caliber
machine-gun platoon attached to Co. C, 7th Marines, 1stMarDiv.
Basilone was everywhere at once, clearing jams, calming nervous
gunners, replacing parts, and repositioning guns. John Basilone
inspired all who saw him that night: he became the glue that bound
Co. C together, and for that he earned the Medal of Honor
October on Guadalcanal by Eric Hammel...Leatherneck Oct 1992
But newspapers and radio told millions of another D-Day loss
[on Iwo Jima] - Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone. Already a Marine Corps
legend as the first Leatherneck to be awarded the Medal of Honor in
World War II, “Manila John” was leading his machine gun platoon through
the fury of Red Beach II when a mortar cut him down.
In 1942, on a black October night in the steaming jungles of
Guadalcanal, Basilone had single-handedly wiped out a company of
Japanese trying to overrun his position on the Tenaru River. With a
Colt .45 pistol and two machine guns - one cradled in his arms after the
other was knocked out - he stopped a screaming banzai attack and held
out until dawn, when reinforcements came up. Nearly a hundred sprawled
enemy dead were around his cut-off outpost.
Basilone was dark complexioned and handsome, had big ears like Clark
Cable, and a wide grin. His Italian parents beamed with pride on a very
special afternoon in 1943 when 30,000 well-wishers honored him at a gala
celebration on the 2,000-acre estate of tobacco heiress Doris Duke near
Raritan, New Jersey, his hometown.
“Manila John” blushed when photographers snapped his picture while
being kissed by a Hollywood starlet, smiled broadly when an oil portrait
was unveiled in the tiny brick town hall, and was shyly grateful for the
$5,000 was bond neighbors gave him. He turned down the bars of a second
lieutenant. “I’m a plain soldier,” he said, “and I want to stay one.”
From earliest memory, Basilone had wanted to be a professional fighting
man. He had done a hitch in the Army before joining the Marines in
1940, and had served in the Philippines - hence his nickname.
To millions, Basilone was a hero, one of the first of the war, and
could have remained stateside training troops and selling was bonds.
Instead, he said farewell to his new wife, also a Marine, and joined the
Fifth Division. Staying behind, he told buddies, would be “like being a
museum piece.” And it wouldn’t seem right, he said “if the Marines made
a landing on the Manila waterfront and ‘Manila John’ wasn’t among them.”
Now, with the invasion ninety minutes old, the intrepid sergeant had
one thought. “C’mon, you guys! Let’s get these guns off the beach!” he
yelled at the gunners just behind, backs hunkered low and straining
under the heavy loads of weapons and ammunition amid the blistering
fire. The wasplike whir of an incoming mortar sounded its eerie
warning; then a shattering blast.
Basilone lunged forward in midstride, arms flung outward over his
head. He and four comrades died in that instant. On his outstretched
left arm was a tattoo: “Death before Dishonor!” ‘Manila John” wouldn’t
see Dewey Boulevard again, but he had won the Navy Cross, The Marine
Corps’ second highest decoration for valor.
IWO JIMA - Legacy of Valor by Bill D. Ross
Little known is the great combat art at Guadalcanal done by Marines like Major Dickson and Tech Sergeant Laidman.
One of my favorites is “Listening Post.” showing a sentry with his tools - hand grenades, a Reising gun, binoculars and compass to calculate the position of enemy gun emplacemnts.
The artwork is chronicled in “Marines at War,” 1943.
The beginning of the end for the Jap Empire. Semper Fi, Marines.
TC
Doogle
Dad, who passed away in September, was there....right before being shipped out for Bougainville. He wouldn’t talk about either.
Tough guys fighting a tough campaign.
The only problem with Ross’s description is that Basilone was killed near Airfield number 1, not on the beach.
Imagine if our current Congress had been in power in 1942. Murtha and Reid would already be calling the invasion a failure. Hillary would be advocating getting US troops out of the Pacific by Christmas and Obama would be saying if he were President he would gladly meet with Hitler and Tojo to end this war. Thank God we had leaders at the the time with stronger spines and stomachs.
You nailed it.
nice
For further reading:
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Douglas Munro, Medal of Honor Recipient (9/27/1942) - Mar 10th, 2004 (Guadalcanal)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1094487/posts
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Cactus Air Force - Guadalcanal - Feb. 4th, 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/835599/posts
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The 1st and 2nd Guadalcanal Nov 13-15, 1942 - Dec. 29th, 2002
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/813629/posts
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers “Operation Watchtower” - Guadalcanal (8/1942-2/1943) - Aug. 28th, 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/971809/posts
The FReeper Foxhole Revisits “Operation Watchtower” - Guadalcanal (8/1942-2/1943) - Aug 27th , 2004
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1200652/posts
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Seabees on Guadalcanal - Mar. 20th, 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/869667/posts
The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Battle of Savo Island - (8/9/1942) - Dec. 18th, 2003
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1042631/posts
We will have two events to remember tomorrow: Savo Island and Nagasaki.
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