True Stories of World War Two by Cross Robin

Author:Cross, Robin [Cross, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: 2021-01-13T00:00:00+00:00

The fighting in the jungle of Bougainville, in the Solomons chain, which had lasted from November 1943 to March 1944, was every bit as grim as the tales Alvin Josephy had been told on Guadalcanal. Captain John Monks served with the 3rd Marines at Bougainville.

The officer shouted the Division Code name into the ’phone.

But the Division lines were all busy. Very busy. A Japanese landing force had been reported and countermeasures were burning up the wires.

‘Bright and early on the morning of November 7th I noticed shell splashes off the point of land to my right, west of the Koromokina River,’ reports Major Dick Moss, who was in his Regimental Weapons Observation Post on the beach. ‘Finding out it was friendly artillery, I decided to help, and rolled the two halftracks out on the beach to engage the target. We put about twenty-five high-explosive shells per gun on the point. It was direct fire at about 1400 yards, and we really bounced them in there.’

But by the time the first report of the landing had been checked and fire orders had been given to the artillery and beach defense units, the Jap barges had already hit the beach.

How many barges? Where had they landed? Some had been seen coming in beyond the left flank near and beyond the mouth of the Koromokina River. But how many more had landed west of this area, up near the Laruma, out of sight beyond the point of land west of the left flank of the beachhead? A sixty-man outpost from K Company of the Ninth Marines and a forward observation team from the artillery battalion were down near the mouth of the Laruma River. They had been out of communication all night. What had happened? Had their radio gone dead? What had happened to this outpost? Another platoon from K Company of the Ninth was out on patrol along the Laruma River. Where was this patrol now? What had happened to it? The Third Battalion of the Ninth was holding this left flank of the beachhead. K Company of this battalion anchored the flank to the beach. Their line would be stretched dangerously thin. How large a force had landed? Had some landed during the night? How far inland had the enemy advanced?

These were some of the pertinent questions that must be cleared up immediately. And at the same time countermeasures had to be taken. If that flank was breached and a hard-hitting, fast-moving Jap force poured through the gap, we would be in serious trouble. Action! Immediate action! But where? What was the enemy trying to do? What could we do without weakening any portion of the perimeter? Perhaps this might only be a diversion. The main attack might be made at another section of the perimeter. Messages shot along the jungle lines. Division to the Third Regiment … Regiment to the C.P. [1] of the Third Battalion Ninth … back to Regiment … back to Division … then to the First Battalion Third, the battalion in reserve.

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