The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-12-30
u. S. Troops
SoIidifyOn
New Guinea

BOugainville Island, Dec. 22-(UP)
u. S. Marines today consolidated
positions on "Helzapoppin Ridge
named by a lone unidentified gun
merry sergeant who baptized it with
rain of explosives as he stood IN
q shallow foxhcle shouting praise
the Lord-and pass those hand gren-
AIDES" as he hurled them into jap
anese lines.
The sergeant, later killed, was one
of the outstanding heroes of an
operation which cost the Leather
necks 46 dead, seven missing and
los wounded before they broke the
toughest resistance Of the Bouvain-
vile campaign.
HE Just stood there grinning and
hollering," said Maj. E. H. Strayhorn
of Nashville, Tenn, who described
the action In which artillery, planes,
flame-throWers and infantry backed
up the sergeant's own personal war.
when he left that foxhole, the
bottom of it was covered with gren-
ade pins" Strayhorn added.
The action began on Dec 9 when
Marine paratroopers went into ac-
ton.
On Dec. 18, the position, overlook
ing the Torokina River, was secured
in flame-throwing attack at dusk,
with the Marines sWarming up the
ridge and ousting an estimated 265
japanese who had withstood repeat
eel rifle, machine gun, mortar, ba-
zooka and air and artillery attacks
from positions 400 yards in depth.
1.-THE Japs were most difficult to
attack" said 1t. Col. w. w. Frye.
of Prosser, Wash, who directed the
operations. THE terrain made an
assault from the east almost impos-
sible. Japanese machine guns con-
trolled the western sector so that
the Marines could not get behind
| them.
Close Approach
Several times we approached
within IS yards of their foxholes on
both slopes but were driven off when
they rolled grenades down the hill
side at u.s." he said. Because of
the high hills surrounding this
ridge, we were unable to use artil-
lery from the lines already estab-
| lished."
A Marine patrol led by list 1t.
| William G. Shoemaker Of Lynn.
Mass. termed a zone man army
| by Frye, went up the ridge edge
in an attempt to knock out enemy
guns on the western slope. It was
! pinned down and had to retire.
Shoemaker saved himself and the
(, patrol by pushing his carbine into
the brush and emptying whole
clip into an enemy position when
a Japanese suddenly showed
light machine out of the brush
about three feet from Shoemaker's
head.
Artillery was hauled up by boat
to the mouth of the Torokina river,
and the resulting Smelling, Stray
horn said, resulted in kind of
footrace between us and the nips,"
with the japanese withdrawing I'M
der the Marine fire and both forces
rushing to take positions the Jap
anese had left when the firing
ceased.
tlnaI Ar Attack
The final air attack was made
Dec. IS under direction OF LIST 1t
William Geftman. of Chicago, air
liaison officer, 1t broke japanese
machine gun lines, left the TANKS
open, and the Marines opened up
with heavy weapons, mortars and,
just after dark, with flame throwers.
1--WE could hear the Japanese
squeal when the fire hit Them"
Strayhorn said. 1--WE moved up
slowly. We gained 100 yards, then
more. We kept on. Within an hour,
We had moved farther than we had
in the previous seven days. The
laps went back over a small tribu-
tary of the Torokina.
I'VE had our positions" he said.