Evening star., 1944-04-02

! lOW WUTIn6S w
On Hill $50 To-
(The tollo,Uing ,pas ,Dritten by
Tech Ser9t. Jeremiah A. O'Leary,
formerly OF The Star, and Mas
ter Tech. Sergt. Samuel Stdpisky,
also a Washington Journalist,
no1o NTH the Marine Corps as
combat correspondents
CAPE GLOUCESTER, New Brit
tain Delayed. A hill rises
abruptly $50 feet above Bergen Bay,
where remnants of the Bataan-
veteran Japanese garrison had dug
in for a last stand after 18 days
fighting our invading marines.
From our lines, running inland
from Silimati Point, Hill $50
lowered as a barricade to further
penetration up the coast of New
Britain. A strong force on the
heights could, if allowed time to
bring up artillery, imperial our twin
beachheads through which were
pouring vast quantities of supplies.
1t. Col. Henry w. Buse, jr.. of
Ridley Park, Pa, was in a field
hospital sick bed, when Maj. Gen.
w. H. Rupertus of Washington,
D. c., chose him to lead the assault
battalion. This battalion had been
on Guadalcanal, one of the first
units in the Pacific theater after
Pearl Harbor. 1t had twice beat
the Japs in pitched battles here.
Relying on the infantry as his
main threat, Col. Buse launched
his attack at 8 am. Throughout the
night, to give the enemy the jitters
the artillery firing shells at 15-
minute intervals into the Jap posi-
tions on the hill. Toward dawn the
firing crescendoed into one of the
most concentrated barrages of thi'
campaign. Thus the stage was sci
for the battle, which included unit!
of mortars, machine guns, tanks
and artillery support as well a!
infantry.
How the Force Divided.
A heavy weapons company, under
Capt. Joseph E. Buckley of Pea.
body, Mass, smashed down the
coastal road on our left flank. I,
brushed aside a weak enemy road
block to outflank $50 on the sea-
ward side.
The infantry was to thrust into
the jungle at the base Of the hill
A company commanded by Capt
William ]. King, n, of Annapolis
Md, was assigned to scale the
most precipitous face of $50 in the
center of the advance. A second
assault company, under Capt
James w. Stanley, Is, of Plain.
dome, Long Island, N. Y, was to
Chamber up the slope on Kings
right. Riflemen of 27-year-old
Capt. John F. Weber of Rochester
N. Y, were held in support. Inter
spersed among the infantrymer
were heavy machine guns ano
mortarmen under Maj. Heroine l.
Opie, u, of Oakenwold, Staunton
Va.
The grim faced, sweating marine.
advanced unopposed until the sun
swung overhead. The front was
deathly quiet.
At 10:30 am, Kings vanguard
halted at the edge of a ravine
girdling the base of $50 in a con.
vex arc. It had not been discovered
by our scouts, but Col. Buse ordered
both forward units to shift their
interlocking lines around the right
to bypass the ravine.
The Japs Open Up.
On their new tack, the infantry
companies climbed nearly one-thirc
the hill unopposed. to be balkee
again by a V-gully which slicee
vertically down the slope. King.
men started up the left rim o1
the gulch; Shanley's up the right
The previous shift had further
divorced the infantry from direc
contact with Buckley's heavy
weapons on the beach. Now, the
two assault companies were split
by the defile, a geological knife
which severed the two prongs OF
attack.
Then the Japs struck back.
Invisible machine gunners and
snipers suddenly poured a heavy
fire into the Marines as they
labored up the 45-degree slope. Ar
enemy automatic cannon hurled it.
explosive shells into the midst OF
the attackers. The outburst in
fiicted a number of casualties.
Our men glued themselves to the
ground, taking advantage of any
cover from an enemy they coulc
not see. The Japs were burrowed
into the hillside like so many
moles,
No question about it, our men
were pinned down. But they
hastily scooped shallow foxholes
with pack shovels. knives, bayonets
and helmets.
Stanley Ordered to Withdraw.
On perceiving the enemy posi-
tions, Col. Buse directed Stanley
on the right, to withdraw and
effect a sweeping development
while the other company sat tight
To carry out the order, Shanley
had to pull his men from under
the raking enemy fire.
A platoon of Weber's reserve
company and two light tanks were
rushed up to cover Shanley's with.
drawal. In the ensuing action, two
japanese pillboxes were knocked
out. It was 4 pm, however, before
Shanley's men could be withdrawn
There was no hope of taking 66(
that day.
Now there was the problem o1
extricating Kings company before
dark. 1t would be foolhardy te
maintain its unprotected position
with the threat of a Jap night at.
ack hanging over its heads.
Col Buse decided the only way tt
get King out was with artillery
risky because of the proximity o1
the opposing lines. The artillery
observer, First 1t. Winchester D