The Wilmington morning star., 1947-07-27
No Observance Marks Fifth
Anniversary Of Guadalcanal

tilIle W AuSl1 dlld dLU NCW LSdlol1d
y Japan already was Strengthening
5 the island and its priceless air
field.
The invasion caught the J a p
anese by surprise. The airf i elc
renamed Henderson-Was cap
tured with hardly a shot. T h {
enemy had fled to the hills.
But the Japanese, masters Their
ct the Pacific, yer not to be
challenged with impunity. A
strong cruiser force steamed out
Of Rabaul on Aug. 8, surprised sia
allied cruisers guarding the night
landing operation, sank four al
point-blank range and escaped
virtually unscathed.
Between occasional flurries with
Japanese who had infiltrated their
lines, Marines On Guadalcana.
listened to the naval guns ano
vlsualized a great victory. But
when the flow of vitality needed
supplies stopped and Jap sub.
marines shelled their positions by
daylight the grim, rugged marines
knew they were alone against q
tough enemy.
Rations were cut, plans to en-
velop Guadalcanal were shelVee
and the leathernecks set up {
static defense around Henderson
, field. Then came the taste, in bit
ter doses, of jungle warfare
against the Nips-sticky heat ant
drenching rain that turned da.
end night into misery; hordes O
mosquitoes and crawling vermin
rerve-Wracking night watch for in
). ~f;ltrating japanese; terror o
silent snipers waiting in well
eamouflaged nests; t h e headlon;
fury of banzai charges.
" The Japanese launched fou
n ajor attac ks - n a month
against the Marines. Each w a
, stronger than the last; each fail
- ed.
The first came Aug. 81 at tn
Ito river, Marine eastern flank
One tn d enemy troops
seasoned fighters-stormed Ma
rine positions. The leatherneck
slugged back. They stuck to thei
hot guns men like Pvt. A
Schmidt who piled nearly 200 Jap
anese in front of his m%achinegul
before a hand grenade destroye,
= his eyesight.
= BY nightfall the battle Of tn
: Tenaru river, so designated incor
rectly because Of inaccurate pre-
invasion maps, was over. e
were 81 japanese dead-at a cos
OF % Marines killed, 70 wounded
On Aug. 1925, carrier pl a n e!
from the Saratoga and Enterprise
army Bits from Espiritu Santl
and marine dive-bombers from
Henderson field repulsed a force
conducting 1,50O japanese troops
to Guadalcanal. The japanese
decided on peacemeal reinforce
ment and thereafter landed troops
at night from dependable landins
ships and swift destroyers.
Their next land strike came the
night of Sept. 10, from the jungle
south of Henderson field. Marine
parachutists and raiders-a f e W
hundred only-absorbed the shock
of 1000 screaming japanese. The
battle of bloody ridge seesawed;
late the next night a dense Marine
artillery barrage capped the fight.
Eight hundred j a p a n e e dead
were counted.
The enemy called in a new
general and stepped up reinforce
ments. A U. S. cruiser task force
Intercepted japanese warships
Oct. IL off Cape Esperance, sink:
ing a heavy cruiser and destroy
er. But others slipped through.
raked Marine positions and land
ed troops under fire of Marine
dive : bombers. Enemy strength
reached a peak of nearly 80, 900
troops.
The next big push started Oct.
% at the western flank on the
Matanikau river. Tanks and
troops streamed across a sandbar
but Marine fire and CUTS denied
them a bridgeheao.
The main attack came Oct. "a
lack OF Henderson field. Through.
out a night downpour, the enemy
hurled six fierce attacks. Marines
Like Sgt. John 8asilone virtually
replaced whole squads, plugging
the line until an army battalion
landed IL days earlier-reached
the fight. At dawn, Marines and
9oughfoots halted the last charge
with whitening cross-fire.
At s e a, a powerful supporting
Japanese naval force from Truk
severely chewed U. S. fleet units
which fled after loss of the car
rler Hornet.
From Aug. 20 when the first
fighter squadron landed at
Henderson Field, Marine filters
took on-almost always against
overwhelming odds everything
the enemy threw at Guadalcanal
by sea and air. Aces sprouted
overnight.
Enemy losses staggered even
the Marines, who made killing
their business. Brilliant Capt. Joe
Foss and three squadron mates
knocked down II zeroes and five
bombers Oct. 25. Every time a
Japanese plane famed into the
sea, Marines on the ground felt
more secure. They owed much to
their flying brothers.
Early in November, the jap
anese prepared a major assault,
determined to 1ecapture Hender-