Chapter 26 Blind fight

The reason for the failure of the Japanese offensive was that Hyakutake did not concentrate the main force of the Japanese army on the island, including the Sixth Division, to take the initiative to counterattack. When the U.S. army continued to advance the circular defensive position, the Japanese army had to stick to it. Defense is naturally more comfortable than offense.The 23rd Infantry Regiment occupies good terrain, and the fortifications built are strong enough that the Marine Corps has to use explosives every time to expel the Japanese soldiers from the position.The battle became very fierce, and every step forward of the US military must be exchanged for blood and lives.

In addition to the Japanese, the Marines had to contend with threats from the forces of nature.Since the landing, there has not been a day without rain on the island, and it has been wet all day long.There are many kinds of animals on the island, but there are almost no cute ones, and there are too many scary ones, such as grasshoppers as big as rabbits and wasps nearly eight centimeters long.All veterans who have experienced this battle will never forget those strange animals: lizards, centipedes, scorpions, spiders... In the jungle, the team members kept a respectful distance from the animals and dared not even touch them.It's not that the animals are poisonous or ferocious, but that they are afraid of being discovered by the Japanese army after they make noise.You know, Japanese snipers are not easy to mess with.

There was a Marine who used to have a snoring problem. As soon as his teammates heard his snoring when he was sleeping, they poured mud full of shovels on his face with a shovel. wake up.Over time, this team member's snoring problem was cured without treatment. The Japanese army was squeezed little by little, and finally established the main position in a coconut garden north of Pifa Village. Vandergrift commanded the third marine division to launch an offensive against the coconut garden. Vandergrift's battle plan was to advance with a battalion breakthrough, with E Company as the vanguard.However, in actual combat, the departure time of the follow-up troops was delayed. When the Japanese army began to block, all companies except E Company fell outside the support distance.At the same time, because they did not know the exact position of the Japanese positions in advance, and could not allow the artillery to cooperate with the shooting, the E Company, which was alone in the depths, not only failed to hit the wolf, but almost let the wolf catch it.

The first day of the attack fell through.The next day, the Marine Corps learned its lesson, made full reconnaissance and artillery preparations, and transferred aircraft and light tanks to serve as cover. However, accidents and bad luck are not far away.The two cover tanks lost their way in the dense jungle. After finally finding their way, they aimed their cannons at their own troops in a daze. The order on the battlefield suddenly became chaotic, and the officers and soldiers of the marines panicked and fired indiscriminately in all directions.But after a period of confusion, they quickly regained their senses.

After all, they have received high-intensity training in field combat and survival. Even when they lose contact and cooperate with each other and are fighting on their own, every marine still knows where the main attack is and will not waver. Attack. When the ceasefire order was issued, the troops began to clean up the battlefield, only to find that after the "blind battle" of the third marine division, all the main positions of the Japanese army had been captured. Three days before Halsey sent the aircraft carrier force to attack Rabaul again, the 37th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army began to land in Bougainville and took over half of the position. The strength of the island has gradually reached the standard of an army.The command system of the U.S. military also changed accordingly. Major General Geiger, the former captain of the "Cactus Air Force", succeeded Vandergrift as the commander of the First Amphibious Army.

Geiger himself was a Marine, but he was a Marine who had completed pilot training, so he was able to command the "Cactus Air Force" and practice this air force well. Geiger boarded Bougainville with the military personnel and formally established the military department on the island.The army under him is different from other U.S. military forces. It is a joint unit of the Army and Marine Corps. Each of the units and arms has different backgrounds, training and tactical views. It is difficult to command them. Not small.At the same time, although the U.S. military won the Coconut Garden Battle, its defense line has not yet included the scheduled location of the airport. The Japanese 23rd Infantry Regiment established a new main position in the east of the Pifa River, hindering the progress of the U.S. military.

Geiger's work performance shows that he is very competent, and the First Amphibious Army was deployed in an orderly manner.Under Geiger's command, the Third Marine Regiment was ordered to attack east of the Pifa River. On November 20, the Second Battalion of the Third Marine Regiment mopped up the outposts of the Japanese army, crossed the Pifa River and continued to advance.The reconnaissance platoon of Company E suddenly discovered a small mountain 400 feet high, guarded by very few Japanese soldiers.The reconnaissance platoon leader, Lieutenant Seepic, immediately understood the value of this position, and immediately led his troops to conquer it and dig trenches for defense.

After losing the mountains, the Japanese commanders realized the omissions in the formation of troops, and hurriedly concentrated their forces to carry out a counterattack.The Marine Corps also sent troops to rescue, so that the mountain defenders eventually increased to 200 people. The battle for the mountains intensified, and the U.S. military repelled four Japanese attacks in total, holding the position like a rock.The other companies of the 2nd Battalion were unable to break through in other directions, so they had to retreat. In the end, they all relied on this mountain when they returned to the front line. Sibek Ridge".

Since then, for three consecutive days, the two armies have formed a confrontation.Using this time, Geiger stepped up his reconnaissance and mobilized artillery from the Army and Marine Corps to prepare for shooting.