Marines assault Japs Salamaua 12/15/41

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Salamaua New Guina
Decamber 15 1941
0800 Hours


Well this is it all our training is over and now the real thing begins. We are to assault the Japenese defenses just out side the city of Salamaua. We are on the NE shore of New Guina almost 150 miles in a straight line from Port Moresby. Which happens to be on the south shore of what looks like a long spit of the island a leg so to speak.

This will be the first battle for a lot of our young men. Most are just green young fiesty kids. A lot of bravado being thrown around as we prepare to move out and begin our first true test. The country around here is very much over grown jungle which will make it tough to see the enemy. I have tried to stress to our young men that we will be facing a very tough and crafty enemy. Who will show no mercy are no quarter and they are to do the same. It will only show how well we have trained them as to the outcome today.

Most of our non coms are tough seasoned old crafty sea dogs. I can only hope there guidance can help save a lot of our green troops today. The Engineers will move out in 5 minutes after our preliminary bombardment has stopped. Dont have enough engineers today at least I dont think so. Only one platoon to cut thru I dont know how deep of a mine field. I only hope they cut thru fast so we dont gang up behind them and get cut to pieces by there artty.

The visabilty will be good close to 1900 yards. Hopefully our snipers will do a lot of damage long range. It is clear and hot here in the deep undergrowth.

B CO will move 600 yds to a road and begin to cut thru the mines in the north. A CO will have the middle and move along an old rail road line about 600 yards to the suspected mine fields. Mean while C CO will be in the extreme south of map and move along another road there. They have the longest to go to reach the mine field some 700 yards.

We are begining to move out lead elements of the Engineers have already started. Now we will see if all the months of hard unrelenting training will pay for us. Our first battle and as I watch them begin to move I cant help but wonder which ones I see go past wont be here tonight.

I have tried to give the boys a rallying call today. Remember Pearl Harbor in the hope it gets there juices flowing and loossens there trigger fingers.

HQ; IIII Marine Expeditionary Force
Col: Ray (Smoky) Roberts Commanding

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Salamaua New Guina
December 15 1941
0825 Hours


This is not going well at all for us today. We have gotten some Engineers up to the mine field. But the Japs have been hitting us with every thing including the kitchin sink. It has got the Engineers digging holes instead of digging mines. So far I dont think they have moved but a very few mines all morning. To add to this the harrassing fire from the little buggers is adding to the misery of the Engineers. To top it off they fire then melt back into the under brush and disapeer before our men can answer back.

As most of these men are just out of basic and sent over here they are very green and extremely young. They are getting very pissed off and that doesnt set too well with me. They will start to do irrational moves and the death toll will begin to rise dramatically. The old time non coms are doing a very good job setting on most of the hot heads so far. But if this frustration continues to mount who can tell.

Our morters and 75 have been keeping a steady rain of death falling on suspected hide outs of the enemy. But we cant really tell how well that is working until we get into there and see for our selves. The enemy has dropped a lot of 150mm morters and 90mm as well. We have had some losses so far but thank heaven these have been slight.

Have found out that our 75mm off board just dont have the range we need for this jungle fighting. We really need a heavy ordance that can spread death and distruction over a wide area of the jungle. To top it all off even tho I stressed the fact to not bunch up. The slowness of our Engineers have got almost all of out infantry bunching up behind them. If the Japs ever begin to lay in artty on these pockets we are in for a world of hurt.

I will continue to try and move into the enemys backyard as soon as we can break thru.

HQ: IIII MarineExpeditionary Force
Col: Ray( Smoky) Roberts Commanding

[robot]

Salamaua New Guina
December 15 1941
0910 Hours


Great news after only an hour. Co B first platoon is thru the mines in the north. They have pushed there whole platoon thru and have moved at least 100 yards along the road east. They are running into very heavy resistence both south of the road and to the north as well. A platoon of stuarts have goten thru as well and is working in support of the platoon as they try to push further east. So far they have lost maybe 7 men to very heavy small arm fire coming out of the jungle from all sides. They have managed to take out 2 50mm small morters along with 2 sections of heavy machine guns. At least 25 of there jungle fighters have gone down as well. Our bar squads are laying down a murdurous fire as we move ahead.

A and C CO at this time are no where near to breaking thru the mine field in there areas. C in the south has been under an intense artty barrage ever since they moved up into the field and began there work. I was told by the Engineers 5 minutes ago that there is a very heavy pattern of mines laid out in front of A co. They already lost 2 men to being over eager and trying to work too fast.

In the mean time as they work each company continues to lay a heavy carpet of 81 morters and 75mm shells out in front of each company maybe 100 yards in the hope we can knock down a few of there boys before our boys begin to move thru. I look for at least another 30 to 40 minutes before all three companys are thru the mines and we can really begin to kill the enemy.


HQ: IIII Marine Expeditionary Force
Col: Ray Roberts Commanding

[robot]

Salamaua New Guina
December 15, 1941
0950 Hours


Almsot 10:00 already and we have barely made 350 yards past the mine fields. B Co still has 350 yards to reach there objectives in the north. Running into a lot of very well hidden and dug in Japs. You just dont see them till you are within 50 yards and then its too late. With there first bursts from there rifles and those nambu MG we will lose 4 and often five men from a squad. A lot of B Co platoons have lost 10 to 15 men already. Several of there squads are operating with only 4 and 5 man teams. The small arm fire is like a large bunch of swarming bees all coming at us.

A co in the middle has also made about the same amount of yardage. All of a sudden about 350 yards short of there objectives. They have run into 5 log bunkers and one concrete one. They are sitting dead astraddle of the road they had been moving along. So far all our efforts have gone to naught trying to punch any kind of holes in them. Have moved a few Engineer squads up along side the front two and so far there satchel charges have not had any effect on them. Trying to get several sections of 75mm GMC artty up in the hope they can tear the hell out of them.

Mean while C Co in the south has also made it thru the mine field and are moving the japs out in front of them very well. Once they move along the road east for about 200 more yards they then must turn se for another 400 yards to reach the objectives at the very southern map edge. We are losing way too many men as we try and push the enemy out of there jungle hideouts. They are well dug in and a very tanacious fighter. There 20 man squads are hard to dislodge from any place they choose to set up.

Our Stuart tanks have been an invaluable tool in dislodging the very well dug in and hidden enemy. Saw an enemy trooper try and hide behind an old fallen tree trunk. The Stuart ran up over the log squahing it and the enemy at the same time. I actually believe the Jap troops fear our tanks as I have seen abject fear on some of there faces thru my binoculers when they see our tanks approach.

HQ: IIII Marine Expeditionary Force
Col: Ray(Smokey) Roberts Commanding

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Salamaua New Guina
Decamber 15,1941
1030 Hours

For two and a half hours our boys fought one hell of a battle against a very determined enemy. The Japs never wanted to give an inch and fought like mad dogs. They were well dug in and concealed which made our job so much harder.

Washington has let us know although we fought hard they had to call this battle a draw. We were able to take all the forward objectives but did not reach any of the rear. We lost a lot of brave young men today 248 of them will not be going home after this war is over. Along with those men we also lost 1 artty and 5 afvs plus 6 soft and 2 apcs. But we took out 1061 of there men along with 15 of there morters and guns.

For there first battle and being very new to jungle fighting I believe they handled there selves very well. There inexperience hurt them today but the ones who survived im sure learned a very valuable lesson today.

We have gotten our orders and we are to travel to Luzon and set up a defensive line and stop the Japenese there. Next month will be our second battle with these boys and I use that loosly just because they are all so young. I expect great things from these men in the future and as they get more expeience and savy under there belts.

HQ: IIII Marine Expoditionary Force
Col: Ray (Smoky) Roberts Commanding