Retired: 1st Battalion 5th Marines

[KG Erwin]

Now the enemy is exposing himself, and I'm about to bludgeon him with firepower.

[KG Erwin]

The viciousness of this combat is incredible. We've captured the southernmost forward objective hexes, but my Marines are being whittled down to ineffectiveness in the center and in the north. No reinforcements are available. It is a battle of attrition, and we are getting the worst of it.

My only saving grace is the firepower at my disposal, but I am short of infantry.

[KG Erwin]

Turn 23. In the north, the Japanese are clustering into groups, but they are too strong to attack with my greatly reduced squads. I'm concentrating my mortars against them.

The only real progress is in the far south (right flank), where I have two engineer sections wheeling northeast to curl around the enemy's open left.

[KG Erwin]

Turn 35. Through judicious application of mortar support, I've got the Japanese in the north nearly surrounded.

In the south, I resorted to the expedient of mounting reduced squads on tanks and sending them off towards the rear VHs.

[KG Erwin]

After all that, the best I could manage was a draw.

USMC losses: 259 men, 3 tanks
Japanese losses: 901 men, 11 arty

[KG Erwin]

A few weeks of respite, and it gives me time to catch up on my mail and try to follow the fortunes of my beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

See, before I joined the Marines, I managed a minor-league team, and we ended up sending a couple of guys to the Dodgers. I followed the 1941 team, and was heartbroken when we lost the series to the Yankees.

Then came Pearl Harbor, and I, like thousands of others, flocked to the recruiting stations. I picked the Marines, because I knew they'd probably be the first to see action. My previous schooling got me into an advanced officers' training course.

So, here we are -- I rose rapidly, and within six months came ashore as a light Colonel at Guadalcanal, in charge of the lives of some 900 men.

Now it is November 1942, and once again Combat Team 15 leads the advance. Equipment has been repaired, replacements absorbed, new commanders assigned, and off we go again.

My baseball life now seems a million miles away. It's no longer win or lose. It's now life or death. However, old habits were ingrained in me. I always wanted to know my players, and I went around and introduced myself to the men even before we landed in August.

It's painful now. Some of these men have died.

I had to replace my XO. Maj Twining was killed in an artillery barrage during the last battle. His replacement is a 2nd Lt named Lew Walt. I stole him away from another battalion. I'd heard a good scouting reporting on him, so I went and got him.

Before we moved out, I made myself acquainted with the new Sergeants. That's right -- I went down and introduced myself to every new squad leader in the battalion. It's getting more difficult -- will I see this brave Marine again? I had to know them. because if one of them dies, I will write the letter to their families.

[KG Erwin]

I'm sticking with the broad front advance, with one difference -- I'm concentrating all my engineers and recon troops into an assault group on the right flank. Their mission is to blast their way through the enemy's left and swoop up through the rear VHs.

The three rifle companies will conduct a full frontal assault. There's no other way around it. The weather is poor (once again), and I have ample arty support, but no air cover is available.

It looks like we have been made the division's de facto sacrificial lambs. I direct a heavy opening barrage on the enemy's suspected forward positions.

My battalion's experience is building, but my only hope for a quick end is to keep the enemy pinned while we infiltrate past their left. I can't afford any more of those suicidal attacks on entrenched positions.

7 am, November 26. OMG. The weather has cleared. Many of my men will be advancing completely exposed against an enemy that is dug-in on ridgelines that cross the front.

[Alby]

keep it up Gunny
[:)]

[KG Erwin]

Jeez! Within the space of 15 minutes or so, my jeep driver was picked off by a sniper, and the vehicle careened into a ditch. Thankfully neither myself nor any of the rest of my staff were injured.

That's it. My next command vehicle is gonna be a tank!

The battalion is moving over an exposed ridgeline -- few of the Japanese have been spotted. So much for keeping the enemy pinned -- we must move forward quickly, get off those barren hills, and find some cover.

Here's the kind of terrain we're now dealing with:

[StephanFH]

Your reports are being read with great interest. Please keep it up.
Stephan.

[KG Erwin]

Turn 19. The worms have turned. The Recon Platoon has the enemy HQ in sight.

To the west, the battalion's main body is veering northeast to take the forward objectives.

[KG Erwin]

Turn 23. Mopping up phase. The Jap HQ has been destroyed, and the enemy remnants are targeted for concentrated mortar fire.

[KG Erwin]

The enemy tries a desperate banzai charge to recapture the northernmost VHs, and it fails, but we lose two tanks to tank-hunter teams.

Once again, the battle ends in a draw.

USMC losses: 261 men, 4 tanks, 1 mortar
Japanese losses: 718 men, 10 arty

[KG Erwin]

December 1942. After nearly five months, the Japanese show no signs of giving up the island. Combat Team 15 will lead yet another advance.

I did manage to procure an M3A1 tank to use as a command vehicle. The tank commander is Lt Don Robinson.

Christmas in just 4 days away, and morale is becoming a problem. Fortunately, I've been assured that we'll be relieved after this fight. I did not pass this information to my men.

[KG Erwin]

December 21. Moving out. Open hills and ridges again. The jungle is scattered here.

A heavy artillery barrage precedes us. Just like last month. Damn. Yet another slugging match is impending.

[KG Erwin]

The Japanese are forming defensive strongpoints. Thankfully they have no prepared positions. No pillboxes or bunkers have yet been encountered. These concentrations will have to be reduced by systematic mortar and artillery fire.

We need more demolitions equipment and perhaps flamethrowers. Only the engineer units have satchel charges. No flamethrowers are available.

[KG Erwin]

I'm slipping around their flank, and the enemy is clustering once again into a defensive enclave around the north-central objective hexes. This time, I'm gonna plaster them with artillery.

As we penetrate deeper, now previously-hidden artillery positions are being uncovered. The Japanese have deployed in depth, but I've pinned their infantry, so they can't pull back to protect their guns.

We captured all the victory hexes, and destroyed the enemy's HQ, but yet only earned a marginal victory.

USMC losses: 185 men, 2 tanks, 2 soft-skinned vehicles

Japanese losses: 610 men, 21 arty

[KG Erwin]

January 1943: The boss lied to me. Rather than being pulled out of the line, we will be part of a full-scale assault to finish off the Japanese on this accursed island.

HQ did allow me substantial reinforcement : a fully-equipped US Army company will be attached to my Combat Team. So, these guys will be right there with us, what with their semi-automatic rifles and shoulder-fired rocket launchers. This is the first time we've seen any of these new weapons.

The Company Commander seems to be a well-meaning fellow, and volunteered to lead the assault. I happily assented. His company will be in the center. Able Co will be on the left, and Baker Co on the right. Charlie Co will be held in reserve, to deal the knockout once we break through the enemy's front.

[StephanFH]

KG,
I'll bet you are glad to see 01/01/43! Shouldn't MajGen Patch have relieved Vandegrift by now and sent in XIV Corps? Well, at least you are seeing some guys in clean uniforms finally. The 25th division should have two Regiments of well-trained Regular Army types out of Scofeild Barracks, plus (if I recall correctly) the Hawaiian National Guard, of all things. Time for those 1st MarDiv boys to get some rest and chloroquine. Since the Army is getting all kinds of shiny new toys, does anything fall off the table for The Corps?
 
Stephan

[KG Erwin]

ORIGINAL: StephanFH

KG,
I'll bet you are glad to see 01/01/43! Shouldn't MajGen Patch have relieved Vandegrift by now and sent in XIV Corps? Well, at least you are seeing some guys in clean uniforms finally. The 25th division should have two Regiments of well-trained Regular Army types out of Scofeild Barracks, plus (if I recall correctly) the Hawaiian National Guard, of all things. Time for those 1st MarDiv boys to get some rest and chloroquine. Since the Army is getting all kinds of shiny new toys, does anything fall off the table for The Corps?

Stephan

The bad thing about equipment upgrades is that they aren't available till the SECOND battle of the new year. So, my raggedy - a**ed Marines are still carrying Springfields. No "midnight requisitioning", unfortunately. [:(]