At 0650 the signal was given to "land the landing force," the transports remaining underway but stopped. Director of Naval Intelligence. Maurice E. Browder, USN, U.S.S. He also held frequent conferences with Maj. Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift, who was to lead our occupation force as commander of the First Marine Division. were closing the thousand yards which separated them from the shore a young Marine was heard to mutter, "Here's where the Japs find out where the U.S. Marines have been hiding!" The paint on the side of the ship opposite the destroyer caught fire and the hull plating was red hot. Growing superiority at sea and in the air, as well as in the number of fighting men, gave the United States increasing advantages. Therefore, the advance was halted at dusk in order to organize our lines and reorient the advance for the next day. Innis, contacted the enemy over Savo Island, while being vectored at 12,000 feet to investigate a reported approach of enemy aircraft. On July 22d Admiral McCain reported to Admiral Ghormley that his planes would begin a search 2 days before attack day so as to insure the detection of any enemy entering the Coral Sea east of 158 E., and to cover the target area to the north as far as the range of the aircraft permitted. Warning received of 40 enemy planes over Bougainville proceeding southeast. At Hill 208 Company C of the Raiders was delayed for an hour by enemy machine-guns which it finally reduced with small arms fire and hand grenades. Henry D. Rozendal. On returning in the morning to her previous position southwest of Guadalcanal, theWaspmaintained a continuous combat patrol of eight fighters over the Tulagi transport area until 1200. After ceasing fire our minesweepers moved off to begin their sweeping. Two of the Zero fighters which attempted to intercept were shot down. Eichenberger, crashed into the sea while taking off on one of the early morning flights August 7th; he was picked up by a destroyer. At about 1700 Lighter No. Orange Base and myself attempted to get repeats, the former ordering an authentication and it was decided that the Orange Base 'Three' message should be disregarded. Fire lifted as the Marines approached the beach, our boats touched at 0740 and our men went ashore without opposition. They made 12 firing runs, but without effect. The Solomon Islands Campaign launched with the first task of this three-part plan and started on August 7th, 1942 when US Marines landed on Guadalcanal, one of the major islands of the Solomons. Fire support MIKE's only casualties during the morning occurred at. He made one short strafing dive on the leading car before they reached cover. 51 (1865) Announcing Death President Abraham Lincoln, General Order No. [12] Crutchley, R.N., which was to escort the transports from Wellington to the expeditionary force's rendezvous, sailed from Brisbane, Australia, July 14th. Air Group in the Tulagi area. The attack was directed at our ships off Guadalcanal, which put up a punishing barrage of fire. He repeated after recharging his guns but still could not fire, discovering a few moments later that his armament switch was off. Included in this category were medical supplies, of which enough were taken for 60 days. The main landing in this area was to be made at Beach BLUE on the southwest shore of Tulagi, which of all the islands bore the most marks of civilization. Our plans contemplated roughly simultaneous landings by Squadron YOKE in the Tulagi area and by Squadron XRAY on Guadalcanal. It was subsequently learned that we had destroyed 18 enemy planes on the water.14One officer remarked that "after dropping their bombs, our planes strafed the beaches and pounded the daylights out of every building which looked as if it might be hiding some Japs.". While the pilot was engaging the plane ahead, Lupo, the rear gunner, was firing on a fighter directly astern, shooting numerous holes through the tip of the vertical stabilizer of his own plane. The ships were loaded on the general principle that each transport would carry one combat team and all the equipment and supplies needed to put that team ashore and keep it in action for 30 days. Combat Group B, with its three battalions echeloned to the left rear, advanced. H.A. At the same time they were greeted by scattered gunfire. 1135 when theSan Juan's Gun Mount No. A little later Savo Island was visible by its pale light. 3 5-inch gun. of the reef. Born in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1913, William Fournier was raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. James J. Southerland, leading his division, which consisted of Ens. The Marines, however, had been unable to cross the narrow causeway leading to Tanambogo. These two areas would, as of August 1st, be regarded as being divided by the one hundred fifty-ninth meridian, and from the equator southward. 54, USS Capella AK13 & USS Alhena AKA9 War Damage Report No. It was later learned that a scout bomber had inadvertently dropped bomb, which exploded on hitting the water.12However, by the time the planes were over Guadalcanal, the first rays of light were showing in the east, and nearly all planes had found their correct places in the formation. Only theJackson,which had to send off the preliminary landing force to Haleta, and later to send a force to Halavo at a considerable distance, had no time to spare, but she was able to make her first landing on time. Departure from Wellington had been set for July 18th, but when it became apparent that because of bad weather the Second Echelon would not arrive until the 11th or later, permission was obtained to delay departure until the 22d. There was no organized defense of the Lunga Point area. At 0652 what appeared to observers on thePresident Adamsto be an enemy plane was seen over thePresident Hayes,which was just ahead in the column. About 0300, when they were off the northwest tip of Guadalcanal, our two squadrons separated. None of the dive bombers of the group intercepted succeeded in getting a hit on their targets, according to Lt. Comdr. The planes, TBF-1s, carried eight 100-pound bombs and four incendiary clusters per plane. Wakeman and myself estimated that the attack would arrive at about noon, 2 hours from the time of the report. Alabama by U.S.S. The enemy air attack at noon and several false alarms which kept our fire support groups on antiaircraft alert for an hour or more at a time, handicapped the organization work, however. 504-528-1944, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Technician Lewis Hall and Sergeant William Fournier, Kenneth Gruennert and Elmer Burrs Medals of Honor, The Top 5 Veteran Research Questions: Where to Go and What to Know, Commemorating Filipino American History Month, Alexander A. Vandegrift Before Guadalcanal, Call for Action and Liberation in the Philippines, Survival, Resistance, and Escape on Palawan. In perusing these narratives, the reader should bear in mind that while they recount in considerable detail the engagements in which our forces participated, certain underlying aspects of these operations must be kept in a secrete category until after the end of the war. Task Three was the capture of Rabaul. "We had thought that coconut trees would not have enough branches to conceal snipers. same time a small schooner, which was crossing ahead of our squadron from the north toward Kukum, was taken under fire by theSelfridgeand theDewey. [2], In April 1942, the Japanese Army and Navy together initiated Operation Mo, a joint plan to capture Port Moresby in New Guinea. According to Comdr. It arrived at Port Nicholson, North Island, New Zealand, on the 19th. Dugouts were reported on the southeast coast of Tulagi and on Tanambogo. The reports from the carrier groups do not support that contention. The landing force elements embarked comprised the following: He organized them and assigned initial mission to them in the following manner: (a)Combat Group A (less Combat Team No. The enemy plane burst into flames, passed close under his left wing, and crashed among the boats. Lieut. Soon afterwards dive bombers from our carriers appeared in the sky above and began hammering the enemy's remaining hideaways in Tulagi and Tanambogo. Shortly before 0900 the first wave of boats left theAdamsfor Gavutu and landed on the beach there an hour later. The Japanese defenses of the beaches were stronger than anticipated. 12 VF, 23 VSB, and the Air Group Commander over Guadalcanal; and theEnterprise,8 VF for strafing at Guadalcanal and 9 VSB for bombing at Tulagi. Fire Section FOUR: Comdr. This necessity prevented practice in land-to-air communications, which would have helped greatly in the coordination of plane attack with land operations. They dived on these planes but discovered they were some of our SBDs. R.L. Many pitched battles were fought trying to stop Japanese supplies from getting through. Zero hour had been set by Admiral Turner at 0910, and some minutes before that time our boats had gathered at the line of departure, marked since 0840 by 2 destroyers. 29, USS San Francisco CA38 War Damage Report No. (b) One fighter, Ens. Russell M. Ihrig. Barnett, Capt. In the meantime Company Group B (First Marines) had been able to make faster progress in the plains east of the airfield and by 1600 they were in possession of the airdrome, having encountered only one small enemy patrol. A schooner type vessel, possibly a small seaplane tender, was set afire by VF strafing. Conversely, the islands provided a ladder by which we might climb northward to the enemy bases in the Carolines, bypassing the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and possibly extend our sway west to the southern Philippines. President Hayes, Comdr. In March 1942 Admiral Ernest King, then Commander-in Chief of the U.S. Fleet, had advocated an offense from New Hebrides through the Solomon Islands to the Bismarck Archipelago. His force consisted of 12 VF, led by Lt. Comdr. 41, USS O'Brien DD415 War Damage Report No. In order to activate what was to become our first major offensive in the Pacific, a new command was created in April under Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley, with the approval of the United Nations concerned. Combat Narratives are not to be removed from the ship or station for which they are provided. Solomon Islands [8] [a] is an island country [10] [11] consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu. While this flight of 11 SBD-3s was retiring from a bombing of Mbangi Island off Tulagi, the rear gunner of the squadron leader's plane observed a formation of planes approaching from the northeast. When it is also considered that the enemy in 3 air attacks on the transport area was unable to hit and damage more than 3 of the 51 vessels assembled there, it cannot reasonably be said that the protection provided by the carrier air groups was as deficient as some of the fliers, in their more self-critical moments, seemed to believe it was. Libra, Comdr. Ens. Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, commander of Task Force 61 (left), and Major General A. Included in this category were medical supplies, of which enough were taken for 60 days. Joseph L. Kane, USN, theMcFarland,with attached patrol planes. At 1157 the enemy planes were seen approaching from the northeast, coming in over the hills on the eastern part of Florida Island, rapidly losing altitude and heading directly for the transports in a long line. Edward W. Young Shore Party Commanders were directed to call upon troop commanders in their immediate vicinity for assistance in handling supplies from landing beaches to dumps. First priority was given to combat equipment, including vehicles and gasoline, and ammunition which would be needed immediately. Together with the 14 enemy planes claimed by the ships; gunners, the total "shoot-downs" appeared to have been 20. Necessarily there were limitations which prevented the attainment of genuine battle conditions. Gus B. Lofberg, Jr. Lawrence F. Reifsnider: Transports: Hunter Liggett, Comdr. It was found that the Japanese had done a remarkable piece of work in developing their Lunga Point positions since occupation of July 4th. The flight departed from Malaita at 1350 after calling theMackinacand informing her that the area had been searched and was apparently clear. Davy sighted 11 enemy dive bombers, type Aichi 99, which were flying unescorted. The American force had only two ships hit, both of which sustained moderate damage. The Influenza Epidemic of 1918 by Carla R. Morrisey, RN, BSN, Influenza of 1918 (Spanish Flu) and the US Navy, Philadelphia, Nurses, and the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Ralph Talbot, Lt. Comdr. A large oil slick was noted on the surface, but although several screening destroyers searched the area, no further evidence of the submarine or of its possible destruction was seen. Both of these operations, particularly that at Guadalcanal, were supported by considerable numbers of sea and land-based planes. nightfall was on the north side of Hill 281, about parallel to A Company to the south. Thus, an effort has been made to provide accurate and, within the above-mentioned limitations, complete narratives with charts covering raids, combats, joint operations, and battles in which our Fleets have engaged in the current war. Southard, Lt. Comdr. The latter part of this warning proved correct. After the ramp was raised, the crew backed the lighter away from the shore as far as they could in order to keep the ramp between them and the enemy' fire. Samuel P. Jenkins. At noon on August 1st the position of theMcCawley,the flagship of Task Force TARE, was latitude 1903' S., longitude 17909' E. The speed of the fleet was then only about 7 knots. En route Capt. Proceeded towardNevilleand transferred injured men and corpse toNevilleviaNevilleboat.". These were Companies E and F, commanded by Capt. Office of Naval Intelligence Carl H. Horenburger leading, were attacked by two Zeros. The American ships suffered no hits at all. Air support flights were to be tactically commanded by two Air Group Commanders in the air, one over Tulagi, the other over Guadalcanal. Between 1004 and 1239 thePresident Jacksonfueled the destroyer-transportMcKeanand, after interruptions because of the enemy air attacks, theColhoun. During the night, from dusk to broad daylight, the Screening Group, Admiral Crutchley commanding, patrolled the transport areas to protect them against enemy surface or submarine attack. "17In addition there was a number of amphibious tractors. In this he failed, Company A halting the attack and killing 26 Japanese within 20 yards of its defense line. Canberra (HMAS) (CA), Capt. The Zeros immediately attacked three of our fighters, while the remaining three got through to attack the enemy bombers. Shelling and bombing could obviously not continue to any great degree after our men had landed, and the infantry had to reduce the surviving centers of enemy resistance virtually unaided. [39] First Marine Division Commander's report. 4 TR boats, carrying 130 Marines. Army-Navy joint communication procedure was declared effective, and aircraft were instructed to maintain radio silence except(a)in emergency,(b)to transmit information of the enemy,(c)for tactical purposes over the target area. Tinsley, followed the two tanks ashore. While our transports were lying hove to, our cruisers and destroyers not designated to provide fire support for the landings formed a double protective arc about them, cruisers on the inner arc and destroyers on the outer. The bulk of these forces was concentrated in the islands of Tulagi, Gavutu, Tanambogo, Makambo and along the southern shore of Florida Island. Earl W. Cook, Machinist Patrick L. Nagle, and William J. Stephenson, Jr., Aviation Pilot First Class, had not been heard from at the time the action reports were written. As we were coming in, the last shell hit a fuel dump on the beach, lighting up the beach like day, and the Japs opened fire from their dugout on Tanambogo Hill.32. The enemy had concentrated his forces on the steep slopes of Hill 281 and in the shovel-shaped ravine west of the hill and to the north of the cricket ground. Shortly before midnight, a U.S. task force surprised the Japanese cruisers and destroyers north of Guadalcanals Cape Esperance as they approached Savo Island. 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All planes returned but reported sighting nothing. Francis W. Benson. After seizing that island they were to signal for a naval bombardment. In February 1943 the Russell Islands fell, and the New Georgia group followed in August 1943. Plane losses, 21 out of 99 fighters on the 3 carriers, had been considerable but not excessive in view of the enemy's heavy counterattacks by air. Our landing boats had meanwhile left their line of departure, and by 0845 (15 minutes behind schedule, due to the long distance from their transport) the Marines were going ashore at Halavo without opposition. They crossed the Lunga River at the main bridge and encountered no opposition until their advance elements entered Kukum at 1500. The Solomon Islands Campaign cost the Allies approximately 7,100 men, 29 ships, and 615 aircraft. Laurence T. DuBose. As they did so, a battery on Gavutu opened fire at a range of about 4,000 yards. It covers both the sea and land battles and amphibious attacks. These were to be directed by voice radio by the Commander Amphibious Force of Commander Landing Force in theMcCawleyor theNeville. This group was directed to provide three observation planes for inshore antisubmarine patrol in the vicinity of Segond Channel, Espiritu Santo. Benham, Lt. Comdr. David C. Richardson, and Ens. Synchronizing the flights with the attacks of our sea and land forces was only one side of the problem. Against this we lost 11 F4F-4s and one SBD-3, and suffered damage to theMugford. John M. Higgins. He intended the bombardments to keep the enemy off-balance and prevent air harassment of the landing force. Boats were hoisted out and lowered, and debarkation commenced. Over the following days, the first of many deadly naval battles occurredthe Naval Battle of Savo Island. This and the rest of our SBDs returned safely to theWasp. Louis H. Bauer leading, for patrol over the transports. Maury, Lt. Comdr. The enemy bombers, it was said, flew in a very tight formation and dropped a good pattern, but distant from their target. men started to cross the beach many were cut down by heavy fire. [30] TheMonssenreported that at 1830 she fired 200 rounds of 5" on Tanambogo Island on instruction received from Commanding Officer Marines on Gavutu. Company G, commanded by Capt. violence again erupted on the election campaign trail, raising concerns about how . This group was ordered to land on Beach RED (Guadalcanal), assume control of Second and Third Battalions, Eleventh Marines, provide artillery support for the attack, and coordinate antiaircraft and close-in ground defense of beachhead area. At noon the destroyerSelfridgewas sent ahead to make a landfall on Bellona Island, so that upon her return before nightfall she was able to provide our squadron commanders with an accurate navigational position. John D. Sweeney. According to theEnterprisereport, this flight passed above the transports either just before or during the first enemy raid but received a vector of 205 which took them directly away from the attack. Frederick J. This helped, but as the photo mission was made in cloudy weather there were spots in the mosaic which were most confusing. Annapolis, MD/Washington, DC: Naval Institute Press/Naval Historical Center, 1999. The plane which bombed theMugfordalmost immediately fell a victim to the antiaircraft fire of our other ships. R.A.N. Screening group: Rear Admiral V.A.C. Except for 1 fighter, all planes of the first flights returned to theWaspat 0715 and landed on board. (c) Of the six pilots who went down with the fighters, three, Lt. (jg) Gordon E. Firebaugh, Machinist William H. Warden, and Machinist Julius A. Achten, made forced landings and were eventually picked up by friendly personnel. At 0800 (H-hour) the First Raider Battalion was to be landed at Beach BLUE on Tulagi. TheWasp's casualties for the entire action were: (a) One fighter pilot, Ens. In general, Combat Narratives represent a reasoned interpretation of these discrepancies. 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Bain and Minneapolis (CA-36), LCDR Joseph W. Callahan and Ralph Talbot (DD-390), LT Albert P. Scoofer Coffin of Torpedo Ten, MAtt1/c Leonard R. Harmon and CDR Mark H. Crouter of San Francisco (CA-38), CDR Frank A. EricksonFirst Helicoptar SAR, LCDR Bernard F. McMahon and Drum (SS-228), LTJG Melvin C. Roach, Guadalcanal Fighter Pilot, CDR Joseph J. Rochefort and "Station Hypo", Chief Machinist William A. Smith and Enterprise (CV-6), LCDR William J. The Solomon Islands Campaign cost the Allies approximately 7,100 men, 29 ships, and the New Georgia group in... 1865 ) Announcing Death President Abraham Lincoln, General order No, when they were off northwest. The Solomon Islands Campaign cost the Allies approximately 7,100 men, 29 ships, and 615 aircraft,. Kukum at 1500 YOKE in the mosaic which were flying unescorted defenses of the group intercepted succeeded in a... Enemy aircraft afire by VF strafing firing runs, but as the photo mission was made in cloudy weather were. 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Had thought that coconut trees would not have enough branches to conceal snipers that Island they were to signal a. Boats were hoisted out and lowered, and ammunition which would be needed immediately at... Beach many were cut down by heavy fire arrived at Port Nicholson, north Island, while the three... First flights returned to theWaspat 0715 and landed on the 19th Naval Institute Historical... Two of the first flights returned to theWaspat 0715 and landed on the side of the.! Began hammering the enemy plane burst into flames, passed close under his left wing, and 615.. On board time of the Report a hit on their targets, according to Lt. Comdr antisubmarine.