Chapter 8 The Sixth Japanese Army's counterattack was frustrated

From the night of the 21st to the morning of the 22nd, November 22nd, when the attack on the third day of D-Day came, the Marine Corps on Petio Island finally received a strong support force. In the meantime, several light tanks and several 75mm caliber self-propelled guns arrived one after another.This increase in firepower not only allowed the first battalion of the Sixth Regiment to land perfectly, but also virtually enhanced the combat power of the Second Marine Division.After two days and nights of hard work, the Marines finally secured a bridgehead at Petio Island.Now, there is sufficient support to bring this battle to an end.

Battle plan for the twenty-second day At 8:30 pm on November 21, Edison, the chief of staff of the 2nd Division, arrived at the command post of the 2nd Regimental Battle Group at Shope.After drawing up the battle plan for the 22nd day, he immediately assumed overall responsibility for the land battle. The initial work was on supporting aircraft and naval gun firing tasks.The firing control line is set at the end of the main gunway. Colonel Edison ordered the large-caliber guns of the battleships and cruisers to focus their fire on the eastern third of the island (at least 500 meters from the nearest Marine position).The mothership aircraft is responsible for bombing and machine gunning the area.

The bombardment was to begin at seven o'clock in the morning and was scheduled to last for twenty minutes.Then at 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30 in the morning, each started shooting for 20 minutes. Then, the third battalion of the sixth regiment will be launched into the landing operation.Since the afternoon of the day before yesterday, Makleo's 3rd Battalion has been sitting in the landing craft on standby.Colonel Edison was able to communicate with the flagship Maryland through Colonel Shapp's 2nd regimental battle group command post, but could not communicate with any units of the 6th regiment.If you want to talk to the Sixth Regiment, you must pass the message from the division headquarters, and then Colonel Hermes, before you can communicate with the battalions.

Chief of Staff Edison believed that it was necessary to place the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment under Shaw's command before the main force of the regiment could land.Edison consulted Mr. Smith on this subject, and suggested whether the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment, should be mustered off Green Beach (at 8 o'clock in the morning) and landed somewhere on the coast, or put on standby.The division accepted the proposal, and at 6:41 in the morning, handed the series of instructions to Lieutenant Colonel Macleo. At four o'clock in the morning, Chief of Staff Edison gave the order for the attack on November 22 to the commanders of the 2nd and 8th regiments.In order to ascertain whether Major Jones, commander of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment in Green Beach, was aware of the plan, Edison sent Major Tompkin to Green Beach to personally bring the order to Major Jones.

Attack on the Eastern Point of Betio Island Judging from the configuration of the battalions on Betio Island, this general maneuver plan is quite appropriate. When dawn broke, the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment had already passed the line of the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, continued its attack towards the east, and then marched towards the south bank to join the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 2nd Regiment who were firmly guarding the coast. . At the same time, the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment under the command of Xiao Pu will attack towards the west in order to eliminate the Japanese strongholds at the border between No. 1 and No. 2 Red Beach.

Colonel Hull's 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 8th Regiment focused on attacking the Japanese defense facilities at the end of Pence's Trestle Bridge. The remaining forces of the second regiment-level battle group will launch a series of shots to support the attack battalions and attack the surrounding Japanese defense facilities. On November 22, after the scorching sun rose, the marines on the Red Beach saw the sea water beating against the revetment embankment frequently.The tide had swelled overnight, and it seemed to be able to float the landing boats.The land that had been dry since D-Day was now submerged.The Japanese strongholds located in the No. 1 and No. 2 areas of Hongtan were very hopeless.The damaged crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle and the drifting corpses further illustrate the ferocity of the Japanese army.

The companies of Major Hayes of the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment deployed along the front line stretching 300 meters from the beach to the western end of the airport.The positions and command posts of the Japanese army in this line of defense area were either hidden deep in the wreckage of twisted buildings, or hidden in the jungle, or covered with a layer of raw sand.However, the focus of Japanese firepower was placed slightly to the right.It was a steel bunker surrounded by coral and coconut tree logs.Because it is extremely well configured, there are no dead spots at all, so it can easily grab enemies from any direction.

A corner of the Japanese position collapsed In order to facilitate the attack this morning, the three light tanks of C Company were assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 8th Regiment.The light tanks attacked the bunkers with certainty, and sometimes even engaged in hand-to-hand combat at such close range that the muzzles of the tanks could touch the holes of the guns.But the 37mm caliber gun lacks the power to penetrate the bunker protection.Before the light tank convoy was ordered to return to the command post, a tank hit a mine and was declared destroyed.At the same time, in order to alternate with the tank convoy, two self-propelled guns were used.One of them was immediately baptized by gunfire, the radiator was damaged, and it became immobile.

The continuous attack in the afternoon proved that the 75mm gun was more effective against the enemy's position than the 37mm gun.However, the attack power of a self-propelled gun is inferior to that of a tank, because it cannot attack close to the cover like a tank. On this day, the infantry and engineers achieved brilliant results.They worked together to throw TNT clots (high-performance explosives), blasting tubes, and directional explosives into the Japanese defensive positions, completely destroying them. The flamethrower lost during the fierce battle on the landing made the battalion suffer from being unable to do what it wanted.Because, the kind of weapon that can turn everything into a sea of ​​flames is an indispensable guy for the demolition team.

The breezy trade wind blows up, and most of the summer heat seems to have disappeared.When dusk fell, the positions occupied by A and C companies (located in the center and left flank of Major Hayes' front) had surrounded the Japanese stronghold on the coastal border.If measured in meters, the progress of the attack was negligible.However, several defensive positions in inland areas were destroyed. On the coastline, B Company faced the most powerful defensive position, so that it could not move. Near dusk, a small number of Japanese soldiers attacked the Marine Corps' front line in an attempt to suppress the U.S. Army, but they encountered fierce artillery fire from the latter and finally escaped.When Hayes' battalion dug trenches to prepare for the night battle, it virtually blocked the communication between the Japanese defensive positions and the friendly forces in the east, leaving them in a helpless situation.

Suppressed the Japanese army on the overseas side After six o'clock in the morning on the 22nd, when Major Tompkin was heading for Green Beach on the orders of Chief of Staff Edison, Major Jones was in radio contact with Colonel Shoppe, so he was able to learn the details of the attack plan. Jones set off at eight o'clock in the morning, passed the front line of the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Regiment, launched an attack, arrived at the outer coast of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of Major Keyle, and was then ordered to advance towards the east.In the vanguard of the attack, Major Jones had five light tanks (two of which were in reserve).Then, he persuaded Major Ryan to obtain a Green Beach Sherman chariot. About 50 meters behind the leading tank, a row of infantry marched forward, while driving away the Japanese soldiers who were trying to launch a meat bomb attack (carrying bombs).According to the plan, company C stood on a narrow front with a width of only 100 meters, and advanced in column of company units.In order to destroy the Japanese bunkers, soldiers with flamethrowers were assigned to C Company. What is surprising is that the Japanese soldiers in the overseas frontal defense facilities only carried out formal resistance to the advance of the 1st Battalion of the Sixth Regiment.Compared with the sporadic fighting and the tenacious struggle in the past two days, there is a world of difference.The light tanks advance with the infantry's powerful supporting fire, providing strong support for the engineers, tank guns and machine guns who will launch hand-to-hand attacks.At first glance, the strength of the Japanese army is not what it used to be. At eleven o'clock in the morning, the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment killed about 250 Japanese soldiers before the vanguard reached Major Keir's position. In the morning battle, Keil's mixed force also collected 100 Japanese soldiers and achieved a very good record. When Company C first arrived at the Second Regiment's position, Major Jones was ordered to visit the command post of the Second Regimental Battle Group at Sharpe.Once there, he was immediately given the task of continuing the attack along the south bank through Keil's position at one o'clock in the afternoon.This time, Jones received a Sherman chariot and seven light chariots.If he asks, he can even get the cooperation of naval guns and artillery!Meanwhile, Colonel Hull's two battalions were to join hands with Jones's forces in order to capture the eastern tip of Petio Island. The fierce battle in the east is going nowhere At one o'clock in the afternoon, when the US military continued to attack, Company A moved behind the tanks instead.The resistance of the Japanese army has gradually strengthened, and it seems that it is not an easy task to completely defeat them. However, the vigor of the initial attack led the day's battle to victory.When the surrounding area was dark and Major Jones' troops stopped fighting and breathed a sigh of relief, the battalion was already near the eastern roundabout taxiway, and the two companies A and B built a night defense line (from the coast to the end of the runway). Company C crossed the runway and headed north, occupying the barrier between the airfield and the coast. As for the airport, it was suppressed with machine gun fire.Crow of the 8th Regiment and Ryder's 2nd and 3rd Battalions, like a whirlwind, occupied C Company's rear, supporting positions along the north bank.At the same time, a large number of soldiers were dispatched to guard the wide taxiway. On November 22, if Major Crow wanted to advance, he had to destroy three groups of Japanese positions (the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment had been troubled since D-Day).One of these is the steel bunker next to the Pence/Phillips trestle.It has always stubbornly resisted the attacks of Company F, and anyone who tries to get close will be baptized by machine guns.As for the most eye-catching target, it is a huge bunker covered by raw sand, located deep inland, that is, to the south of the first bunker.The third obstacle was in front of Company K, a bunker made of coconut logs. Its extremely accurate machine gun attacks shattered every dream of attacking and destroying it.These positions can support each other to exert incomparable power. Therefore, the U.S. military cannot go beyond the thunder pool until they are all defeated. The Fight of Lieutenant Boneman Major Crowe confirmed that the front-line troops had brought all the ammunition and rations, and at the same time, the lubricating oil had been properly distributed.This morning the soldiers had disassembled and cleaned their weapons. In order to increase the attack power, all members of Company G were assembled in the rear of Company F.Major Crow attacked from the left flank first, and then extended to the whole line.During the preparations, the mortars fired non-stop in support.At 9:30 in the morning, a shell finally penetrated the Japanese bunker in front of Company K, blowing up the position into a piece of dust. At this time, a Sherman tank that was active in front of Company F's position finally got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy a few shells under the steel cover.After achieving these offensive results, the two companies F and K were able to advance calmly.However, due to this march, the remaining Japanese positions in the rear resumed fierce shooting. Huge sand dunes protect the Japanese soldiers behind them.The Japanese army only needs to wait for the U.S. military to turn around and pass through the bunker, and then they can directly shoot at the U.S. military.In order to prevent this situation from happening, it is necessary to seize the top of the mountain behind the Japanese army. Alexander.The assault engineers led by Lieutenant Boniman, who always showed up in fierce battles, have always been ahead of the army, and the infantry's machine guns and rifles immediately launched fierce supporting fire.When the assault engineers climbed the sand dunes in an attempt to occupy the top of the mountain, the Japanese army launched an assault without delay.Boniman collided with them, and although he burned three Japanese soldiers with a flamethrower, he also fell to the ground.Boneman's bravery and outstanding leadership earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor.The third Marine to be a warrior since the battle for Petio Island. Boneman's men finally blasted the bunker's entrance and exit.The Japanese soldiers who tried to escape through other entrances fell under the grenades and flame throwers one after another, and nearly 100 soldiers were killed. secured the airport After this battle, Company E was thrown into the battle line and marched around the lagoon on the side of the mountain side by side with Company G. The assault platoon sent by company K attacked the side of the airport.In order to prevent the Japanese army from attacking the bunker, a ground machine pushed up thick soil at the entrance of the bunker, trapping about 150 Japanese soldiers inside. Soon, the attacking troops of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment joined the E and G companies on the east side of the bunker, and launched a general attack.The Japanese army was exhausted, and morale was already showing signs of low.Therefore, when Crowe's troops advanced, about ninety Japanese soldiers committed suicide in bunkers and trenches.The US Marines finally secured the area between the airfield and the lagoon. On the left of Camp Crow, the I and L companies of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Regiment, within the airfield triangle, synchronized their advance on both wings.The men of the Ryder Battalion arrived at the tip of the triangle first, stopped at the edge of the airfield and the turnaround taxiway, and dug trenches.The so-called defensive position extends to the rear 400 meters along the southern end of the runway and the northern end of the taxiway. When the assault company of Crow's Battalion came near the turnaround taxiway, countless people flew from the battle area of ​​the 1st Battalion of the Sixth Regiment (according to different tactics, the battle area was divided to take responsibility) The stray bullets forced them to retreat quickly.Immediately afterwards, the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment quickly broke through the area, so that Battalion Commander Crowe had to order his subordinates to deploy immediately. Major Jones' C Company of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment, in order to replace the frontline The friendly forces were hastening to reach the north bank, so Major Crowe placed Company K in a support position a little behind, while the rest of the battalion also took a defensive position in the west. The tombstones of comrades-in-arms were erected The soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Regiment of Lieutenant Colonel Markleo, who had been living in the landing craft for a long time and waited for the fighter plane, finally fulfilled their long-cherished wish and printed their footprints on Betio Island. At 8:50 a.m. on the 22nd, Lieutenant Colonel MacLeo's troops boarded the northern part of Green Beach, reorganized, and were ready to attack the east at any time after receiving orders.The perilous coral reefs off the west coast of Betio Island and the erratic currents all made landing operations very difficult.Therefore, when the third battalion of the sixth regiment completed the landing, it was already eleven o'clock in the morning.Then, behind the position held by the third battalion of the second regiment, Maglio deployed two companies (first line) and one company (reserve). These recruits, listening to the sound of fighting in the east, waited for the advancing Order, resting easily under the scorching sun. In order to excavate the mass cemetery where the corpses of the Japanese soldiers were buried, the military cemetery brigade was using the excavator to carry out operations. However, the smell of corpses from the American and Japanese armies had already filled the air, making people sick.The US Marines who died in battle were buried individually by their comrades.The name, class, military status, and the name of the unit to which are engraved on the tomb mark.These dead US Marines are called real Marines, or a close relative or friend.Between the words, there is a family affection. At five o'clock in the afternoon, Lieutenant Colonel Macleo finally received the order to advance.The 3rd Battalion of the 6th Regiment passed the south bank where the 1st Battalion of the same company had passed.It stopped about 600 meters away from Major Jones' main position, ready to support the 1st Battalion.That night they camped in that area. The division commander has arrived at the front line of Petio Island On the morning of November 22, as the two coastal bridgeheads were able to communicate with each other, Commander Smith resolutely moved the division command post to Petio Island.The flagship of the USS Maryland, which has always been used as the communication and coordination center of the various coastal forces, is no longer useful.Division Commander Smith asked Brigadier General Hamel to sit on the flagship instead of him, and immediately accompanied the Tenth Regiment Commander (Artillery) Thomas.Brigadier General Barker, Chief Liaison Officer, Fifth Amphibious Corps (VAC) James J.Brigadier General Andasier, and a command group composed of ten other officers, took a crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle and set off towards Bedio Island in a mighty manner.At 11:55 in the morning, as soon as Smith arrived at Green Beach, he inspected the third battalion of the second regiment and the soldiers and positions of the third battalion of the sixth regiment that had just arrived. After a tour in this way, Commander Smith thought that the center of the island was very suitable for commanding operations, so the group of them transferred to the crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle, bypassed the island's bird's mouth, and headed towards Red Beach No. 2 and Xiao Pu's second regiment-level battle group command post. The Japanese stronghold located in the coastal area fired fiercely at the general's crawler-type amphibious landing vehicle.The driver was injured, and the crawler amphibious landing vehicle came to a complete stop.The personnel of the command post were transferred to another tracked amphibious landing vehicle.At 1:35 in the afternoon, Major General Smith arrived at the headquarters of the Second Regiment and received a status report from the division chief of staff Edison and Shop. The attack in the afternoon made a lot of progress. Compared with two days ago, the speed of this kind of progress is really very different, and it is so fast that it is impressive.Even so, the atmosphere inside the command post was still extremely serious. The resistance of the Japanese army has not yet weakened Although the U.S. military made great progress in attacking and repeatedly destroyed the Japanese defense facilities, the speed of operations was as slow as a snail, so that the Marine Corps suffered serious damage.As a result, an atmosphere of pessimism and helplessness spread among the tense and exhausted soldiers. Mr. Smith's report at four o'clock in the afternoon reflected this atmosphere. The situation of the purge operations on Betio Island is not optimistic.The casualties of the officers were too great, so that the command of the troops fell into a very difficult situation.There are still strong resistance areas as follows: 212, 213, 214, 237, 210, 209, 208 (all near the east end of the airport).Numerous bunkers at the eastern end of the island remain undisposed.The current front line is mainly at the west end of 214, 236, and 212.The Japanese strongholds in the west of our position have not yet been suppressed. Our army has advanced slowly and sacrificed a lot. It will take at least five more days and nights before we can completely occupy them.Although the attack of the navy and the air force could give our army a helping hand, it still failed to destroy many enemy bunkers. By the evening of the 22nd, before Smith convened a meeting of force commanders, after a full three hours of fighting, the first-line troops of the U.S. Army managed to advance along the two banks.Commander Smith believed that a prolonged battle would be necessary to secure the eastern part of Betio Island.At seven o'clock in the afternoon, the division commander who commanded the coastal operations once again coordinated the tasks among the various regiments again. Hermes received a notice at 6:00 am on the 23rd that all units of the Sixth Regiment would return to his command.Therefore, Hermes decided to lead the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Regiment, pass through the front line of the 6th Regiment, and continue to attack the east.Lieutenant Colonel Marley's 2nd Battalion, 6th Regiment moved from Pellike Island to Green Beach and then advanced east to support the 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment.Colonel Hull was ordered to send the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Eighth Regiment to Palige Island to reorganize and reorganize the lineup. Colonel Shop's regiment was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, in order to destroy the Japanese stronghold on the coast.And took on a task, that is: occupy the positions held by the first and second battalions of the first regiment, and eliminate the resisting Japanese troops. In order to overcome the difficulties of this operation, Brigadier General Barker ordered the 4th Battalion (105mm howitzers) of the 10th Regiment to land on Green Beach.Before the attack by the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Regiment on the morning of the 23rd, the Air Force and Navy will bomb and shell first to weaken the resistance of the Japanese army. Japanese massive counterattack In the period between these orders being issued, the Sixth Regiment was under heavy counterattack by the Japanese, and as a result, the point of view of operations changed slightly.Chief of Staff Edison said: The Japanese tried to counterattack, but they gave us strong assistance. Before that, at around 7:30 p.m. on November 22, fifty Japanese soldiers sneaked over from the deep jungle in front of companies A and B of the first battalion of the sixth regiment. In the middle gap between the two companies' positions, they occupied a foothold. Major Jones formed a reserve team with the 81mm mortar platoon of the battalion headquarters company, and drove the infiltrators away in one go.In the one-hour dark battle, the Japanese soldiers were either killed or repelled with grenades, bayonets, rifles, etc., so the gap between the two companies was filled.In order to counter the Japanese counterattack, Jones asked Major Keyle (commander of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment) to deploy a company at the blockade line 100 meters behind the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment.Keil sent forty men from the first line of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment to this task.Soon after, this detachment had established contact with the 1st Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Regiment. Obviously, this infiltration attempt by the Japanese army was a so-called reconnaissance attack, and it could also be said to be a precursor to a strong counterattack.However, after Jones' initial contact with the Japanese, he immediately called for artillery support. The shooting command post of Lieutenant Colonel Li Kexi, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 10th Regiment, will command the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Regiment on Paliki Island and the 1st Battalion of the 10th Regiment on Betio Island to implement support shooting.The howitzer shells kept falling seventy meters in front of the position of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment.The destroyer's bombardment was directed to the stern of the eastern end of Betio Island, falling within 500 meters of the American front. heroic hand-to-hand combat At eleven o'clock in the afternoon, small Japanese troops appeared in the miscellaneous forest in front of Company A.They screamed and rushed through the jungle, throwing grenades and firing at the US troops.Obviously, this is a containment operation by the Japanese army.The Japanese army originally planned to attack Company B's position with 50 troops, but they were unable to do so. They were finally shattered by American machine guns, 60mm mortars, and grenades.However, the Japanese army also got a glimpse of the situation of the company's defensive position, so they launched an attack on this position without delay. For about four hours, the surroundings were as quiet as a vacuum, and the US Marines listened and watched the movement of the Japanese army.Until three o'clock in the morning on the 23rd, the Japanese machine guns began to break the silence, and the American machine guns immediately responded. The American Marines armed with grenades made the Japanese soldiers who started hand-to-hand combat useless. An hour later, about 300 Japanese soldiers rushed through the jungle with a loud noise and launched an assault.The marines of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Regiment took up short knives, rifles, grenades, mortars, machine guns, etc., and launched a desperate battle with the Japanese army.The artillery fire again landed seventy-five meters in front of the defensive position.The US fleet also heard the sound and started shooting. Due to the flash of shells and the bright moonlight, the Japanese army's true colors were exposed, and finally in less than an hour, the Japanese army disappeared completely in a barrage of bullets. The dawn light illuminated the two hundred Japanese corpses in front of the Marine Corps position.In the area where the artillery and naval guns fired intensively, there were 125 unrecognizable corpses of Japanese soldiers lying there.Despite this massacre, at least 500 Japanese troops are still hiding in the east of Betio Island.