The Bougainville campaign
basically resembled that of Guadalcanal: it had a limited objective--the capture
and defense of a strategic airfield site. The acquisition of a base on
Bougainville was part of the overall plan of isolating the highly strategic
Japanese naval and air base of Rabaul on the island of New Britain. The initial
landing on Bougainville was intended primarily as a Marine Corps operation. Once
a beachhead was secured the Marines were to be withdrawn and replaced by Army
troops.
The task of seizing the Cape Torokina region on the
island was assigned to the I Marine Amphibious Corps, commanded by Lieutenant
General Alexander A. Vandegrift and later by Major General Roy S. Geiger. For
this operation IMAC included the following assault units: 3d Marine Division,
Major General Alan H. Turnage; 37th Infantry (Army) Division, Major General Robert S.
Beightler; 2d
Marine Raider Regiment (Provisional), Lieutenant Colonel Alan Shapley; 1st
Marine Parachute Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Williams and 8th New
Zealand Brigade Group, Brigadier R. A. Row.
The New Zealanders and one battalion of the
parachutists were assigned special missions directly -related to the
Bougainville operation, yet not connected with the actual landing. On 27 October
1943, four days before D-Day the brigade along with some U.S. elements made an
assault on the enemy-held Treasury Islands, some 65 miles southeast of Empress
Augusta Day. This had a dual purpose: to serve as a feint to distract the enemy
from the main thrust and to neutralize a potential threat to the American lines
of communication. The New Zealanders met considerable resistance in the
difficult terrain but succeeded in securing the entire area by 12
November.
Another feint was made by the 2d Parachute Battalion,
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Victor H. Krulak, on the island of Choiseul on
27 October. The Marines stormed ashore destroying all enemy installations within
reach. Believing that a much larger force had landed, the Japanese
counterattacked but were repulsed with numerous losses. After seizing their
limited objectives, the Marines withdrew to rejoin the main force that had
landed on Bougainville having 'Lost only 11 men killed and 14 wounded. No other
American forces returned to the island, as Choiseul became one of the many
enemy-held island's left behind In the backwash of war.
At 0645 on 1 November 1943, the first wave of the
assault force moved ashore on Bougainville. The initial landing was made by the
3d Marines, 9th Marines, and 2d Raider Regiment, less one battalion. Despite
prior bombardment by both ships and planes, the invasion force met heavy fire
from the defenders. Although this shore fire did not prevent the landing, it did
cause much confusion. The situation was further complicated by a heavy surf. As
a result, squads, platoons, even companies landed far out of position and in
sectors assigned to other units. The dense jungle, moreover, did nothing to
facilitate reorganization.
Because of the difficult terrain the beachhead was not
expanded very rapidly. Three days after the landing the perimeter was only an
average of 1,500 yards from the beach. Following the initial resistance the
advance had been unopposed. The Marines now faced another enemy; the jungle and
the swamps. Any advance inland was a matter of clawing, hacking, and wading
one's way foot by
foot.
From the initial landing until the end of
the Marine participation in the campaign, the story of Bougainville is one of a
beachhead expanding slowly, inexorably against nature and the Japanese. Behind
the perimeter engineers and Seabees struggled to construct air facilities on one
of the most unpromising pieces of real estate in the entire Pacific.
The Japanese for the most part dug into the jungle and
the ridges and waited for the Americans to carry the fight to them. Not until
months after the Marines had left did they make a determined effort to oust the
invader and by then it was too late. Only once did the Japanese attempt to throw
out the Marines. During the night of 6/7 November, the enemy made an abortive
counter landing at Atsinima Bay, some distance beyond the Marines, left flank,
then anchored on the Koromokina River. In the meantime, the Japanese attempted
an attack on the perimeter by infiltrating forces down the Piva Trail.
This two-pronged attack was ineffectual. The
amphibious landing force was too small to really disrupt the American hold on
the perimeter. More important, American naval and air forces thwarted any enemy
attempt to send reinforcements to their beleaguered troops. Despite a determined
resistance by the Japanese landing force (approximately 500 men, it was
practically annihilated after three days of heavy fighting. The attack via the
Piva Trail was also stymied after three days of heavy fighting. By 10 November,
two battalions of the 9th Marines reached Piva Village and found that the
Japanese had withdrawn. From then on the Japanese operated strictly on the
defensive against the Marines and Army units which were gradually building up
their strength on the island. The enemy 4\7 from his well-placed positions now
began utilizing the tactics of counterattack, sniping, and infiltration, with an
occasional Banzai charge
to enliven proceeding in country which gave the defenders every advantage, this
made for some bitter and bloody fighting. The Japanese inability to commit sufficient troops
for the task at hand,
however, insured their ultimate failure.
One particular bloody engagement was the Battle of
Piva Forks which began on 19 November and ended seven days later. This was a
rather bitter and difficult battle in which units of the 3d Marines bore the
brunt of the fighting. After engaging the Americans in very close combat, the
Japanese broke off the fight, leaving behind more than 1,200 dead, and withdrew
into the hinterland. There they set about the preparation of strong defensive
positions beyond the range of American artillery. Clashes between Marine patrols
and Japanese forces continued for some time. One such action merits special
mention.
The last major battle for the Marines on Bougainville
was the engagement at "Hellzapoppin Ridge," where some of the toughest fighting
of the campaign occurred. The Japanese were dug in on the steep slopes and crest
of the ridge. After the discovery of the Japanese positions, it was found that
the only way to dislodge the enemy was by a frontal assault. Between 12 and 18
December the Marines, primarily the 21st Marines, struggled to gain the ridge.
Time and again they would get a foothold, only to be forced to abandoned it a
little later. After a series of air strikes on the last day of the battle, the
Marines were able to reach the crest. Over 200 of the defenders had died by the
time struggle ended.
Toward the end of December Army units began replacing
Marine Corps personnel and shortly after the first of the New Year most Marines
were redeployed elsewhere. Their mission was completed; a precious beachhead had
been secured on which American naval and air bases were rapidly being
constructed. The price paid by the Marine Corps for the seizure of the
Bougainville base sites was 732 killed and 1,259 wounded. The valor and courage
displayed by the Marines demonstrated by the fact that three Marines received
the Medal of Honor: Private First Class Henry Gurke, Sergeant Robert A. Owens,
and Sergeant Herbert J. Thomas; all posthumously.
From the advance bases on Bougainville, American
forces disrupted the vital Japanese lines of sea and air communications in the
Southwest Pacific. As a result thousands of Japanese troops were cut off from
their sources of supplies. By early 1944, the enemy's offensive capability in
this area of the Pacific had been effectively neutralized, thus enabling
American forces to advance along the northern coast of New Guinea and into the
Philippines. The seizure of potential base sites on Bougainville by the Marines
had assured other American troops of easier going in the Pacific
war.
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