HISTORY
departure until as late as 1000 hours. As
the Japanese formation flew down The
Slot, the aircraft were spotted by the
Australian coastwatchers on the various
islands, who radioed their sightings to
Cactus Control at Henderson Field. By the
time they passed Munda, the defenders
on Guadalcanal would man their fighters
and take off. The Wildcats needed every
minute of warning they could get, since it
took around 45 minutes for the airplanes
to get to 20,000 feet. The enemy formation
would finally arrive between 1100-1300
hours. Given the variability of weather,
there were a few times where the clouds
over The Slot prevented the coastwatchers
from spotting the oncoming Japanese in
time to give sufficient warning.
Photo: NHHC
The Japanese Are Intent on Taking
Guadalcanal Back
The commanding officer of VMF-223, Maj. John Smith after returning from Guadalcanal at NAS Anacostia.
and bombers. Additionally, the weather
in the South Pacific meant they flew
from their bases after the morning cloud
buildups had dissipated, which meant
adherence to a predictable timetable The
route took them from Rabaul to Buka, off
northwestern Bougainville, down to Buin,
overlooking the Shortland Islands, then
straight through New Georgia Sound, soon
to be known as “The Slot.”
Before the war, the Australian Navy
had recruited Australians living in the
Mason's warning and the arrival of the
bombers over Guadalcanal. This schedule
allowed the Marines to count upon several
quiet hours after dawn and before dusk for
getting work done, with at least two hours
during mid-day in which to find cover and
take aim. The Japanese arrived punctually
between 1200-1300 hours, depending
on the weather enroute. Weather in
this equatorial region was marginally
predictable and subject to rapid change
without prior notice.
The Wildcats needed every minute of warning they
could get, since it took around 45 minutes for the
airplanes to get to 20,000 feet.
Solomons to remain behind if the Japanese
appeared and operate a radio warning
system when they spotted Japanese naval
or air forces. Coastwatcher Jack Read,
whose station in the hills of Bougainville
overlooked Buka, was generally first to
send t word of an impending air strike.
Paul Mason, near Buin, was next. There
was invariably two hours between
April 2023
A combat schedule developed since
the Japanese could only fly a large
formation of bombers from Rabaul in
daylight. Weather allowing, the bombers
and their escorting fighters would take
off from their air bases at Rabaul by
0800 hours, though delays were caused
by early morning build-ups of weather
over the Solomon Sea that could delay
Much of the battle noise that had kept
Lieutenant Trowbridge awake that first
night on the island came from the fight
along what the Marines thought was the
Tenaru River but was actually a lagoon.
The Ichiki Battalion - the first Japanese
troops to arrive on the island as part of
Yamamoto’s plans to drive the Americans
into the sea - were engaged by well-dug-in
defenses as they advanced on Henderson
Field. Dawn on August 21 found the
surviving Japanese holding their position.
First Battalion, First Marines, moved
inland around the lagoon and enveloped
the enemy.
As the enemy troops tried to escape down
the beach, they were strafed by newlyarrived VMF-223 Wildcats. All resistance
ended by 1700 hours. When some wounded
Japanese opened fire on the Marines, they
went through the battlefield and shot
every enemy soldier they came across
whether dead or alive, except for 15 taken
prisoner. Thirty Japanese survivors
escaped to tell the tale to their comrades
at Taivu Point. Food, equipment, weapons,
and ammunition were taken from the 871
dead. That evening, Colonel Ichiki buried
his unit's colors, drew a ceremonial
dagger, and disemboweled himself in the
soft sand beside Lengo Channel.
The Marines Meet the Enemy
At mid-day, Admiral Fletcher’s carriers
gave cover so that two transports could
slip into Sealark Channel and unload
supplies. MAG-23’s senior mechanics
were a welcome addition when they
came ashore from the destroyer that had
brought them up from Efate.
Coastwatcher
Jack
Read
radioed
a warning that a strike force was on the
INFO Eduard
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