_This enemy Model 92 7.7mm Lewis machine gun was sited to cover the
obvious landing beaches on the southeastern shore of Tulagi. The 1st
Raider Battalion made a safe landing by assaulting unfavorable but
undefended terrain elsewhere._]
_Tasimboko_
As August progressed the Japanese moved a steady stream of
reinforcements to Guadalcanal in nightly runs by destroyers and barges,
a process soon dubbed the “Tokyo Express.” The Marines repulsed the
first enemy attack at the Tenaru River on 21 August, but Vandegrift
knew that he would need all the strength he could muster to defend the
extended perimeter surrounding the airfield. At the end of the month
he brought the raiders and parachutists across the sound and placed
them in reserve near Lunga Point. The latter battalion had suffered
heavily in its assault on Gavutu-Tanambogo, to include the loss of its
commander, so Vandegrift attached the parachutists to Red Mike’s force.
[Illustration: _Marine Gunner Angus H. Goss (shown here training
other raiders in 1943) played an unexpected lead role in the seizure
of Tulagi. When Japanese holed up in caves, Goss and his demolition
platoon attached TNT charges to ends of poles and fashioned the
techniques needed to root out the remaining defenders on the island._
Department of Defense Photo (USMC) 55268
]
Edson quickly established a rapport with Lieutenant Colonel Thomas,
the division operations officer, and convinced him to use the raiders
offensively. The first product of this effort was a two-company patrol
on 4 September to Savo Island, where intelligence believed the enemy
had an observation post. While Griffith commanded that operation, Red
Mike planned a reconnaissance-in-force against Cape Esperance for
the next day. When the Savo patrol returned in the late afternoon on
_Little_ (APD 4) and _Gregory_ (APD 3), the men began debarking before
they received the order to remain on board in preparation for the next
mission. Once he became aware of the mix-up, Edson let the offload
process proceed to completion. That night Japanese destroyers of the
Tokyo Express sank the two APDs. It was the second close escape for the
raiders. During the shift to Guadalcanal, enemy planes had sunk the
_Colhoun_ (APD 2) just after it had unloaded a company.
[Illustration: GUADALCANAL