Things did not go entirely according to plan. During June the
Japanese used some of their reinforcements to extend their coverage
of New Georgia. They ordered a battalion to Viru with instructions
to clean out native forces operating in the vicinity of Segi. The
Solomon Islanders, under command of Coastwatcher Donald G. Kennedy,
had repeatedly attacked enemy outposts and patrols in the area. As
the Japanese battalion advanced units closer to Segi Point, Kennedy
requested support. On 20 June Admiral Turner ordered Lieutenant Colonel
Currin and half of his 4th Raiders to move immediately from Guadalcanal
to Segi. Companies O and P loaded on board APDs that day and made
an unopposed landing the next morning. On 22 June two Army infantry
companies and the advance party of the airfield construction unit
arrived to strengthen the position.
Viru presented a tougher problem. The narrow entrance to the harbor
was flanked by high cliffs and covered by a 3-inch coast defense gun.
Numerous enemy machine guns, including .50-caliber models, occupied
supporting positions. Most of the defenses were oriented toward an
attack from the sea, so American leaders quickly decided to conduct an
overland approach. But that was not easy either, given the difficulty
of the trails. After reconnaisance and consultation with higher
headquarters, Currin decided to take his raiders by rubber boat to
Regi, where they would begin their trek. The assault on Viru would
be a double envelopment. Lieutenant Devillo W. Brown’s 3d Platoon,
designated Task Force B, would take the lightly defended village of
Tombe on the eastern side of the harbor. The remainder of the force
would attack the main enemy defenses at Tetemara on the opposite
shore. The simultaneous assaults were to take place on the originally
scheduled D-day. Once the approaches were secured, APDs would land two
Army infantry companies.
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