The enemy made no ground attack that night, but periodically fired
mortars and machine guns at American lines. During a lull at 0200
three Japanese barges approached the beach, apparently unaware that
ownership of the real estate was under dispute. As they neared shore,
the Marines guarding the seaward portion of the perimeter opened up.
One craft sank and the other two broached in the surf. Two Marines
and one soldier died in the firefight, but the entire enemy force,
estimated at 120 men, was destroyed in the water or on the beach.
The next morning Brown decided to disengage and move to Vura Village,
where he could reorganize and direct fire support on the remaining
enemy at Kaeruka prior to launching another attack. The Americans
received only harassing fire as they withdrew. After a day of prepatory
fire by air, artillery, and naval guns, the composite battalion
returned to Kaeruka on 3 July. They seized the village against minimal
resistance, killed seven more Japanese, and captured one. The raiders
returned to Oloana Bay by LCI later the next day. On 9 July they made
a predawn landing from an LCT on Gatukai Island to investigate reports
of a 50-man Japanese unit. The Marines found evidence of the enemy but
made no contact. They returned to Oloana Bay on 10 July and departed
for Guadalcanal the day after. There they joined up with Lieutenant
Colonel Currin and the rest of the 4th Raider Battalion.
[Sidebar (page 29): The Raider Patch
The use of Marine Corps shoulder patches in World War II originated
with the creation of the 1st Marine Division insignia following the
Guadalcanal campaign. This was not a new practice for Marines, since
members of the Fourth Marine Brigade wore the Star and Indian Head
patch of the Army 2d Infantry Division in France during World War I.
[Illustration]
The 1st Marine Division emblem consisted of the word “Guadalcanal”
lettered in white on a red numeral “1” placed on a sky-blue diamond.
The white stars of the Southern Cross surrounded the number. By July
1943, the I Marine Amphibious Corps had adopted a variation for its
own patch--a white-bordered, red diamond, encircled by the white stars
of the Southern Cross, on a five-sided blue background. Non-divisional
corps units each had a specific symbol inside the red diamond. The
emblem of the I MAC raider battalions was a skull. While the raider
insignia may not have been the most artistic of Marine Corps shoulder
patches in the war, it certainly was the most striking.
The skull device originated with the 2d Raider Battalion, which began
using it not long after that unit came into existence. Carlson issued
paper emblems, consisting of a skull-like face superimposed on crossed
scimitars, to his raiders prior to the Makin raid. Each piece of paper
was backed with glue and allegedly raiders were to use them to mark
enemy dead for psychological effect, but they stuck together in the
humid tropics and proved impractical. By the time Carlson’s battalion
reached Guadalcanal, the emblem had evolved into a skull backed by
a crossed “Gung Ho” knife and lightning bolt. It is not clear who
selected the skull for the official raider patch, but that device
readily conveyed the image the raiders effectively cultivated--that
of an elite force trained to close with and destroy the enemy in
commando-style operations.
]
_Enogai_
The 1st Raider Battalion and the raider regimental headquarters joined
in on the New Georgia operation in the early hours of 5 July. They
spearheaded the night landing of the Northern Group at Rice Anchorage,
a spot selected because previous reconnaissance showed it to be
undefended. Coastal guns from Enogai and the island of Kolombangara
fired on the APDs during the landing, but their accuracy was poor
in the driving rain. The only serious interference came from enemy
destroyers; a long-range torpedo sunk one of the American transports.
Nevertheless, the troops and most of their equipment and supplies
made it ashore, and the amphibious group was able to withdraw before
daylight left them vulnerable to further enemy counter-action.
From Rice Anchorage the 1st Raider Battalion was to advance overland
to seize Dragons Peninsula and the enemy’s barge bases at Enogai and
Bairoko. The Army’s 3d Battalion, 148th Infantry, would head deeper
into the interior and establish a blocking position on the trail
connecting Enogai-Bairoko with Munda. Another Army unit--3d Battalion,
145th Infantry--would divide itself, with half securing the beachhead
and the remainder serving as the reserve force. Intelligence reports
indicated 500 Japanese troops were in place on Dragons Peninsula.
Liversedge and the regimental headquarters accompanied the 1st Raiders.
[Illustration: