Once the two battalions hit the beach, they found the core of the
enemy defenses to be a palm grove in the middle of the island. This
area was riddled with “spider holes,” and the American shelling had
added fallen trees to the cover provided to the Japanese by the dense
underbrush. Thus their positions were extremely difficult to locate. It
was dangerous work for the individuals and small groups who had to take
the initiative, but they did and the assault ground ahead against enemy
defenses.
[Illustration: