_Capt Henry H. Reichner’s Battery A loads its Long Toms on an LCT
to move to Piru Plantation from Tambusolo Island. These moves were
staggered to provide continuous artillery support during this phase and
were carried out with speed and efficiency._]
On board a beached landing ship, tank, Francis E. Chadwick, of Battery
B, was hauling ammunition for a Navy 40mm antiaircraft gun when the
“LST was showered in water. You could feel the heat from the bombs. The
noise was deafening.” Army and Navy units suffered the most from lack
of preparation and the area around the landing beach became known as
“Suicide Point.”
[Illustration: _The Japanese struck back hard at the New Georgia
invasion force with bombers and fighters. Allied combat air patrols
shot down many of the enemy, but some got through to damage Marine
positions on Rendova. This area became known as “Suicide Point” after
fuel and explosives dumps were hit during the 2 July 1943 raid._
Marine Corps Historical Collection
]
Four 9th Defense Battalion men were killed, one was missing, and 22
were wounded as a result of the raid. Damage to the battalion included
two 155mm guns hit, two 40mm guns hit, three amphibious tractors hit,
one TD18 tractor demolished, and an unknown amount of supplies and
personal gear destroyed. One bomb landed between the trail legs of one
155mm gun in Battery A, but failed to detonate. This put the gun out
of action until the bomb was excavated, pulled clear, and detonated.
That day, the battalion bomb disposal teams successfully removed or
destroyed a total of 9 bombs and 65 unexploded projectiles of 105mm or
larger (Over 9,000 pieces of smaller enemy or damaged friendly ordnance
were recovered by the end of the campaign by these teams). Some light
antiaircraft guns fired at the raiding planes, but downed none. The
damage caused by this attack was due in part to the lack of working
surveillance radar, and friendly fighter cover had been withdrawn
because of weather. The battalion’s SCR270 and 516 radars had not yet
been installed and the E Battery SCR268 radar had been fueled with
diesel from a drum marked “gasoline,” putting it out of action at the
time of the attack.
[Illustration: