NOTES ON THE NIPS
=Japanese Pillboxes= _Lieutenant Colonel McCormick, Field Artillery,
~New Georgia~_: “In most cases pillboxes were built in two decks to
permit the occupants to drop through a trap door during heavy shelling.
They were used for heavy-weapons firing and had communication trenches
which concealed light machine guns protecting the pillboxes. All were
mutually supporting and very well concealed.”
★
=Superman Myth Exploded= _Operations Report, 43d Division, ~New
Georgia~_: “Our troops here came to regard the Superman stories about
the Japanese as ridiculous. The Jap is tricky but not so tricky as many
have been led to believe. He is not nearly so ingenious or adaptable as
the average American, and the truth of the matter is he’s afraid of us,
of our artillery, and of our sea and air power. Our troops must learn
this and never forget it.
=Jap Trap= “We soon learned that the Japanese permitted small leading
elements of the column to proceed past their effectively camouflaged
fortifications and would not open fire until our main body came along.”
=Defensive Action= _Operation Report, 43d Division, ~Arundel Island~_:
“Our first contact with the enemy was made by patrols, which
encountered small groups of Japs equipped with automatic weapons.
Their resistance consisted of a fluid delaying action and, during the
early phases, could not be effectively fixed. After a short skirmish
the Japs would withdraw several hundred yards and re-establish their
temporary defense. The denseness of the jungle made such a defense
quite effective in delaying our progress.”
★
=Vine Entanglements= _Colonel Liversedge, U. S. Marine Corps, ~New
Georgia~_: “The Japanese used a prickly native vine for entanglements.
The vines were interwoven and used to protect defensive positions in
lieu of barbed wire. Results were effective and impeded attack. Vines
had to be cut before progress could be made.
“_Our own troops should be instructed in the use of these vines_ as a
means of improvisation when wire is not available.”