_Marine riflemen accompanied by tanks push forward to the inner
recesses of Horseshoe Ridge in an effort to cut off the enemy water
supply and rid it of Japanese troops once and for all. The going got no
easier as the Americans pushed forward._]
[Illustration: _Marines who fought on Pope Ridge would not recognize
it in this photograph of the southern end of the ridge looking north
showing how the vegetation took over._
Caption and photo by Phillip D. Orr
]
As 2/5 picked off successive firing positions in the north, 3/5
on 7 October sent a tank sortie into the Horseshoe. This time,
the mission was not to seize and hold, but to destroy by fire all
identifiable targets on the faces of the Five Sisters, and on the
western (lower) face of Hill 100 (Pope Ridge). When all ammunition
was expended, the tanks withdrew to rearm then returned, accompanied
by LVT flame-throwing tanks and guarded by small infantry fire-teams.
Considerably more destruction was effected, a large number of Japanese
were killed in caves, and many of the Japanese heavy weapons in those
caves were silenced. Previous to this time, some single artillery
pieces firing from within the Horseshoe had occasionally harassed the
airfield. No such nuisance attacks occurred after the 7 October tank
sorties.
For the next six days, the 5th Marines headquarters afforded all
available support to small, incremental advances by 2/5 from the north.
Light mortars were repeatedly used to clear all vegetation from small
objectives and routes of advance. Both tanks and artillery were used
at point-blank ranges to fire into all suspected caves or rough coral
areas. Aerial bombardment with napalm was used to clear vegetation
and, hopefully, drive some defenders further back into their caves.
All advances were very limited, aimed simply at seizing new firing
positions. Advances were made by squads or small platoons.
The last position seized, Hill 140, just north of the Five Brothers,
afforded a firing site to which a 75mm pack howitzer was wrestled in
disassembled mode, reassembled, sandbagged, and then effectively fired
from its then-commanding position. It could fire into the mouth of a
very large cave at the base of the next ridge, from which serious fire
had been received for days.
Sandbagging this piece into position posed special problems, since the
only available loose sand or dirt had to be carried from the beach, or
occasional debris slides. Nevertheless, the use of sandbags in forward
infantry positions began to be used increasingly, and the technique was
later improved and widely used when 81st Infantry Division soldiers
took over further reduction of the Pocket.
[Illustration: SEIZURE OF EASTERN RIDGES]
By this mode of careful advance, a number of small knobs and ridges
at the head of the two murderous box canyons were seized. Direct
fire could be laid into the west face of Walt and Boyd Ridges, whose
tops were occupied by 1/5, but those cave-filled western slopes were
protected by other caves on the opposite, parallel ridge known as Five
Brothers.
[Illustration: