Race for Rescue

With the knowledge that the Japanese were more organized than initially thought, Maj Gen Vandegrift has committed the 5th Marines (now commanded by the recently promoted Edson) and Griffith’s 1st Raiders to support the 7th Marines after their fight at …

1942-09-27

Guad08

With the knowledge that the Japanese were more organized than initially thought, Maj Gen Vandegrift has committed the 5th Marines (now commanded by the recently promoted Edson) and Griffith’s 1st Raiders to support the 7th Marines after their fight at Mount Austen. The 1st Raiders will cross the Matanikau at ‘One Log Bridge’ while the 5th Marines attack at the mouth of the river. Vandegrift has received a message from the Raiders and believes that they have crossed the river at ‘One Log Bridge’ and are engaging the Japanese. Hoping to cut off any Japanese retreat from the Matanikau River, Puller’s 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, commanded by Major Rogers, has been sent to make an amphibious landing near Kokumbona to support the attack on Matanikau village with an attack from the west. They have landed, but have been met with unexpectedly overwhelming Japanese numbers and mortar fire. With their landing craft departed and no radio, their only hope of rescue is to try to signal the destroyer USS Monssen for help from the top of the ridge!

Guadalcanal

The Actions along the Matanikau—sometimes referred to as the Second and Third Battles of the Matanikau—were two separate but related engagements, which took place in the months of September and October 1942, among a series of engagements between the United States and Imperial Japanese naval and ground forces around the Matanikau River on Guadalcanal Island in the southwestern Pacific northeast of Australia, during the Guadalcanal campaign. These particular engagements—the first taking place between 23 and 27 September, and the second between 6 and 9 October—were two of the largest and most significant of the Matanikau actions.

Wikipedia: Actions along the Matanikau

Japanese

American