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The Lost Patrol

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Title
The Lost Patrol
Description
1st Marine Division Intel Officer Frank Goettage asked for and received permission from MG Vandergrift to conduct a long-range patrol to locate Japanese remnants who he suspected to be on the verge of surrender. His patrol of 25 Marines would …
Publisher
Date
1942-08-12
Scenario#
34
Scenario Description
1st Marine Division Intel Officer Frank Goettage asked for and received permission from MG Vandergrift to conduct a long-range patrol to locate Japanese remnants who he suspected to be on the verge of surrender. His patrol of 25 Marines would be decimated mere hours into their patrol and resulted in the launching of several rescue attempts after survivors made their way to the Marine perimeter around Henderson to report on the disaster.
Location
Guadalcanal
Battle Name
Battle Narrative
Prior to the Marine invasion of the Solomon Islands in Operation Watchtower, Goettge, Division D-2 augmented Marine Intelligence when he traveled to Australia spending a week in Melbourne and a few days in Sydney gathering information on the Islands from people who lived and worked there. In addition to information gleaned from interviews Goettge brought eight Australians to where the First Marine Division was forming in Wellington, New Zealand. The Marines landed on Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942, and within several days rounded up a number of Japanese Navy laborers, who had been assigned to construct the airfield at Lunga Point. Most were malnourished and sick from tropical illnesses. A Japanese warrant officer was among the prisoners and, after being plied with alcohol, told the Marines that there were a number of Japanese west of the Matanikau River. These soldiers were reportedly sick, demoralized, and willing to surrender. At about the same time, Marines near the Matanikau perimeter reported seeing a white flag flying from a tree. It is possible that this was actually a normal Japanese flag with the Hinomaru disc insignia obscured.
Narrative Source
Combatants
American
Japanese

Geolocation