NEW GEORGIA: Wickham Anchorage (Vangunu)
(1-pp30-31)
The other half of the 4th Raider Battalion (Companies N and Q) received
its baptism of fire during this same period. This unit was under command
of the battalion executive officer, Major James R. Clark. It was assigned
to assist the Army's 2d Battalion, 103d Infantry (Lieutenant Colonel Lester
E. Brown) in seizing Vangunu and the approaches to Wickham Anchorage on
30 June. Intelligence from the coastwatchers indicated that there were
about 100 Japanese occupying the island. The plan called for the raiders
to make a pre-dawn landing at undefended Oloana Bay. The Army would follow
them ashore after daylight, establish a beachhead, and then deal with
the enemy, thought to be located in a village along the coast several
miles to the east.
The night landing under conditions of low visibility and
heavy seas turned into a fiasco. The APDs began debarkation in the wrong
spot, their Higgins boats lost formation when they attempted to pass through
the LCIs loaded with soldiers, and the two raider companies ended up being
scattered along seven miles of coastline. When the Army units began to
land after daylight, they found just 75 Marines holding the designated
beachhead. A two-man patrol (one lieutenant each from the raiders and
the Army battalion) had been ashore since mid-June to reconnoiter with
the aid of native scouts. They provided the exact location of the Japanese
garrison, and the joint force soon headed to the northeast toward its
objective. Native scouts and the handful of Marines led the way, with
two Army companies (F and G) in trace. The remaining raiders were to join
up with their unit as soon as they could. All but one platoon did catch
up by the time the Americans reached their line of departure a few hundred
yards north of the village. The plan of attack was simple. The Army units
passed through the raiders on the east-west trail to assume the easternmost
position. The entire column of files then merely faced to the right, which
placed the composite battalion on line and pointing toward the enemy to
the south. Company Q held the right flank on the bank of the Kaeruka River.
Company N in the center and Company F on the left flank would guide on
the movements of Q. Company G held back and acted as the reserve. Within
minutes of beginning the advance, the attack ran into resistance. Japanese
fire from the west bank of the river was particularly heavy and Company
Q crossed over to deal with this threat. At the same time Company F moved
to its left to skirt around strong defenses. Company G soon moved in to
fill the gap. By late afternoon the Americans were able to clear the east
bank of the river. Lieutenant Colonel Brown ordered Company Q to disengage
from the west bank and join in the battalions perimeter defense at the
mouth of the river. The Marines had lost 10 dead and 21 wounded, while
the Army had suffered similarly.
The enemy made no ground attack that night, but periodically fired mortars
and machine guns at American lines. During a lull at 0200 three Japanese
barges approached the beach, apparently unaware that ownership of the
real estate was under dispute. As they neared shore, the Marines guarding
the seaward portion of the perimeter opened up. One craft sank and the
other two broached in the surf. Two Marines and one soldier died in the
firefight, but the entire enemy force, estimated at 120 men, was destroyed
in the water or on the beach.
The next morning Brown decided to disengage and move to Vura Village,
where he could reorganize and direct fire support on the remaining enemy
at Kaeruka prior to launching another attack. The Americans received only
harassing fire as they withdrew. After a day of preparatory fire by air,
artillery, and naval guns, the composite battalion returned to Kaeruka
on 3 July. They seized the village against minimal resistance, killed
seven more Japanese, and captured one. The raiders returned to Oloana
Bay by LCI later the next day. On 9 July they made a pre-dawn landing
from an LCT on Gatukai Island to investigate reports of a 50-man Japanese
unit. The Marines found evidence of the enemy but made no contact. They
returned to Oloana Bay on 10 July and departed for Guadalcanal the day
after. There they joined up with Lieutenant Colonel Currin and the rest
of the 4th Raider Battalion.
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