Back in the Jungle: Bougainville

The ocean voyage from Fiji took more than a week, and on December 28, 1943, the convoy bearing the men of Company G arrived at Bougainville, and disembarked at Empress Augusta Bay. Allied forces had established a semi-circular perimeter in the jungle protecting three precious airfields. The Japanese forces on the island were entrenched further inland, but more importantly, were cut off from resupply and reinforcement by strong Allied naval and air presence.

The island of Bougainville itself was primitive, remote, and rugged - an easy place for the Japanese to hide. It featured dense jungle, as well as a number of soaring volcanoes. Earthquakes were a frequent occurence, as were torrential downpours. The jungle was thick, overgrown, and as Jack Morton recalled, "spooky."

Defending the Bougainville Perimeter

The American mission on the island was not to aggressively hunt and destroy the enemy, but merely to defend the airfields, and keep the Japanese isolated. At right, a color photo of the Torokina Airstrip, hugging the coast of Empress Augusta Bay, in April 1944.

An Observation Post in the Tree Tops

A key objective in the Bougainville campaign was quickly identified: a tall Banyan tree, atop Hill 260. American commanders were eager to establish an observation post atop this tree, which would grant a commanding view of the surrounding terrain for miles around. This photo, taken in early 1944, shows the base of that observation post, with a wooden ladder leading high up into the Banyan tree. A platform above housed bunks, telescopes, and radios.

Defensive Positions on Hill 260

Hill 260 was technically in the 182nd Infantry sector of defense, yet it lay out beyond the main perimeter, sticking out like a sore thumb in a hostile jungle. The hilltop was shaped like an hourglass, with the Observation Post Tree (OP Tree) on the South Knob of the hill. This original map overlay shows the defensive positions on top of the hill as of March 9, 1944.

The Japanese Counterattack

Japanese forces on Bougainville were still strong and organized in the first part of 1944. In March, they launched a massive counterattack against the American perimeter. Three separate assault groups threw themselves against the semicircular defensive line. Their objective was to drive the American forces back into the sea, and retake the airfields. But despite the heaviest concentration of artillery support that the Japanese would mount during the entire Solomons campaign, the offensive was doomed. Japanese intelligence estimates greatly underestimated the size of American forces on the island. On the right side of this post-war Army map, the path of the Japanese "Muda" group can be seen, advancing on Hill 260 - well outside the safety of the American perimeter.

"Hold at All Costs"

The Japanese offensive, while outnumbered on the whole, directed massive force at key positions in overwhelming numbers. The initial assault on Hill 260 consisted of perhaps 1300 Japanese soldiers. The defenders on top of the hill, composed primarily of men from Company G, had only 78 men to hold back the assault. They were quickly outmatched. The Japanese advanced up the southeast corner of the hill, throwing themselves across barbed wire when necessary. They quickly took the area around the OP Tree, while small forces of survivors from the original garrison held on desperately. The map at right shows the penetration of Japanese forces in red. The orders from on high to the American forces on the hill were clear: "Hold at all costs."

The Bloody First Few Days of Battle

Adhering to the orders to hold, officers of the 182nd threw wave after wave of attacks at the Japanese positions on Hill 260. Occasional success was met with Japanese counterattack. The fighting went on for days. This report, compiled by Lieutenant Colonel Dexter Lowry, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, recounts the first two days of the battle in excrutiating detail. Men from Company G were lost in the initial Japanese attack, and still more were lost in a failed American counterattack on the hill on March 11. Numerous men from Company G were awarded medals for bravery during this March 11 attack and retreat.

Note: Click on the report to view following pages.

Artillery Support

As the battle settled into a routine of American counterattack and retreat, artillery support from behind the lines began to take a toll on the Japanese entrenched on top of the hill. Over the course of the battle, perhaps 10,000 rounds of artillery and mortar fire were dropped on the South Knob of the hill. In this photo, a howitzer from the 155th Sea Coast Defense fires a round on Bougainville days before the Japanese attack.

Casualties Mount

The insistence on head-on thrusts up the hill began to take a terrible toll on American units. In this photo, taken on March 15, 1944, a soldier on the ground buries his head in his hands, weeping over a friend killed on Hill 260.

New Measures to Combat Stubborn Resistance

By the second week of the battle for Hill 260, the Japanese forces atop the hill were mostly isolated, but still firmly entrenched. The Americans had retaken the North Knob of the hill, and established a perimeter around the base of the hill. American units tried innovative methods to dislodge them. They rigged gas pipelines and improvised gasoline can launchers to try to burn the Japanese out, to no avail. Eventually, artillery and even anti-aircraft pieces were lugged into the jungle and mounted in positions that enabled them to fire almost point blank at the Japanese. Here, a 75mm cannon mounted on a nearby hill blasts away at Hill 260.

A View of the Battlefield

This photo, taken on March 19, shows the crest of Hill 260 through a dense growth of trees. Artillery fire can be seen exploding on top of the hill. In the foreground are barbed wire fencing and discarded supplies.

American Assaults

American forces continued to launch all-out attacks on the Japanese forces on the South Knob. This map shows two separate attacks, one on March 19 (left), and one on March 20 (right). Both attacks moved from safe positions on the North Knob, down into the jungle, and then up the side of the hill. Company G advanced on March 20 with Company B of the 132nd Infantry. They fought their way to the top of the hill, suffering a number of casualties. At the top, they observed Japanese units signaling their surrender. As the Americans advanced to investigate, the Japanese dropped back in their hole, and mortar fire began to rain down on the Americans. It had been a trap. News of the fake surrender was reported in American newspapers, complete with an account from Lieutenant Richard Roy.

Eddie McCarthy of Company G was killed during this assault, and Ed Monahan was among those wounded.

The Hill is Taken

On March 28, American forces advanced up the hill and discovered that the few remaining Japanese soldiers had abandoned the hill and disappeared back into the jungle. The Hill was at last back in American hands. Men scurried about preparing new defensive positions. In this photo at right, the toll of the American artillery fire over the previous three weeks is evident. Looking south from the North Knob, the blasted remnants of what was once a thick jungle were all that remained.

Command Shakeup

During the fighting, the 182nd Infantry underwent a dramatic change of command. In a period of less than a week, numerous men in positions of importance were reassigned and replaced. Colonel William Long, commanding officer of the 182nd Infantry Regiment, and Lieutenant Colonel Dexter Lowry, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion of the 182nd, were both replaced.Their replacements, Lieutenant Colonel Floyd Dunn (left, new CO of 182nd) and Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Sauer (right, new CO of 2nd Battalion) pose here with the tattered remains of the OP Tree after the conclusion of the battle.

Company G was not immune to these sweeping changes. Company CO Captain Donald Pray was reassigned, as was First Sergeant Frank Fitzgerald.

Clearing Up the Dead

The hill was in ruins when the Americans re-occupied it. 21 American bodies were recovered in the rubble, along with over 200 Japanese corpses. Here, an American soldier dumps lime on a Japanese corpse atop the hill.

Burning Refuse

The top of Hill 260 was clogged with blasted vegetation and war material. In this photo, a soldier burns refuse with a flamethrower.