The 2nd Marine Raider Battalion attacked Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, from 6 November to 4 December 1942. In a series of small unit engagements over 29 days, the 2nd Raiders killed almost 500 Japanese soldiers while suffering only 16 killed. The raiders also captured a Japanese field gun that was delivering harassing fire on Henderson Field, the Allied airfield at Lunga Point.
About Carlson’s patrol in brief
The 2nd Marine Raider Battalion attacked Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, from 6 November to 4 December 1942. In a series of small unit engagements over 29 days, the 2nd Raiders killed almost 500 Japanese soldiers while suffering only 16 killed. The raiders also captured a Japanese field gun that was delivering harassing fire on Henderson Field, the Allied airfield at Lunga Point. The landings initiated the six-month-long Guadal Canal Campaign. The Japanese were taken by surprise, and by nightfall on 8 August the 11,000 Allied troops had secured Tulagi and nearby small islands as well as an airfield under construction at lunga point. The Americans remained completely unaware of the approach of Maruyama’s forces until late October, when they finally reached the American lines. The mission was to deny the Japanese use of the islands as bases for threatening the supply routes between the U. S. and Australia, and to secure the islands for a campaign to isolate the major Japanese base at Rabaul while also supporting the Allied New Guinea campaign. The U.S. Marines established a perimeter defense around lunga Point to protect the airfield, and the Allies later increased the number of U. s. troops there to more than 20,000. In response to the Allied landings, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters assigned the Imperial Japanese Army’s 17th Army with the task of retaking Guadal canal.
The first Japanese attempt to recapture Henderson Field failed when a 917-man force was defeated on 21 August in the Battle of the Tenaru. The next attempt took place from 12–14 September, ending in the defeat of the 6,000 soldiers under the command of Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi at the battle of Edson’s Ridge. On 23 October, Maruyamas’ forces struggled through the jungle to reach the American Lines. On 24 October, the Americans postponed the attack to 19: 00: 00 on 24 October. On 25 October, after learning that the left and right wing were still struggling to reach American lines, the left wing of the right wing was ordered to attack the American defenses from the south near the east bank of the Lunga River. On 26 October, Kawaguchis ordered his right wing to shift his right area to the east, believing that American defenses were weaker in that area. When he refused, he was relieved of command and replaced by Colonel Toshinari Shōji, commander of the 230th Infantry Regiment. On 27 October, he ordered his left wing to move to the right, and on 28 October he ordered the right Wing to the left. On 29 October, his right Wing attacked the American line. On 30 October, on the same day, the American forces were able to repel a Japanese attack on the east side of the Lunga River. The battle was called off and the Americans regained control of the island and Henderson Field.
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This page is based on the article Carlson’s patrol published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 03, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
