Posted on 10/25/2009 4:49:12 AM PDT by rellimpank
It's hard to envision -- or, for the dwindling few, to remember -- what the world looked like on Oct. 26, 1942, when a few thousand U.S. Marines stood essentially stranded on the God-forsaken jungle island of Guadalcanal, placed like a speed bump at the end of the long blue-water slot between New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, the most likely route for the Japanese Navy to take if they hoped to reach Australia.
On Guadalcanal, the Marines struggled to complete an airfield. Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto knew what that meant. No effort would be spared to dislodge these upstart Yanks. Before long, relentless Japanese counterattacks had driven supporting U.S. Navy vessels from inshore waters. The Marines were on their own.
As Platoon Sgt. Mitchell Paige and his 33 riflemen set about carefully placing their four water-cooled .30-caliber Brownings, manning their section of the thin khaki line that was expected to defend Henderson Field against the assault everyone expected on the night of Oct. 25, 1942, it's unlikely anyone thought they were about to provide the definitive answer to what had previously been a mainly theoretical question: How many able-bodied U.S. Marines does it take to hold a hill against a desperate attacking force of 2,000?
Nor did the commanders of the mighty Japanese Army, who had swept all before them for decades -- OK, they decided not to push Marshall Zhukov any further in Manchuria -- expect their advance to be halted on some God-forsaken jungle ridge manned by one thin line of Yanks in khaki in October 1942
(Excerpt) Read more at lvrj.com ...
It's easier, I imagine, to cause blood to flow through a uniform than a suit and tie.
Now ... if we can condition ourselves to see Brook's Brothers suits and polished wing tips as an enemy uniform ......
Where are you today, John Moses Browning, when we need you, we send our troops out with over engineered, over priced toys, that can be guaranteed to fail at the worst possible moment. Heavy though they were, the M1917 Heavy(WC),the M1919 Light(AC). The .50 BMG and the M1917 B.A.R, did not have failure in their vocabulary.
barbra ann
Excellent observation and commentary ... thank you.
My brother owns a 1919 and I can tell you that they do fail.
I do know they are more reliable than an M60 out at the range.....but combat is not the range and there were not many reliability studies done during WWII.
Those interested in the topic might want to check out Multi-Man Publishing’s upcoming Combat Sim on Guadalcanal.
Kawaguchi’s Gamble: Edson’s Ridge.
http://www.multimanpublishing.com/preorder/viewGame.php?id=59
They also have in their ‘Tactical Combat Series” Bloody Ridge which is a different scale of the same battle. Look it up.
No, I do not work for MMP. I just buy their products.
My late father-in-law, Peter Martuselli, was a Marine on Guadalcanal. Pete could tell you the names of all the men that died during the unbelievable fighting, many of them his friends. It is hard to believe that a young man could live through the stress of war and still have the sweet spirit that Pete was known for all of his life.
John Moses Browning still lives and he still fights.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Browning_machine_gun
M2 Browning machine gun
yeah Corps.....its early.
just had my first coffee....
if Dad were alive, he would wack me in the back of the head for that one....
...he went to meet his cousin about 3 years ago now.
Well said,Thank you
Blurry-eyed bump!
It’s easier, I imagine, to cause blood to flow through a uniform than a suit and tie.
Now ... if we can condition ourselves to see Brook’s Brothers suits and polished wing tips as an enemy uniform ......
**************************
It is easier to fight an enemy that is easy to identify and it is clear they are out to kill you. You face a possibility of death no matter what.
If everyone wearing expensive suits were the enemy then we could find a way to defeat them.
We need to find the tactics and strategy for this new enemy: the enemy within.
Go back and watch it again, Robert. Upham wasn’t the only survivor. Ryan himself and Ryben survived.
And the German prisoner needed killing.
I know many serving in the military today and I do believe heroism is/will happening/happen again when the need is there. For the most part those that join the military are of a different mindset to begin with, especially those that have enlisted since 9/11. They are highly trained, but definately not robots that won't think for themselves if the need is there.
God bless them. My father-in-law was a paratroop during WWII in the 82nd airborne. He had 2 drops on his wings and stayed in Italy for the remainder of the European campaign. He never talked much about his dealings until one Christmas when we both got pretty much hammered.
He then opened up as we went through his foot locker of memorabilia and photos. War wasn’t a pleasure cruise.
Great post! I love Vin’s articles.
The world first noticed it at Bello Wood. Then there was Pearl harbor, Wake island, Bataan, Guadalcanal........
Our enemies scoff at us and consider us weak. All to their utter desolation. Unfortunately we need such heroes because our so called political leaders screw up. No screw-ups then no need for heroes. Think about it.
The sonuvabitch once played basketball in a Marine Corps tee-shirt. He deserves the Navy Cross at the least!
Semper Fi,
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.