Battle of the Tenaru
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
Dead Japanese soldiers, killed assaulting United States Marine positions, lie on the sandbar at the mouth of Alligator Creek, Guadalcanal after the battle on August 21, 1942.
Date August 21, 1942 Location Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands Result Allied victory
Combatants
United States, Australia, Solomon Islands	Empire of Japan
Commanders
Alexander Vandegrift, Clifton B. Cates	Harukichi Hyakutake, Kiyonao Ichiki †
Strength
1,500[1]	917[2]
Casualties
44 killed[3]	777 killed, 15 captured[4]

The Battle of the Tenaru, also known as the Battle of the Ilu River, took place August 21, 1942 on the island of Guadalcanal, and was a land battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, between Imperial Japanese Army and Allied (mainly United States (U.S.) Marine) ground forces. The battle was the first major land engagement during the Guadalcanal campaign. US landings in the Pacific, 1941–1945 The Pacific War was the part of World War II — and preceding conflicts — that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, between July 7, 1937, and August 14, 1945. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Guadalcanal, a 2,510 square mile (6,500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands, is largely a jungle. ... The group of countries known as the Allies of World War II consisted of those nations opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... now. ... Gen. ... cate is the supreme fasist dictator of the world her army will burn and kill all that stand in her way particularly brad he must die first after becoming treasurer of the debate team cate went on a power ear bringing down everything in here path she ruled with an... Battle of Guadalcanal Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 7, 1942 - February 9, 1943 Place Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands Result Allied victory The Battle of Guadalcanal was one of the most important battles of World War II. The assault on the Japanese-occupied island of Guadalcanal by... Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders Richmond K. Turner Gunichi Mikawa Strength 5 cruisers, 5 destroyers 7 cruisers, 1 destroyer Casualties 4 cruisers sunk, 1 cruiser damaged, 2 destroyers damaged 1,270 killed, 709 wounded 2 cruisers damaged, 58 dead, 70 wounded The Battle of Savo Island was a naval... Battle of the Eastern Solomons Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 24, 1942 – August 25, 1942 Place North of Santa Isabel, United States Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr. ... Battle of Cape Esperance Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date October 11, 1942 – October 12, 1942 Place Off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal Result Allied victory The Battle of Cape Esperance, originally known as the Second Battle of Savo Island, was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World... Combatants United States (U.S.) Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr. ... Combatants United States, Australia, New Zealand Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Isoroku Yamamoto Strength 1 carrier, 2 battleships, 5 cruisers, 12 destroyers 2 battleships, 8 cruisers, 16 destroyers Casualties 2 light cruisers, 7 destroyers sunk, 26 aircraft destroyed, 1,732 killed[1] 2 battleships, 1 heavy cruiser, 3 destroyers, 11... The Battle of Tassafaronga was a naval battle fought between United States and Japanese forces on 30 November 1942. ... Operation KE was the three-phase withdrawal of all Japanese forces from the Battle of Guadalcanal following the defeat of the Imperial Army in ground combat centered at Henderson Field and the near destruction of Japanese naval forces in the area. ... Battle of Rennell Island Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date 29 January 1943 – 30 January 1943 Place Rennell Island, Solomon Islands Result Japanese victory The Battle of Rennell Island was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on 29 January – 30 January... The Solomon Islands Campaign was a large series of battles that occurred in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This was the first large-scale campaign in the War in the Pacific, and the victories achieved by the Americans in the battles of this campaign helped secure vital bases... Battle of Guadalcanal Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 7, 1942 - February 9, 1943 Place Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands Result Allied victory The Battle of Guadalcanal was one of the most important battles of World War II. The assault on the Japanese-occupied island of Guadalcanal by... Battle of Blackett Strait Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date 6 March 1943 Place Blackett Strait, Solomon Islands Result American victory The Battle of Blackett Strait was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on 6 March 1943 in the Blackett Strait, between Kolombangara... The eastern part of the Territory of New Guinea, and the northern Solomon Islands; the area in which Operation Cartwheel took place, from June 1943. ... To boost Japanese morale following the disastrous Battle of Guadalcanal, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy, decided to make an inspection tour throughout the South Pacific. ... The battle of New Georgia was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, and was fought in the New Georgia group of islands in the central Solomon Islands from 10 June 1943 to August 25, 1943 between forces of Japan and... The Battle of Kula Gulf was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought in the early hours of 6 July 1943, between United States and Japanese ships off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. ... Combatants United States New Zealand Japan Commanders Walden L. Ainsworth Shunji Izaki Strength 3 light cruisers, 10 destroyers 1 light cruiser, 5 destroyers Casualties 3 light cruisers damaged, 1 destroyer sunk 1 light cruiser sunk The Battle of Kolombangara was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War... The Battle of Vella Gulf was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of August 6, 1943 – August 7, 1943 between the islands of Vella Lavella and Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. ... Battle off Horaniu Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 17, 1943 – August 18, 1943 Place Near Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands Result Japanese strategic victory The Battle off Horaniu was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of... New Zealand soldiers land at Baka Baka, Vella Lavella to relieve the U.S. 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division, on September 17, 1943. ... Battle of Vella Lavella Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date October 7, 1943 Place Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands Result Japanese victory The Battle of Vella Lavella was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of October 6, 1943 near... The Battle of the Treasury Islands was fought from October 25 to October 27 of 1943 between New Zealand and Japan in the Solomon Islands. ... Map of U.S. Marine raid on Choiseul, October 28-November 3, 1943. ... The Battle of Empress Augusta Bay was a land and naval battle in the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 1-2 November, 1943 on Bougainville, an island in the Solomon Islands group, but part of the Territory of New Guinea. ... Battle of Cape St. ... Troops from New Zealand disembark from U.S. Landing Craft Infantry ship LCI-444 to occupy Green Island on February 16, 1944. ... Combatants United States; Australia; New Zealand Japan Commanders George Kenney (air forces) Frederick Sherman (naval forces) Mineichi Koga Strength 2 carriers, 97 carrier planes, 100+ land-based planes 10 cruisers, 11 destroyers, 100+ planes Casualties 10 carrier planes destroyed, 50+ land based planes destroyed 8 cruisers damaged, 3 destroyers damaged... Category: Possible copyright violations ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Guadalcanal, position (inset) and main towns Guadalcanal is a 2,510 square mile (6 500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands. ... Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... US landings in the Pacific, 1941–1945 The Pacific War was the part of World War II — and preceding conflicts — that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, between July 7, 1937, and August 14, 1945. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... The group of countries known as the Allies of World War II consisted of those nations opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Battle of Guadalcanal Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 7, 1942 - February 9, 1943 Place Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands Result Allied victory The Battle of Guadalcanal was one of the most important battles of World War II. The assault on the Japanese-occupied island of Guadalcanal by...

In the battle, U.S. Marines, under the overall command of U.S. Major General Alexander Vandegrift, successfully repulsed an assault by the "First Element" of the "Ichiki" Regiment, under the command of Japanese Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki. The Marines were defending the Lunga perimeter, which guarded Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, that was captured by the Allies in landings on Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. Ichiki's unit was sent to Guadalcanal in response to the Allied landings with the mission of recapturing the airfield and driving the Allied forces off of the island. Underestimating the strength of Allied forces on Guadalcanal, which at that time numbered about 11,000 personnel, Ichiki's unit conducted a nighttime frontal assault on Marine positions at Alligator Creek on the east side of the Lunga perimeter. Ichiki's assault was defeated with heavy losses for the Japanese attackers. After daybreak, the Marine units counterattacked Ichiki's surviving troops, killing many more of them. In total, all but 128 of the original 917 of the Ichiki Regiment's First Element were killed in the battle. Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Gen. ... Guadalcanal, position (inset) and main towns Guadalcanal is a 2,510 square mile (6 500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ...

The battle was the first of three separate major land offensives by the Japanese in the Guadalcanal campaign. After Tenaru, the Japanese realized that Allied forces on Guadalcanal were much greater in number than originally estimated and thereafter sent larger forces to the island for their subsequent attempts to retake Henderson Field.

Background

On August 7, 1942, Allied forces (primarily U.S.) landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Islands in the Solomon Islands. The landings on the islands were meant to deny their use by the Japanese as bases for threatening the supply routes between the U.S. and Australia, and to use them as starting points for a campaign with the eventual goal of isolating the major Japanese base at Rabaul while also supporting the Allied New Guinea campaign. The landings initiated the six-month-long Battle of Guadalcanal. August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... The Florida Islands are a small island group in Solomon Islands, a nation in the Pacific Ocean. ... A military base is a facility, settlement, reservation, or installation that shelters military equipment and personnel. ... A threat is an unwanted (deliberate or accidental) event that may result in harm to an asset. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... In the military sciences, a military campaign encompass related military operations, usually conducted by a defense or fighting force, directed at gaining a particular desired state of affairs, usually within geographical and temporal limitations. ... Space Radar Image of Rabaul Volcano Rabaul was the capital of East New Britain province, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea until 1994. ... Operation Watchtower On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division performed an amphibious landing east of the Tenaru River. ...

Taking the Japanese by surprise, the Allied landing forces accomplished their initial objectives of securing Tulagi and nearby small islands, as well as an airfield under construction at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal, by nightfall on August 8.^[5] That night, as the transports unloaded, the Allied warships screening the transports were surprised and defeated by a Japanese warship force of seven cruisers and one destroyer, commanded by Japanese Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa. Three U.S. and one Australian cruisers were sunk and one other U.S. cruiser and two destroyers were damaged in the Battle of Savo Island. Turner withdrew all remaining Allied naval forces by the evening of August 9 without unloading all of the heavy equipment, provisions, and troops from the transports, although most of the divisional artillery was landed.^[6] August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1992. ... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... Gunichi Mikawa Gunichi Mikawa (三河 軍一 Mikawa Gunichi, August 29, 1888 - February 25, 1981) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. External links Naval Historical Center biography of Gunichi Mikawa FUTURA DTP biography of Gunichi Mikawa Categories: Japanese people stubs | 1888 births... Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders Richmond K. Turner Gunichi Mikawa Strength 5 cruisers, 5 destroyers 7 cruisers, 1 destroyer Casualties 4 cruisers sunk, 1 cruiser damaged, 2 destroyers damaged 1,270 killed, 709 wounded 2 cruisers damaged, 58 dead, 70 wounded The Battle of Savo Island was a naval... August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ...

The Marines ashore on Guadalcanal initially concentrated on forming a defense perimeter around the airfield, moving the landed supplies within the perimeter, and finishing the airfield. Vandegrift placed his 11,000 troops on Guadalcanal in a loose perimeter around the Lunga Point area. In four days of intense effort, the supplies were moved from the landing beach into dispersed dumps within the perimeter. Work began on the airfield immediately, mainly using captured Japanese equipment. On August 12, the airfield was named Henderson Field after Major Lofton Henderson, a Marine aviator who had been killed at the Battle of Midway. To conserve the limited food supplies, the Allied troops were limited to two meals a day.^[7] August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Lofton R. Henderson (24 May 1903 – 4 June 1942) was a naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Henderson was born in Lorain, Ohio on 24 May 1903 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1926. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz, Frank J. Fletcher, Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, Tamon Yamaguchi† Strength Three carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft Four carriers, Seven battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier...

Japanese Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki, commander of the 28th Infantry Regiment.

In response to the Allied landings on Guadalcanal, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters assigned the Imperial Japanese Army's 17th Army, based at Rabaul and under the command of Lieutenant-General Harukichi Hyakutake, with the task of retaking Guadalcanal from Allied forces. The 17th Army, currently heavily involved with the Japanese campaign in New Guinea, had only a few units available to send to the southern Solomons area. Of these units, the 35th Infantry Brigade under Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi was in the Philippines, the 4th (Aoba) Infantry Regiment was in Palau, and the 28th (Ichiki) Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki, was at Guam. The different units began to move towards Guadalcanal immediately, but Ichiki's regiment, being the closest, would ultimately arrive first.^[8] The Imperial General Headquarters or Daihonei, as part of the Supreme War Council was the supreme command for Japanese military forces during the World War II era. ... Space Radar Image of Rabaul Volcano Rabaul was the capital of East New Britain province, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea until 1994. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

An aerial reconnaissance of the US Marine positions on Guadalcanal on August 12 by one of the senior Japanese staff officers from Rabaul sighted few US troops in the open and no large ships in the waters nearby, convincing Imperial Headquarters that the Allies had withdrawn the majority of their troops. In fact, none of the Allied troops had been withdrawn.^[9] Hyakutake issued orders for an advance unit of 900 troops from Ichiki's regiment to be landed on Guadalcanal to immediately attack the Allied position and reoccupy the airfield area at Lunga Point. At the major Japanese naval base at Truk, which was the staging point for delivery of Ichiki's regiment to Guadalcanal, Colonel Ichiki was briefed that only 2,000 U.S. troops were holding the Guadalcanal beachead.^[10] Mixed reconnaissance patrol of the Polish Home Army and the Soviet Red Army during Operation Tempest, 1944 Reconnaissance is the military term for the active gathering of information about an enemy, or other conditions, by physical observation. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Map of Chuuk State Map of Chuuk Islands Chuuk islands A view of Chuuk Chuuk, formerly known by following names; Truk, Ruk, Hogoleu, Torres, Ugulat, and Lugulus; is an island group that comprises one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), along with Kosrae, Pohnpei, and...

Ichiki and 916 of his regiment's troops, designated the "First Element", were successfully delivered to Taivu Point, about 22 miles east of Lunga Point, by six destroyers on the night of August 18.^[11][12] The U.S. Marines at Lunga Point suspected that a Japanese landing had occurred and took steps to find out what was happening.^[13] August 18 is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Battle

Prelude

Australian coastwatcher Martin Clemens (center standing) with members of the Solomon Islands police force, who served as scouts and guides for Allied forces throughout the Guadalcanal campaign.

Reports to Allied forces from patrols of native Solomon Islanders, including retired Sergeant Major Jacob C. Vouza of the Native Constabulary, under the direction of Martin Clemens, an Australian coastwatcher stationed on Guadalcanal, along with Allied intelligence from other sources, indicated that Japanese troops were present east of Lunga Point. To investigate further, on August 19, a Marine patrol of 60 men, commanded by U.S. Marine Captain Charles H. Brush, marched east from the Lunga Perimeter.^[14][15] At the same time, Ichiki sent forward his own patrol of 38 men to reconnoiter Allied troop dispositions and establish a forward communications base. Around 12:00 on August 19, Brush's patrol sighted and ambushed the Japanese patrol, killing all but three of its members. The Marines suffered three dead and three wounded.^[16] Papers discovered on the bodies of some of the Japanese officers in the patrol revealed that they belonged to a much larger unit and showed detailed intelligence of U.S. Marine positions around Lunga Point.^[17] The papers did not, however, detail exactly how large the Japanese force was or whether an attack was imminent.^[18] Martin Clemens and his scouts Martin Clemens was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. ... Captain Martin Clemens, Australian Coastwatcher on Guadalcanal, rendered services to Allied forces during the battle for the island (August, 1942-February, 1943). ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Please see Captain for other uses of the term Captain is a military rank used in nearly every army and navy of the world. ... The 24-hour clock is a convention of time-keeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours, numbered from 0 to 23. ... An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ...

Now anticipating an attack from the east, the U.S. Marine forces, under the direction of General Vandegrift, prepared their defenses on the east side of the Lunga perimeter. Several official U.S. military histories identify the location of the eastern defenses of the Lunga perimeter as emplaced on the Tenaru River. The Tenaru River, however, was actually located further to the east. The river forming the eastern boundry of the Lunga perimeter was actually the Ilu River, called Alligator Creek by the local inhabitants. Alligator Creek wasn't really a river, but a tidal lagoon separated from the ocean by a sandbar about 25 to 50 feet in width and about 100 feet long.^[19] Along the west side of Alligator Creek, Colonel Clifton B. Cates, commander of the 1st Marine Regiment, deployed his 1st and 2nd battalions.^[20][21] To help further defend the Alligator Creek sandbar, Cates deployed 100 men from the 1st Special Weapons Battalion with 37mm anti-tank guns equipped with cannister ammunition. ^[22] Marine divisional artillery, consisting of both 75mm and 105mm guns, pre-targeted locations on the east side and sandbar areas of Alligator Creek and forward artillery observers emplaced themselves in the forward marine positions.^[23] The Marines worked all day on August 20 to prepare their defenses as much as possible before nightfall.^[24] This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... Sand bars in the Mississippi River at Arkansas and Mississippi A bar is a linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. ... cate is the supreme fasist dictator of the world her army will burn and kill all that stand in her way particularly brad he must die first after becoming treasurer of the debate team cate went on a power ear bringing down everything in here path she ruled with an... 1st Marine Regiment is an United States Marine Corps INFANTRY Regiment. ... The M3 37 mm gun was an American anti-tank gun which was the standard anti-tank weapon of the US Army at the outbreak of the World War II. History In 1937 the US Army Ordnance Department began development of a lightweight anti-tank gun. ... Canister shot was a kind of anti-personnel ammunition used in cannons. ... A number of 75 mm guns were fielded for service by the United States in World War II, in both the Army and the Marine Corps. ... The 105mm Howitzer M2A1(M101) was the standard medium field howitzer for the U.S. in World War two, seeing action in both European and Pacific theatres. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Learning of the annihilation of his patrol, Ichiki quickly sent forward another advance element and followed with the rest of his troops, marching throughout the night of August 19 and finally halting on the morning of August 20 within a few miles of the U.S. Marine positions on the east side of Lunga Point. At this location, he prepared his troops to attack the Allied positions that night.^[25] August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Sometime after nightfall on August 20, a seriously injured Jacob Vouza approached the Marine defenses on Alligator Creek. He recounted to the Marines that he had been captured by an element of Ichiki's troops, bound, interrogated, and, when he refused to divulge any information, tortured, bayonetted, and left for dead. After the Japanese troops left him alone, Vouza was able to free himself and make his way to the Marine lines while evading the rest of Ichiki's force that was preparing for their night assault on the marine positions.^[26] Vouza informed the Marines of the approximate size of Ichiki's force and that the Japanese would be attacking shortly.^[27] August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Torture is any act by which severe pain, whether physical or psychological, is intentionally inflicted on a person as a means of intimidation, deterrence, revenge, punishment, sadism, or information gathering. ... The US Marine Corps OKC-3S Bayonet A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle barrel or similar weapon. ...

Action

Map of the battle of August 21.

Just after midnight on August 21, Ichiki's main body of troops arrived at the east bank of Alligator Creek and began setting-up for their attack. Nearby U.S. Marine listening posts heard "clanking" sounds, human voices, and other noises before withdrawing to the west bank of the creek. At 02:40 Ichiki's force opened fire with machine guns and mortars on the Marine positions on the west bank of the creek and a first wave of about 200 Japanese soldiers charged across the sandbar towards the Marines.^[28][29] Marine machine gun fire and cannister rounds from the 37mm cannons killed most of the Japanese soldiers as they crossed the sandbar. A few of the Japanese soldiers reached the Marine positions, engaged in hand to hand combat with the defenders, and captured a few of the Marine front-line emplacements. Also, Japanese machine gun and rifle fire from the east side of the creek killed several of the marine machine-gunners.^[30] At this time, a company of Marines, held in reserve just behind the front line, attacked and killed most, if not all, of the remaining Japanese soldiers that had breached the front line defenses, ending Ichiki's first assault about an hour after it had begun.^[31][32] August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ... Combatives FM 21-150 Figure 4-1, Vital Targets. ...

As Ichiki's troops regrouped east of the creek, Japanese mortars bombarded the Marine lines.^[33] The Marines answered with 75mm artillery barrages into the areas east of the creek where the Japanese were assembling for a second assault.^[34] About 05:00, a second wave of Japanese troops attacked, this time attempting to flank the Marine positions by wading through the ocean surf and attacking up the beach into the west bank area of the creek bed. The Marines responded with heavy machine gun and artillery fire along the beachfront area, again causing heavy casualties among Ichiki's attacking troops, and causing them to abandon their attack and withdraw back to the east bank of the creek.^[35][36] For the next couple of hours, the two sides exchanged rifle, machine gun, and artillery fire at close range across the sandbar and creek.^[37]

In spite of the heavy losses his force had suffered in both night assaults, Ichiki's troops remained in place on the east bank of the creek, apparently making no effort to withdraw.^[38] At daybreak on August 21, the commanders of the U.S. Marine units facing Ichiki's troops conferred on how best to proceed, and decided to counterattack.^[39] The 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, under Lieutenant Colonel Lenard B. Cresswell, crossed Alligator Creek upstream from the battle area, enveloped Ichiki's troops from the south and east, cutting off any avenue for retreat, and began to "compress" Ichiki's troops into a small area in a coconut grove on the east bank of the creek.^[40] Aircraft from Henderson Field strafed Japanese soldiers that attempted to escape down the beach and, later in the afternoon, four Marine light tanks attacked across the sandbar into the coconut grove. The tanks swept the coconut grove with machine gun and cannon fire, as well as rolling over the bodies, both alive and dead, of any Japanese soldiers unable or unwilling to get out of the way. When the tank attack was over, Vandegrift wrote that, "the rear of the tanks looked like meat grinders."^[41] August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ...

Two dead Japanese soldiers lie on the east bank of Alligator Creek near the machine gun that they crewed during the battle.

By 17:00 on August 21, Japanese resistance had ended. Colonel Ichiki was either killed during the battle, or committed ritual suicide (seppuku) shortly thereafter, depending on the account. As curious Marines began to walk around looking at the battlefield, some injured Japanese troops shot at them, killing or wounding several Marines. Thereafter, Marines shot or bayonetted all of the Japanese bodies that they encountered, although about 15 injured and unconscious Japanese soldiers were taken prisoner.^[42] Only a few of the Japanese escaped to rejoin their regiment's rear echelon several miles east of the battle area.^[43] August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Seppuku with ritual attire and second (staged) General Akashi Gidayu preparing to commit Seppuku after losing a battle for his master in 1582. ...

Aftermath

Fort the U.S. and its allies, the victory in the Tenaru battle was psychologically significant in that Allied soldiers, after a series of defeats to Japanese army units throughout the Pacific and east Asia, now knew that they could defeat Japanese troops in a land battle.^[44] The battle also set another precedent that would continue throughout the war in the Pacific, which was the reluctance of defeated Japanese soldiers to surrender and their efforts to continue killing Allied soldiers, even as the Japanese soldiers lay dying on the battlefield. On this subject Vandegrift remarked, "I have never heard or read of this kind of fighting. These people refuse to surrender. The wounded wait until men come up to examine them...and blow themselves and the other fellow to pieces with a hand grenade."^[45]

On August 22, Ichiki's survivors reached Taivu Point and radioed Rabaul to tell 17th Army headquarters that Ichiki's detachment had been "almost annihilated at a point short of the airfield." Reacting with disbelief to the news, Japanese army headquarter's officers proceeded with plans to deliver additional troops to Guadalcanal to reattempt to capture Henderson Field.^[46] Although unsuccessful in their first attempt to recapture Henderson Field, the Japanese were determined to try again. The next major Japanese attack on the Lunga perimeter occurred at the Battle of Edson's Ridge about three weeks later, this time employing a much larger force than had been employed in the Tenaru battle. August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ...

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Guadalcanal Campaign

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References

Notes

Books

• Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58875-4.
• Griffith, Samuel B. (1963). The Battle for Guadalcanal. Champaign, Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06891-2.
• Hammel, Eric (1999). Carrier Clash: The Invasion of Guadalcanal & The Battle of the Eastern Solomons August 1942. St. Paul, MN, USA: Zenith Press. 0760320527.
• Leckie, Robert (2001 (reissue)). Helmet for my Pillow. ibooks, Inc.. ISBN 1596870923. First-person account of the battle by a member of the 1st Marine Regiment.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-58305-7. Online views of selections of the book:[1]
• Tregaskis, Richard (1943). Guadalcanal Diary. Random House. ISBN 0-679-64023-1.

Richard B. Frank (born 1947 in Kansas) is an American lawyer and military historian. ... Eric M. Hammel is a popular military historian, with a focus on the military campaigns of the United States Marine Corps, and military action in World War II. Bibliography Carrier Clash: The Invasion of Guadalcanal & The Battle of the Eastern Solomons August 1942, 2004 ISBN 0760320527 Chosin : Heroic Ordeal of... RAdm Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976), USN historian Samuel Eliot Morison, RAdm, USNR (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian, notable for producing scholarly works that were both authoritative and highly readable, an ability recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes. ... The History of United States Naval Operations in World War II is a 15-volume account of the United States Navy in World War II, written by eminent historian Samuel Eliot Morison and published by Little, Brown and Company between 1947 and 1962. ... Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. ...

External links

• Anderson, Charles R. (1993). GUADALCANAL (brochure). U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
• Cagney, James (2005). The Battle for Guadalcanal (javascript). HistoryAnimated.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.- Interactive animation of the battle
• Chen, C. Peter (2004 - 2006). Guadalcanal Campaign. World War II Database. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
• Flahavin, Peter (2004). Guadalcanal Battle Sites, 1942-2004. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.- Web site with many pictures of Guadalcanal battle sites from 1942 and how they look now.
• Hough, Frank O.; Ludwig, Verle E., and Shaw, Henry I., Jr.. Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal. History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II. Retrieved on 2006-05-16.
• Miller, John Jr. (1949). GUADALCANAL: THE FIRST OFFENSIVE. UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
• Shaw, Henry I. (1992). First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Retrieved on 2006-07-25.
• Zimmerman, John L. (1949). The Guadalcanal Campaign. Marines in World War II Historical Monograph. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.