A Division At War — Part I
The very simple Buna battlefield . The airstrips dominate and were the main objectives . Of particular note is the jungle that surrounds everything . 7
MacArthur also recognized this fretting : “ none of the three elements of my command : naval , air , or ground , was adequate for the job .... The ground troops ... not only were they too few in number , but they lacked the equipment and strenuous training necessary for combat .” 8 Yet , he still sent them to Buna because , given his intelligence section and their appraisal of Japanese strength , even the inexperienced 32nd should have had little trouble . Even after sending the soon to be famous General Robert Eichelberger to evaluate this unit , a unit he rated “ barely satisfactory ” and “ high on itself , full of confidence , but quite unprepared for the miseries and terrors of jungle warfare so alien to the experience of boys from the clipped green lawns and serene streets of smalltown Middle West ,” he still sent them into action . 9 This division , severely understrength before leaving for Australia , received a huge influx of basic trainees , bringing its three infantry regiments ( 126th , 127th , 128th ) up to strength , although most of the division support units lacked men and equipment . Neither the veteran National Guardsmen nor the new basic trainees knew anything about fighting in the jungle . General Eichelberger instituted a rigorous conditioning and jungle warfare-training program that the 32nd did not reap the benefits of because they went to Buna in November .
The battlefield itself was barely two miles wide . The objectives were the two airstrips , the Old Strip and New Strip , and a small footbridge across Si-
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