The Saber and Scroll
nese control . Eichelberger would not attack again until the tanks arrived .
At this point , although their month in combat had been a constant struggle , the 32nd Infantry Division had grown as a fighting unit . Although most attacks did not succeed , the men continued to drive on without the weapons they needed . If only the tanks and the proper ammunition for the one gun existed for the first attack on 18 November . Would the Buna campaign have already ended ? It is a relevant question since all took place in the attack of 18 December .
The M3 Stuart Light Tank . While small in size and armament its armor allowed it to advance to effective distance of the Japanese bunkers where its 37-mm gun could engage . 19
These tanks were not the monsters often cited when discussing World War II . Eichelberger received eight M3 Stuart light tanks . With a 37-mm main gun , a machine gun , and light armor , they did not seem like much . Against the Japanese , they were plenty . The Japanese had few anti-tank weapons and once approaching the bunkers , they seemed to forget the infantry even existed . Five tanks and two veteran Australian infantry companies attacked toward the Duropa Plantation , followed by the 3rd Battalion , 128th Infantry Regiment . They reached Simemi Creek , allowing the 1st Battalion , 126th Infantry Regiment and the 1st Battalion , 128th Infantry Regiment to reach the Bridge at the Creek . The airstrips were now in sight . 20
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