The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 9, Number 3, Winter 2020 | Page 221

Virtual Battlefield Tour : Bloody Ridge National Peace Park
had driven the Raiders from prepared positions and forced them to abandon weapons and wounded . Had Charlie company , and its attached Easy company machinegun platoon , not withdrawn , which it did about midnight , it would have been flanked , cut-off , and destroyed . Marine casualties were high , more than fifty , with KIA accounting for half . The Japanese likely suffered twice that . For his part , Red Mike was concerned but not discouraged . “ The Nip will be back . I want to surprise him .”
The attitude of the two commanders could not have been more different . Despite the 124th Regiment ’ s success in forcing a bulge in the Marine lines , Kawaguchi regarded the attack as “ a tragedy ... a miserable failure .” The Brigade commander could not have known how close the 124th had come to a breakthrough , but 12 September was a night of missed opportunities for the Japanese . After translation and study of Japanese unit diaries , historian Richard Frank summed up the first night of the battle on Bloody Ridge this way :
“ The [ Japanese ] battalions lost their sense of direction , almost entirely missed the ridge , and instead drifted into the low , waterlogged swath of jungle between the ridge and the Lunga . Units became lost ; lost units became scattered ; scattered units became intermingled . Control slipped away from Kawaguchi and battalion commanders .”
Despite Kawaguchi ’ s dismay at the performance of his battalions on the first day , the General failed to alter his plan in any meaningful way and gave no more insightful orders than : “ The Brigade will again execute a night attack tonight . The duty of each Battalion is the same as before .”
The next morning Edson attempted to use his reserve companies to dislodge the Japanese that occupied Charlie ’ s old position . Edson ordered Able and Dog companies to probe the flanks of the salient . Throughout the day , the Marines engaged in small unit actions made most difficult by the extreme heat . Despite repeated efforts , a few under-strength companies would not be able to eject the Japanese . To make matters worse , the jungle surrounding the ridge complex was teeming with Kawaguchi ’ s veteran infantry . With the pocket still in Japanese hands , Baker ’ s position was untenable , its right flank exposed . Red Mike had no choice but to order the Raiders and Parachutists to concentrate their positions around Hill 2 , dig in , wire up , get some sleep , and be ready for the inevitable night attack .
Lieutenant Colonel Merrill B . Twining , Vandergrift ’ s assistant operations officer , visited Edson ’ s forward command post on Hill 2 in the mid-afternoon and was impressed with Edson ’ s handiwork . [ See Image C ] The concentrated positions significantly improved the automatic weapons ’ fields of fire . Furthermore , the Japanese would now have to cross a hundred yards of open ground , once they emerged from the jungle , before reaching the Marine lines .
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