December 1942 (1)

US Marine engineers repair the bridge over Lunga River, Guadalcanal

Having the Australians out-fight the poorly trained American troops on New Guinea did not sit well with MacArthur.  He summoned Lt.Gen. Robert Eichelberger, recently promoted as I Corps commander, and ordered him to fire any officer who did not show a fighting spirit.  The general’s parting words were: “Go out there, Bob and take Buna – or don’t come back alive.”

Gen. Sir Thomas Blamey & LtGen. Robert Eichelberger in front of a captured enemy bunker in New Guinea

1 December – Eichelberger flew to the 32nd Division HQ at the Dunropa Plantation, 2 miles north of Buna.  He discovered that the collapsing morale was NOT an exaggeration: “… it was obvious the Japanese would win, for they were living among coconut palms on the coast… while our men lived in swamps… There was no front line discipline of any kind.”  The men had not eaten since the previous day and had no hot meals in 10 days.  He stopped all fighting and began to reorganize.  A supply convoy’s arrival with Bren gun carriers and howitzers seemed a welcome sight, but they proved unsuccessful due to the muddy terrain.

2 December – the US Marines ambushed a Japanese patrol around the Lunga River on Guadalcanal.  They had killed 35 of the enemy out the 60 men in the patrol.

3-13 December – an intelligence expert spotted an airfield being built on New Georgia under the palms on a coconut plantation.  This was confirmed when Henderson Field aircraft flew over the island and strafed the area in question.  On the 9th, the first major attack was made on Munda Field and by the 13th, the fly-overs were down to occasional nighttime bombings by PBY Catalinas.

 

32nd Infantry Div. at Buna, New Guinea

5 December – on New Guinea, after a week of bloody close fighting, the American troops had very little progress to show for their effort.  The Australians, 10 miles north, were encountering similar problems.  One Australian private reported: “It was the maddest, bloodiest fighting I have ever seen.  Grenades were bursting among the Japanese as we stabbed down at them with our bayonets from the parapets above.  Some of our fellows were actually rolling on the sand with Japs locked against them in wrestling grips.  A few of the Japs had escaped, but the bodies of 30 were tangled among their captured guns.  The enemy could only be described as a fanatical opposition.”

32nd Infantry Div. on Buna River

7 December – the USS New Jersey was launched.  At this point, it was the largest battleship built, with a displacement of 54,889 tons and main armament of nine 16″ guns set in 3 turrets.

Click on images to enlarge.

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Military Humor –  Old SNAFU – 

Put together by Frank Capra, the US Army Air Corps  First Motion Picture Unit and shown for new recruits was patterned after Elmer Fudd.  He is the US Army’s worst soldier, partially written by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel) and voiced by Mel Blanc.

 

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Farewell Salutes – 

William Anderson – Hurst, TX; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO,  187th RHQ

Elizabeth Anstey – Rakaia, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 5993, WWII, Princess Mary Royal A.F.

Robert Gardner – Rooyal Palm Bch, FL; US Navy, WWII

Adam Greenwald – Hoonah, AK; US Army, WWII, Aleutians, tug boat engineer

Chuck Hutton – Lake Worth, FL; US Army, WWII & Korea

Lee Jamison – Durango, CO; US Navy, WWII

Ramon Morris – New York, NY; US Army, Afghanistan, 2nd Sq/3rd Cavalry Reg/1st Cavalry Div.

Clarence Padgett – Spindale, NC; US Army, WWII, ETO, MSgt., howitzer platoon

L. Medland Tessier – CAN; RC Army, WWII, Royal Montreal Regiment

Jack Wood – Muncie, IN; US Navy, Korea, USS New Jersey

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