noffsinger Chapter 138 Lewis's Diary (1)
Chapter 138 Lewis's Diary (1)
David Lewis was a sergeant in the 1st Platoon, F Company, 6st Battalion, 1th Marine Regiment, 1st Division of the U.S. Marine Corps. His company, often tasked with search missions, earned the nickname "6th Regimental Search Company." Lewis kept a diary, recording his daily experiences and thoughts. This diary later became a valuable reference document for the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Wednesday, August 8th, sunny
The 1st Division received orders to join the Guadalcanal campaign. The transport ship USS Korando delivered the 6th Regiment to the landing point in Area E. It was bustling with activity, people and vehicles coming and going. Although a bit crowded, everything was in good order.
I followed Company F out of the landing craft and into the base in an orderly formation. Aside from some large craters left by naval bombardments, there were no signs of combat. I heard that just ten days earlier, this place had been attacked by a sudden Japanese fleet, resulting in heavy losses for the 2nd Division, with over 1000 men killed and a significant amount of equipment and supplies destroyed.
The entire regiment had no time to rest or acclimate at the base before receiving orders to advance to Sector G, 15 kilometers away. This was originally where a battalion from the 2nd Division was stationed, but now they had advanced deep into the area to join the defense of Henderson Field. Two days earlier, the Japanese Aoba Detachment, the 2nd Division, and the Chinese 113th Division had been locked in a fierce battle for the airfield. But yesterday morning, the Japanese unexpectedly abandoned the airfield.
It is said that the Allies intend to increase the construction of the airport and make it an important long-range bomber base in the South Pacific theater...
August 8, Thursday, cloudy
Colonel Marshall summoned the company commander early in the morning. Not long after, Captain Blinken arrived at the company headquarters with several Chinese soldiers, and I was also summoned.
When I first saw the Chinese, I was filled with astonishment. Their faces were almost identical to the Japanese soldiers in the propaganda posters. If they hadn't been dressed the same as us, I would have mistaken them for enemies if we had met them on the battlefield!
Blinken briefly introduced a Lieutenant named Gao, who would form a joint search team with the 1st Platoon and command it. Currently, the 1st and 2nd Divisions, engaged in ground combat on Guadalcanal, would be under the command of General Cai of the Chinese Army, the Allied supreme land commander during the Guadalcanal campaign. While I find this arrangement somewhat puzzling, perhaps it's due to the Chinese military's impressive record and accurate foresight of the war. For us, the lower ranks, the only thing we have to do is obey orders.
The lieutenant quickly convened the search team's commander and sergeants for a brief meeting. His fluent English made communication seamless. His approach to assigning tasks was unique, meticulously tailored to each group and individual, clearly demonstrating his immense experience. Under such a commander, one would surely fare much better than under those officers fresh out of military academy. At the very least, an officer like the lieutenant wouldn't easily risk the lives of his soldiers to verify theories from books...
..........
Thursday, August 8th, unclear
We'd been searching the dense forest for three full days, and this was the fourth. We followed a tributary of the Matanikau River uphill. The rainforest was so dense that sunlight barely penetrated, and the mist hung constantly around our feet, sometimes even rising to our waists. It was truly fortunate to be with a commander like Lieutenant Gao. He always assigned experienced Chinese to lead the way, and several of the dangerous situations we encountered along the way were first discovered and successfully resolved by the Chinese.
Second Lieutenant Ross began to grow restless. He felt this search was a complete waste of time and pointless. After all, we had already searched approximately 30 kilometers without finding a single trace of the enemy. Furthermore, contacting multiple search teams in the surrounding areas had also yielded no clues about the Japanese. Such dense jungle was clearly not suitable for concealing and assembling a large force.
However, the senior lieutenant urged Ross to remain patient. He explained that the search party's primary mission was to clear a path for follow-up troops. As we completed our search of an area, elements of the 1st Division would follow, continuing to clear the path and advance. This was precisely the strategy formulated by the Allied high command, and it had proven effective. Currently, the Allies were pressing eastward and westward, centered on the central area of Guadalcanal, with the ultimate goal of capturing the entire island.
Friday, August 8th, cloudy
Today, we stumbled upon an indigenous village on the riverbank. It looked uninhabited for a long time and clearly abandoned. The village was permeated with an air of decay. Following Gao's instructions, the search team quickly split into several small groups, scattering around the village. I led one of the groups, searching southwest. We were ordered not to fire our weapons unless in an emergency, lest we reveal our whereabouts.
Following a pungent, unpleasant odor, we finally came upon the bodies of dozens of indigenous people in a half-covered earthen pit not far away. These bodies included men, women, young, and old, of all ages. The women, especially, were naked, evidently having suffered inhumane torture before their deaths. Most had been brutally beheaded, some even disemboweled, even babies as young as a few months old. What kind of demon could commit such a brutal act? Recalling previous rumors about the Japanese army, witnessing this horrific scene with my own eyes today, my anger erupted like a volcano, and at the same time, my resolve to join this just war was strengthened...
Saturday, March 8, light rain
Yesterday, filled with resentment, the people buried the victims of the indigenous village on the spot. The accompanying clerk took photos, which would become further evidence of the Japanese devils' crimes.
Gao clearly sensed we were nearing the Japanese base, so he ordered each group to proceed with greater caution. This morning, we postponed our departure for the first time. Gao kept in constant contact with other search teams nearby before finally ordering us to advance in battle formation.
After about an hour, we passed through the jungle area around the river and saw a series of high mountains. Gao ordered us to stop advancing and quietly detoured with several Chinese soldiers into the dense grass at the foot of the mountain.
Shortly thereafter, several explosions, resembling those of infantry mines, erupted dozens of meters ahead. This was followed by the crackle of American carbines and Thompson submachine guns, interspersed with the sounds of Japanese Type 97 rifles and Type machine guns. Suddenly, smoke from multiple artillery fire rose from the mountainside, and a large number of shells exploded around our ambush area.
Gao returned with two wounded Chinese soldiers. I remember he brought six or seven others with him. Apparently, they had entered a Japanese minefield and were ambushed. Several outstanding Chinese soldiers had been killed.