Admiral Volsky frowned. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
Volsky smiled grimly to himself, particularly after he now remembered that long conversation he had with Kamenski before he came aboard.
“Captain, our little lightning rod has worked its wonders. Yes? What year have we gotten ourselves into this time?”
“Why, 1943, sir. 1943.”
Part III
Gung Ho
“If you build the guts to do something, anything, then you better save enough to face the consequences.”
Chapter 7
Patch had no illusions about what was in front of him, but he was confident his division was ready. The unit had come in early in 1942 as part of “Poppy Force” dispatched to Australia. It was thought it might deploy to take New Caledonia, whereupon it would come to be called the Americal Division, but the Japanese reinforcement of that island by the Ichiki Detachment ended that plan. It was not thought the troops were then ready for an amphibious operation against veteran Japanese units. So months of training in Australia followed, before the division was tagged to go to the Fiji Group.
By then the 1st USMC Division had already landed to stop the Japanese advance on Suva. Now Patch led his 23rd “Pacifica” Division in to help stabilize the situation in the south. They landed at Suva and deployed along the Queen’s Road until they ran into the Japanese 38th Division at the Singatoa River delta. There was some hard fighting there by the 164th RCT, but as the whole division had not come up yet, they could not move the Japanese.
It wasn’t until the 1st Marine Division shattered the Sakaguchi Detachment in the north and began a concerted advance on Tavua that the situation in the south became more fluid. The Japanese detached a full regiment, then another, to backstop the defense of Tavua. In the south they held on stubbornly while they were awaiting the arrival of their 48th Division, but had to give up ground, falling back to Momi Bay, a small harbor on the west coast south of Nandi.
As the 48th came in, it immediately deployed south, and so now Patch would be facing this seasoned enemy division as Operation Push prepared to jump off in January of 1943. By this time, the independent 147th RCT that had once been a part of the 37th Division had transferred to Suva, and it was the last formation to arrive, making the 23rd “Square” as its fourth regiment. With this force in hand, and the 754th Medium Tank Battalion, Patch deployed his three organic regiments abreast for the drive on Nandi, holding the 147th in reserve.
In the north, the 25th Division under Collins had relieved the 1st Marines, but the leathernecks left behind a substantial force in the 2nd Regiment under Colonel David Shoup from their 2nd Division, the 1st and 2nd Light Tank Battalions, and both Marine Raider Battalions under Edson and Carlson.
For the attack on Tavua, Collins would have his 25th Division made Square with the addition of the 145th RCT from 37th Division on Vanua Levu. It mustered at the new airfield at Bua on the western tip of that island, and was then able to take local boats and rafts to make the short crossing to reach Viti Levu Bay in the north. That was to be the main supply center established for Collins, visited regularly by lighters from Suva.
The 27th RCT would lead the attack along the coastal King’s Road, moving quickly through the hamlet of Rakiraki until they came upon the imposing rise of “Hill 1000.” Overlooking the road, the Japanese had wisely occupied that height, digging in with their 2nd Battalion of the 228th Regiment under Colonel Ito. The 1st Marines had fought hard to try and flank that position, taking the lower portion of the range that ran south from the north coast. That was the only consolation Collins found when he arrived, and he was quick to get his 34th Regiment up on that ground. From there they could push down into the cultivated valley below, driving towards the thin Nasivi River that passed through Tavua to the sea. This was to be the main attack, and the thrust against Hill 1000 further north would be a strong demonstration.
Tavua, with its small fighter field, was the first target for Collins. The other big objective was the coveted Gold Mine at Vatukoula, a town about 10 kilometers south of Tavua. It was there that Colonel Tanaka had placed his 229th Regiment, his lines east of the meandering course of the Nasivi River, and on the high ground called Lakalaka by the locals, Hill 663. His line ended near the village of Nandelee, and from there the highlands rose precipitously to a height of 3025 feet.
Collins’ 35th Regiment would be coming into the Nasivi River Valley from the south, led by a company of the intrepid Fiji Commandos, and they were after that gold mine. The third Regiment of the Japanese 38th Division was some 20 kilometers to the west at M’ba, the 230th under Colonel Shoji. His troops were working to improve the bridges over the largest watercourse in the north, the M’ba River. The town itself lay on the east bank of that river with the only good crossings in one road and one rail bridge near a big sugar mill. Just south of the town was the main airfield in the north, and the Japanese had been building a bridge over the river there near the village of Solo.
There was one other force on the island, that of the New Zealand Fiji Brigade Group under Brigadier Wales, which included the tough jungle fighting Fiji Commando Guerillas under Captain Tripp. The Americans had been so impressed by these men that they asked them to stay on when most of the other New Zealand troops were called home. Fearing the Japanese might come one day, they had done extensive work to prepare a defense. The bridges over every river or stream were assessed for the amount of demolitions required to destroy them. Secret HQ sites were hidden in the rugged interior highlands, along with hidden supply caches. All the best mountain tracks were scouted and mapped.
It was this force, with Commando units under Tripp, and Lieutenants Adair and Harper, that would lead the way for Collins’ 35th Regiment as it attempted to flank Tavua from the south. The rest of the Fiji Brigade Group was mostly deployed around Suva, and along the coast where the sharp eyed coastwatchers were deployed to warn of Japanese destroyer runs. One battalion was detached and sent north to act as a possible coastal raiding force, and Collins held it in reserve.
That was the board and the playing pieces all set up for the battle. Now it would come down to the troops, and the men who led them. General Patch had a good habit of leading from the front, often establishing a Command Post within 150 yards of the fighting. He came up the road through Bavu heading for Momi, where the regimental HQ of 164th was located under Colonel Earl Sarles. When “Early” saw the General’s jeep sweep past his CP, without even stopping, he ordered his XO to gather up all the maps and charts and follow him immediately. Then he went out and jumped in the nearest vehicle to follow Patch up towards the front. A General on the scene had a way of electrifying all the men around him, and Patch wanted to put fire into the opening round as he kicked off his attack on the morning of January 7th.
He had the entire 754th Tank Battalion in the spearhead along the coast, and followed it up with his Combat Engineer Battalion. That morning they punched hard towards Momi, with one company of tanks bypassing the Japanese strong point on the road to the east. It was eventually stopped by a combination of well registered artillery fire and a section of 37mm AT Guns, the tanks falling back towards the infantry.
Fighting stopped at dusk, with both sides exchanging artillery fire, and the Americans tried Momi again the next morning. The defense was equally robust, and when things got tight, the Japanese just got tougher. The line refused to budge, and then a raging counterattack came with fixed bayonets that send two US companies into retreat and forced Patch to commit his last reserve company of M3 Tanks.