Now the bolo knives were out, slashing like cruel machetes at the oncoming enemy. The Marines had more muscle and brawn than their enemy, and where it did come to close hand to hand combat, they generally held the line. The mortars of 1st Heavy Weapons Company finally got set up and put their four-duce mortars into action, which helped to slow the enemy attack.
Major Ruud’s III Battalion took the full brunt of the enemy attack, which penetrated all the way to his CP, the men of his HQ fitfully firing their Tommy Guns as the enemy charged. Major Crowe’s II Battalion on his left was also hit hard and pushed back. Only Hays stood firm with I Battalion, but he was posted on the far right, beyond the low rise of Navoli Hill that overlooked the field to the east, and Kawaguchi had not attacked in that sector.
The night charge had been perfectly timed with the attack by Yano’s SNLF troops. Unlike the disastrous charge made by 5th Division in the battle for Singapore, this attack was entirely successful, driving the enemy from the edge of the airfield.
Just across the river to the west. The 5th Yokosuka SNLF had finally pushed Edson’s men out of Solo, commanding that foot bridge, which the Marines blew up with a bundle of three grenades before they yielded the ground. It was now clear that the enemy had much more strength than anyone anticipated. It was no longer a question of attacking M’ba to try and turn this flank.
Now Colonel Hall knew he had no recourse but to fall back and try to rally his men near the ford they had crossed that day when they first advanced on the airfield. While that facility was empty of enemy planes, and useless as the offensive threat it represented for the Japanese, it was a point of honor. General Sano would not have it reported that he had lost both Tavua and M’ba in the same week. He had decided his division would now fight here, and to the last man.
Back on the low hill that overlooked Solo, Edson saw that his own position was equally compromised when Carlson’s end around had been checked and then flanked by the surprising strength of the SNLF counterattack. He gave the order to withdraw, getting Carlson on the radio to tell him he needed to get his men back fast.
“We can’t hold,” he said. “Fall back on my CP.”
One by one, the rifle companies pulled out, some firing the last of their ammo to cover that withdrawal. Carson reached Edson’s position an hour later.
“2nd Marine is in trouble,” said Edson. “They got hit with a tsunami east of the river. “The Japs came right across the airfield and damn near overran two of his battalions. The Kiwis are up on Nasiva Creek, so he’s pulled his men out there to shore up the line near the airfield. This attack is over. They’ve got the ball and we’re on defense now until Collins can get down here from Tavua with the 25th. His lead elements are only six or seven klicks away, or so he tells me. They plan on making a big push tomorrow morning.”
“Nice of them to help out,” said Carlson with an edge to his tone. “Will they be doing that before or after breakfast?”
“It’ll take them time,” said Edson. “Look at the map. They’ll have to clear that big peninsula west of Tavua Bay. Japs could have anything up there towards Yanutha Point. In the meantime, he tells me he can get two regiments in position to make a push on M’ba tomorrow, but that won’t likely get underway until afternoon. They’ll have to get sorted out after moving up tonight, get their artillery set up, and you know they won’t do that until daylight when they can scour out the enemy positions. Hell, they might not attack at all tomorrow, so we’ve got to consider what to do here.”
“You ain’t thinking of surrendering now, are you?”
Edson knew that Carlson was just jabbing him for the grief he had given him earlier about the Makin Island raid. But when he thought about it, the situation they were facing now was equally dire. They could only carry so much ammo with them, and this whole operation was supposed to have been a diversionary attack to make the enemy think they had been flanked. Collins was late because half of Sano’s 128th Regiment had simply refused to yield their position on hill 1000 overlooking Tavua.
It had taken four days hard fighting to take that hill, and the enemy there had fought to the last man. It had seemed that even their dead would fight on, for wounded Japanese soldiers would lie still for an hour, surrounded by their fallen comrades, then suddenly seem to come alive again to fire at any unsuspecting soldier unlucky enough to wander by. That set Collins men to work going over the dead with their bayonets. None were left alive.
Now Collins had his 34th Regiment on the main road moving west from Tavua. To their left the 145th Regiment of 37th Division was on the line, and the southern flank of his advance was his 35th Regiment. His 27th Regiment was worn out after taking Hill 1000, and he was resting those men at Tavua, thinking he would use those troops to clear the peninsula west of the bay that Edson had mentioned to Carlson.
There were two other tracks that led from the Tavua Valley over a series of intervening hills to the M’ba River sector. One led from the Gold Mine at Vatukoula to Nasiva Creek, where the Kiwi Commandos were holding on the extreme flank of 2nd Marine Regiment. By dawn the first companies of the 35th Regiment were wending their way down that highland trail into the lower cultivated plain that led down to M’ba, but they were tired and needing rest. Edson was correct in his assessment that Collins would not attack at all that next day, and the Marines were still on their own.
As for General Sano, he had seen most of his 128th Regiment destroyed in the battle to hold Hill 1000 and Tavua. Yet that had enabled him to get his 129th Regiment back to M’ba, and they were now assembling in the heavy cultivated plantations just east of the river. His situation was precarious now. All the objectives the enemy wanted were east of the river, the airfield and the town itself. The river was a thousand feet wide with the recent rains, fairly deep, and there were just two bridges under his control.
He considered what to do. If he fought to defend the settlement and airfield, his men might be forced to swim over that river if things went against them. The terrain here was not nearly as good as the positions he had held east of Tavua, yet the enemy had pushed them all the way here. The 129th was worn out, and he knew the best thing would be to get them over that river, which would present a formidable obstacle to any further enemy advance. He had already given orders to move all artillery and heavy weapons west of the river, but the battle for that airfield had seemed the heart of his charge here.
He went to the Sugar Mill, looking to find Colonel Kawaguchi. “Your men have fought well,” he said, “but I must now ask you to redeploy west of the river.”
“What? And give the enemy back this airfield? We just took it from their Marines, and at considerable cost.”
“True, but in reality, the field is useless. It means nothing now. Tomorrow it will be under the enemy guns from the east, and in any case, we have no planes there. The river presents us with a much better defense. We must move west, and then I think this enemy attack must fail for good.”
“This is shameful,” said Kawaguchi. “You speak of defense? We should attack, as my regiment did, and annihilate the enemy.”
“That would not be wise,” said Sano. “I assure you, there is no dishonor in this.,” he admonished. “Look here,” he opened his field map. “The SNLF have pushed the enemy away from this foot bridge. I want your men to cross there, hold it, and defend the west bank of the river as far north as this position. The main rail bridge and this sugar mill must then be held at all cost.”