"Thank you."
Huff depressed a lever on what must have been the world's oldest intercom device and announced Pickering's presence.
"Show the General in," MacArthur's voice replied metallically.
Huff started for MacArthur's door.
"Sid, I know where it is," Pickering said.
Huff ignored him. He tapped twice on MacArthur's door, immediately opened it, stepped halfway inside, and announced, "General Pickering, Sir."
"Come in, Fleming," MacArthur said. "I am delighted to receive a Marine this morning. You are entitled to bask in reflected glory."
"Good morning, General," Pickering replied with a polite nod in MacArthur's direction, and then added, "General," to Brigadier General Charles A. Willoughby, who was standing at a large map of the Solomon Islands mounted on a sheet of plywood, which itself rested on what seemed to be an oversize artist's tripod.
Willoughby nodded and said, "Pickering."
Was that to remind me that generals get to call each other by their last names? Or is he emulating El Supremo, who calls everybody but a favored few by their last names?
"That will be all, Huff, thank you," General MacArthur said. Colonel Huff stepped back into the outer office and closed the door.
"I presume you have a MAGIC intercept," MacArthur said. "When I had Huff try to find you earlier, he reported you were in the building but not available."
"Yes, Sir. You sent for me, Sir?"
"Have you seen Vandegrift's latest After-Action Report?"
"I glanced at it, Sir. You're referring to the twenty-three hundred twenty-five October AA?"
"Yes. I've got it here somewhere."
He walked to his desk and started to rummage through manila folders.
"There were a number of intercepts, General. Pluto and I were trying to find something interesting."
"And presumably you did?" MacArthur said. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice. This surprised Pickering until he realized that El Supremo was not annoyed at him; he was annoyed because he couldn't instantly find what he was looking for.
"One, Sir, I thought would be of particular interest to you," Pickering said.
MacArthur finally found what he was looking for.
"Ah-ha!" he said triumphantly, and handed a manila folder to Pickering. It was stamped SECRET. "Here you go. Take the time to read it."
He either didn't hear anything I said, or chose not to.
"Aye, aye, Sir."
It was the After-Action that had come in just after one in the morning. He had scanned it, and then gone back to trying to find something of special interest in the MAGIC intercepts.
I better read this carefully. I suspect there'll be an oral exam. El Supremo is in one of his good moods. And that usually triggers a lecture.
=SECRET=
FROM: COM GEN 1ST MAR DIV 2325 25OCT42
SUBJECT: AFTER-ACTION REPORT
TO: COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, PACIFIC, PEARL HARBOR
INFO: SUPREME COMMANDER SWPOA, BRISBANE COMMANDANT, USMC, WASH, DC
1. AT APPROXIMATELY 0030 25OCT42, WITHOUT ARTILLERY OR MORTAR PREPARATION, JAPANESE
FORCES, BELIEVED TO BE THE 29TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, ATTACKED POSITIONS TO THE LEFT CENTER OF 1ST BN, 7TH MARINES (LT COL LEWIS B. PULLER) EAST OF BLOODY RIDGE. THE ATTACK WAS CONTAINED BY 1/7, WITH SMALL ARMS AND MORTAR FIRE ASSISTANCE FROM 2ND BN, 164TH INFANTRY, US ARMY.
A regiment attacking a battalion. Three-to-one odds, right by the book.... And they
were "contained" by Puller's battalion. Chesty Puller is one hell of a Marine.
2. 3RD BN, 164TH INF, USA, THEN IN REGIMENTAL RESERVE ONE (1) MILE EAST OF HENDERSON
FIELD (LT COL ROBERT K. HALL, USA) WAS ORDERED TO REIN FORCE 1/7, IN ANTICIPATION OF CONTINUED, OR AUG MENTED JAPANESE ATTACK.
National Guardsmen. Their enlisted men are older than the Marines-by at least five years. Which means they've probably had more training. But this is the first time they've been in combat.
3. BY AGREEMENT BETWEEN LT COL PULLER AND LT COL HALL, TROOPS OF 3/164 USA WERE DISTRIBUTED IN SMALL DETACHMENTS TO UNITS OF 1/7 RATHER THAN TAKING THEIR OWN POSITION ON LINE. RAIN WAS FALLING HEAVILY AND VISIBILITY WAS POOR. IT WAS IN MANY CASES NECESSARY FOR MARINES TO LEAD USA INFANTRY INTO DEFENSE POSITIONS BY HOLDING THEIR HANDS. THE EMPLACEMENT
OF USA TROOPS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY 0330 25OCT42.
I wonder how that happened. Was it the force of Chesty Puller's personality that made this Army battalion commander in effect give up his command? Or was he actually wise enough to know that was the thing to do under the circumstances, and to hell with personal dignity and the honor of the Army? I wonder if Chesty would do the same thing if the boot were on the other foot?
4. ALL AVAILABLE 105-MM HOWITZERS OF 11TH MARINES MAINTAINED FIRE UPON ATTACK AREA
THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD, AUGMENTED BY 37-MM CANNON OF HEAVY WEAPONS COMPANY, 164TH INF USA, FIRING PRIMARILY CANISTER. M COMPANY 7TH MARINES EXPENDED APPROXIMATELY 1,200 ROUNDS 81-MM MORTAR AMMUNITION DURING THE NIGHT.
God, that's a lot of 81mm mortar ammo! Even more when you think that somebody had to carry it from the dump after the on-site supply was exhausted.
5. USA 37-MM CANNISTER FIRE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE IN CONTAINING SERIES OF JAPANESE
ATTACKS DURING PERIOD 0100-0700 25OCT42.
Well, that's Vandegrift giving credit where it's due. That's six hours of 37mm cannon fire. I wonder how many rounds?
6. AT APPROXIMATELY 0700 25OCT42, JAPANESE ATTACKS DIMINISHED IN INTENSITY. GREATEST
PENETRATION OF US LINES WAS APPROXIMATELY 150 YARD SALIENT IN LINES OF COMBINED 1/7 AND 3/164 USA, AND SALIENT WAS REDUCED BY APPROXIMATELY 0830.
The best the Japs could do with a regiment in six hours was make a 150-yard dent in our lines; and then they couldn't hold it! But what did that cost us?
7. AT APPROXIMATELY 0830 25OCT42, 3/164 USA BEGAN TO ESTABLISH ITS OWN LINES TO LEFT OF 1/7, ESTABLISHMENT CONTINUING THROUGHOUT MORNING.
Well, the Army battalion commander got command of his battalion back. Did he demand it? Or did Vandegrift decide that it was the best thing to do, tactically? If that's the case, Vandegrift must think the Army commander knows what he's doing. Otherwise, he would have kept the soldiers under Puller's command.
8. HEAVY JAPANESE ARTILLERY FIRE, PROBABLY 150-MM COMMENCED AT 0800 25OCT42 ON BOTH US
LINES AND HENDERSON FIELD. FIRE WAS AT TEN MINUTE INTERVALS AND CONTINUED UNTIL 1100
25OCT42.
Their big guns. We have nothing to counter them. Our 155mm's sailed off with the Navy the day we landed. Goddamn the Navy!
9. HEAVY RAIN RENDERED FIGHTER STRIP NUMBER ONE INOPERABLE, AND RAIN PLUS DAMAGE FROM
JAPANESE HEAVY ARTILLERY RENDERED HENDERSON FIELD RUNWAYS INOPERABLE DURING MORNING. LIMITED US AIR ACTIVITY AFTER 1345.
Well, at least Pick wasn't there!
10. INTENSITY OF JAPANESE AIR ACTIVITY DURING AFTERNOON 25OCT42 SUGGESTED BY ROUGH NOTES
OF LT COL L.C. MERILLAT, FOLLOWING:
1423-CONDITION RED. 16 JAP BOMBERS AT 20000 FT,
FIVE MILES
1430-INTENSE BOMBING OF KUKUM BEACH
1434-1 BOMBER SHOT DOWN, REMAINDER LEAVING
1435-1 BOMBER HAS PORT MOTOR SHOT OUT
1436-2 ZERO SHOT DOWN OVER HENDERSON
1442-ANOTHER JAP FORMATION APPROACHING
1451-1 ZERO SHOT DOWN
1456-HENDERSON STRAFED BY THREE ZEROS
1502-NINE ZEKES BOMB HENDERSON AIRCRAFT
GRAVEYARD
1507-HENDERSON STRAFED BY SIX ZEROS
1516-CONDITION GREEN
Thank God, Pick wasn't there. I wonder where he is.
11. AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 25OCT42, LIGHT (105-MM AND SMALLER) JAPANESE ARTILLERY BAR
RAGE COMMENCED ON NOW SEPARATE POSITIONS OF 1/7 AND 3/164 USA AND CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY UNTIL 2100.
The standard artillery "softening up" barrage. How the hell did the Japanese move that much ammunition over that terrain? The
most one man can carry is one 105mm shell at a time. For that matter, how did they get their cannon in position?
12. AT 2100 25OCT42 SMALL JAPANESE ATTACKS, IN STRENGTH OF 30 TO 200, UNDER MACHINEGUN
COVER COMMENCED PRIMARILY AGAINST 3/164 USA AND CONTINUED UNTIL APPROXIMATELY 2400. 37-MM CANNON OF WEAPONS COMPANY, 7TH MARINES KILLED AT LEAST 250 OF THE ENEMY WITH CANISTER AT CLOSE RANGE. NO SIGNIFICANT PENETRATION OF US LINES OCCURRED.
Jesus, you have to give the Japs credit for tenacity! They kept attacking for three hours! Did they know they were attacking soldiers and not Marines? Sure, they did. They have good scouts, too. They knew what they were doing. And the Army fooled them. It cost the Japs 250 men to learn that this wasn't the Philippines; that if they haven't been starved and they have ammunition to fight with, American soldiers, American National Guardsmen, are not a pushover.
13. AT APPROXIMATELY 0300 26OCT42, JAPANESE STRUCK IN FORCE AT LINES OF 2ND BN 7TH MARINES (LT COL HANNEKAN) WITH MAJOR EFFORT AT F COMPANY 2/7TH, WHICH WAS FORCED TO TEMPORARILY WITHDRAW AT 0500.
"Temporarily withdraw" is a euphemism. Maybe it wasn't a retreat, but Fox company certainly got pushed out of their positions.
14. A COUNTER ATTACK WAS LAUNCHED UNDER EXEC OFF 2/7TH (MAJ O.M. CONELY). TROOPS CONSISTED OF RADIOMEN, MESSMEN, BANDSMEN, WHO WERE JOINED BY ELEMENTS OF COMPANY G AND 2 PLATOONS OF COMPANY C, 1/5TH MARINES. AMONG PARTICIPANTS WAS PLATOON SERGEANT MITCHELL PAIGE, USMC, WHO IS BEING RECOMMENDED FOR MEDAL OF HONOR FOR VALOR IN ACTION DESCRIBED IN 13 ABOVE. .
Conely apparently rounded up everybody who could hold a rifle-cooks and hornplayers and stragglers and the lost-and sounded charge.
I wonder what the sergeant actually did to get his name in this? The British call that sort of thing "mentioned in despatches. " We don't normally do it. Sergeant Paige must be one incredible Marine!
15. BY APPROXIMATELY 0600 THE SITUATION WAS WELL IN HAND, WITH ALL POSITIONS LOST IN US
HANDS. APPROXIMATELY 300 JAPANESE BODIES WERE FOUND IN AREA OF F COMPANY 2/7TH.
Jesus, what amounted to less than a company of Marines- dragged up on the battlefield and just told to go out and fight- killed 300 Japs!
16. BY APPROXIMATELY 0800, SIGNIFICANT JAPANESE ACTIVITY HAD CEASED.
17. JAPANESE LOSSES ARE ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY TWO THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED (2200) KIA.
Sonofabitch! Twenty-two hundred dead. Six companies... a battalion and a half... dead! But what did it cost us? Here it is:
18. US LOSSES: USMC AND USA ESTIMATED TOTAL
105 KIA, 242 WIA, 7 MIA AS FOLLOWS:
A. FIELD GRADE OFFICER KIA FOUR (4)
B. FIELD GRADE OFFICER WIA THREE (3)
C. COMPANY GRADE OFFICER KIA TWELVE (12)
D. COMPANY GRADE OFFICER WIA SIXTEEN (16)
E. ENLISTED KIA EIGHTY-NINE (89)
F. ENLISTED WIA TWO HUNDRED FIFTEEN (215)
G. MISSING IN ACTION: SEVEN (7)
H. HENDERSON FIELD IS OPERABLE; FIGHTER STRIP MINIMALLY SO.
I.
VANDEGRIFT MAJ GEN USMC COMMANDING
=SECRET=
Jesus Christ, the Japanese took a whipping! Almost ten to one! How do they get their men to keep fighting when they're taking losses like that?
Pickering looked up from the After-Action Report to find MacArthur's eyes on him.
"You said something about an interesting MAGIC intercept, Fleming?"
"I have it here," Pickering said, then took several folded-together sheets of paper from the right bellows pocket of his blouse.
MacArthur chuckled, and Pickering looked at him.
"Pluto and Lieutenant Whatsisname, the one who was wounded..."
"Moore, Sir," Pickering furnished.
"... the one who limps. When they arrive with a MAGIC, they normally come not only armed to the teeth but with the MAGICs in a briefcase chained to their wrists. You are a delightfully informal fellow, Fleming."
"My aide, Sir, is in your outer office-armed to the teeth and with the briefcase chained to his wrist. That is known, I believe, as delegation of responsibility."
MacArthur's face froze.
Watch your mouth, Pickering. You may think El Supremo is more than a little pompous, but El Supremo thinks of himself as The Supreme Commander. One does not say anything to The Supreme Commander that he might possibly interpret as insolent.
After almost visibly making up his mind, MacArthur apparently decided the humor was neither out of place nor disrespectful. He laughed.
"Pay attention, Willoughby," he said. "I think we can all learn something from the Marines."
"General," Willoughby replied, "I'm fully aware that General Pickering can be quite ruthless as far as security is concerned."
Christ! That can't be anything but a reference to Ellen Feller. God, let's not open that bag of worms!
MacArthur looked at Willoughby, curiosity on his face.
"I think that is expected of someone with his responsibilities," MacArthur said finally. "He is also very tenacious, bringing up again and again a subject he knows I would rather he didn't. I find both characteristics admirable, in their way." He met Pickering's eyes. "You were about to tell me about the intercept."
I have just had my wrist slapped. I've been told he doesn't want to hear me try to sell Donovan's people to him again. But he didn't ask Willoughby what he meant. Or does he already know about Ellen Feller?
"Sir, there's a Japanese Naval officer that the people at CINCPAC and Pluto have been keeping track of-Commander Tadakae Ohmae, an intelligence officer."
"What about him?" MacArthur asked impatiently.
"He's apparently on Guadalcanal. Just after midnight last night, he sent a radio to Tokyo, using Japanese 17th Army facilities. It was addressed to the Intelligence Officer of their Navy. Pluto and I think it's significant; CINCPAC doesn't."
"What colors CINCPAC's thinking?"
"Pluto believes that Commander Ohmae is more important than his rank suggests: that he is in effect the Japanese Navy's man on Guadalcanal, sent there to find out what's really going on...."
"Someone like you, in other words, Fleming?" MacArthur asked.
"Yes, Sir. Although I don't consider myself possessed of Ohmae's expertise or influence."
MacArthur grunted. "Go on."
"The tone of Ohmae's radio suggests that he reports things as he sees them..."
"Another similarity, wouldn't you say?"
I'm going to ignore that. I think he's trying to throw me off balance. Why?
"... which, in Pluto's judgment, tends to support the idea that he is a man of some influence."
"And CINCPAC disagrees?"
"CINCPAC feels that if this fellow were as important as Pluto believes he is, he wouldn't have used a fairly standard code. He'd have used something more complex-and less likely to be broken now or in the future."
"Like your own personal code, you're saying, the one that is denied even to my cryptographers?"
I wondered how long it would take before you brought that up. You can't really be the Emperor, can you, if one of the mice around the throne can send off letters you can't read?
"Access to that code is controlled by Secretary Knox, Sir."
"I'm just trying to understand what you're driving at, Fleming," MacArthur said disarmingly.
"Yes, Sir. Pluto feels, and I agree, that he didn't use a better code, because a better code is not available to the Japanese on Guadalcanal; Ohmae used what was available."
MacArthur grunted again. "What did Commander Ohmae say in his radio to Tokyo?"
"It was a rather blanket indictment of the 17th Army, Sir. He cited a number of reasons why he believed the attack failed."
"Such as?"
Pickering dropped his eyes to the MAGIC intercept.
"He feels that General Nasu and his regimental commanders were, quote, grossly incompetent, unquote."
"That accusation is always made when a battle is lost," MacArthur said, "almost invariably by those who have not should
ered the weight of command themselves. Unless a commander has access to the materiel of war, his professional competence and the valor of his men is for nothing."
He's talking about himself, about his losing the Philippines.
THE CORPS VI - CLOSE COMBAT Page 30