Pacifica Military History Free Sample Chapters.pmd

Free Sample Chapters 11
Company, were shifted to what was hoped would be better advantage.
At the same time, Marines began cleaning their rifles and automatic
weapons in relays; the crud of the two days of battle had fouled many
weapons to the point of unreliability.
Also at 0930, the 60mm mortars supporting K Company were
unleashed against the coconut-log emplacement and the area around it.
No fire was directed against the covered bunker as that would have
been a waste of precious ammunition. One round from a K Company
mortar hit an uncharted ammunition dump, which blew with a loud bang.
The dump, to the amazement of all, had been in the very emplacement
that held up the advance for two full days. Machine-gun fire from this
quarter ceased to be a problem.
While the infantry’s preparations continued, Colorado, the lone
surviving medium tank of 1stLt Lou Largey’s platoon, slowly advanced
through the riflemen huddled along the beach to a position behind the
easternmost extremity of F Company’s seawall line. Largey directed
his 75mm gun against the steel pillbox, and a quick succession of direct
hits flattened the position, giving F Company free reign over the area.
At 1000, moments after Colorado destroyed the steel pillbox,
the assault on the bombproof was canceled. Rather, F Company was to
assault eastward to outflank the defensive keypoint. Then the main event
would commence.
The haggard remnants of F Company had only thirty yards to
take, the same thirty yards they had conceded the day before to
consolidate their position on the beach. A lot had happened to weaken
and demoralize F Company in two days of battle, so it took Capt Martin
Barrett several hours just to get his troops into position.
F Company struck at 1300 and immediately met with ferocious
defensive fire from infantry positions along the beach and just across
the seawall. Although small gains were achieved, it was decided that
the assault on the bombproof would have to be made without the added
benefit of flank control.
*
As the covered bunker was the main objective in his sector of Red-
3, Maj Bill Chamberlin was more or less left with the task of organizing