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| April 25th, 2025 |
| Last Updated |
| August 27th, 2025 |
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| U.S. Marine Raider Battalions |
| November 4th, 1942 – December 4th, 1942 |
| The Long Patrol at Guadacanal |
| Objectives |
- Land at Aola Bay, on Guadalcanal’s northeast coast.
- Construct an additional airfield.
| Operational Area |
Guadacanal
| Allied Forces |
- 2nd Raider Battalion
| Axis Forces |
- 2nd “Sendai” Division
- 230th Infantry Regiment
- 228th Infantry Regiment
- One battalion
| Operation |
After the depart of the 1st Raider Battalion, the 2nd Raider Battalion arrives on Guadalcanal. Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson’s unit has been refitting in Hawaii following its actions at Midway and Makin Atoll. In early September, the battalion boards transport for Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides. This island serves as the primary staging ground for reinforcements heading to the southern Solomons. The Raiders continue training there until Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner orders a landing at Aola Bay, on Guadalcanal’s northeast coast. The objective is to construct an additional airfield.
| November 4th, 1942 |
Rear Admiral Turner assigns Lieutenant Colonel Carlson and two Raider companies to secure the beachhead for a U.S. Army battalion, a detachment of Seabees, and a Marine defence unit. During the morning, the destroyer-transports U.S.S. McKean and U.S.S. Manley land Companies C and E without opposition. However, it soon becomes clear that the swampy terrain is entirely unsuitable for airfield construction.
| November 5th, 1942 |
Major General Alexander Vandegrift dispatches a message to Lieutenant Colonel Carlson by air drop. Army and Marine forces are advancing eastwards from the main perimeter to encircle a large Japanese formation near the Metapona River. This force, the 230th Infantry Regiment commanded by Colonel Toshinari Shōji of the Japanese 2nd “Sendai” Division, has moved through the jungle from the west. It was originally intended to participate in the failed attack on Edson’s Ridge in late October but was delayed and ended up east of the Marine perimeter. It had recently received reinforcements from the Tokyo Express, including a battalion of the 228th Infantry Regiment.
Vandegrift orders Carlson to advance west from Aola and harass the enemy from the rear.
| November 6th, 1944 |
Lieutenant Colonel Carlson departs with his Raiders, accompanied by a coastwatcher and several native scouts. Among the guides is Sergeant Major Jacob Vouza, a local hero. The men carry four days of canned rations.
The Raiders first move inland, then head west through overgrown jungle trails. The native scouts prove essential in navigating the terrain.
| November 8th, 1944 |
The lead element of the Raider Force encounters a small Japanese ambush near Reko. Two enemy soldiers are killed. One native is wounded. The column continues and reaches Binu on the Balesuna River, some thirteen kilometres from the coast, the following day. Carlson halts there to coordinate with other American forces.
| November 10th, 1944 |
During the night, approximately 3,000 Japanese troops escape the American encirclement at the Metapona. Starved, fatigued, and demoralised, they now receive orders to retreat westward. Nevertheless, they remain a dangerous fighting force.
Meanwhile, Companies B, D, and F of the 2nd Raider Battalion, land at Tasimboko and march inland to reinforce Carlson. Company D is understrength, having been used to reinforce other companies before departure from Espiritu Santo. From this point, the battalion begins receiving regular resupply via native porters delivered by Landing Craft Vehicle. Rations include tea, rice, raisins, bacon, and D-ration chocolate bars.
| November 11th, 1944 |
Four Raider companies conduct independent patrols while the fifth secures Binu. Each patrol is equipped with a TBX radio. Late that morning, one patrol encounters troops from 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, and learns of the Japanese breakout. Minutes later, Company C clashes with a major enemy force near Asamama on the Metapona River. The Raiders cross a broad grassy plain and stumble into an enemy bivouac in the woods beyond. The leading platoon inflicts heavy casualties but suffers five killed and three wounded. The rest of the company comes under intense fire from enemy rifles, machine guns, and mortars.
Lieutenant Colonel Carlson diverts two patrols and a platoon from Binu to reinforce the contact. As Company E crosses the Metapona, it runs into another enemy force. The Japanese initially drive the Marines back, but Major Richard T. Washburn rallies his company and counterattacks as the enemy attempts a river crossing. The Raiders inflict serious losses but fail to break through to Company C. Later in the afternoon, Carlson personally leads Company F toward Asamama.
By the time Carlson arrives, Company C has withdrawn under the cover of 60mm mortar fire. Carlson calls in two dive-bombers on enemy positions. He orders Company E to disengage and launches a flanking attack with Company F. At dusk, the Raiders find the enemy gone. That night, the battalion regroups at Binu. Company D reports its own encounter with Japanese forces, resulting in two dead and one wounded.
| November 12th, 1944 |
Lieutenant Colonel Carlson leads Companies B and E back to the woods near Asamama. Throughout the day, enemy messengers mistakenly approach the area, believing it still secure. The Raiders kill twenty-five of them. In the afternoon, Carlson brings in Company C.
| November 13th, 1944 |
Lieutenant Colonel Carlson observes enemy groups nearby. He calls in artillery and mortar strikes on five targets. Each time, the Raiders engage survivors moving through the jungle.
| November 14th, 1944 |
Lieutenant Colonel Carlson decides to withdraw to Binu. That same day, a patrol from Company F eliminates a fifteen-man Japanese outpost located by native scouts. After which the battalion resupplies and rests.
| November 15th, 1944 |
The battalion relocates its base to Asamama. For two days, the Raiders patrol the area. Carlson concludes that the main enemy force has departed.
| November 17th, 1944 |
Major General Vandegrift orders Lieutenant Colonel Carlson back into the perimeter. He tasks the 2nd Raider Battalion with locating “Pistol Pete,” a Japanese artillery piece shelling the airfield. The battalion is also to scout trails bypassing the perimeter and search for enemy units to the south. Over the next few days, the Raiders advance to the Tenaru River.
| November 25th, 1944 |
Company A arrives from Espiritu Santo and joins the battalion. The 2nd Raider Battalion now operate in three two-company teams, each from a separate patrol base. They move deeper inland, into the high ground between the Tenaru and Lunga Rivers. Carlson remains with the central detachment, positioned to reinforce either flank.
| November 30th, 1944 |
The 2nd Raider Battalion crosses a steep ridge dividing the river valleys. A telephone wire leads them to a Japanese bivouac. The site contains an unmanned 75-millimetre mountain gun and a 37-millimetre anti-tank gun. The Marines disable the weapons by scattering key components down the slope. Farther ahead, the advance guard stumbles upon another bivouac, occupied by roughly 100 Japanese. Both sides are surprised. Corporal John Yancey charges the position, firing his automatic weapon and urging his men forward. The Japanese are caught with their weapons stacked. The Raiders overrun the camp and kill seventy-five enemy troops.
| December 1st, 1944 |
A Douglas R4D Skytrain drops rations and orders for the battalion to return to the perimeter. Lieutenant Colonel Carlson requests a few more days.
| December 3rd, 1944 |
Lieutenant Colonel Carlson holds a “Gung Ho” meeting to motivate his exhausted men. He splits the unit. The more fatigued companies return to the perimeter. Carlson leads the remainder to Mount Austen, where a patrol has found a strong but abandoned Japanese position.
As the Raiders reach the summit, they encounter an enemy platoon from another direction. After a two-hour firefight and two flanking attempts, the Raiders kill twenty-five enemy at the cost of four wounded, one fatally. That night, the Marines endure a cold, waterless bivouac on the mountaintop.
| December 4th, 1944 |
The 2nd Raider Battalion descends into the Marine perimeter but face one last ambush. Seven Japanese attack the lead element, killing four Raiders before being eliminated.
| Aftermath |
The long-range patrol is a tactical success. The 2nd Raiders kill 488 Japanese at the cost of sixteen dead and eighteen wounded. Carlson credits guerrilla tactics for the favourable exchange. Operating behind enemy lines, the Raiders exploit Japanese complacency and inflict repeated surprises.
Yet the cost in health is severe. The battalion evacuates 225 men due to malaria, dysentery, and ringworm. Other American units on Guadalcanal are better fed and less exposed by this stage of the campaign. Only Companies C and F spend the full month in combat. They land at Aola Bay with 133 men each. On 4 December, they re-enter the perimeter with just 57 between them.
During the Long Patrol, Corporal John Yancey earns the Navy Cross. The native carriers are essential in sustaining the operation. Guerrilla tactics prove effective but exact a heavy toll. Still, the 2nd Raider Battalion finish the mission with distinction. Vandegrift commends the battalion for its training, determination, and aggressive spirit. Their campaign on Guadalcanal becomes one of the most celebrated episodes of Marine Raider history.
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