Battle for the Matanikau River

On September 17^th, 1942, the depleted 1^st Marine Parachute Battalion, having suffered 55 per cent casualties during Edson’s “Bloody Ridge campaign”, departs Guadalcanal aboard the same convoy that brings in the 7^th Marines. The 1^st Marine Raider Battalion, with 33 per cent casualties, remains on the island and receive only minimal rest.

September 20th, 1943

General Vandegrift orders the Raider Battalion to conduct a reconnaissance mission south of the ridge to eliminate any surviving Japanese troops. The battalion moves through its former position, now defended by the recently arrived 7^th Marines, and follows the trail of retreating enemy forces. Along the route, they encounter scattered resistance, which is swiftly dealt with by Edson using artillery and support weapons. At the cost of three wounded, the Raiders kill 19 Japanese soldiers and capture a dismantled howitzer. The most dangerous moment comes during their return, when nervous elements of the 7^th Marines mistakenly open fire on the Raiders. Fortunately, no friendly casualties occur.

That same day, General Vandegrift initiates a reorganisation of the division’s senior ranks, relieving several excess colonels. Colonel Edson assumes command of the 5^th Marines, while Lieutenant Colonel Samuel B. Griffith succeeds him as commander of the 1^st Marine Raider Battalion. Despite Edson’s departure, the Raider Battalion continues to play a key role.

September 23rd, 1943

Lieutenant Colonel Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller leads his 1^st Battalion, 7^th Marines, from the perimeter with the mission of clearing Japanese forces from the Matanikau River area. Following the mission’s completion, division intends to deploy the Raiders to establish a patrol base near Kokumbona to prevent further Japanese artillery threats against Henderson Field.

September 24th, 1943

Lieutenant Colonel Puller’s men surprise and rout a Japanese force, though they suffer seven killed and 25 wounded. To assist with casualty evacuation, the 2^nd Battalion, 5^th Marines, is dispatched as a relief force. Puller, with only one rifle company remaining, joins the 2^nd Battalion and continues the advance.

September 26th, 1943

The combined force reaches the Matanikau River and move down its eastern bank. Attempting to cross the sandbar at the river mouth, the Marines are repelled by a Japanese company. Simultaneously, another enemy unit occupies the eastern end of the upstream log bridge, unnoticed by the Marines.

That afternoon, Vandegrift assigns Edson to command the operation and sends the Raider Battalion to support him. Edson and Puller devise a new plan: the Raider Battalion and Puller’s remaining company will cross the river upstream and attack the Japanese at the river mouth from the flank, while the 2^nd Battalion attacks across the sandbar. Meanwhile, the bulk of the 1^st Battalion, 7^th Marines, will land beyond Point Cruz to cut off any retreat. Division headquarters approves the plan.

September 27th, 1943

During the night, with heavy rain, the 2^nd Battalion launches its assault on the river mouth but makes no progress. The Raider Battalion, advancing upriver, become trapped in a narrow strip between the river and a steep ridge. Japanese machine guns and mortars pin them in place. Major Kenneth D. Bailey leads an assault but is mortally wounded. Griffith orders Company C to outflank the enemy via the ridge, but they are also held back. Griffith himself is wounded by a sniper. Without fire support, the Raiders cannot dislodge the entrenched Japanese.

Miscommunication compounds the problem. Edson, believing the Raiders have crossed the river, launches another frontal assault with the 2^nd Battalion, reinforced by mortars and 37 mm guns. It fails. The 1^st Battalion, 7^th Marines, lands behind Japanese lines but becomes surrounded and, lacking radios, is unable to report their situation. Only through air signals do they alert supporting aircraft. When Puller learns of their predicament, he requests another attack to relieve pressure, but Edson refuses, unwilling to waste more lives in a hopeless frontal assault.

Aftermath

Eventually, Puller extracts his encircled force with naval gunfire and flag signals. Edson then orders the Raider Battalion to fall back and join the 2^nd Battalion at the river mouth, and both units withdraw to the perimeter. In total, 67 Marines are killed and 125 wounded. This engagement marks the only tactical defeat for the Marines during the Guadalcanal campaign. The Raiders suffer relatively light casualties, two killed and 11 wounded, but both senior officers are among them. Captain Ira J. “Jake” Irwin assumes command.

By now, the Raiders are worn down. Two months of combat and disease have taken a heavy toll. Many men are afflicted with malaria and other tropical illnesses. With more combat than any other unit on the island, rumours spread that they will soon be withdrawn like the parachutists. One Marine later describes them as “a more sickly, bedraggled, miserable bunch” than any other.