Raid on Tasimboko

Allied Forces

• 1^st Raider Battalion
  • A Company
  • B Company
  • C Company
• 1^st Parachute Battalion
• U.S.S. McKean (APD 5)
• U.S.S. Manley (APD 1)
• Marine Aircraft Group 23

Axis Forces

• Rearguard of Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi Brigade

Operation

By early September 1942, the focus of Marine operations shifts away from Cape Esperance as intelligence indicates that Tasimboko has become the primary landing site for the Tokyo Express. On September 6^th. 1943, Colonel Merritt A. Edson and Major Kenneth D. Thomas secure approval from Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift to conduct a raid on September 8^th, 1942. With the recent loss of three high-speed transports, available shipping is limited. The raiders embark on U.S.S. McKean (APD 5), U.S.S. Manley (APD 1), and two converted tuna boats for the operation.

The initial landing force comprise Companies A, B, and C, 1^st Raider Battalion, while the vessels plan to return to Lunga Point to transport the weapons company and the 1^st Marine Parachute Battalion in subsequent waves. Despite reports from local scouts estimating thousands of Japanese in the area, division planners dismiss the numbers as exaggerated. However, Edson trusts the scouts’ assessment that the enemy fortifications faced west towards Marine positions. He devises a plan to land at Taivu Point, advancing inland to flank Tasimboko from the rear.

Just before dawn on September 8^th, 1942, the raiders land and quickly realise the scouts’ reports are accurate. As they progress along the coast, they encounter signs of significant Japanese activity, including over a thousand life preservers neatly arranged, extensive foxholes, and several unmanned 37 millimetres anti-tank guns. Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi has recently landed a full brigade at Tasimboko, but this force is advancing inland, leaving a rearguard of approximately 300 soldiers to defend the village and supply depots.

The Marines encounter stiff resistance, with 75 millimetres artillery firing point-blank along the coastal road and from the cover of a coconut plantation. Edson engages the defenders with two companies, while Captain Griffith leads Company A on a wide flanking manoeuvre to the left. Concerned that they are confronting the main enemy force, Edson, requests additional landings to the west of Tasimboko. His message ends with an urgent plea: “If not, request instructions regarding my embarkation.” Forty-five minutes later, he renews the call for reinforcements and air support, but the division orders him to disengage and withdraw. Edson ignores the directive and presses the attack.

Coordinated with the arriving 1^st Marine Parachute Battalion, the raiders overpower the Japanese, forcing them to abandon their encampment. Resistance soon crumbles, and by midday, the Marines have secured the village. They discover large caches of supplies, including food, ammunition, and heavy weapons such as 75 millimetres artillery. Vandegrift radioes his congratulations and reiterated the withdrawal order.

Despite the directive, Edson decides to hold position temporarily while his men systematically destroy the Japanese stockpiles. The raiders dismantle a powerful radio station, slash open rice bags, sabotage food supplies, and scuttle captured artillery by tying them to landing craft and sinking them offshore. They set fire to the remaining stores and confiscate valuable documents. As night falls, the raiders reboard their vessels, many carrying captured rations, cigarettes, and alcohol.

Aftermath

While the raid resulted in limited combat, with 27 Japanese bodies recovered and an estimated 50 killed, Marine casualties were minimal, two dead and six wounded. Nevertheless, the operation significantly disrupted Japanese logistics, artillery, and communications. The intelligence gathered proved invaluable, shedding light on Japanese plans for an imminent offensive.

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