Back to the beach
Having gained a substantial foothold on the islands and needing an increase in manpower, the Marines on New Hebrides were once again loaded aboard ship and sent back to the Solomons (Sept. '42). Tulagi lies across the bay from the larger island of Guadalcanal, and is flanked by the islands of Florida and Gavutu with Tanambogo nearby. Tulagi has a small but well-located harbor that was well used by the British when they were in charge there.
The British trading companies were well established in the area many years before WWII started. They had a small constabulary post there and maintained peace on the island. Tulagi is about three miles long from the harbor to its upper end and maybe two miles wide at it widest point. It is divided by a hill that runs the length of the island and is about 50 feet tall at its highest point, which overlooks the harbor. In the center of the harbor is a smaller island that had no inhabitants. A short pier jutted out from shore just below the high point and afforded a landing place for Marines coming shore.
Marines from New Hebrides disembarked from this pier and were sent inland to areas assigned to them. Most were sent to the beaches to man the defense guns that were set up to repel any counter-invasion launched by the Japs. The Kid, being a part of the headquarters platoon, was assigned a defense position atop the hill overlooking a "cut" — the only entry into the inner island from the pier and would've been the most likely place an armored vehicle would have made its way. The position was no more than an open foxhole cut into the side of the hill. Below that was the company mess tent and field kitchen that sat beside a cricket area called St.George's Field, a playing field set up by the British constabulary.
Gathering bits and pieces of material from here and there, the Kid managed to build a cover over the hole that helped to shut out the rains and the hot sun. He'd been assigned a bunk mate who occupied the left side of the arrangement, so they set up their cots and arranged gear as best they could. Mosquito nets were hung over the bunks and were a godsend as Marines were attacked by the flying devils day and night and ended up with malaria and dengue fever.
Hilltop House
The weapons assigned the Kid and his pal were hardly enough to stave off an attack on their position, which was there to blow the cut that gave the Japs access to the inner island from the water front pier. They had two dozen Molotov cocktails, a case or two of anti-tank mines, two cases of TNT with caps and fuses, plus two dozen hand grenades and a BAR with a certain amount of ammo for it and their rifles — a lot of gear for two men to handle in a firefight.
At first they'd go up to their position only when an alert sounded. They soon got tired of climbing the hill, so that was when they gathered scrap material and constructed a cover for the foxhole. It was difficult to find the boards and tin as they were late in the endeavor. The island was already covered with shacks and lean-to's of every description, so they were a bit late on the scene. The makeshift shelters were colorful in a drab sort of way, lining the beaches and ranging the hill sides, presenting themselves in a thousand variations of shapes and sizes. Some had been carelessly thrown together using tin and burned boards, while others were neat in appearance. That of the Kid and his pal wasn't neat, but it did have an excellent roof that only leaked in three places (e.g., over the Kid's bunk). Oh, well, they called it home and named it "Hilltop House."
Though the walls were made of sandbagsAnd the rain came leaking down,It kept out most of the weatherThat came sweeping 'cross the sound!Food and water were scarce during the first few weeks after Tulagi was secured. Due to unforeseen circumstances (Jap warships) re-supplies could not be brought in. There was a meager supply of Jap stores consisting of rice, canned fish and moldy flour, and the company had brought a slim supply of field rations and such. Many a "field cook" was born in those days of self-imposed fasting. Exercising their homemaker's touch, Marines did well with what they had to work with. The natives brought in fruit from Florida Island, for which the Marines were thankful and showed it by sharing their precious cigarettes with the helpful natives.
The Jap navy was a strong element to contend with in the early days of America's first offensive. The men ashore felt the strength of it almost as much as their own Navy. Because of its presence, there was not a sufficient supply of food or medicine. Enemy warships kept them on constant alert for possible shelling. All defensive positions were manned night and day. When a sea battle was imminent, all available Marines were sent to the beaches to man extra guns or to support others.
At night the sea battles were an appalling sight — flashes from the big guns kept the sky aglow and you could see the shells arching across the sky to smash into their targets in great flaming explosions. When they saw an arch of tracer bullets coming from a low position on the water, they knew it was the PT boats on attack, and large explosions often followed the tracers. The PT boats always showed the effects of battle when they returned to Tulagi in the early morning — their light hulls would be ventilated with bullet and shrapnel holes.
Payback for Pearl — Solomon Islands, A U.S. Flying Fortress carrying out a bombing sortie against Japanese bases on the Solomon Islands during World War II.
Marine cleans weapon in front of 'Canal lean-to
