SgtPriceUSMC
Rifleman
My Dad was a longtime member here who went by the name USMCPrice. I've been a member a while, but have mostly been a lurker, never posting much. Back in 2009, Dad enlisted my brother and I to build a battlefield for a huge Pacific theater battle using his collection of 1/6 scale Marines. The battlefield we decided to build was heavily inspired by Tarawa, and was chronicled here in the thread Pacific Assault. Dad and I had been planning another big battle as a way to introduce my eldest boy to this enduring hobby which has been ever-present in our family since my Dad got his first Action Marines, back in 1965. My son, Harrison, was about to turn 10, so we were shooting to do our big war during his Spring Break, which was this last week. Unfortunately, Dad passed away last Halloween. I was really on the fence about going forward with things without him, but, ultimately, I thought there'd be no better way to perpetuate his memory than by passing something he loved to the next generation. I had to bump back the timetable for the main operation, which I'm now planning for June, but I decided to go ahead with a "practice landing" to teach my son some more about how a Marine company operated and how to employ tactics and supporting arms. This post will be the first in a series to share these activities, whose theme is action in the South Pacific in the area of the Solomons Islands.
The Marines of 2nd Squad, Able Company, 21st Marines advance off the beach into the tropical jungle to secure the beachhead for the landing of the second wave.
2nd Squad advances up the ridge overlooking the beachhead.
The Japanese had hidden two machine gun bunkers with overlapping fields of fire to watch the trails leading up the ridge. Shortly after the photo above, one bunker opened up, and two Marines were hit. The second wave was beginning to land and the Lieutenant (my boy) ordered a light machine gun team employed to answer the bunker's fire while the infantry attempted to pull back.
The Lieutenant conferred with the 2nd Squad Leader, who asked to try and flank the enemy position. A section from the Engineers' Assault Platoon were attached to help take out the hardened structure. The reinforced fire team prepares to assault the Japanese bunker.
The Assault Demolition Man tried three times, unsuccessfully, to neutralize the position using satchel charges. On the last attempt, the Japanese managed to throw the charge back out before it detonated, and the Marines took another casualty. Here, a rifleman from 2nd Squad carries his wounded comrade out of harm's way, and back down the ridge and onto the beach, where the aid station can provide life saving care. The wounded Marine survived the battle.
The flamethrower man comes down from the ridge after giving the Japanese "the Hot Foot."
Once 3rd Squad made it ashore, the Lieutenant directed them to shore up the center of the platoon's position, and for 2nd Squad to move up and secure the ridgeline on the right, in the area of the neutralized bunker. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant sent 1st Squad, reinforced by an Engineer Assault team, to flank to the left and neutralize the second enemy bunker. Here, the Engineer Assault team moves into thick kunai grass as they follow 1st Squad up the ridge.
A rare photo of an active Japanese machine gun emplacement. Note: smoke deployed to obscure 1st Squad's advance.
The Marines of 2nd Squad, Able Company, 21st Marines advance off the beach into the tropical jungle to secure the beachhead for the landing of the second wave.
2nd Squad advances up the ridge overlooking the beachhead.
The Japanese had hidden two machine gun bunkers with overlapping fields of fire to watch the trails leading up the ridge. Shortly after the photo above, one bunker opened up, and two Marines were hit. The second wave was beginning to land and the Lieutenant (my boy) ordered a light machine gun team employed to answer the bunker's fire while the infantry attempted to pull back.
The Lieutenant conferred with the 2nd Squad Leader, who asked to try and flank the enemy position. A section from the Engineers' Assault Platoon were attached to help take out the hardened structure. The reinforced fire team prepares to assault the Japanese bunker.
The Assault Demolition Man tried three times, unsuccessfully, to neutralize the position using satchel charges. On the last attempt, the Japanese managed to throw the charge back out before it detonated, and the Marines took another casualty. Here, a rifleman from 2nd Squad carries his wounded comrade out of harm's way, and back down the ridge and onto the beach, where the aid station can provide life saving care. The wounded Marine survived the battle.
The flamethrower man comes down from the ridge after giving the Japanese "the Hot Foot."
Once 3rd Squad made it ashore, the Lieutenant directed them to shore up the center of the platoon's position, and for 2nd Squad to move up and secure the ridgeline on the right, in the area of the neutralized bunker. Meanwhile, the Lieutenant sent 1st Squad, reinforced by an Engineer Assault team, to flank to the left and neutralize the second enemy bunker. Here, the Engineer Assault team moves into thick kunai grass as they follow 1st Squad up the ridge.
A rare photo of an active Japanese machine gun emplacement. Note: smoke deployed to obscure 1st Squad's advance.
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