"The battle of Bairoko (20 July 1943) was the second major operation carried out by the Northern Landing Group on New Georgia, and ended in a rare Japanese victory after the poorly coordinated American attack was repulsed.
Colonel Harry Liversedge's Northern Landing Group had landed at Rice Anchorage on 5 July. He had three main objectives. The first was to capture the Japanese coastal guns at Enogai Point. Second was to cut the main trail between Bairoko and Munda and prevent the Japanese from reinforce the troops defending Munda. The third was to capture the barge base at Bairoko
The attack on Enogai Point ended in success on 10-11 July. The Bairoko to Munda trail was also cut, and a Japanese counterattack defeated on 10-12 July, but after that the Japanese disappeared from the trail. On 16 July Liversedge ordered Schultz to abandon the block. On 17 July Schultz moved his force (the 3rd Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment) back to Triri, a village half way down Enogai Inlet.
Soon after the fall of Enogai Liversedge had asked for reinforcements, and on 18 July he was joined by the 4th Marine Raider Battalion (Lt. Col Currin). Liversedge now had two raider battalions and two infantry battalions at his disposal, although the reinforcements really only brought his force back up to its original strength. This gave him around 3,000 men for the attack on Bairoko.
The exact number of Japanese troops at Bairoko is unknown. The garrison consisted of the 2nd Battalion, 45th Infantry, 8th Battery, 6th Field Artillery and part of the Kure 6th Special Naval Landing Force. This force was split between the eastern and western sides of the harbour. The Japanese had a line of outposts on higher ground east of the harbour, and a last line of defence close to the water.
Bairoko Harbour and Enogai Inlet are separated by the Dragons Peninsula. Liversedge decided to make a two pronged attack across the peninsula. The Marine Raiders would advance along the coast, which was lined by Leland Lagoon. One platoon was cross to the 50 yard wide sandbar on the western side of the lagoon while the main attack would advance along the eastern side of the lagoon. Further inland Schultz would lead the 3rd/148th across country to reach the southern end of Bairoko Harbour. It would then turn north and hit the Japanese forces on the east side of the harbour from the flank. The main problem with this plan was that nobody was sent against the Japanese troops on the western side of the harbour
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Wonder to know if anyone had wargame this battle.
The first one I hear that the Japanese won when the US forces began their ofensive in the Pacific.
Amicalement
Armand
looks at some WWII German tank-hunters.
