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dealt with. For all intents and purposes, the battle of Bloody Ridge simply wiped out Kawaguchi Butai.
Prisoners have reported that its commander, Major General Kiotake Kawaguchi, actually committed
hara-kiri-"
"Has there been confirmation of that?" MacArthur interrupted.
"No, Sir. Not as far as I know." I wish to hell there was. MacArthur is fully aware that Kawaguchi Butai
wiped out the last American resistance on Mindanao. He'd be pleased to know that their general has
disemboweled himself after a defeat by Americans who are only slightly better fed and equipped than the
Americans he had such an easy time with in the Philippines.
"It was a humiliating defeat for them, wasn't it?" MacArthur asked rhetorically.
"Yes, Sir. I think the senior people expected to relieved, Sir. They weren't. But now they're dealing with
the changed situation."
"And this assessment of their change in attitude is based on what, Pluto?"
"On the language, Sir. In our judgment, there is less intentional obfuscation. That's based on word choice,
Sir. I don't know if I'm making myself clear."
"You're doing fine," MacArthur said. "Go on."
"It's as if they've decided that their mission now is to regain Guadalcanal... as a national mission, not as a
task the Army or Navy can handle by itself."
"And are they going to be more difficult to deal with? Is there a chance we will be thrown off
Guadalcanal? That there will be more efficient resistance to our operations on New Guinea?"
"Yes, Sir. To a degree; we'll have to wait and see to what degree. But, yes, I think we can expect greater
naval activity against Guadalcanal. I don't think they'll be able to throw us off, though."
MacArthur nodded, spun around in his chair, and for a moment stared thoughtfully at the huge map on
the wall behind his desk. Then he turned around again.
"All right, Pluto, I would now like to hear how General Pickering's clandestine operation is going."
Christ, talk about getting taken by surprise!
What do I do now, lie? You can't lie to the Supreme Commander, South West Pacific Ocean Area!
"What would you like to know, Sir?"
"General Willoughby came to me a day or so ago, agitated.
He said that an impeccable source had informed him that a clandestine intelligence operation is being
conducted here by people acting on Pickering's orders."
"Sir, I wouldn't define it as a clandestine intelligence operation," Pluto said. MacArthur waited for him to
go on. "It's more on the order of support for the Coast watchers."
"The Coastwatcher Establishment is an intelligence operation. General Willoughby feels that anything
connected with intelligence is his responsibility."
"General Pickering is attempting to relieve the Coastwatcher detachment on Buka, to replace it with fresh
men and equipment."
"And he decided that this was none of General Willoughby's business?"
"I wouldn't know how to answer that, Sir."
MacArthur tilted his head toward Pluto and examined him carefully.
"I asked how the operation is going," he said.
"An attempt to land the replacement team and equipment from a submarine will be made as soon as
possible. If that fails, an attempt will be made to make the insertion and extraction by airplane."
"Show me," MacArthur ordered, pointing at the map.
Pluto outlined the operation.
"Presumably thought has been given to a diversionary attack on Japanese air bases on Buka and New
Ireland?"
"It was decided, Sir, that was not feasible."
"Nonsense," MacArthur said. "An unarmed airplane will have no chance without a diversionary attack to
draw their fighters off."
"Yes, Sir."
"Not feasible! Whose decision was that?" MacArthur asked.
But he did not expect a reply; he was already picking up the telephone:
"Get me General McKinney," he ordered. A moment later, imperiously, he said, "Then send the senior
officer present in here right away."
An Army Air Corps colonel appeared a minute or so later, marched to MacArthur's desk, and saluted.
"Colonel," MacArthur said, "this officer is Lieutenant Hon.
He will brief you on the details of a clandestine operation which is about to take place. In my judgment, a
diversionary attack on Japanese fighter bases in the Rabaul/Buka area is essential to the success of this
operation. If there is some reason General McKinney feels this is not feasible, please ask him to be good
enough to explain this to me personally."
"Yes, Sir," the Air Corps Colonel said.
"That will be all," MacArthur said. "Lieutenant Hon will be with you in a minute."
"Yes, Sir," the Air Force Colonel said, saluted again, did an about-face, and marched out of the room.
"Would you be free, Pluto, for a little bridge tonight? Say, half past seven?"
"Yes, Sir. Of course, Sir."
"Sometime between now and then, get this off, will you?" He handed Hon a folded sheet of paper.
"Yes, Sir," Hon said, saluted, and marched out of the office.
The Air Corps Colonel was waiting for him.
"If you're free, Lieutenant, I think it would be best to discuss this in my office." Pluto looked at the sheet
of paper MacArthur had handed him.
"Colonel, if you'll give me the room number, I'll be there in fifteen minutes. I have to go to the dungeon
and get off a Personal for the Supreme Commander."
"Of course. I'm in 515."
"Thank you, Sir," Hon said.
Chapter Sixteen
[One]
HMAS PELICAN
OFF BUKA, SOLOMON ISLANDS
0405 HOURS 6 OCTOBER 1942
From the very moment Sergeant George Hart stepped off the train in the middle of the night at Port
Royal, S.C., and boarded the truck for transportation to The U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris
Island; from the moment, in other words, that he realized he was really in The Marine Corps and would
almost certainly go into battle, he had given a good deal of thought to his first time in harm's way.
In the image of himself he conjured up most often, he was pictured in utilities, with USMC and the
Marine emblem stenciled on his chest. Neatly buckled under his chin, he wore a steel helmet covered
with netting that bore a camouflage of twigs and leaves. He was laden down with field gear and armed
with a rifle-possibly even the new one, the semiautomatic Garand-and bandoliers of ammunition and hand
grenades.
He heard the roar of artillery and the rattle of machine guns.
And he was led by a captain who looked like Tyrone Power and by a sergeant who looked like Ward
Bond (both men had made a lot of money playing Marines in the movies). One or the other of them
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