| Original caption: “Battle for Airfield in Jungle Rain – With his rain-soaked uniform plastered to his body, a Marine gun crew member, left, signals with upraised arm for howitzer to fire toward Jap[anese] position during Cape Gloucester. New Britain, action. Others hold ears, flinch away from the gun as tropical downpour obliterates the scene.” United States Marines rapidly fire an M1 75 millimeter (3-inch) pack howitzer artillery piece on New Britain. The pack howitzer proved decisive during fighting in rugged terrain. It could be disassembled and transported where heavier artillery pieces could not be utilized. While the rainforest required adjustments to the infantry’s tactical plans, it posed special problems for the artillery, which had to move through the swamp with its heavy equipment. Faced with the necessity of improvisation, the heavy howitzer crews fell back on amphibious tractors. They used the Amtrac LVTs for the 1st time as prime movers in negotiating dense forest and deep swamps on a compass course. In some cases, it was necessary to team tractors in tandem to drag the artillery pieces and their trailers through the worst areas. On December 26, 1943, D-Day for Cape Gloucester, the Marine Artillerymen suffered friendly fire from aircraft and then a counterattack from Japanese stragglers that killed 2 officers and wounded dozens of enlisted men. These incidents did not hamper the battalion’s fire delivery; however, the M2A2 105-millimeter (4.1-inch) howitzers remained on the edge of the swamp for the duration of the campaign. On Green Beach, the Japanese made no further significant efforts against the perimeter. On December 31, they maneuvered a field piece into position 2 or 3,000 yards (18 to 2,700 meters) away. They shelled the beachhead with singular inaccuracy, most of the rounds landing several 100 yards out in the sea. This caused orders issued to H Battery, 11th Marines, to get their M1 75 millimeter howitzers into action with all dispatch. By means of block and tackle and much back-breaking labor, this unit hauled its howitzers up an incline of almost clifflike steepness and emplaced them on the small plateau above. Counterbattery fire silenced the enemy piece the following day, and thereafter, H Battery provided supporting fire for patrols operating beyond the perimeter. No relief from the rain could be found; it continued to pelt down, adding slippery mud to the already difficult terrain and making everyone uncomfortable. Acme News Pictures photographer Frank Prist Junior (April 17, 1914 – November 12, 1944) joined the press pool covering United States Army General Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964) at the start of his Buna, New Guinea, Campaign in 1942. He followed the advance through New Guinea, avoiding Japanese fire at Lae, the Admiralty Islands, Hollandia, and Biak. He spent considerable time at Cape Gloucester with the Marines, and many of the famous photos of that operation were his pictures. He was offered a furlough to return to the United States, but he refused when told of the impending Philippine operation. While driving in a jeep with other correspondents in Ormoc, Leyte, Philippines, he was shot through the heart by a Japanese sniper. The other correspondents dragged his body into a ditch, where they discovered he was dead. He left behind a wife and child. He was the 4th correspondent killed in the Philippines and the 13th killed in the Pacific War. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1558.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.67 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 3769 x 3143 |
| Photographer | Frank Prist |
| Photographer Title | Acme News Pictures |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 18, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Cape Gloucester |
| State or Province | New Britain |
| Country | Solomons |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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