| Original caption: “United States troops are relived – United States soldiers, bearded and weary, plod along a road toward an American Base of Operations in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands in February 1943. They have been relieved after a twenty-one-day period of fighting the Japanese enemy at the front. Second soldier in line had weariness strongly visible in his demeanor.” United States Army 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment returning to base after 21 days on the line, fighting to capture “the Gifu.” Facing the Americans was the most strongly fortified Japanese position on Guadalcanal, nicknamed “the Gifu” (after Gifu Prefecture in Japan) by the Japanese. The Gifu position sat between the summits of Mount Austen and Hills 2038 and consisted of a 1,500 yard (1,400 meter) line of 40 to 50 interconnected, mutually supporting, well-camouflaged pillboxes dug into the ground and forming a horseshoe shape with the open end to the west. Only about 3 feet (less than 1 meter) of each pillbox was above ground with walls and roofs, constructed from logs and dirt, up to 2 feet (2/3 of a meter) thick. Each pillbox contained 1 to 2 machine guns and several riflemen; some were sited underneath huge jungle trees. Each of these pillbox emplacements was sited to provide mutual support to the others. Numerous foxholes and trenches provided additional support and cover for additional riflemen and machine-gunners. Behind the pillboxes, the Japanese had sited 81 millimeter (3.1 inch) and long-range 90 millimeter (3.5 inch) mortars. The Gifu was commanded by Major Takeyoshi Inagaki (???? – January 22, 1943) with around 800 men from the 2nd Battalion, 228th Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry. From the beginning of its offensive on Mount Austen, the 132nd Infantry had lost 115 killed and 272 wounded. The relatively high number of combat deaths were caused in part by wound infections in the tropical conditions and inability to evacuate men wounded in the early stages of the operation. Even after intervention by the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, wounded men continued to die, unable to withstand the arduous and slippery portage back down improvised jungle trails on a stretcher carried by 2 men. These losses, plus the effects of tropical diseases, heat, and combat exhaustion, temporarily rendered the 132nd’s 1st and 3rd Battalions incapable of further offensive action. Thus, on January 4, the 1st and 3rd Battalions, 132nd Infantry, were ordered to dig in and hold positions surrounding the Gifu on the north, east, and south. Reviewing the 1st Mount Austen offensive, United States Marine Brigadier General and historian Samuel B. Griffith (May 31, 1906 – March 27, 1983) concludes, “As the thoroughly butchered Mount Austen operation dragged on into January, it became apparent that both United States Army Major General Alexander M. Patch (November 23, 1889 – November 21, 1945) and his Assistant Division Commander, Brigadier General Edmund Sebree (January 7, 1898 – June 25, 1966), had much to unlearn, and perhaps even more to learn.” However, while Patch’s decision to attack Mount Austen was criticized, 1 participant noted the difficulties faced by the 132nd Infantry Regiment and its commanders, including the terrain, limited equipment (light mortars and machine guns with limited ammunition supply, no flamethrowers or pole charges), and the necessity of assaulting thoroughly integrated, prepared, and roofed-over Japanese defenses, which resisted direct hits by 75 millimeter (3 inch) and in some cases 105 millimeter (4.13 inch) shells. For its part, once the 132nd was able to treat its wounded, morale remained high in the newly blooded regiment, which played a significant role in later combat operations on Guadalcanal. The 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry, with just 27 killed, was immediately assigned to further offensive combat operations. Losses among the Gifu defenders are unknown but were estimated by 1 2nd Battalion officer as of January 9, 1943, at 500 killed and wounded; most of the latter would later die of their wounds when combined with illness and starvation. A Japanese officer’s recovered diary stated that the Japanese had suffered heavy casualties. Japanese prisoners captured in later operations referred to the combat at Hills 2038 as “The Battle of the Mountain of Blood.” | |
| Image Filename | wwii1817.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.70 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 3000 x 4000 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | February 4, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Guadalcanal |
| Country | Solomons |
| Archive | United States Army Center of Military History |
| 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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