Combat· World War II
Puruata Island Crossfire
Puruata Island sat just off the Bougainville landing beaches.
A small Japanese force dug in there could fire on the boats carrying Marines to shore, so the island had to be cleared. As landing craft passed it on the first morning, machine guns on Puruata and nearby points caught them in a crossfire. A reinforced raider company landed to root the enemy out. The defenders fought from rifle pits, bunkers, and trees hidden in thick undergrowth, and the going was slow. The Marines pushed across the island, then mounted a second sweep the next day to finish the job. By midafternoon the last resistance was gone, though some of the enemy had slipped away to the mainland. Clearing this little island removed a dangerous threat to the boats and helped protect the larger landing on Bougainville itself.
Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 856