Driver Sgt. Kanichi Tamura (KIA)
Gunner Fukuhata (KIA)
Destroyed October 24,
1942
Tank History
Part of the 1st Independent
Tank Company and was originally the 4th Company, 2d Tank Regiment
with 108 men. The unit landed on Guadalcanal during the night of October
14, 1942 from the Sasago Maru (1st Platoon) and with the balance on the
Sakido Maru with 104 men. One was KIA and two WIA in the landing
and one tank destroyed (disabled?) by gunfire from an unknown US
warship.
Wartime History
There were only nine tanks (Tank #1, 1st Platoon, the commanders
tank had
engine trouble on the coast route and remained there) involved
in the attack; tanks No. 2 & 3
(3d Platoon) were not involved in the direct attack.
In the
assault on Point Cruz and was knocked out by United States Marines, while
attempting to cross the Matanikau
River on October 24,
1942. The driver of the tank was Sgt. Kanichi Tamura and his gunner
were killed trying to get out of the disabled tank.
On the Japanese side, 30 were KIA and 10 WIA. One sergeant ran away
before the battle or just after it commenced. Later he, Seizoh Watanabe
became a POW. He and 14 others were
alive 12 years ago.
After the initial battle action in which those tanks
were shot up and swamped by seas, they were ruined. The Japanese had no
spares, tools, etc to repair such damage. The Americans would
have destroyed them largely to prevent Japanese machine gunners/ snipers
setting up in them. From a Jap MG point of view those armor tank hulls
would have been great to set up in again, and thus were destroyed,
except for one.
Stan Jersy reports:
"The head on the tank was from the 4th Tank in the 'crossing' photo.
In the photo---the first tank was the leader, the second tank was the adjutants
tank, the third was the 3d Tank, 1st Platoon, the next was 3d Tank, 2d Platoon,
the fourth tank---was a light tank.(3d Tank, 1st Platoon). It is believed
there were two bodies in the tank. Years
ago, [a Japanese person], tried to get an Assise unit to pull the tank out
but the crane could not get a firm hold on the rusted hull."
Wreckage
Over the decades, the river mouth has moved, now only one tank remains, submerged up to its turret. The sand bar moves extensively.
In very wet cyclones the Matanikau, floods incredibly and blasts
out the sand bar at the mouth and washes it all away. Then it begins
building up again etc. The bar changes a lot. It would shift out
near the tanks on some occassions and then shift back again.
References
Thanks to Stan Jersy, Ewan Stevenson for assistance
with this profile.
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