The Raid on Choiseul (Operation Blissful) was a small unit engagement that occurred from 28 October to 3 November 1943, during the Solomon Islands campaign of the Pacific War. The raid was launched to divert the Japanese from the Allied landings at Cape Torokina on Bougainville Island.
United States Marines from the 2nd Parachute Battalion landed on Japanese-occupied Choiseul in the northern Solomon Islands and carried out raids on Japanese army and navy forces over a area over the course of seven days with the assistance of local Choiseul islanders and an Australian coastwatchers. The force was withdrawn back to Vella Lavella by landing craft following the successful lodgment of US troops on Bougainville.
Background Choiseul Island is located about southeast of Bougainville Island and northwest of Santa Isabel. Approximately in length, the island varies in width, up to at its broadest point. At the time of the battle the island's local population consisted of around 5,000 Melanesians, who were located mainly along the coast. Prior to the war the island had been administered by the Australian government, and in the early part of the war, the island had been captured by the Japanese. Local support largely favored the Allies, and two coastwatchers—Charles J. Waddell and Sub-Lieutenant Carden Seton—had operated on the island to gather information about Japanese shipping and troop movements in support of the Guadalcanal campaign.Gailey, Bougainville, Chapter 3: The Treasuries and Choiseul.
Following the conclusion of the fighting on Guadalcanal and the Allied capture of the New Georgia islands, the Allies began preparations to advance north towards Bougainville. To support this, a series of diversionary actions were planned in the Treasury Islands and on Choiseul.
Allied staff from Lieutenant General Alexander Vandegrift's I Marine Amphibious Corps had initially considered Choiseul for their main attack in the northern Solomons, but eventually this had shifted towards the west coast of Bougainville. After this, operations on Choiseul were recast to divert Japanese attention from the planned landings at Cape Torokina, inside Empress Augusta Bay.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 194. The Allies hoped that the raid would cause the Japanese to believe the landings would be on the east side of Bougainville.Miller, Cartwheel: The Reduction of Rabaul, pp. 236–237.
During September 1943, several reconnaissance patrols were sent to Choiseul by the Allies including New Zealanders and US Marines and US Navy personnel. These patrols operated over several days in the southwestern part of the island and in the north to gather intelligence on Japanese dispositions, force concentrations, and patrol activity. They also contacted coastwatchers on the island and sought to locate suitable sites for airfields and beaches capable of supporting landing operations. Reconnaissance confirmed that the terrain was unsuited to dropping troops by air and that instead an amphibious operation was necessary. Coral reefs prevented landing in most locations, with Voza, an abandoned village south of Choiseul Bay and north of Vagara, judged the most suitable. In many areas the beaches were narrow, giving way to thick jungle that was considered impenetrable, while in other locations the coast consisted of cliffs exposed to the sea. Thick jungle and rugged mountainous terrain dominated the interior of the island and made movement across the island difficult; as a result Allied planners chose to limit the size of the raiding force to a single battalion.
Throughout early October, information from Seton confirmed that the Japanese were using Choiseul as a staging base for troops withdrawing from the central Solomons and New Georgia towards Bougainville, estimating that there were around 3,000 Japanese troops in several dispersed locations between Choiseul Bay and Sangigai. They were reported to be demoralized and short on rations. On October 22, Allied planning staff confirmed the operation, assigning it the designation of Operation Blissful; tactical commanders were summoned to Guadalcanal for initial briefing and then returned to Vella Levalla by air to commence planning the raid.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, pp. 195–196.
Raid The raid involved 656–725 men from the US 2nd Parachute Battalion,Gailey, Bougainville, p. 59. led by Lieutenant Colonel Victor Krulak. On 27 October at Vella Levalla, the attacking force embarked on eight LCM landing craft before being transferred to four high speed transports—McKean, Crosby, Kilty, and Ward—that had just been released from supporting the landing of New Zealand troops on the Treasury Islands. Japanese troops on the island numbered between 3,000 and 7,000 and were under the command of Major General Minoru Sasaki.Gailey, Bougainville, p. 47 and Fuller, Shokan, p. 190. The majority of these troops were based around Kakasa and around Choiseul Bay where a small harbor was maintained for several barges.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 195. Escorted by the destroyer USS Conway, the convoy carrying the US raiding party proceeded through the night towards Choiseul; en route it was attacked by a single Japanese aircraft, with near miss being scored on one of the transport ships. Just prior to midnight, the convoy reached the assembly area about offshore of the chosen landing site at Voza, on the northwest side of the island. An advance reconnaissance party was sent ashore in rubber dinghies, and then Companies F and G led the Marines ashore. They landed unopposed early on 28 October. During the landing, Conway was attacked by a Japanese aircraft with several bombs. These bombs missed, and the destroyer held its fire so that it would not draw attention to the landing operations.
After a beachhead was established, the landing craft began ferrying supplies and equipment ashore, and with the assistance of around 80 local porters organized by Seton who had landed with the Marines, Krulak's battalion established a strong base on a plateau to the west of Voza, with radio communications and early warning outposts established to the north and south.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 198. From there Krulak intended to carry out raids across a broad front to simulate a larger force, with actions around Sangigai and in the western part of the island as far as Nukiki and the Warrior River across an area spanning approximately .Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 204. Shortly after arrival, as part of the deception plan, Krulak sent an uncoded radio message that he had landed a force of 20,000 on the island and was about to commence operations. Within two hours the stores had been unloaded and the APDs and destroyer escort had departed the area for the return journey to Vella Levalla. Four LCVP landing craft and their naval crews were detached at this time, detailed to support the Marines to move up and down the coast. Japanese aircraft attacked the landing beach shortly after the Marines came ashore and then again later in the day and in the evening, including an attack on Zinoa Island, where the Marines had hidden their landing craft. These attacks proved ineffective as the Marines had quickly dispersed their equipment. Efforts were also made to disguise the beachhead, and a dummy site was constructed further north to divert Japanese attention.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, pp. 198–199 and Rentz, Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 107.
Throughout the afternoon of 28 October, Krulak sent a patrol to scout a base for PT boats along the western seacoast. Meanwhile, Seton's local intelligence network also sent out patrols to identify the nearest Japanese defensive positions, determining that the main concentration was around Sangigai, with another smaller group northwest. On 29 October reconnaissance patrols were sent to the north and south to gather information on Japanese dispositions, defenses and avenues of approach and to make field sketches of important locations; other patrols, with attached Army and Navy specialists, reconnoitered Moli Point and various other locations to determine their suitability as PT boat bases or as locations for radar stations. One of the patrols attacked and killed seven Japanese and sunk a barge during a patrol towards the Vagara River near Sangigai.Rentz, Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 108. Later, a blocking force was sent to Vagara where it clashed with a platoon of Japanese. In response, Krulak determined that he would launch an attack on the main Japanese position at Sangigai the following day to disrupt any attempt to attack his base around Voza.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, pp. 198–199.
On 30 October Companies E and F, led by Krulak and supported by rocket and mortar-equipped support troops and a machine-gun section, attacked the barge base at Sangigai. Setting out at 04:00, they moved towards the landing craft around Zinoa Island with the intent to use them to advance down the coast. A preliminary air attack had been arranged, consisting of 12 Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, escorted by 26 fighters. These aircraft mistakenly strafed the US landing craft instead, damaging one of them. As a result, Krulak's two assault companies were forced to make their way towards their objective on foot led by Seton and his local guides. Meanwhile, the airstrike hit Sangigai at 06:10. A brisk firefight took place around Vagara around 11:00 as Japanese sentries fired on the advancing Marines, but they were forced to withdraw back to the main Japanese position around Sangigai.
The two Marine companies were split in order to launch the attack from two directions. Thick jungle and rugged terrain slowed the advance of Company F, under Krulak, which was moving inland to adopt a flanking position, and it was still moving into position when firing broke out north of the village around 14:00.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, pp. 199–200. At this time, Company E, under Captain Robert E. Manchester, had advanced along the coast was delayed by only a few minutes and brought its mortars and rockets into action, shelling a Japanese held ridge about north of the village, and then launched its attack. They secured the village a few minutes later.Rentz, Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 109. The Japanese defenders had withdrawn from Sangigai, moving inland where they advanced into fire from Company F positioned on the high ground east of the village near the Kolombanara River. From 14:30, further fighting took place during which the Marines attempted to envelop and then flank the Japanese who resorted to several direct attacks. Finally, after about an hour, the 40 Japanese survivors scattered and withdrew into the jungle.
The battle resulted in 72 Japanese being killed, while the Marines lost four killed and 12 wounded; Krulak was among those wounded. In the aftermath, the Marines searched the village for intelligence, and destroyed remaining Japanese equipment and facilities. They then withdrew to Vagara where a night defensive position was established. In the morning, the raiding party embarked on several landing craft and returned to Voza.Shaw & Kane, Isolation of Rabaul, p. 200 and Rentz, Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, p. 109.
Throughout 31 October and 1 November the Marines undertook further patrolling actions around their base in anticipation of a Japanese counterattack; several minor clashes occurred between patrols. The Japanese reoccupied Sangigai, although they did not attack the Marine base around Voza. The wounded Marines were evacuated by a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat, and further supplies were flown in, including food for Seton's local guides.