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World War II
Episode130

March 17, 2025

The Battle for Piva Forks

The Battle for Piva Forks
33:46
Listen on Apple Spotify

In November 1943, U.S. Marines fought a brutal series of battles on Bougainville, pushing to secure key high ground. One of the toughest fights was at "Grenade Hill," where Marines faced relentless grenade attacks before the Japanese finally abandoned their position. By the end of November, the Marines had secured the high ground, breaking Japanese resistance and ensuring control over the expanding perimeter.

References

  1. Altobello, B. (2000). Into the shadows furious: The guerrilla war in the Solomon Islands, 19421944. Presidio Press.
  2. Chapin, J. C. (1997). Top of the ladder: Marine operations in the Northern Solomons. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  3. Fuquea, D. C. (1997). Bougainville: The amphibious assault enters maturity. Marine Corps Gazette.
  4. Gailey, H. A. (1991). Bougainville, 19431945: The forgotten campaign. University Press of Kentucky.
  5. Hoffman, J. T. (1995). From Makin to Bougainville: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  6. James, K. (2012). The hard slog: Australians in the Bougainville campaign, 194445. Cambridge University Press.
  7. Lord, W. (1977). Lonely vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons. Viking Press.
  8. McGee, W. L. (2002). The Solomons Campaigns, 19421943: From Guadalcanal to BougainvillePacific War turning point. BMC Publications.
  9. Melson, C. D. (1996). Up the slot: Marines in the Central Solomons. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  10. Mersky, P. B. (1993). Time of the aces: Marine pilots in the Solomons, 19421944. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  11. Miller, J. (1959). Cartwheel: The reduction of Rabaul. Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army.
  12. Monks, J. (1945). A ribbon and a star: The Third Marines at Bougainville. H. Holt and Company.
  13. Morison, S. E. (1958). Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier (Vol. 6). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Little, Brown and Company.
  14. Rentz, J. N. (1946). Bougainville and the Northern Solomons. U.S. Marine Corps Historical Branch.
  15. Shindo, H. (2016). Holding on to the finish: The Japanese Army in the South and Southwest Pacific, 194445. In P. Dean (Ed.), Australia 194445: Victory in the Pacific (pp. 163184). Cambridge University Press.

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