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23rd Marines - DOG PLUS EIGHTEEN, 9 MARCH, 1945

At about 1900 on the previous night, Division Operation Order 18-45 for the continuation of the attack on 9 March was received, and instructions were immediately issued by dispatch to the subordinate units of the RCT. Enemy activity began at about 1800 and mounted in intensity, reaching the maximum around 2330. Rocket, heavy mortar, grenade and small arms fire was received along the entire RCT line, being particularly heavy on the right of the zone, along the boundary with RCT 24. At 2300, BLT 2 reported large scale attempts at infiltration on the right of the RCT zone, to the front of Co E. What initially appeared as infiltration tactics developed into a carefully planned enemy counterattack in force to seize a definitely assigned objective. The attack was preceded by probing of the front lines to determine the weak spots. The enemy made good use of the torn and twisted terrain to infiltrate our lines and collect behind them. The point of heaviest enemy activity continued to be along the RCT boundary. In this area Co E took the brunt of the Jap attack, accounting for the annihilation of some 400 enemy troops during the night. Intense close quarters fighting prevailed throughout the hours of darkness, with the enemy being killed up to the very edge of the fox holes in the company position. Small groups of enemy succeeded in breaking through the line positions and managed to get into the rear area in the vicinity of the BLT 2/23 CP, at TA 201 K. All were well armed with grenades, and some carried demolition charges. Close-in fighting and grenade exchanges continued in the CP all night, ending at dawn when all the enemy were wiped out. A total of 30 Japs had penetrated in to the BLT CP. In the left of the RCT zone, the enemy had attempted infiltration on a lesser scale. During the preliminary stages of the enemy attack, elements of Co L had been dispatched to reinforce Co E, which had suffered some casualties as the result of enemy action. At daylight, the elements of Co L returned to company control, and immediate mopping-up operations were instituted in the RCT zone. At King-Hour (0700), BLT 2 remained in position, prepared to continue the attack in conformity with the advance of RCT 21 on the left and RCT 24 on the right, and supported by fire and advance of RCT 24. No change of line positions was effected during the morning since the adjacent units were unable to advance. Mopping-up operations continued in entire RCT zone and were completed by 1200. At 1430, 1/23 was released from VAC reserve and reverted to RCT control. by 1445, the left elements of RCT 24 had come abreast of BLT 2/23. At 1500, Co L passed through Co F (in the right of the 2/23 zone). The attack continued with companies G, I and L in assault. Resistance was substantially decreased from that encountered in the same area on the previous day, this being attributed to the large number of enemy killed during the night in the unsuccessful attempt at counterattack. Approximately 200 additional enemy dead, evidently killed by our artillery and mortar concentrations, were found in the newly seized area. At 1600, Companies E and F were detached from 2/23, and joined Co K under BLT 3/23 control. 3/23 then passed to VAC reserve, completing assembly in TA 165 BC prior to 1700.