As evening approached, Able and Baker found themselves mired in nearly impassable terrain and only “small fire groups working their way through a solid tangle of vegetation wedged between coral boulders and into crevasses.” By 1800 hours, “it was so dark in the jungle that it was impossible to read or write.” To make matters even worse, the battalion lost contact with regimental headquarters at around this time. The last orders received called for all companies to dig in on a line extending from the southern tip of the island.[3] BLT 2-24 was already in the prescribed position, and Lessing had a serious problem on his hands.

And then Able Company hit the strong point.

A “knife edge ridge” bisected the area of operations from cliff to coastline, creating a formidable obstacle. A fire team found an opening so narrow they could only pass through in a single file. The first few men crossed the ridge before a Japanese machine gun emplaced along the cliff opened fire. PFC Armand L. Guyot, the one-time dancer from Chicago and mentor for replacement Private Roland K. Jennings, was killed in the opening burst. The rest of his squad rushed over the ridge and attacked the machine gun; when they tried to flank the emplacement, seventeen-year-old Private Earle D. Tanner was shot in the head.[4] “Numerous others were wounded,” recorded Lessing, as “others moved up to take up the firefight.” The battalion commander described a scene of pure chaos.