He Was Meant to Guard the Guns — He Used Them Instead

Описание: Why Sergeant Mitchell Red Cloud was assigned to guard an artillery battery on Guadalcanal in 1943 — and ended up operating a 105mm howitzer alone after the entire gun crew was killed.

This World War 2 story reveals how an infantry security squad leader with zero artillery training held off a Japanese infantry assault by turning a field gun into a direct-fire weapon in the middle of a night attack.

February 7, 1943. Sergeant Mitchell Red Cloud, Battery C, 11th Marines, crouched beside a 105mm M2A1 howitzer west of Henderson Field. A Japanese mortar barrage had wiped out the six-man gun crew in under two minutes. Fifteen Marines were casualties across the battery. The perimeter was collapsing.

Japanese infantry were already massing in the jungle 800 yards away.

Red Cloud had one job: guard the guns.

But without a gun crew, the howitzers were useless.

And without artillery support, the Marine infantry units those guns protected would be fighting blind.

Red Cloud had never fired a 105mm howitzer.

He had never been trained to operate artillery.

But he understood what would happen if the battery was overrun.

At 2:34 AM, he ran from his foxhole to Gun Number Three, lowered the barrel for direct fire, aimed into the jungle by eye — and pulled the lanyard.

What followed over the next two hours would stop two Japanese infantry assaults and keep the entire artillery battery operational when it mattered most.

Red Cloud fired approximately forty high-explosive rounds alone while wounded by enemy shrapnel — turning an unmanned field gun into the only thing standing between the battery and destruction.

His actions saved the artillery support that Marine infantry depended on across Guadalcanal.

And the lesson he demonstrated that night — that initiative matters more than assigned roles — would later be taught throughout Marine Corps training doctrine.

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⚠️ Disclaimer: This is entertainment storytelling based on WW2 events from internet sources. While we aim for engaging narratives, some details may be inaccurate. This is not an academic source. For verified history, consult professional historians and archives. Watch responsibly.