Eldred World War II Museum: The Mitchell Paige Story

Preserving the History of World War II

The Eldred World War II Museum

The Mitchell Paige Story

With the start of World War II, Mitchell Paige became a machine gunner in the 7th Regiment of the newly formed
1st Marine Division. He was quickly promoted to platoon sergeant and then became one of the 15,000 men to
participate in what would become one of the most significant landings of the war: the invasion of Guadalcanal
located in the Solomon Islands.

From 7 August 1942, into October, air, land and sea battles raged with increasing fury. In this first American ground
offensive of the war, the 1st Marine Division captured and held Henderson Field, a vital airfield built initially by
the Japanese. The control of Henderson Field allowed our fledgling, but ever-growing air power to help protect
the vital sea-lanes to our allies in Australia and New Zealand.

On 23 October, the enemy had begun an all-out, last ditch effort to force the Americans off the island. Heavy
enemy shelling and sniper fire assailed the Marines increasingly. Paige's platoon was given orders to establish a
defensive position on a ridge near the Matanikau River, only a few miles west of Henderson Field. The enemy
attack came fast and furious with heavy armor and infantry. The Marines were able to hold off the main onslaught,
but 2,500 enemy soldier succeeded in forging across the Matanikau and were working their way through the jungle
toward the platoon of 33 Marines.

While under fire, Paige was ordered to move his 33 men to protect the southern flank. His Marines were
positioned at the top of a hill that sloped down toward the jungle's edge, but they were exposed on three sides,
creating an area that was practically indefensible. The brave Marines took any measure possible to help their
position, stringing barbed wire in the slope and hooking trip wires to ration cans filled with empty cartridges to
act as early warning devices. It was all they had.

On 25 October, in pitch blackness and driving rain, Paige and his Marines saw signal lights and heard faint noises
coming from the jungle below their position. Knowing they were outnumbered by 2,500 soldiers the Marines held
their fire so as not to reveal their positions. They waited until the enemy was within several yards before lobbing
their grenades. Suddenly, amidst the chaos of screams and explosions, the furious firefight erupted. Armed with
machine guns and knee-mortars the enemy swarmed out of the jungle. Soon Paige's gallant men were engaged in
fierce hand-to-hand combat. There were several Marine casualties, but the enemy's charge failed. At this point
two of Paige's machine guns were destroyed and eight of the 33 Marines were eliminated from combat.

Moments later, a second wave of enemy troops came up the slope and every Marine in Sergeant Paige's platoon
became a casualty of the battle that followed. Suddenly alone and under fire, Paige darted from machine gun to
machine gun in an effort to stop the enemy soldiers from taking the hill. At one point, several enemy soldiers
worked themselves behind Paige's line of fire and were prepared to overwhelm the post when Paige swung his
machine gun and opened fire, preventing the enemy soldiers from gaining the ridge top. Isolated and alone, Paige
held that line for nearly four hours.

With the light of dawn, Mitchell Paige spotted an enemy infantryman crawling toward one of the American
machine guns. Galvanized by the impending danger, Mitchell made a dash for the unmanned weapon. Ignoring the
heavy enemy riffle fire and grenades, which were being directed at him, soon Paige and the enemy soldier were
racing frantically for the prized machine gun. Paige reached it first only to realize it was not loaded. Meanwhile,
the enemy soldier had dropped his gun into position and was preparing to fire. With only a couple of dozen yards
between them, the two men began a life and death race to pull the trigger first. Paige, strangely unable to lean
forward and pull back the bolt that loaded and armed his Browning, felt a warm sensation under his chin. The
hostile bullets missed him by millimeters. He then leaned forward, swung his machine gun into position and
eliminated the enemy with a burst of fire. Mitchell then unclipped the machine gun from its tripod, cradled it in
his arms and with two belts of ammunition around his shoulders led an aggressive and dauntless charge with a
squad of Marines from a nearby outfit. A mere handful of American Marines raced down the slope and through the
jungle with fixed bayonets and eliminated every last enemy threat. Now, the battle was over.

On 21 May 1943, the newly commissioned Lieutenant Mitchell Paige was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty during his long
night on the ridge. Had that position fallen, it would have surely led to the enemy recapture of Henderson Field,
and the outcome of World War II in the Pacific may have been radically different. His great personal valor and
unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Marine Corps.