Hacksaw Ridge Traditional Cache

"all Hell, rolled into one." –soldiers of the 307^th Regiment, 77^th Division on fighting at Hacksaw Ridge.

Parking can be found at N26 14.878 E127 43.823. The cache is a regular Rubbermaid container with a logbook, pencil and small toys for the kids. You will not need to cross any barriers or encounter any danger to find the cache, although you might want to wear gloves to retrieve it.

Hacksaw Ridge, also known as the Urasoe-Mura Escarpment, Maeda Escarpment, the Big Escarpment, or in the case of the crest where the cache is hidden, Hill 196, was the subject of a fierce 10-day fight between the Japanese 62d and 24th Divisions and the US Army’s 96^th and 77^th Infantry Divisions.  On April 25, 1945, the 96^th Division spent the entire day conducting reconnaissance of Hacksaw Ridge while shelling and bombing it with high explosives and napalm.  On the morning of April 26, the 96^th launched an all-out attack to take the ridge in their drive for the 32d Army’s Headquarters at Shuri Castle.  Company G, 381^st Regiment topped the ridge first but took 18 casualties within minutes.  Similar to the fighting experienced on Kakazu Ridge to the south (you can make out the blue dome on Kakazu from the ridge as you look towards MCAS Futenma), the Japanese used “reverse slope” tactics, counter-attacking American forces as they crested the ridge from a complicated network of caves and tunnels on the southern slope.  Company F attacked the ridge from the eastern end at the large, monolithic rock formation dubbed Needle Rock.  Company F used a human ladder to reach the top of the ridge but the first 3 soldiers to make the crest were killed by machine gun.  On 27 April, Company G again crested the ridge and launched a concentrated attack on a huge pillbox that stood between their position and Needle Rock (today this pillbox would have sat near the concrete pavilion east of the cache).  For 3 days the 96^th Division’s forces attempted to take Hacksaw but eventually bypassed the ridge on April 29.  Taking their place was the 307^th Regiment of the 77^th Division.  By the time the 381^st was relieved on April 29 they were reduced to 40% of combat effectiveness and had sustained 536 casualties in 4 days on Hacksaw.

The 307^th took over the fight for Hacksaw Ridge on April 29^th and noted that the Japanese were making very effective use of the tunnel network on the south side of the ridge.  The tunnels were interlinked and had passages leading to the pillboxes and machine gun nests on top of the ridge.  On May 2^nd, a tank fired 6 phosphorus shells into one of the tunnels on the south side and within 15 minutes smoke poured from over 30 other openings across the ridge.  To defeat the Japanese, the 307^th launched an intense hand-to-hand demolition battle.  It took 1^st Battalion five days to conquer Needle Rock after being pushed back 9 times.  On the night of April 30^th, 1^st Battalion used four 50’ ladders and five cargo nets to assist in their assault on the ridge.  Company A mounted the ladders near Needle Rock but every solider to stand on a rung was killed or wounded.  Company B had more success with the cargo nets, which were used just below where the cache is placed.  Two platoons of Company B had crested the ridge by nightfall but were driven off in a midnight counter-attack.  Companies A and B were back on the ridge on May 2^nd and still experienced heavy Japanese resistance.  One solider was decapitated by machine gun fire that day.  A substantial portion of the ridge was finally won by 1^st Bn after a grenade fight on May 3^rd.  Intense fighting continued on May 4^th with the 1^st Bn launching an immense demolition run against the large cave complex now located in the shrine to the south of the cache site.  Over 600 Japanese defenders where killed during the cave assault.  On May 5^th, the southern slope was taken and most of the tunnels blasted shut.

During the fight, a combat medic and contentious objector, PFC Desmond Doss, was instrumental in saving the lives of a large number of his fellow soldiers with no regard for his own life or safety.  His actions earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor. Read more of the Desmond Doss story here.  

Many of the tunnels on the southern slope are still there and open to daring explorers.  You will pass one tunnel on your way from the parking area to the cache.  At the time of the placement, this tunnel, which cuts through the ridge and emerges on the south slope, was roped off with a sign in Japanese that roughly reads “Caution: Do Not Enter.”  The path along the ridge to the eastern end and Needle Rock is also roped off with the same sign as are several other areas on Hacksaw Ridge.  In April 2006, none of these areas were roped off to my memory.  The roped off tunnel and Needle Rock used to be popular locations for the base “Battle Sites Tours” and it is my belief that irresponsible American visitors, either with tour groups or alone, have prompted the locals to make some of these areas “off limits.”  There is almost no evidence at this site other than the group of monuments in and around the cave to reveal to local tourists that this was the location of an intense fight during World War II; they have rebuilt the area as a cultural park centered on the Urasoe Castle ruins and tombs.  If you choose to explore the remaining tunnels or other areas of the ridge, please be mindful that you are tramping on what the locals consider a cultural asset, already destroyed once by Americans; please don’t spoil the value of this site to current or future World War II history enthusiasts anymore than it already has been.  Also, be mindful and on the lookout for unexploded ordinance pieces, Habu snakes and other “cave critters” if you decide to explore.