1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 Colonel Shoji landed 1,500 Japanese troops east of Henderson Field — and the Americans needed three battalions and a week of manoeuvre to trap just 450 of them at Gavaga Creek. This episode unpacks the Koli Point &quot;Rat Race,&quot; the pursuit by Carlson's Raiders, and the fire team tactics that would reshape Marine infantry doctrine for decades. Dave Holland is an ex-Marine and was posted to Guadalcanal with the Australian Federal Police.&amp;nbsp; He regularly leads battlefield study tours through the area. He is a world-leading expert on the battles of Guadalcanal and author of Guadalcanal's Longest Fight - The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front. Key learnings: • How Carlson's Raiders used Chinese Communist guerrilla techniques to harass Shoji's withdrawing column across 30 days • Why the three-man fire team — each with a BAR, Thompson, and M1 Garand — gave squads independent manoeuvre elements • What institutional opposition to &quot;an elite within the elite&quot; meant for the Raider battalions' disbandment in 1944 Full show notes and transcript: https://theprinciplesofwar.com/category/guadalcanal/&amp;nbsp; Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/principlesofwar More episodes: https://theprinciplesofwar.com/ Follow on X: https://x.com/surprisepodcast Subscribe for more Professional Military Education content. The Principles of War - Lessons from Military History on Strategy, Tactics, Doctrine and Leadership. https://theprinciplesofwar.com/ <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/41405200/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/content/202256315