U.S. General Vandegrift leads new attack on Japanese

Photograph of General Alexander A. Vandegrift, United States Marine Corps, on Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea, circa 1943.

Typed caption glued to verso: "U.S. General Vandegrift leads new attack on Japanese. Lieutenant General Alexander A. Vandegrift, commander of the First U.S. Marine Amphibious Corps, directed the Allied force that landed on Bougainville, last major island base held by the Japanese in the Northern Solomon Islands, on Nov. 1, 1943. The offensive caught the Japanese off guard and the Marines drove inland from their beachhead. General Vandegrift led the first U.S. attack on the Japanese in the Solomons as commander of the successful offensive in Guadalcanal Island launched in 1942. After the Guadalcanal offensive, Gen. Vandegrift was promoted from a major general to a lieutenant general and placed in command of all U.S. Marine Corps operations in the South Pacific. Serviced by New York to List A. 17243-FMC. Approved by appropriate U.S. authority."