Be nice guys....I'm sure that they thought that they thought that they were the first to oppose the Emperor's Yellow Hordes too, but actually I figure that they had other pressing things on their minds at the time. "Send more Japs" and all that stuff. Semper Fi nevertheless....

The first ground combat was on Guam anyway. The Japanese landed troops and mopped up the extremely small and woefully under-equipped garrison on 10 Dec 41 after a brief fight. Their heaviest weapons were a handful of .30 calibre machine gun and several BARs. Artillery was in the form of hand grenades.

And remember, the first attempted Japanese landings at Wake on 11 Dec 41 were rudely driven off by the heroic defenders of Wake Island before the Japs got a chance to put troops ashore, and their next successful attempt was 23 Dec 41. And we all know what happened after that.

The Japanese landed troops at Lingayen Gulf (PI) on 22 Dec 41, and quickly overrun and scattered USAFFE units posted there to oppose the landings. Don't get me started on Mac again....

Twenty push-ups for the both of you....

__________________
On the Plains of Hesitation
lies the blackend bones of countless millions
who, at the dawn of victory sat down to rest,
and resting died....
(author unknown-I wish it was me)