 During the heavy fighting , portions of three Japanese companies , including two from Tamura 's and one from Watanabe 's battalions , skirted the Marine defenses on the ridge , while suffering heavy losses from Marine gunfire , and reached the edge of " Fighter One " , a secondary runway of Henderson Field . A counterattack by the Marine engineers stopped one Japanese company 's advances and forced it to retreat . The other two companies waited at the edge of the jungle for reinforcements to arrive before attacking into the open area around the airfield . When no reinforcements joined them , both companies went back to their original positions south of the ridge after daybreak . Most of the rest of Watanabe 's battalion did not participate in the battle because they lost contact with their commander during the night . 
