In the Southwest Pacific, the 117th Engineer Battalion, 37th Infantry Division, consistently deployed its companies and platoons to build jeep trails and crude roads behind the advancing infantry. In the jungles and heavily vegetated hills of New Georgia, the infantry's front lines could only advance as fast as the engineers blazed the trails. This facilitated not only resupply but also evacuation of the wooded area as well. This became such a dominant mission for the battalion that the commander stopped deploying his companies in direct support of the infantry regimental combat teams. He retained control over all line companies and applied their efforts to the priority of tasks given to him by the division commander.