X-Day
I have to maintain on January 31, 1945, as this is where the actions of Smitty and the 11th Airborne Division become quite confusing. While the 221st medical is attached to the 187th, the 187th itself is split and send in alternate directions. Up until now, the division has been maintained fairly well in secret from the Japanese, but it is here that Gen. Eichelberger not only wants to allow the enemy knowledge of their existence, he wants to (in his words) pull a “monumental bluff” and splash the landing across the newspapers.
The men hit the beach with only their necessities on their backs; their personal items would not be seen for two months. The Eichelberger/Swing strategy began at dawn with the convoy’s arrival at the shore. 0700 hours – eighteen A-20’s and nine P-38s strafed the beaches.
0715 hours – the navy began to shell the landing area with rockets from the LCIs and shells from the destroyers.
0815 – cease fire, beach party lands
0822 – no opposition from enemy reported; first wave of 8 LCVPs lands, men head toward Nasugbu only 1500 yards away.
0945 – the 188th was through Wawa, Nasugbu and the airstrip.
1030 – the 187th begins landing and immediately joined up with the others to head up to Tagatay Ridge. One unit of the 187th remains to defend Nasugbu, one battery of the 674th assists. The 102d AAA AW Battalion and the 152d AA-AT Battalion set up antiaircraft defense on the beach.
1300 – the beach was clear – Eichelberger and Swing head down Highway 17
1400 – Gen. Swing notified Admiral Fechteler that all the men were ashore and he would resume command. Little did the 11th know that for a few brief hours, they were under the command of a naval admiral!
1430 – all key elements were 8 miles from the beach and at the Palico Bridge. It was saved just as a squad of Japanese were about to blow the steel and wood structure.
1600 – the 188th set up a CP in the Palico barracks.
All companies continued to moved forward. Artillery, rifle and machine gun fire erupted shortly afterward.
The monumental bluff was created by: a flying boatload of correspondents that blasted the news that the “Eighth Army had landed on Luzon,” and Eichelberger ordered Swing to have the 187th and 188th move as quickly as possible, fire as much artillery and weapons and create as much dust as possible. All vehicles raced down the dirt roads, guns blazing and air strikes thrown in made the division appear to not only be of immense size, but that they also had an armored unit with them.
They would now be coming up on the infamous Genko Line; a stretch of blockhouses and pillboxes that contained guns from Japanese warships, 20mm, 6 inch, etc. The enemy had dug massive octopus traps called takotsubo. All this needed to be destroyed before liberation of Manila and elimination of the 20,000 soldiers waiting for them within the city limits. For this action, the 11th would be granted the Presidential Unit Citation.
The 187th went down the steep southern slope of Tagatay and progressed to the north shore of Lake Taal where they were ordered to take Tanauan. The 127th Engineers carved out a road on the vertical cliffs for them.
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For more current WWII news – According to The Week magazine: A World War II veteran was able to hear a symphony he wrote 67 years ago, for the first time, when the U.S. Army Orchestra premiered it in Washington D.C. Retired Colonel Harold Van Heuvelen, 93, was inspired by his experiences as a soldier to write the symphony in 1945. When his son found the music, he launched a campaign to have the Army play it. The composition drew rapturous applause and a standing ovation for the composer.
Also – When Joshua Neldorf celebrated his bar mitzvah in Sept. he decided to donate $13,000 (most of his gifts) to Operation Mend which provides medical services to American soldiers with facial injuries. His generosity was inspired by a family friend, Sgt. Louis Dahlman who was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2007.
Locally – south of me, submerged in 240 feet of water, a World War II Navy F6F Hellcat was located off of Miami Beach. Florida was used for training Navy and Marine pilots during that war. Since the nearly intact wreckage is embedded in the sand and upside-down, it is not known if the pilot is buried with his plane.
Posted on December 27, 2012, in SMITTY, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, Army, family history, Gen. Eichelberger, Gen. Swing, History, Military, Military History, Pacific War, paratroopers, Philippines, veterans, war, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 25 Comments.
Always like the side stories you find regarding the after effects of the war. Imagine Operation Mend and a symphony being inspired. Do divers ever go down to explore the buried naval ship?
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I’m not sure, Bev. Sometimes ships were recovered so that they did not fall into enemy hands, but if it is in shallow enough water, I suppose divers do go down to explore.
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A friend of mine just wrote an article about Scapa Flow where the sunken German ships from WWI are still being used for radiation-free steel. That’s what got my curiosity aroused!
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Sounds interesting. But during this war, if the divers couldn’t retrieve what they needed, the ship was blasted to render it useless to the enemy – maybe scraps are left.
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Did you read “Endgame: 1045?” It is the best book I’ve read on WWII. Also liked Larson’s “In the Garden of Beasts,” about the US ambassador to Germany up to the onset of the war.
Find your blog fascinating.
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Thank you so much for saying so. No, I have not read Endgame – I’ll begin a search for a copy.
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I still need to finish reading but a quick quirky note: Nasugbu’s name was given to a bowling alley at the Yokohama Naval Base after the surrender.
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I did not know that – I’m going to make note of that. Interesting.
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If you are interested in the Nasugbu Bowling Alley…
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I hope my readers will check this out, please remind me of this when I get to the work of the Nisei men in my Itelligence section. My father thought the world of those guys!! (as I think you will see)
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Are you serious? The guys in the 11th? There’s several photos in “Nisei Linguists” of them in 11th A/B gear. 23 of 25 earned their jump wings; only two washed out.
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You got it!! I know you’ll like the Nisei posts, when I get to them.
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I continue to be amazed by the amount of research you do. I like your posts because I am learning so much about the actual war. Keep them coming.
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Thank you – that means a lot to me.
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Agreed!
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I am not familiar with all the names, like takotsubo, but I enjoy reading this post which led me to this…
http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=220986
and this…
http://www.allworldwars.com/Japanese-in-Battle.html
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You seem to enjoy research as much as I do. I think you might have located more than I.
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Just a tad curious that’s all…
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Another finding…
http://www.allworldwars.com/Photo-Interpreters-Guide-to-Japanese-Military-Installations-Part-I.html
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Very good! Put it in my favorites to go thru later. Just a tad curious, eh?
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It never stops… like the snow we are having now in Quebec.
Have a nice day.
Pierre
Ça n’arrĂŞte jamais… comme la neige que nous avons prĂ©sentement au QuĂ©bec.
Passe une belle journée.
Pierre
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It’s 55 in Florida – sorry – had to add that.
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No comment…
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Lake Taal looks so peaceful today.
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Nature seems to have repaired everything.
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