Eye Witness Account – Driniumor River
By: James D. West, 124th Reg/31st Infantry Division @ Indiana Military, org
After about three weeks of nightly Jap attacks along the Driniumor the situation eased somewhat. The 124th plus one battalion from the 169th was ordered to cross the River and go after the Japs that remained in the area. This group had the code name “Ted Force” after Col. Edward Starr, Commanding Officer of the 124th as well as C.O. of this endeavor. Much has been written about this “Ted Force” but I’ll just touch on it briefly. These four battalions moved in different directions while eventually meeting at a given point. They had to move by use of a compass as maps were not of much use in the jungle. About all you could recognize was the ocean, the river, the mountains and perhaps a stream. It was very slow going, as they had to hack their way through the dense jungle growth with machetes.
This was an extremely difficult endeavor in enemy held territory which lasted from 31 July 1944 to 10 August 1944. It was difficult not only because of enemy soldiers but also from the rough marshy jungle terrain. Torrential rains came every day making footing almost impossible at times, with soldiers slipping and falling everywhere. Under such extreme conditions there was still an enemy out there fighting at every occasion that seemed to offer him an advantage.
Unfortunately this is war and we had casualties and being so deep in the jungle it’s impossible to get them out at that time. Our litter cases had to be carried along and under these extreme conditions this was not an easy matter. Not having enough litters, some were improvised by using two saplings, with a poncho stretched between them. With such adverse conditions it was extremely tiring on men to carry litters. They would have to trade off and rest awhile which often made it a job for ten men to carry one litter case.
The dead were buried along the trail and when the battle situation permitted details were sent in to bring the bodies out. I often had to send trucks out for the purpose of hauling these bodies. Naturally the odor was unpleasant and the truck drivers hated this detail, even though all they had to do was drive the truck. In spite of such difficult conditions the mission was a success with the destruction of the Japs from the ocean to the mountains while others fled back toward their base at Wewak.
Along the Driniumor River was a totally different environment than these soldiers were accustomed to and this took almost all of their energy just to exist. Yet in spite of this hostile environment, enemy soldiers, dense jungle, torrential rains, terrible heat of the day, cold wet nights, diseases and jungle rot, our foot soldiers prevailed. Being in transportation, I did not have to endure the trials of the foot soldier but the conditions made it a terrible experience for anyone who was there.
As we think about our conditions and the 440 (87 from the 124th) American Soldiers killed in action in this battle; the conditions for the Japanese soldiers were much worse. With little food, hardly any medicine, plus a shortage of arms and ammunition and no hope of any more supplies. The 124th’s first contact with the Japs along the Driniumor River found these soldiers in good physical condition with many being much larger in stature than the typical Japanese man. As time passed the shortage of food and medicine began to take its toll and their physical condition deteriorated rapidly. I have seen estimates that they suffered anywhere from 10,000 to 18,000 killed here at Aitape. Don’t know if this includes those who died from disease and starvation but I suspect that it doesn’t. I read in one publication that in all of New Guinea 148,000 Japanese soldiers perished in these jungles. It is my opinion that most of these died of starvation and disease. Many fell dead while attempting to move through the harsh jungle to some hopeless perception of a better condition for them in western New Guinea. In any event the end result of this battle along the Driniumor river here at Aitape was the destruction of the Japanese 18th Army as an effective fighting force.
As we began to prepare for the invasion of Morotai the 43rd Division relieved the troops on the line. Then a few weeks later Australian troops took over and sporadic fighting continued, with casualties on both sides, until the Japanese surrender at the War’s end.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Allan E. Brown – Takoma Park, DC; US Army, Afghanistan, Sgt. 1st Class, 1st Special Troops Batt./1st Cavalry Div.
John Glenn – Cambridge, OH; USMC, WWII, PTO, Korea, Colonel, pilot, Astronaut, Senator
Andrew ‘Holly’ Hollingsworth – SC; US Navy (Ret. 20 years)
Michael Kinneary, Broad Channel, NY; US Navy, Korea
Parker Mosley Jr. – Humble, TX; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 1th Airborne Division
Janice Olson – Victor Valley, CA; VV College Foundation President, instrumental in locating lost B-17’s of WWII, PTO
Peter Pergunas – Ballina, AUS; RA Navy
Steve Reese – Bartlesville, OK; USMC, Vietnam
William Schaefer – Chicago, IL; US Navy
William Wyatt – Tauranga, NZ; RNZ Navy # 2056, WWII & Korea
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Posted on December 9, 2016, in First-hand Accounts, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, Army, family history, History, Military, Military History, New Guinea, veterans, war, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 77 Comments.
Such a moving account…. It seems it all happened too long ago… but it wasn´t that long ago, if you stop to think it… The World Wards were a huge tragedy for Humankind. Thanks for sharing, as always ❤
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And, it still affects us today even though we don’t usually realize it. Thank you for stopping by.
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A very interesting (and harrowing) version of events. Thanks for sharing it.
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My pleasure. I’m glad it held your interest.
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Told firsthand this story becomes even more gripping.. It is sad.. but also important to know the history..
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I’m afraid so, Christy. I thank you for hanging in there to read it all!
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Thanks for this great description of fighting in the jungle. It’s hard to imagine all the problems they encountered. Trying to survive in the jungle would be bad enough, without having to defend yourself from the enemy. What brave men.
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It sure would have been, especially for the Americans who never even such places existed. coming out alive was quite a feat and many have the natives to thank for that!
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Hi GP, I just wanted to relay that my daughter, son and I met a WWII vet in a restaurant a month ago.
He was a 90 something years old!
We all went over to shake his hand because it is just so rare to see a WWII vet these days.
It was a real honor for us! Can you believe he said it was an honor for him too?
He was a real class act!
We were humbled!
He allowed us to take a pic of him with my daughter.
She’s only 10!
We all sort of looked at each other and thought, “Wow we just experienced something so very special that we will treasure for years to come.”
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That is a wonderful story, Lady G! And I thank you for sharing it with us! The few people remaining from that generation have become so rare and you you did experience a part of history, and you left a man knowing that what he went through so long ago will not be forgotten or dismissed! I thank you for doing that and please cherish that photo of the veteran and your daughter! Have an outstanding day!!
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Thank you!
And thank you for your service too!
My daughter’s Grandfather was a WWII vet.
He passed away long before she was born.
This chance meeting seemed like a wink from God to allow her to have a beautiful brush with a man like the one she never got to know.
May you have an outstanding day as well 🙂
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So true.
I hope I have not mislead you, I am not the Pacific Paratrooper, my father was. When I was about to sign up, it was the height of the Vietnam war and it was the one and only time my father forbade me from doing anything.
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Oh I’m sorry. That was my own misunderstanding😉
I should have researched it.
Well, we are thankful to your father for his service.
My Dad is a veteran, having served in the Air Force, having completed his term in ’66 just as Vietnam was starting to escalate. Of course, you know my cousin Ron Brown followed Dad’s lead and served 20 years in Air Force.
Thank you for honoring all of those who served.
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That is all my pleasure. I have always regretted not going against my father, but we can’t change the past, can we? I appreciate all your family has done, for I feel the family serves right along with the serviceman.
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We can’t change the past but it appears to me that you have found your own wonderful way to be of service✨
Thank you GP✨
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Thank you very much, Lady G. You are a sweet and understanding person.
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🙏🏾 Thank you so much.
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I’m glad to see John Glenn in your list of Farewell Salutes!
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He served.
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John Glenn was a local hero. He was born right here in Cambridge and grew up in nearby New Concord. Our post office is named for him. They asked him which post office he wanted named for him and he chose Cambridge as that was where he signed up for WWII.
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A personal story of his that I had not heard before. Thank you, Ann!
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Years ago….really before my time but I cry and applaud the astounding. ~~dru~~
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Thank you for dropping by, Dru.
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A most evocative description
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Through the eyes of experience.
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Excellent first hand narrative gp, describes the topography of Papua New Guinea perfectly.
Your first picture is rather sad for me, as during the war New Guinea natives, called the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, also played a big role in carrying and evacuating Australian wounded, it is sad now to see Indonesia is committing atrocities in West Papua and the world, including Australia and UN turns a blind eye, how quickly we forget. All because we don’t want to upset bilateral agreements with Indonesia.
Cheers.
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It is a shame. Indonesia has halted many US anthropology digs once something of importance is found and hindered so many other good works in the area – what do they have over the UN?
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What a great account. I am touched by the care given to the dead and dying.
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And we’re still trying to locate them all. Sad.
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Yes, very sad.
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Such courage and great post. Was picturing them with the machetes and slipping and sliding as they work their way through the jungle not knowing where the enemy could be.
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An awful place to hold a war, that’s for sure; especially since most Allies had never been in a jungle before.
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It sure is, Everett!
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Red I correct?so much missing soldiers?
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I’m afraid so, Mary Lou. The last numbers I have are 73,000 still missing today.
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I always enjoy the firsthand accounts 🙂
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Thank you, Dan. I feel they bring the human perspective back into the history.
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And, sadly, we’ve almost lost the storytellers.
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So true, so very true.
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So heart rending. Just horrifying. So much loss. I have been learning about the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. The Japanese soldiers killed all the patients and nurses at the hospital in Fort Stanley. I visited there when I was in my 20s. Such terrible cruelty. I hope lessons will be learned from records from the past.
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Wouldn’t you think so? I’ve said to others, that war seems to be a habit we just can’t seem to break. Sad.
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A real ‘war of attrition’ was necessary at this time. I don’t envy the truck drivers having to recover bodies. But I am glad that they did, so that they got a decent burial, and their relatives knew what had happened, sad though it was.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Very true, Pete. I still can’t help but wonder how many are still there. Thee MIA list is still pretty long. The last I know of, 73,000 were still MIA from WWII, with 32,500 Navy (down with their ship).
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Over 100,000 brave souls with no known resting place. Plus countless Japanese and civilians too. That’s a sobering fact to consider indeed.
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It most certainly is!!
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Intense, GP. It sounds so hard and is heartbreaking to hear. Also important to remember. Thanks for sharing.
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I appreciate you ‘hanging in there’ with me all this time!!
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My grandfather was a POW in Indonesia during WWII and he never talked about that time. Your blog gives me a sense of the place, time, and events.
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I’m glad to hear that I help you to make a connection [no matter how small] to your grandfather. You must be proud of such a brave man to have survived such an event as that in his life.
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The lives lost were mammoth! These days it looks unlikely though to have wars on such a scale.
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No, but the terrorists can still take down thousands and I call them casualties. War seems to be a human habit it can not break free of.
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Agree. My point was more on bombings they used to have then…like Hiroshima sand Nagasaki…that looks unlikely now.
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Agreed. They know if they drop one, the retaliation would be total ruin for themselves.
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Exactly.
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I wish they had, he was an awful little man, but Jonathan got a very good start there, the School “Camrose” was like a Victorian school – all bleak, freezing in the winter, he would shout and even hit some of them, I didn’t want my Son there but his Father insisted. Luckily it closed by the time my second Son was 5 and ready to go there.
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Camrose, sounds like a name out of Harry Potter – no offense.
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Its remarkable how those drawings survived. My late Uncle was captured by the Japanese and was a POW in notorious “Changi. He came back and had a book of drawings that he and others had made as POWs, some with their own blood. Many years later he gave it to me, my late Husband had been in the RAF “The Burma Campaign”. Then some years before David, my Husband, died he lent the book without asking me, to my eldest Son’s prep Headmaster who never gave it back, he denied when I asked for it after David died that he had been given it. I was so annoyed and upset. He just refused point blank, I wondered if he had sold it and I rang “The Imperial British War Museum”, it transpired they had been sold a book of drawings made by POWs in “Changi” by an ex POW and it was the Headmaster. Number 1 he never went to War, he was a pacifist and secondly lied as to the ownership. There was nothing that could be done, they British Imperial War Museum had purchased it in good faith, I was happy they had it, I intended to leave it to them anyway. I never told my Uncle he would have been so annoyed, rightly so, and so upset, he died not knowing. I always angry with my late Husband, he was 30 years older than me, yet he could not understand why I was so upset about it, he fought a War I was not even born?
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It is amazing how awful some people can be. That was a heartless stunt by the headmaster. Being as you were going to leave it to them, I’m surprised the museum didn’t sue him for the money back!
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My stepdad was in Staleg 17. A guy who worked for Disney was in there too. He did a book of comics also telling the story of their captivity. Interesting read
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I would love to see that. Did he ever publish it? If so, under what title?
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It was published but cost a ton of $!!!and very hard to get an original or even a copy !
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I understand.
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I have seen it. We have a copy . It’s in Alabama. I should make another copy and share it but I am not sure if it’s under some legal book laws . You know what I mean. It is pretty cool though
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Only the publisher would know that for certain.
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I have seen it for sell on eBay I believe for $400 or more. It was found in a home where someone died. Who knows exactly how many originals were made. I have a copy , but it’s at my moms. My stepdad is still alive so we keep it there. It was his account of life in Stalag 17 and he knew the cartoonist who put the book together. It was written 70 plus years ago. I wonder if publishing rights are still applicable…
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I afraid I can’t help there. You know any lawyers?
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Haha not worried too much about it. The book is a treasure , but it may just stay that way as a private memento.
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Yes, it must be. I just feel it’s a shame it can’t be treasured by others.
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Well maybe I can share one day. I can’t imagine anyone alive would care much but us history buffs. Will not be back to bama until spring. Will keep u posted!!
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See you then. Enjoy the holidays!
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148,000 Japanese lost. That is an almost unbelievable figure. Who among us has ever seen that number of people?
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The Pacific is big place to hold a war. Thanks for dropping by, John!
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I know that the focus in this blog is on the Pacific War. But one needs to look once in a while at what happened in terms of casualties at the horrors of WW2 in Europe.The Soviets recovered 250,000 German and Romanian corpses in and around Stalingrad, and total Axis casualties (Germans, Romanians, Italians, and Hungarians) are believed to have been more than 800,000 dead, wounded, missing, or captured.
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To interrupt for just one sec… here is the list by country gentlemen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
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10Q GPx
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I appreciate your interest in the history.
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