November 1944 (1)
3 November – When the Japanese 57th Regiment arrived at Limon, Gen. Krueger’s 24th Division was on the other side of the mountain range. Rather than attack the lightly defended enemy positions, he halted his troops. For some reason, he was expecting a possible enemy amphibious landing and the US attack would not begin for 2 more days.
5→10 November – in the 19th year of Showa, for the Japanese, the G.I. mortar and machine-gun fire seemed to nearly wipe out the squad scaling the ridge. As the brush caught fire, the Americans of I Company/3rd Battalion/21st Infantry Regiment/ 24th Division, attacked and charged over the ridge until the enemy’s big guns opened up. Another Japanese force arrived and the US troops retreated. This would be known as Breakneck Ridge [Yahiro Hill to the Japanese].
Even with the support of the 1st Cavalry, the soldiers were pushed back, but they would return on the 8th. They then proceeded to continually hit the ridge until the 10th, when the Japanese 3rd Battalion was ordered to tenshin. (which means to turn around and advance). The few survivors remaining did make it back to their supply depot.
6 November – Japanese convoy MA-TA 31 escorted by 2 cruisers and other escorting vessels was attacked by a wolfpack of US submarines, Batfish, Ray, Raton, Bream and Guitarro at Luzon. The Ray fired 6 rear torpedoes at the enemy cruiser Kumano and destroyed her bow.
US Hellcat fighters and bombers with Avenger torpedo planes attacked enemy airfields and shipping installations throughout southern Luzon. The US aircraft were intercepted by about 80 Japanese fighters and a dogfight ensued over Clark Field. The enemy lost 58 planes and 25 more later in the day. More than 100 Japanese aircraft were destroyed on the ground. One cruiser sank in Manila Harbor and 10 other vessels were heavily damaged.
10→11 November – Another Japanese convoy, carrying 10,000 reinforcements for Leyte, escorted by 4 destroyers, a minesweeper and a submarine chaser. They were screened by 3 other destroyers, but were intercepted by the US 10th Fleet aircraft as they made their turn into Ormoc Bay. Before they could reach the harbor, the TF-38 aircraft attacked. The first wave aimed at the transports. The second wave hit the destroyers and third wave strafed the beaches and the burning destroyers. Nine of the ships sank and 13 enemy planes providing air cover were shot down.
The FEAF (Far East Air Force, the 5th A.F.) used 24 B-24’s to hit Dumaguerte Airfield on Negros Island in the P.I. and fighter-bombers were sent to the Palompon area on Leyte. Targets of opportunity were hit on Mindanao. Fighter-bombers and B-25s hit shipping and Namlea Airfield, and P-38s hit Kendari Airfield on Celebes Island while B-24a bombed the Nimring River area.
Click on images to enlarge.
– ####################################################################################
Military Humor – Teamwork, Beetle-style!!
#####################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Sverre Alvestad – Norway/Glen Oaks, CAN; Royal Norwegian Navy, WWII, ace pilot
Charles Cawthorn – London, ENG; RAF, WWII, Lancaster pilot (Ret. 30 yrs.), 61st Squadron, POW
Lou Duva – Paterson, NJ; US Army, WWII
Howard Engh – Gig Harbor, WA; USMC, WWII, PTO
Lawrence Hanson – St. Paul, MN; US Navy, WWII (Ret. 26 years)
Kenneth Lawson – Toronto, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, Spitfire pilot
Paul Pavlus – Panama City, FL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne / USAF, 82nd Airborne, MSgt.
Joe Rogers – Jackson, TN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, flight instructor
Albert Schlegel – Cleveland, OH; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Capt. Pilot, KIA
Francis Took – AUS; RA Navy # 37327
#####################################################################################
Posted on March 20, 2017, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, aviation, History, Leyte, Military, Military History, Navy, Pacific, Philippines, war, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 43 Comments.
Superb post and always fine to read
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you very much.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Crazy Pasta Child.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, penny, for always helping me to honor these troops.
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOW Another good one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re great for my ego!!
LikeLike
Beetle Bailey still appears in our Sunday Comics each week. That humor lives on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
And I love it!! I’m glad you enjoy it as well, Bev!
LikeLike
Keep up the good work
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
Another super post, GP. Thnks again
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are more than welcome, John!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Few comic strips have the staying power of Beetle Bailey! –Curt
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s a little more about the inspiration for the strip: http://www.tauntongazette.com/x298226397/Beetle-Bailey-creator-Mort-Walker-talks-about-the-inspiration-behind-his-comic-strip
LikeLike
Thanks, I enjoyed the article. It makes Beetle Bailey even more enjoyable. –Curt
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Pacific paratrooper report and blog are sheer genius at work 👀
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a very nice thing to say, Sheila, I really appreciate that!!
LikeLike
Hey, that painting looks familiar. Here are the details for it: https://irandpcorp.com/products/ordeal-at-ormoc-bay/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I thought it looked familiar myself. I retrieved it from Mary Ann Hollaway’s site and there was no info with it. I should have known!
LikeLike
Ah! Thanks for mentioning that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
To delete: would you add to the painting’s caption that it’s by Steve Ferguson and up for sale on our site (or something to that effect)?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most certainly!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beyond the era, the descendants of American and Japanese know the state of WW2 at the time … It is Amazing!! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for stopping in here today!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Couldn’t find anything more on the Spitfire pilot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is too bad. Thanks for trying, Pierre.
LikeLike
Another good snap shot of how the Japanese came to be rolled back to their home islands. It certainly wasn’t a “cake walk” – they were a most determined foe.
It was great to see the “Beetle Bailey” cartoon! Thank you for including it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beetle just keeps going, doesn’t he?!! Even a civilian can relate to him!!
LikeLike
I appreciate that effort to put things in chronological order, too, GP. I’d never really thought about what made your histories clear and easy to follow, but that’s definitely one good reason. The other is you have a writing style that reads well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I appreciate your kind words, Doug. I never really thought I had a ‘style’, but I suppose it boils down to that. Having the events in order certainly help me, I do know that.
LikeLike
The thought of being packed into a transport, only to have it sunk on the way to battle, seems to me to be the worst possible outcome for a man going to war. Thanks again for filling in the details between the battles that were big enough to have movies made of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Movies made of them – you’d think – right?!!
Thanks for coming here today, Dan!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another interesting chapter about events I know so little of !
As for the jokes Beetle Bailey is popular in Sweden as well He is called “Knasen” here
LikeLiked by 3 people
I didn’t know that Beetle was so popular by you – he a hoot in my book!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Phew! Another period of hectic action. I wonder how many of those 10,000 Japanese reinforcements died when those transports were sunk. So many with no known grave or memorial.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 3 people
All sides have that eerie question mark in their histories. Sad to know.
Thanks for dropping in, Pete.
LikeLiked by 3 people
What a journal and what a journey of victory.
LikeLiked by 2 people
As I always read historical books, I became more and more disturbed by how the dates of the events were always going into flashback, jumping around on the dates – Viola! – I do my best to keep them in order. I think it gives a better view of the situations as they occurred.
LikeLiked by 3 people
We are SO glad you put them in order. Flashbacks can cause chaos in our brain at times, lol. You do a great job of presenting in linear fashion. Keep it up.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you.
LikeLike
Pingback: The Weekly Headlines – My Daily Musing