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Lingayen Gulf | January 1945
The USS Louisville is struck by a kamikaze Yokosuka D4Y at the Battle of Lingayen Gulf, 6 January 1945
On 2 January, the US carrier, USS Ommaney Bay, was severely damaged by a kamikaze aircraft and would later need to be scuttled. Three days later, the cruiser, USS Columbia, was also damaged when she was hit by 2 of the Japanese suicide planes. US shipping received relentless kamikaze strikes that cost the Navy more than 1000 men due to those 30 hits.
Beginning on 6 January, a heavy naval and air bombardment of suspected Japanese defenses on Lingayen began. Aircraft and naval artillery bombardment of the soon-to-be landing areas occurred, with kamikazes attacking again on the 7th.
USS Columbia, hit by kamikaze
On the 8th, it was observed that in the town of Lingayen, as a response to the prelanding shelling, Filipinos had begun to form a parade, complete with United States and Philippine flags – firing was shifted away from that area.
The USS Louisville had been hit on the 5th of January with one man killed and 52 wounded, including the captain. The following day she was attacked by six successive plane, 5 were shot down, but one got through.
Rear Admiral Theodore Chandler
The strike on the Louisville was also notable for the death of RAdmiral Theodore Chandler, commanding the battleships and cruiser in Lingayen Gulf. He was badly burned when his Flag ship was engulfed in flames, but jumped down to the signal deck and deployed hoses to the enlisted men before waiting in line for treatment with the other wounded sailors. However, his lungs had been scorched by the petroleum flash and he died the following day.
An eye witness account of the attack on the USS Louisville, from John Duffy:
“All of a sudden, the ship shuddered and I knew we were hit again. I was in charge of the 1st Division men and I yelled, “We’re hit, let’s go men!” I was the first man out the Turret door followed by Lt. Commander Foster and Lt. Hastin, our Division Officer, then a dozen more men.
“The starboard side of the ship was on fire from the forecastle deck down. One almost naked body was laying about ten feet from the turret with the top of his head missing. It was the kamikaze pilot that had hit us. He made a direct hit on the Communications deck.
“As the men poured out of the turret behind me, they just stood there in shock. Explosions were still coming from the ammunition lockers at the scene of the crash. We could see fire there too. Injured men were screaming for help on the Communications Deck above us. I ordered 2 men to put out the fire on the starboard side by leaning over the side with a hose. That fire was coming from a ruptured aviation fuel pipe that runs full length of the forecastle on the outside of the ship’s hull. That fuel pipe was probably hit by machine-gun bullets from the kamikaze just before he slammed into us.
USS Louisville during kamikaze attack
“Although there was no easy access to the deck above us, I ordered several men to scale up the side of the bulkhead (wall) and aid the badly burned victims who were standing there like zombies. I also ordered 3 men to crawl under the rear Turret 1’s overhang, open the hatch there and get the additional fire hose from Officers Quarters. These 3 orders were given only seconds apart and everyone responded immediately, but when they got near the dead Jap’s body, which was lying right in the way, it slowed them down…”
For some additional information on the Kamikaze, Click HERE.
The HMAS Australia was included in this fleet and would also come under heavy attack. Her full story will be the following post.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
R.B. Cherry – Dallas, TX; US Army, Korea, Cpl., Co. G/2/24th Infantry Division, POW, KIA (Camp 5, NK)
Naomi Clark – Lima, OH; Civilian, WWII, Lima Army Tank Depot
The Flag flies in all weather, courtesy of Dan Antion
Alfred Guglielmetti (103) – Petaluma, CA; Civilian, WWII, Mare Island welder, battleship repair
Nancy Hussey – Bronxville, NY; US Coast Guard SPARS, WWII, Company Comdr. & coxswain
John M. Loncola (100) – Old Forge, PA; US Navy, WWII, CBI & PTO, Chief Petty Officer
Jocelyn L. Martin – Orewa, NZ; WRNZ Air Force, LACW # 77239
John R. Melton – Liberty, MS; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 1st Class # 2744530, USS West Virgina, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
George Pendelton – Bristol. RI; US Navy, WWII
Robert E. Smith – San Francisco, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, fighter pilot
Robert Teza – Syracuse, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO
Richard Watson – Gorham, ME; US Army, WWII
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January 1945 cont’d
11th Airborne, Leyte
As the fighting for the 11th Airborne Division, on Leyte, came to a close, the battalions worked their way back to Bito Beach. The 674th and 675th Glider Field Artillery and the 457th Parachute Field Artillery remained in strategic positions to cover them.
The Luzon Attack Force, commanded by VAdmiral Kinkaid, under MacArthur, was composed of 7th Fleet units and numbered more than 850 ships. This was divided into the Lingayen Attack Force (Vice Admiral Wilkinson commanding), the San Fabian Attack Force (Vice Admiral Barbey), a reinforcement group (R Admiral Conolly commanding), a fire support and bombardment group ( VAdmiral Oldendorf ) and surface and air covering groups (Rear Admiral Berkey and Rear Admiral C.T. Durgin, respectively, commanding). The Luzon Attack Force was to transport, put ashore and support elements of the 6th U.S. Army (Lieutenant General Walter Krueger) to assist in the seizure and development of the Lingayen area.
2→3 January – A military report showed that 111 enemy aircraft were destroyed on and above Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands. B-24’s hit Haha Jima and Iwo Jima over a seven hour period and areas of Luzon and the Netherland East Indies (NEI) continued to be hit.
In preparation for the upcoming invasions of Iwo Jima, Okinawa and eventually Japan, Gen. MacArthur was placed in command of US ground forces and Adm. Nimitz over all naval forces.
3→4 January – the 3rd Fleet, operating under Admiral Halsey, with its fast carrier task force commanded by VAdmiral McCain, was to cover and protect the operation by air strikes over Luzon. There was little airborne opposition, but unfavorable weather conditions somewhat reduced the toll of enemy ships, planes and facilities destroyed.
Yamashita’s division of Luzon
Early in January, Japan’s General Yamashita pulled his Fourteenth Army (260,000 men) back off of Luzon’s beach to conserve them. He was aware of the forthcoming invasions of American troops.
Yamashita divided his men into three defensive groups; the largest, the Shobu Group, under his personal command numbered 152,000 troops, defended northern Luzon. The smallest group, totaling 30,000 troops, known as the Kembu Group, under the command of Tsukada, defended Bataan and the western shores. The last group, the Shimbu Group, totaling 80,000 men under the command of Yokoyama, defended Manila and southern Luzon.
Yamashita tried to rebuild his army but was forced to retreat from Manila to the Sierra Madre Mts. of northern Luzon, as well as the Cordillera Central Mts. Yamashita ordered all troops, except those tasked with security, out of the city.
Almost immediately, IJN RAdm. Sanji Iwabuchi re-occupied Manila with 16,000 sailors, with the intent of destroying all port facilities and naval storehouses. Once there, Iwabuchi took command of the 3,750 Army security troops, and against Yamashita’s specific order, turned the city into a battlefield.
Major Thomas McGuire
7 January – US pilot and ace, Major Thomas McGuire (38 victories) was killed in a low-level combat with a group of Japanese Zero fighters, led by Shiochi Sugita, the 3rd highest scoring ace of the IJN Air Force, over Negros Island.
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Military Humor –
If it’s stupid, but it works > it ain’t stupid.
If at first you don’t succeed > call in an airstrike.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Farewell Salutes –
James J. Bednarcik – Cleveland, OH; US Navy, WWII, PTO, SeaBee
Lawrence Brooks (112) – Norwood, LA; US Army, Australia, Pfc., 91st Engineering Battalion
Final Mission
Vincent D’Andrea – Sloatsburg, NY; US Navy, WWII, USS Broome
John Farnsworth (101) – Salem, MA; Civilian Conservation Corps / US Army, WWII
David Gilbert (105) – South Bend, IN; US Navy, WWII
Richard “Dick” Lutes – Wiscasset, ME; US Navy, Vietnam, Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic, Black Beret, River PT Sailor
Timothy D. Minatrea – Quitman, TX; US Navy, Desert Storm, Aviation Electricians Mate 1st Class
David V. Nguyen – Oakland, CA; CA National Guard, 870th MP Co.
Charles A. Peachtree Jr. – Lexington, KY; US Army, WWII, infantry
Juanita Quintero (100) – Pinole, CA; Civilian, welder, Richmond Shipyards
Edwin Schmidt – Alton, IL; US Army, WWII, PTO, cartographer
Billy Turner – Ardmore, OK; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Wesley Woods – Hornlake, MS; US Army, MSgt., 1st Stryker Brigade/25th Infantry Division
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1 January 1945
5th Air Force strafing Clark Air Field, 1945
Ringing in the new year 1945 with fireworks had a far different meaning in the Pacific and CBI Theaters than we’re used to. It began with ______
In the Philippines – bombings of Clark Field on Luzon and Sasa on the island of Mindanao. Wasile Bay enemy bivouac areas felt the bombardments from overhead B-24’s and B-25’s. Manila saw the fighter-bombers as shipyards and other airfields and ammunition dumps were blown. US Air Force planes sank the Japanese ship No. 7, Taiko Maru and No. 3, Taiwan Maru, off Masinloc, P.I.
Philippine Islands
Also in the Philippines – the USS Stingray delivered 35 tons of supplies to Filipino forces on the north coast of Tawi Tawi. HMS Staesman sank four small Japanese vessels with gunfire northeast of Sumatra.
In the Netherland East Indies – the IJN Kyyokku Maru was sunk by a mine that was previously laif by HMN Tradewind off Mergui.
From Saipan – The 7th Air Force had 19 B-24’s bomb Iwo Jima. This was followed by additional bombers during the evening hours in waves.
In China – railroads, warehouses, industry and gun positions were bombed. Suchow Airfield lost 25 aircraft. Armed ground reconnaissance units hit between Xiaolan and Hsuchang.
India-Burma – had the tenth Air Force bombing furl dumps, villages, supply areas, tanks and enemy troops at several locations. Four other targets of opportunity were found along the Irrawaddy River while large-scale transport operations proceeded as planned.
When we last spoke in the war posts, the 11th Airborne Division was on Leyte and still battling a well dug-in enemy in the uncharted mountains of the island. As the fighting for the 11th Airborne on Leyte came to a close, the battalions worked their way back to Bito Beach. The 674th and 675th Glider Field Artillery and the 457th Parachute Field Artillery remained in strategic positions to cover them.
Despite MacArthur declaring Leyte secure on Christmas Day 1944, even Gen. Robert Eichelberger said in relation to the “mopping-up” his men were left with, “The Japanese Army was still intact. I was told there were only 6,000 Japanese left on the island… Soon Japanese began streaming across the Ormoc Valley… well equipped and apparently well-fed. Between Christmas Day and the end of the campaign we killed more than 27,000 Japanese…”
Col. Austin “Shifty” Shofner, USMC, [ the only man to lead a successful escape from a Japanese POW camp (1943)], was assigned to the Army’s 37th Division as an observer and boarded the USS Mount McKinley at New Guinea and sailing for Luzon. Within a week, he would witness the onset of the Kamikaze Special Attack Force aiming their aircraft at the US Navy in Lingayen Gulf. The future Brigadier General would assist in the planning of the rescue plans of the Cabanatuan POW camp where over 500 Allied survivors of the Bataan Death March were being held.
Col. Shafer being tended to.
References used: “Pacific War” by John Davison; Pacific Wrecks; “The Pacific” by Hugh Ambrose; WW2 Timelines, World War 2 Photos and “Our Jungle Road To Tokyo” by Gen. Robert Eichelberger.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Frederick W. Anderson (100) – Southington, CT; US Navy, WWII, PTO, PT Base # 2
Lee Anthony – Petrolia, PA; US Army, WWII, PTO
Rome E. Barr – Martins Ferry, OH; US Navy, WWII, USS Loy (Destroyer Escort)
Nando A. Cavalieri – Eveleth, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Captain, 324/91/8th Air Force, B-17G pilot, KIA (Döberitz, GER)
Edward Conway – Canon City, CO; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Electrician’s Mate 1st Class # 3718589, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Don D. Dowler Jr. – Clarinda, IA; US Army, Korea, Pfc., Co D/1/32/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir, NK)
Edwyna Green (100) – Summerset, NZ; NZ Women’s Air Corps, WWII, LCPL # 812146
Richard “Demo Dick” Marcinko – Langsford, PA; US Navy, Vietnam, Iran, SEAL Team # 6 Commander, 4 Bronze Stars, Silver Star (Ret. 25 y.)
Wilbur F. Newton – Mound City, MO; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 1st Class # 3760544, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Henry Steele – Corbett, OR; US Army
Jack Tison – Bifay, FL; US Army, WWII, PTO, Medic
Betty White – Oak Park, IL; Civilian, WWII, American Women’s Volunteer Service, PX truck driver / Beloved Actress
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Closing 1944 with General Kenney
Gen. George C. Kenney
Being as the 5th Air Force, especially the 54th Troop Carrier Group, were operating so close to the 11th Airborne for so much of the war, I chose to finish up 1944 with the first-hand account from their commander….
General Kenney, Commander of the Fifth Air Force reported:
Sky Lancers
“Just before dark on 26 December, a Navy Reconnaissance plane sighted a Jap naval force of 1 heavy cruiser, 1 light cruiser and 6 destroyers about 85 miles NW of Mindoro {Philippines], headed toward San Jose. We had available on out 2 strips there, 12 B-25s from the 71s Recon Squadron, the 58th Fighter Group (P-47s), the 8th Fighter Group (P-38s and the 110 Tactical Recon Squadron (P-40s).
“Every airplane that could fly took off on the attack, which continued until after midnight. The Japs kept on coming and the planes kept shuttling back and forth, emptying their bomb racks and ammunition belts and returning for more. In addition to the difficulty of locating and attacking the Nip vessels in the dark, the enemy made the job still harder by bombing our airdromes at intervals through the night.
“In order to see what they were bombing and strafing, some of our pilots actually turned their landing lights on the Jap naval vessels. With neither time nor information for briefings during the operation, it was every man for himself and probably the wildest scramble the Nip or ourselves had ever been in.
“At 11:00 P.M. the enemy fleet started shelling our fields and kept it up for an hour. Fires broke out in our gasoline dumps, airplanes were hit, the runways pitted, but the kids still kept up their attack. The P-47s couldn’t get at their bomb dump because of the fire, so they simply loaded up with ammunition and strafed the decks of every ship in the Jap force. They said it was “like flying over a blast furnace, with all those guns firing at us.”
“Shortly after midnight. the Jap fleet turned around and headed north. They had been hurt. A destroyer had been sunk and a cruiser and 2 destroyers heavily damaged.
“The attack had saved our shipping at San Jose from destruction, but it had cost us something too. Twenty-five fighter pilots and B-25 crew members missing. We had lost 2 B-25s and 29 fighter aircraft. During the next few days we picked up 16 of the kids who were still floating around the China Sea in their life rafts. I got Gen. MacArthur to approve a citation for each of the units that took part in the show.
417th, Lindbergh with Col. Howard Ellmore
On the 30th, Lt.Col. Howard S. Ellmore, a likable, happy-go-lucky, little blond boy from Shreveport, LA, leading the 417th Attack Group, the “Sky Lancers” caught a Jap convoy in Lingayen Gulf, off Vigan on the west coast of Luzon. In a whirlwind low-level attack, a destroyer, a destroyer escort, 2 large freighters and one smaller were sunk.
“It was a fitting climax to 1944, which had been an advance from Finschaven to Mindoro, a distance of 2400 miles, equal to that from Washington to San Francisco. During that time, my kids had sunk a half million tons of Jap shipping and destroyed 3000 Jap aircraft. Our losses of aircraft in combat during the year were 818.”
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Military Humor –
“OKAY – You got the C-17 ON the carrier -NOW, how are you going to get it OFF?”
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Farewell Salutes –
Marvin D. Actkinson – Sudan, TX;US Army, Korea, Cpl., Co B/1/32/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir, NK)
Hugh R. Alexander – Potters Mills, PA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Lt. Comdr., USS Oklahoma, Silver Star, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Kenneth Barhite – Alden, IA; US Army, WWII, PTO, 2nd Lt.,158th RCT/Americal Division
Mary M. Bevan – Greenwich, CT; USMC, WWII
Louis Block – Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII
Hubert P. Clement – Inman, SC; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Fire Controlman 1st Class # 2619359, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Clayton L. Cope – Alton, IL; US Navy, USS Eisenhower
Donald Peterson – Auburn, CA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Lt., USS Rotanin
Tceollyar Simmons – Hacoda, AL; US Navy, WWII, Seaman 2nd Class # 3115534, USS California, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Thomas Smith (100) – Early Branch, SC; US Navy, WWII, Radioman 1st Class
Harvey Swack – OH; US Navy, WWII, PTO, aircraft mechanic
Larry Virden – Edwardsville, IL; US Army, Iraq
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Leyte, eye-witness account from Gen. Robert Eichelberger
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, left, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, right.
“Eighth Army took over Leyte on Christmas Day. There were 8 divisions fighting there when I assumed command. When the 32nd Div. and 1st Cavalry broke through on a narrow front, GHQ described the Leyte campaign as officially closed and future operations as “mopping-up.”
“Actually, the Japanese Army was still intact. I was told there were only 6,000 Japanese left on the island. This estimate was in serious error. Soon, Japanese began streaming across the Ormoc Valley, well equipped and apparently well-fed. It took several months of the roughest kind of combat to defeat this army. Between Christmas Day and the end of the campaign, we killed more than 27,000 Japanese.
Leyte painting, “FOLLOW ME!” by Col Aubrey Newman
“Many others, evacuated safely by bancas (small boats), and reappeared to fight the 8th Army on other islands. I called these singularly alive veteran troops the Ghosts of Leyte.
“I am a great admirer of Gen. MacArthur as a military strategist… But I must admit that after 6 years serving under him, I never understood the public relations policy that either he or his assistants established. It seems to me ill advised to announce victories when a first phase had been accomplished…
“Too often, as at Buna, Sanananda, as on Leyte, Mindanao and Luzon, the struggle was to go on for a long time. Often these announcements produce bitterness among combat troops, and with good cause. The phrase “mopping-up” had no particular appeal for a haggard, muddy sergeant of the Americal Division whose platoon had just been wiped out in western Leyte… Or to the historian of the 11th Airborne, who wrote:
‘Through mud and rain, over treacherous rain-swollen gorges, through jungle growth, over slippery, narrow, root-tangled, steep foot trails, the Angels pushed wet to clear the Leyte mountain range… It was bitter, exhausting, rugged fighting – physically the most terrible we were ever to know.’
11th Airborne field artillery on Leyte
The combat infantryman deserved the best and usually fared the poorest in the matter of sugar plums, luxuries and mail from home. The home folks in America were vastly generous, but transport to the front could not always carry out their good intentions. Ammunition and rations came first. This – the G.I. could understand… But, it was disconcerting to find out he had only been “mopping -up”.
“If there is another war, I recommend that the military and the correspondents and everyone else concerned, drop the phrase “mopping-up” from their vocabularies. It is NOT a good enough phrase to die for.”
This post is from “Our Jungle Road to Tokyo” by General Robert Eichelberger.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Clifford H. Bailey – Acoma, NM; (Acoma Indian Reservation); US Army Air Corps, Japanese Occupation, 11th Airborne Division
Benjamin R. Bazzell – Seymour, CT; US Army, Korea, Cpl; HQ/57FA/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir, NK)
Chester Benoit – Putnam, CT; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 503/11th Airborne Division
James E. Cruise – Toronto, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, Navigator/ Flight Officer
Charles W. Harpe Jr. – Ashland, KY; USMC, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Captain (Ret. 33 y.)
Anthony F. Mendonca – Waipahu, HI; US Army, WWII, PTO, Co A/106/27th Infantry Division, KIA (Saipan)
Lawrence Overley – Los Angeles, CA; US Navy, WWII, Fire Controlman 2nd Class #3820643, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Robert Leslie Putnam – Mason, OH; US Army Air Corps, Japanese Occupation / Korea, 188 &187th/11th Airborne Division // Deputy Sheriff, Police Chief
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/224877961/robert-leslie-putnam
James N. Stryker – W.Nanticoke, PA; US Army, Korea, Sgt., Co. L/3/23/2nd Infantry Division, KIA (Han’gye, SK)
Morris E. Swackhammer – Binghamton, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO, Pfc., Co. C/1/143/36th Infantry Division, KIA (Fraize, FRA)
Flora Wilhelm – Evansville, IN; Civilian, WWII, aircraft riveter
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Leyte | First-hand account – Purple Heart Hill
Purple Heart Hill
Pfc John Chiesa, E Company/188th Regiment/11th Airborne and Privates Davis and Duncan were on the point going up, what would become known as, Purple Heart Hill on 26 December 1944. Chiesa recalled:
“We just got to the top of this hill when all hell broke loose. The Japs opened up with their wood peckers and rifles. Duncan got hit in the rump and he went tumbling down the hill. I hit the ground and prayed. Finally, Davis and i jumped up and went diving over the ridge. We could not see the Japs because they hide pretty good in the jungle. They were firing and we were trying to fire back, but we could not see them to know where to shoot at.
Japanese woodpecker
“Finally, our Platoon leader, Sgt. Kelly, got up on one knee and started to point to show us where to shoot. About that time, the Japs got him and he was dead. He was one hell of a soldier, believe me.
“Me, Pvt. Hodges and three other guys in our company went up to the side of the hill and we laid there waiting for someone to tell us what our next move was. While we waited, I got hungry so i turned around facing down the hill and got out one of my K rations. I was opening up the can when 20 feet from me this Jap jumped out of the bushes. He looked at me and I looked at him. I think he was as surprised as I was.
“I had an M1 rifle laying across my lap. Everything was done automatically. (Our training came in handy.) I grabbed the rifle, turned and pulled the trigger. He was doing the same thing, but I was luckier. I hit him smack in his Adam’s apple. I can still see the surprised look on his face… The thing that will always be on my mind is that if I didn’t stop to eat, those Japs woulda killed all 5 of us.
Col. Robert Soule
“When we came back down the hill, Col. Soule came to me and asked what I would do to get those Japs and take the hill. I thought he was joking. Here is a colonel, and a damned good one, asking his Pfc how to take a hill.
“I told him, ‘Just bomb the hell out of them, blow the hill up.’ We went up the hill the next morning, and after a good bombardment, we took the hill.”
The “good bombardment” had come from A Battery of the 457th. Capt. Bobo Holloway of the 188th moved within 25 yards of the Japanese position and directed the firing of the artillery, and some 105mm howitzer and 155mm guns.
On 27 December, when they stormed Purple Heart Hill, they encountered hand-to-hand combat, then proceeded to occupy the old enemy holes as the Japanese evicted them. Those of the enemy that escaped and headed north, ran into part of Col. Pearsons’ 187th Regiment, (Smitty’s unit).. The bloody battle for Purple Heart Hill had lasted for almost 5 weeks.
11TH AIRBORNE HOSPITAL ON LEYTE
Information is from “The Angels: A History of the 11th Airborne Division” by Gen. E.M. Flanagan (Ret.)
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Military Humor –
“It says: ‘I am an American with 94 points and if lost in enemy territory, Please Get Me Home”‘
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Farewell Salutes –
Robert Barnett – Philadelphia, PA; US Coast Guard, WWII
Allen J. Blake – Algona, IA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Medical/503/11 Airborne Division
Anthony Costanzo – Queens, NY; US Army, WWII & Korea
TAPS
Francis L. Coune (102) – Tampa, FL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-24 pilot
Bob Dole – Russell, KS; US Army, WWII, ETO, Colonel, 10th Mountain Division, Bronze Star, Purple Heart / U.S. Senator
Buford H. Dyer – Barberton, OH; US navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
William W. Hail – Los Angeles, CA; US Air Force, Vietnam, Lt. Col. # 553421612, pilot, 1131st Special Activity Sq., MIA (Quang Tri Provence, SV)
James L. Quong – Norman, OK; US Army, Korea, MSgt., Co. D/1/32/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin, NK)
Mary Schmaelzle – Springfield, MA; Civilian, WWII, Pratt Whitney
Carl A. Scott Jr. – Savannah, GA; US Army, Vietnam, 101st Airborne Division
Richard A. Umstead Sr. – Chelsea, MI; US Army Air Corps, WWII, radioman
F. Jackson Worthington – Ontario, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII
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6 December 1944 Japanese Paratroopers | Happy Thanksgiving!
IJA paratroopers at the ready
This condensed eye witness account was written by BGen. Henry J. Muller, Jr.; courtesy of “The Drop Zone” website and published in “The Voice of the Angels” newspaper, Matt Underwood, Editor.
Henry Muller, US Army
“TRANSPORTS!!” – “JAPS!!” – “PARATROOPERS!!”
“The time was 1800 hours, 6 December 1944 and at first it sounded like a swarm of bees in the distance. Then it became clear. No paratrooper could mistake the drone of a formation of troop carrier aircraft. Someone outside shouted “AIRCRAFT!!” – then many – “JAP TRANSPORTS!!” – “PARATROOPERS!!”
Japanese paratroopers
“The division staff dashed out of the mess tent looking skyward. By now, a dozen parachutes had opened above us and everyone began firing at them. I even emptied 2 clips from my .45 at the nearest parachutists. Most jumped well beyond our HQ, landing in and about the San Pablo airstrip. Only a few who jumped too soon dropped over us and floated down just north of our perimeter.
Japanese para attack
“There was considerable rifle fire from the vicinity of the airstrip and some from the HQ area. Someone ordered that the generator be shut down as the lights could attract sniper fire. Each section had been required to dig foxholes and trenches around their tents, although rather shallow soil piled on the upper rim provided cover from small arms fire if one kept low.
Col. Douglass Quandt
“During the night, the G-3 Col. Quandt prepared a plan for a provisional battalion of Ordnance and Quartermaster companies, with odds and ends of Service and Administrative troops, to counterattack across the airstrip at first light.
“The firing had subsided, but we had no contact with the small aerial resupply detachment at the strip. So early that morning, Gen. Swing and I, accompanied by his aide and dismounted driver, made our way to the airstrip for a first-hand appraisal of the situation.
“Our counterattack had cleared the field… the Japanese paratroopers had withdrawn into a wooded area north of the strip. They had burned some of our light aircraft along with small stores of aviation fuel and various supplies which were part of our resupply effort for units in the mountains.”
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Gen. Robert Eichelberger
This eye witness account is from General Robert Eichelberger, Commander of the Eighth Army on Leyte as written in his book, “Our Jungle Road To Tokyo”
“There is a memento of this struggle now in the Military Academy at West Point. [General] Joe Swing gave it to me, and I sent it on from the Pacific.
“During the fighting on an airstrip, two ducking and dodging American GI’s – Allen W. Osborne and Eustis A. Jolly – were hand-carrying ammunition to the troops under fire. They noticed a large Japanese flag fluttering in a tree and, being incorrigible souvenir hunters, decided to acquire it.
“Each time they attempted to shinny up the tree, they were met by a fusillade of Japanese bullets. So they changed their tactics. They got an ax from their truck and while still under fire, chopped down the tree. That hard-won Japanese flag now hangs in the West Point museum.
“How can you explain youngsters like that? Despite the calamity howlers they continue to exist. Whatever challenge the future holds, I think Americans can meet it.”
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE !!
For an idea of what it was like… (I recommend fast forwarding to 5:50)
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO OUR TROOPS
I WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY THANKSGIVING _ WHETHER YOU CELEBRATE THIS HOLIDAY OR NOT
I have done a bunch of Thanksgiving posts over the years – take your pick……
https://pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com/?s=thanksgiving
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Military Turkey Humor –
“TAKE YOUR PICK!”
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Farewell Salutes –
Lynn Aas (100) – ND; US Army, WWII, ETO, 17th Airborne Division, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Clarissa Churchill – London, ENG; Civilian, WWII, decoder, Ministry of Information
Kenneth R. Foreman – Mount Orab, OH; US Army, Korea, Cpl., Co A/1/32/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir, NK)
Ben Groesbeck – Meridian, ID; US Army, Korea, 187th Airborne Regiment
Juan F. Gutierrez – Sante Fe, NM; US Army, WWII, PTO, Pfc., 200th Coast Artillery Regiment, KIA (Cabanatan POW Camp, Luzon, P.I.)
John ‘Mike’ Lappano – Spokane, WA; US Army, Vietnam, 82nd Airborne Division, Bronze Star
Mariam L. McNally – New Albany, IN; US Womens Marine Corps, WWII
Jimmy Rowland – Prentiss County, MS; US Army, Korea, PTO, Pfc. #14299700, Heavy Weapons Co./19/24th Infantry Division, KIA (Kum River, Taejon, SK)
Edward M. Ryan – NYC, NY; US Army, WWII, PTO, Pvt. # 12026079, HQ Co/1/105/27th Infantry Division, Bronze Star, KIA (Saipan)
Ben Skardon (104) – Walterboro, SC; US Army, WWII, PTO, Bataan March survivor / Korea, Colonel (Ret. 20 y.), 3-Bronze Stars, 2 -Silver Stars
Arthur Talis – Boston, MA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Puget Sound
Minoru “Daddy Mike” Yoneda – San Martin, CA; US Navy, Korea & Vietnam (Ret. 33 y.), / Civilian, Sasebo Naval Base, Japan
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December 1944 Leyte
USS Ward off of Ormac
6 December – the main thrust of Operation Wa on Leyte, P.I. was provided by the Japanese 26th Division, minus the battalion that was attempting to protect Ormoc, but the enemy found it difficult to maintain their schedule given to them by the Manila headquarters. General Suzuki requested a 2-day delay, but he was denied.
Only 300 Japanese paratroopers of the 16th Division were left after desertions to jump on the Buraen airfield. The 700 troopers of the 3rd Parachute Regiment, flying in from Luzon, ran into heavy flak and lost 4 planes. The remaining Japanese
Major Shirai Tsuneharu suiting up for Leyte jump.
aircraft dropped their troopers on the 11th Airborne Headquarters Company. [Smitty’s unit] (an eye witness story on this will appear next Monday)
8→9 December – 500 more enemy paratroopers were assigned to to jump on an airfield above Ormoc near Highway 2, but they landed 5 miles north of their target. Col. Mitsui, with poorly armed service units, was dug-in on a high ground position below the city waiting for support. MGen. A. Bruce’s US 77th Division broke through the defense. He sent the following message to Corps Commander, John Hodge: “HAVE ROLLED TWO SEVENS IN ORMOC. COME SEVEN, COME ELEVEN.” [referencing to the 77th; 7th and 11th divisions].
Mortars by Ormac
9 December – two more enemy convoys were enroute to Ormoc Bay. The first convoy had 3,000 men of the 8th Division and 900 tons of matériel and supplies in 5 transports, 3 destroyers and 2 sub-chasers with an escort of about 30 fighters. US Marine Corsairs sank 3 transports and then one more was sunk in a combined USMC/Army aircraft effort.
The other convoy of 2 destroyers and 2 transports carried 700 men, tanks, and mortars. These were spotted by the destroyer Coghlan which proceeded to sink one of the Japanese vessels. Despite the fact that so many enemy ships were destroyed, a very large number of reinforcements made it to shore, but their effectiveness was hampered by the amount of supplies that went to bottom of the ocean.
Oryoku Maru sinking and POWs abandon ship in Subic Bay. This picture was provided by David Demether.
13 December – 1,800 prisoners at Santo Tomás, Luzon began marching to Pier 7 to board the enemy “hell ship” Oroyoku-Maru. It was sunk 2 days later near Subic Bay by American carrier aircraft. Angry Japanese guards shot at the men trying to escape the ship’s sinking hull and those struggling in the water. Those that made it to shore were sent out on other ships 27 December and 2 January. Out of the original 1800 Americans, 1,426 perished.
Also on this date, the cruiser USS Nashville and destroyer USS Haraden were damaged by kamikaze pilots.
15→20 December – The Visayan Force [ between Mindanao and Luzon are the Visayan Islands – Cebu, Panay, Negros, Leyte and Samar.], the US 24th Division landed on Mindoro just off the SW coast of Luzon. The island only had a small garrison, but 4 abandoned airfields that would soon be used by the US Army Air Corps. The 503rd PRCT came ashore. They could not jump in due to the weather.
On and over Luzon, US carrier aircraft destroyed 225 enemy aircraft in 3 separate attacks.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Gus M. Betzares – Richmond, VA; USMC, WWII & Korea
Seth F. Beyeler – Fish Haven, ID; USMC, WWII, PTO
Francis DiMarco – Stonington, CT; US Army, WWII, Medic, 117th Evac
A. Linwood Holton Jr. – Big Stone Gap, VA; US Navy, Japanese Occupation, submarine service
Paul Kitagaki – Oakland, CA; US Air Force, radar/electronics
Dow H. Luetscher – Madison, WI; US Army, WWII, ETO, Co L/347/87th Infantry Division
Pacquale Manno – brn: ITA; US Army, WWII, ETO
Fenton D. McVannan – W.Endicott, NY; USMC, WWII, PTO
William O’Donnell IV – Brighton, MI; US Army, 101st Airborne Division
Joseph Pallotta – Cleveland, OH; US Army, WWII, ETO
William Pencak – Adams, TN; US Army, HQ Co/3/511/11th Airborne Division
John Soliz – San Antonio, TX; US Army, Medical/221/11th Airborne Division
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USMC Birthday | Veterans Day
US Marine Corps Birthday
10 November 2021 – The United States Marine Corps’ 246th Birthday
Prior to 1921, Marines celebrated the recreation of the Corps on 11 July with little pomp or pageantry. On 21 October 1921, Major Edwin North McClellan, in charge of the Corps’s fledgling historical section, sent a memorandum to Commandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting the Marines’ original birthday of 10 November be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps. Lejeune so ordered in Marine Corps Order 47:
Sketch of the original Tun Tavern
11 November 2021 – U.S. Veterans Day
On November 11th, we pause to reflect on the history of this great Nation and honor all those who fought to defend it. Originally titled “Armistice Day” and intended to celebrate the end of World War I, “the war to end all wars,” Veterans Day allows us to give thanks to veterans past and present, men and women from all walks of life and all ethnicities, who stood up and said, “Send me.” We recognize your sacrifices, your sense of duty and your love for this country.
Poppy from MaryLou
Remembrance Day around the world!
Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of WWI, to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V, in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente.
Click on still pictures to enlarge.
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
George Ankomeus – Ft. Atkinson, WI; US Army, Korea, Co. A/187th RCT
Santina Breen – Elizabeth, NJ; US Navy WAVES, WWII
Eric David – brn: Koln, GER; US Navy, WWII, electrician’s mate
Edward Fay Jr. – Bradenton, FL; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Robert J. Herynk – Hanover, KS; US Army, WWII, PTO, Pvt., Co K/3/126/32nd Infantry Division, KIA (Soputa-Sanananda Track, NG)
Allan F. Hicks – MO; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, SSgt. # 19145765, 319th Bomber Group/440th B Squadron, KIA (Italy)
Harold W. Lindsey – San Antonio, TX; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 2nd Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Stephen C. Mason – Jersey City, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, Pvt. # 12165894, HQ Co/505/82nd Airborne Division, Bronze Star, Silver Star, KIA (Beek, NETH)
James McDonald – Leveland, TX; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Fireman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Walter C. Stein – Cheyenne, WY; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Seaman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Michaux Turbeville – Dillon, NC; US Army, Korea, Pfc., HQ Co/3/31/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
Leon S. Wheeler – Conklin, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Co. E/188/11th Airborne Division
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Why is the only person standing, the one in the wheelchair?
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Leyte 1944 | Another Eye Witness Account
John Holland, 11th Airborne Division
For another insight into the landing at Bito Beach, Leyte, John Holland, of the 675th Glider Field Artillery/11th Airborne Division speaks here…
“February 18, 1943, I was assigned and shipped by train to Camp MacKall, Hoffman, North Carolina, and I arrived on the 22th. The Army had started their 1st Airborne Division, which included glider and paratroops together. A division of about 8,000 included artillery, infantry, engineering, anti-aircraft artillery, tanks and support units.
“I was assigned to 675th Field Artillery, Battery A unit. This was a unit of 105 howitzers, short barrel with split rails to fit in the gliders for transport to battle areas. I was in the Communication Section which had to set up telephones and switchboards to all positions and also radio.
After landing on Leyte… ” Further enemy action did not occur until just before dark when 3 Japanese planes came in from the east, over the high area inland and dropped 2 bombs; one was a dud and the other exploded just east of our area. The planes circled and started back to us, then turned away as 7 of our planes intercepted and shot down a Zeke.
Spotters | 11th Airborne
“Then about dark, we heard incoming shells and we all hit the fox holes. All shells hit either on the beach or short of our position. At about 2000 hours, a groups of Japanese soldiers started hollering and running to our position. We killed all but one and he fell into a large hole before he got to us. The next day, just north of our position, several LSTs landed cameramen and reporters.”
John’s unit stayed on the beach for 2 more days and nights under fire from enemy planes an ground troops. On the 4th day, they began to move inland. It took the 2 weeks to push through the center of Leyte’s rough terrain to the coast. When they got there, they helped the people of the villages put their houses back together.
“Many of our soldiers were stricken by yellow jaundice and malaria. We received replacements and started moving to several small islands, securing them and cleaning pockets of Japanese soldiers from them..”
This excerpt is from an article that first ran in “The Voice of the Angels” newspaper for the 11th Airborne Div. Assoc.
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Military Humor –
“Them wuz his exack words – ‘I envy th’ way you dogfaces git first pick o’ wimmen an’ likker in towns”‘
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Farewell Salutes –
W. Emmett “Bud” Barnes (103) – Coeur d’Alene, ID; US Army, WWII / US Army Reserves (Ret.30 y.)
Guerrino “Reno” Belmessieri – San Francisco, CA; US Army, WWII, PTO, Pfc.
Farewell
Larry Goergen (100) – Osage, IA; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Patrick J. Hernandez – Harlingen, TX; US Army,108th MP Co./503/16th MP Brigade
Octavious Mabine – Portsmouth, VA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Mess Attendant 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor, HI)
Carl Madsen – Weldon Spring, MO; US Air Force / NFL re-play official
Melva Phillips – Sal Lake City, UT; US Army WAC, WWII, nurse
Thaddeus Piekos (101) – White Plains, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Armand C. Sedgeley – SD; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, bombardier
Lloyd C. Wade – Westminster, CO; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Co. C/127th Engineers/11th Airborne Division
Abraham Woods – Marion, AL; US Army, Vietnam, Pfc. # 63004267, Co. C/4/9/25th Infantry Division, KIA
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Pacific Paratrooper 