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Showing posts with label air raid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label air raid. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Leonard's Story: Restricted December 23, 1944

This attack was on the Allied air bases on Leyte, in central Philippines.  The Allies had not yet taken Manila, which was still under Japanese control. 

I have to wonder how Uncle Len smuggled out a restricted document such as this.
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RESTRICTED

                THE PARATROOP ATTACH OF DECEMBER SIXTH

     The plan was bold and dating, and in every way worthy of Nippon's glorious
tradition.  Covered by a great force of fighters and bombers, a battalion of para-
troops would descend from a fleet of transport planes simultaneously on all the
Allied air bases on LEYTE.  The attack would be ade at dusk, when Americans are
notoriously sluggish after their heavy materialistic evening meal; but there
would still be enough light to land safely and perform much work of destruction
before complete darkness.  The main effect would be made on the strips in the
BURAUEN Area, where the paratroops could expect help from their brave  comrades
of the 16th and 26th Divisions, who had slashed their way from the mountains through
the Allied lines.  Small specially picked groups would land at TACLOBAN Strip, and
destroy all the planes they could before being killed -- there was probably no
avenue of escape for these heroes.  Confusion and chaos were to be spread every-
where.  If all went well, not a single American plane would be able to fly on
the following day, and thus an important convoy containing a whole brigade of
sorely needed reinforcements would be able to anchor and unload at ORMOC without
interference.

     Moreover, the timing of the attack was such that the great and decisive re-
sults could be announced on December 8th, the anniversary of PEARL HARBOR, and
this give a badly needed fillip to home morale, sagging under the steady reverses
in the PACIFIC and the B-29 raids on TOKYO.

     These, in brief, seem to have been the objectives of the Jap paratroop attack
of 6 December; but as was so often the case with other bold and daring attacks,
the performance did not measure up to the promise.

     Actually, only about 200 to 300 paratroops reached the ground alive.  Of one
flight of 51 planes, comprising transports, bombers and flighters, AA gunners
claim to have shot down 18 planes.  Some of the transports also evidently lost
their way, for reports were received of paratroop landings at remote localities.
The bulk, however, comprising probably 20 planeloads, descended in the vicinity
of SAN PABLO and BURI strips; by actual count, 124 parachutes, compactly grouped,
were located along a north-south line just west of SAN PABLO field, while about
80 paratroops descended on BURI.  At SAN PABLO, the dropping was preceded by bom-
bing and the laying of a smoke screen.

     The attacks on DULAG and TACLOBAN strips completely miscarried.  One enemy
plane flew low over DULAG airfield, dropping 2-5 parachutists; it later crashed
in flames in the sea.  One Jap of this group was killed as he attempted to set
up a machine gun along the BURAUEN-DULAG ROAD.  Another plane crashed 4500 yds
northeast of DULAG field.  That was the extent of the attack on this strip.

     At TACLOBAN, two converted "Betty" bombers approached the strip in the nor-
mal landing pattern, with flaps and wheels lowered.  One was shot down in the
sea, the other crashed near the strip.

     A Jap first lieutenant , leader of the TACLOBAN attack, was fished out of
SAN PEDRO BAY.  He stated he had 30 men under his command; they had taken off in
three converted bombers.  He had been given orders to attack either TACLOBAN or
DULAG airfield, depending upon the "ferocity" of the AA defense. He chose TAC-
LOBAN and his plane was to land there followed by the other two planes.  If con-
ditions were such that they could not take off on completion of the mission, the
pilots were to burn their planes.  The men were to disperse in groups of two or
three if planes were few on the strip, or singly if planes were numerous.  They
were to disregard defense against enemy fire and concentrate on igniting as many
Allied planes as possible before they were killed.  They had no expectation of
survival.

     Unfortunately for the Jap plan, and whether by accident or design, the bulk
of the paratroops dropped as the unserviceable and non-operational SAN PABLO and
BURI Strips, where the only planes present were a few L-5s.  According to a small
group of the 11th A/B Division, who were on SAN PABLO Strip when the descent was
made there, the Jap paratroops came down the runway acting as if they were drunk

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[page 2]

RESTRICTED

or had been drugged.  They were singing, yelling, and three of them were playing
musical instruments--a jewsharp, harmonica and small norn.  They shouted 'Hello!
Hello!  Where are your machine guns" and other irreleant comments.  Their work
of destruction had neither rhyme nor reason.  Two or three L-5s were burned, and
other planes of the same type standing nearby were left unmolested.  Large am-
munition dumps, CP area, and other important installations were not disturbed,
while the Japs shot holes in washstands, burned up a jeep, and overturned a truck.
Flares were discharged promiscuously.

     On the following day, the paratroops were driven off the SAN PABLO Strip;
they retreated northward to a pocket near the BURI Strip, where they held out
against all attacks for several days.  There they were joined by remnants of the
16th Division who had early in the morning of the 6th infiltrated from the west
into BURAUEN--BURI Area.

     According to prisoners, about 500 of the remaining troops of the 16th Div
were assembled west of BURAUEN on 2 December, and were told by their officers that
after a few days' rest, they would attack towards the airfields in conjunction with
an airborne invasion.  Artillary fire and tank action dispersed all but about 200
of them; the remainder launched an attack on the morning of the 6th; the apparent
mis-timing was due, according to the prisoners, to the failure of the paratroops
to land as originally schedule.  In corroboration of this statement, some of the
captured documents do indicate the airborne phase was supposed to have occurred
on the night of the 5th.

     A battalion of the 13th Ind Inf Regt of the 26th Division was likewise to
cooperate in the attack, by moving on the BURI and BAYUG Airfields from the south.
In this case there was a complete lack of coordination--this battalion did not
attack until the night of 10 December, after the paratroops had already been
liquidated.

     By 12 December, the combined air-ground attack was eliminated; the thee air-
fields in the BURAUEN Area were cleared of enemy; a total of 215 dead Japs had
been counted in the BURI Area, of which one-third were paratroops, and 125 dead
were counted at SAN PEDRO all of whom were paratroops.

     The paratroops were picked fanatics, all of whom had volunteered from various
branches of the Japanese Army for a suicide missionn the nature of which was not
specified when they joined.  Details of their recruitment and organization will
be found in the Order of Battle Section of this report.  They had been in FORMOSA,
and flew down to MANILA on the 5th, the day before the attack. Actual contact
proved, however, that they were no better in combat than the average Jap infantry-
man.

     They were superbly equipped.  For example, one typical paratroop had on his
person the following:  an 8-mm tommy gun of new type; an 8-mm pistol; 8 M-97 gren-
ades; 2 smoke candles, a bayonet; a case with tommy gun clips; a case containing
two Molotov cocktails; one magnetic mine and case with spare parts; a parachute;
a set of waterproof clothing; pieces of rope; sack of rations; and canteen.
Others carried radios, demolition equipment of new and unusual types, folding-type
rifles, and other special equipment described elsewhere in this report.  Elaborate
plans for deception were not overlooked.  Seven dead Japs removed from the TACLO-
BAN plane were found to have either American or civilian clothes under their
regular uniforms.

     Captured orders indicate that the plans for destruction of airfield instal-
lations wer thorough and detailed.  Paratroop leaders were furnished with aerial
photographs of the airfields, with annotations showing the location of main in-
stallations.  All were  thoroughly briefed beforehand on the general plan, and
some carried out arehearsal at their home base.  The work of destruction was ot
proceed in phases, with airplanes naturally being the prime target; after them AA
positions, gas dumps, radio installations and bridges were to receive attention.
Assembly areas for use before and after the assault were carefully pinpointed.

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[page 3]

RESTRICTED

     A document recovered from one of the planes contained a list of phrase in
Japanese and English which the commander had evidently thought would prove use-
ful.  The English prhases are reproduced here exactly as written:

          "1.  Kill a Yankee!
           2.  Got to Hell, Beast!
           3.  Have done, all the resistance (struggle)!
           4.  Lay down arms (surrender) quickly!
           5.  If don't, shall die (shall be shoot dead)!
           6.  Hold up!
           7.  Where is the (General) Headquarters?
           8.  How many airplanes are there?
                Consolidated B-24 (Liberator)
                P-38
                (Warlike) Material Warehouse
                the powder magazine
                gasoline tank
                the mine zone
                (mortar) car
           9.  Come along!  Draw map!
          10.  Go ahead!

     "All the Japanese Army has done great attack for enemy from tonight.  And
the other airdrome of DORAG, BRAOUEN, SAN PABRO has been taken already.
     "It is resistless, so that get away frin here in this night, do what I say,
must help your life.  If don't , shall die all these captives."

     Although the attack had caused damage and some dislocation, it had com-
pletely failed in its main objective - the crippling of Allied LEYTE-based air
power.  Nevertheless, as long as the enemy still had more transport planes and
an apparently inexhaustible supply of zealots, he could be depended upon to at-
tempt similar exploits in the future.

___________







Reproduced by Hg, 11th A/B Div, 23 Dec 44.                           HJM:RMA





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Monday, June 9, 2014

Leonard's Story: December 21, 1944

This letter is a retelling of the previous letter but with the details of the Japanese counteroffensive. S-2 refers to military intelligence, as in collecting data on enemy movement and battlefield deployments. Knee mortar is likely a 30 ounce grenade launched from a grenade launcher called a leg mortar. G-2 refers to Army intelligence but it is unclear what a ghoal is. The Lodger is a 1944 horror movie, based on Jack the Ripper and starring Merle Oberon, George Sanders and Laird Cregar. 
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                                                                       Philippines
                                                                       21st Dec

Dear Arnold,

     I just received your letter of 30 Nov today.  I have
received others since, and I don't know what the mix up
was.  Incidentally your letter and some clippings sent to
the 37th Div on the election, is the first mail I have receiv-
ed in over two weeks.  I hope I get some later mail before
Christmas.

     You mention the snow and the white barreness.  It is
beautiful in a bleak, cold white way, it will give you a
real White Christmas.  I'll never forget one day at Ritchie
when we had to go out on a map problem.  There was about
eight inches of snow on the ground, a sharp bitter wind was
blowing, bringing the temperature down below zero.  I would
take off a glove write a few figures or a few lines of a
sketch and then put it on before my hand froze.  We had on
hoods and masks with only our noses and eyes sticking out,
I thought my nose would freeze and fall outff.  It is hard
to imagine when spring comes that something so beautiful
and green could be so bleak and cold.

     Now it can be told!  At 1838 on the evening of the
6th of Dec, during a customary air raid, about twenty one
or more planes suddenly came roaring over at about 800 ft.
The strange thing was that they were Jap transports.  They
held their formation beautifully, and flew on without a break
or falter through a sky filled with flak.  Then to our rear
and right flank paratroopers came pouring out the doors.  In
less than thirty seconds they were on the ground and the
planes had disappeared in the distance.  Imagine the excite-
ment and confusion.  I will never forget that night.  Only a
few of themen had bothered to dig foxholes, but you should
have seen the scramble for shovels.  We dug them around and
in our G-2 tent.  Three of us were working together on one,
and it is quite an experience to dig one in pitch darkness.
Before we could finish the fireworks started.  Bullets were
wanging around everywhere, mostly our own.  Two men were shot
ten feet from me in the tent by our own fire.  This firing
kept up all night, and it rough spending the night in a
little foxhole with two other men.  There were no Japs
shot right in our immediate area, however the trigger happy
bastards were able to get some of our men, and would quite
a few more.  The next day or I should say that morning I
was assigned as acting S-2 or a mixed regiment formed to
protect a nearby airstrip.

     Once again history repeated itself, but this time there
were actually some Japs around.  The Japs threw over a few

[page 2]
mortar shells not far where I was holed up in a fortress of
stacked steel airstrip matting.  They were not knee mortar
shells, but 60mms, and Bub it is an unpleasant feeling to
hear them exploding around you.  For the few they/shot over
we dumped back a hundred fold so they finally decided it did'nt
pay and quit.  The main shooting was across the strip from
where I was situated, but the men around us did'nt let that
phase them.  I guess they thought it was the fourth of July
or something.  Every time out own troops would have somthing
to shoot at across the strip, the boys on my side would hear
the firing and would open up in any direction just for the
hell of it.  They shot one of their own men about fifty feet
from where I was.  These GIs are good shots and consequently
they usually kill what they hit.  About 0130 the Colonel sent
me out to find out why they were throwing grenades, and I'll
be damned if they did'nt almost get me.  About every ten or
fifteen minutes they would decide they needed some extra pro-
tection so some joker would toss a hand frenade out in front of
his hole.  The next morning they knocked off some snipers
nearby, but at that time I only had a .45 and they were out
of my range.  Shortly afterwards I drew a carbine.

     I have been out on four special patrols now, but I have'nt
gotten any more Japs since the first one - patrol.  In fact I
just came in from one tonight.  We went up to where one of
the transports crashed, to get some equipment.  The plane was
up on a cliff and the bodies were two undred feet below
in and on the banks of a river.  While we were up on the
cliff some of the men below got two Japs, but all I could
do was listen to the firing, I could'nt even see what was
happening.  I don't mind so much searching freshly killed
Japs, but when they get a week or two old, the odor gets
pretty bad.  I am fast becoming the official G-2 Ghoal.
I thought I was getting hardened until I heard about some
of the GIs digging the gold fillings out of the teeth of
rotting Japs.

     Well tonight we had a show, the first one I've seen for
a long time.  It was THE LODGER, fair for out here.  The sun
has come out a little in the last few days, I ate down at
another ourfit tonight and walked away with the wrinkles (not many now)
taken out of my stomach for a change, the action is going
along swell here, in fact things are almost looking up a
little.  Inclosed you will find a Jap major's insignia taken
off one of the deceased at the plane.  Write soon.

                                                  love,
                                        [signed] Leonard

P.S. Thanks for the wings, but I have'nt received them yet.