Leonard's Story: February 16, 1945

BC scope may be Battery Commander's scope.  Jap MG could be a Japanese machine gunner.

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[written on Japanese paper with vertical lines and some vertical Japanese print in the lower right margin.]

                                                     Philippines

                                                     16 Feb

Dear Arnold,

     Well here we are at it again, I have in-

creased my combat quite a bit since the last

place.  I have been out on quite a few missions

to the front lines.  One day I got alot of

artillery fire, not that there has'nt been any

around here.  In fact the closest burst to me

was right here at Div Hqs, when a five-incher

hit a limb of a tree outside only thirty yards

away.  The Japs are lousy shots, and when I

was forwarded with an artillery observer they

were xxxx plunking them in at fifty to one-hun-

dred yards away.  These Japs shells sound very

realistic, almost like the movie shells.  You

first hear that characteristic wailing scream

which increases in pitch then bang or rather

boom.  Xx Up to a certain pitch if the shell

starts to decrease in sound vibrations then

you know you are safe and that it is passing

over to the right or left and going beyond you

(Doppler's effect).  Now if the shell keeps

increasing in pitch and intensity pass this

certain point then you had best hit the ground.

This technique of evaluation of sound waves can

only be obtained by experience.  Now I can't

tell what a shell sounds like when it comes

directly down on top of you, because I have

yet to have that happen.

     This same day I watched some Japs that

were only about 100 to 1200 yards away.  When

using some captured Jap glasses of 20 power I

could almost see the expressions on their faces.

We could see one joker who was standing up in

plain sight ( I think he was a comm man as he

used semaphore flags once in a while), and had

the same type of BC scope that we did.  If one

of us stood up too high and was observed then

they would throw over a few rounds.  But it

was'nt long before the artillery was thru with

a target in another sector, and the artillery

observer zeroed in on these Japs.  It is getting

dark I will move outside.

                                    -1-

[page 2]

     The next day I went out again to examine

some captured equipment with a signal man.  I

know you would have been interested in it.  The

setup was out at the forward elements of the right

flank, and the enemy was only 500 yards away in

pplaces.  We were looking over one hunk of stuff,

which was in a cut that opened out to the right,

when a Jap MG xxxxxxxxx on a ridge that was only

500 yards away opened up on us.  Fortunately the

MG was situated slightly forward of the ay the

entranced opened out, and by getting back to-

wards the rear he could'nt get us.  However the

dirt was being sprayed all over us, and once in

a while a few bullets would hit inside up against

the side of the cut-out at an angle.  Up near the

entrance was a dead American who had been hit by

a MG and who was holding part of his intestines

in his hand of his outflung arm.  We were pinned

down for almost an hour.  This Jap MG gave us a

lot of trouble, he nicked some of the men (not

badly though) and pinned us down five times at

various places on this ridge.  After it had been

quiet for a half-an-hour and we were crouching

in stead of crawling, I got up on my knees to

observe some of the artillery fire and the bastard

saw me with my field glasses and opened up.  There

was concrete mount on my left, and the bullets

really sprayed into it about a foot and a half

behind my head.  A man three feet to me left

in line with me was nicked by a fragment, however

it turned out to be a scratch or a little grove

in his head.  I guess that was the closest call

I had.  Although later on that same day I was

standing only 25 yards from a jeep when it ran

over a 500lb mine.  It blew the jeep to hell.

The biggest piece was part of the read axle and

some of the twisted chasis, which was found about

100 yards away.  The rider was found (what was

left of him) 150 years away, and the driver even

farther.  I did'nt see the reamins of the driver,

as they had not found his body when I had to go

somewhere else.  The crater was 20 feet across

and ten feet deep.  I just happened to be looking,

at the jeep when it hit the mine.  it is too

dark to see I will have to finish this tomorrow.

                                      -2-

[page 3]

                                                         17 Feb

     The jeep went up over 150 feet in the air,

and we were all showered with dirt clods up to

six inches in diameter.  However all we got were

a few little bruises.  Some men were only 15-20

feet from the jeep (believe it or not) and were

blown back away from the mine, but were not hurt

except for slight shock.  The jeep parts all

landed in an area where everyone had just cleared,

and no one was hit by flying pieces.

     I finally wrote the folks and told them that

I am in an Airborne Division, although this is

a hell of a time to say that I am in the 11th

A/B Division.  I hope they won't worry too much.

Send me some clippings of us, as I wonder what

they say about us.  Frankly a lot of crap that

is pure propaganda is flung at the public.  In

other words (and all we get to read of the stuff

that is for home comsumption are the communiques)

somethings that are little are made to sound big,

held up for a quiet period and then released, are

words which imply another meaning, are coated before

release, are not released, are overemphasized while

something more important but not so favorable to

our condition are played down.

     Well Bud, I have got to get back to work.

Take care of yourself and write soon.

                                      love,

                           [signed] Leonard

Inclosed are some souvenirs

    4 postcards

  50 sen

100 pesos

    5 photos

     more stuff coming up

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Leonard's Story: December 10, 1944

CP is probably Command Post. 
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                                                                    Philippines

                                                                   Sun, 10th Dec

Dear Arnold,

     How is the home front?  I have finally had a little

real combat experience, sleeping in a muddy fox hole all

night, being under fire, seeing dead of both sides, and

even killing a Jap.

     On Pearl Harbour day I was assigned (volunteered) to go

on a special / mission up to the front to search Jap bodies, recover and

capture all possible documents, and try to identify the enemy

force.  Searching bodies is not normally my duty, but identifying

is.  I was flown up to an airstrip about a milebehind the lines,

and hoofed it the rest of the way.  I finally found an officer

of the unit I was looking for and he supplied me with an ample

bodyguard, and four AA men on their day off decided to come along

for excitement.  We were on the right flank, and the road to the

main fighting area was under fire, so we had to go a long way

around.  The mud was over our knees at times, and often we became

mired and had to pull one another out, in addition we were travell-

ing in an area in which there were snipers.  We got lost once and

almost walked into the main field of fire, however we finally

arrived at an air unit which was more or less temporarily isolated

on a hill, as firing was going on in all directions around them,

in fact shortly after we arrived we neard firing in the direction

we had just come from.  They treated us well, fed us and gave

us water and directions.  We started out about noon and travelled

down a road whcih was practically one the line.  All the Japs

inside the area had already been searched, and I had to go into

a swamp fifty yards in front of the lines.  I took one of the

AA men who seemed like a reliable man.

     It was a messy ticklish job, in muddy, bloody water.  I

was'nt so much afraid of meeting a Jap, as having one get in

between us and the lines, and having out own troops shoot us

while shooting at the Jap.  We found some with grenades or their

weapons still clenched in their hands.  We finally reached our

last Jap.  I thought he looked in pretty good codition, and

he did'nt seem to be hit badly.  We had just finished searching

him, and while turning him over for a final check we pushed

his head under water.  The bastard was playing possum, but he

could hold his breath, and when we turned him back up he started

gasping.  He opened his eyes and looked at me, that was his last

earthly act and mistake.  I shot him in the head with my .45

at two feet, you can well imagine the effects.  He might have   ?

been helpless and merely recovering conciousness, and I could

have just as well cold-conked him, but in that one second I

forgot I was in intelligence and all I could think of was

what if he had a grenade or knife in his hands which were

below the water, it was him or me.  However I have no feelings

[page 2]

                                    [arrow, handwritten] I'll never know

about the matter, even if he was helpless, but I do which I

had taken him prisoner, we could use the information.

I got some good souvenirs; Jap flag, rifle, bayonet, watch, [arrow, vertical in margin] 

                                                                                        And a good cigarette

                                                                                        case that coincidentally,

                                                                                        see other side

other misc items.  I am going to send all home except the

rifle, which is verboten.

     That same night we had some most unusual excitement,

the nature which I am not at present permitted to disclose,

but you probably read about it in newspapers.  We had Japs

running around near our area creating a good deal of conusion,

but not too much damage.  These green troops were all "trigger

happy", and consequently those at the Division Cp hit more

of our own men than they did Japs.  Two men were hit in the

G-2 tent ten feet from me.  No Japs were found the next morning,

but some of our own wounded and dead were, shot with our own

weapons.  It is a sad situation when you are shot by your

own troops.  Some of these fools must have thought it was

fourth of July, and shot at everything and anything that

moved or made a noise and a great deal of things they imagined.

Someone would open up and everybody else would follow suit,

not knowing what they were shooting at. Consequently I spent

most of the night in my foxhole.  I have only fired oneshot

at the enemy.

     The second night I was on temporary duty with a temporary

unit guarding an object.  There were green troops again, just

brought up from the beach, and again history repeated itself.

A man was killed fifty yards from the CP I was at by a carbine

bullet.  About two AM the Colonel ordered me to go out and

find out what they were throwing grenades at, although I

crawled out on my belly, they almost got me.  Periodically

they would lob a grenade out in front of their foxholes.

In the morning we aggain found no Japs in their immediate area.

There were some Japs about three or four hundred yards away,

and we did receive some mortar fire, but I don't know if it

was from the Japs or our own troops.

     Things are almost back to normal now, and I doubt if I

will see some excitement again for some time.  For a while

the sun came out, but it has started raining again, nevertheless

despite the weather, our troops have made good progress as

you have probably been reading in the papers, and it should'nt

be long before things care cleaned up here.  I imagine in the

next operation I will have even more exciting things to write

about.  Well write soon and give me the latest news.  By the

time this letter reaches you, you will be at MIT, and Christmas

and New Years will be a thing of the past, but just the same:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM THE PHILIPPINES

                                                                         LOVE,

                                                         [signed] Leonard

P.S. That earthquake was convenient, I have been hoping for the

thatsame for the last three years.

[page 3]

(in pencil - very faded

                     AHN)

I was on pretty friendly terms

with our Native baggage boys

but since I killed the Jap

that I might have captured

there has been a change. Try

as I may they wont take

a cigarette from the Jap case.

                                         ?

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