Chapter III: Preface

The landing of the American forces on Leyte on 20 October 1944 brought to fruition the long-cherished desire of General Douglas MacArthur to return to the Philippine Islands and avenge the humiliating reverses suffered in the early days of World War II. The successful conclusion of the campaign separated the Japanese-held Philippine Archipelago into two parts, with a strong American force between them. More important, it completed the severance of the Japanese mainland from the stolen southern empire in the Netherlands Indies from which oil, the lifeblood of modern warfare, had come.

The Leyte Campaign, like other campaigns in the Pacific, was waged on the land, in the air, and on and under the sea. In this operation all branches of the American armed forces played significant roles. Therefore, although the emphasis in this volume is placed upon the deeds of the United States Army ground soldier, the endeavors of the aviator, the sailor, the marine and the Filipino guerrilla have been integrated as far as possible into the story in order to make the campaign understandable in its entirety. At the same time, every effort has been made to give the Japanese side of the story.

Obviously, to include every exploit of every branch of the armed forces, of the Filipinos, and of the Japanese would be far beyond the compass of a single volume. A careful selectivity was necessary throughout in order to avoid the Scylla of omission while skirting the Charybdis of oversimplification. Despite these precautions, because of the nature of the available documentary evidence, I may have unwittingly fallen into some of the very pitfalls that I tried to avoid.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to the many people who have given fully of their time and talents in the preparation of this volume.

Especial thanks are due to Dr. John Miller, jr., who, during his tenure as Chief of the Pacific Section, Office of the Chief of Military History, carefully reviewed the final draft of the manuscript. His sound advice and constructive criticism eliminated many a roadblock. I wish, also, to thank Dr. Louis Morton, Chief of the Pacific Section, under whose direction this volume was started; he made constructive criticism of several of the chapters. Dr. Kent Roberts Greenfield, Chief Historian, Department of the Army, devoted much time and effort to reviewing the manuscript and his many penetrating comments on the various chapters were invaluable.

Appreciation is due to the people of the Historical Records Section, Departmental Records Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, who helped to locate source material and furnished working space for me and the records. To Mrs. Lois Aldridge, Mrs. Frances Bowen, Mrs. Clyde Christian, Miss Margaret Emerson, Mrs. Ellen Garrison, Mr. Robert Greathouse, Miss Matilda Huber, Mrs. Margarite Kerstetter, Mr. Wilbur Nigh, Miss Sue D. Wallace, and Miss Thelma K. Yarborough--thanks.

I wish also to thank the members of the U. S. Air Force Historical Division, Air University, and the Naval History Branch, Naval Records and History Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, for placing at my disposal the pertinent air and naval records.

Thanks are also due to the members of the historical sections of the U. S. Navy and the U. S. Air Force and to the many participating commanders of various branches of the U. S. armed forces who read all or parts of the manuscript.

The late W. Brooks Phillips started the editing of the manuscript. He was succeeded by Col. B. A. Day, Chief of the Editorial and Publication Division, and Mrs. Loretto Stevens. Mrs. Stevens also prepared the final copy for the printer. Miss Mary Ann Bacon prepared the index.

Mrs. Martha Willoughby, in addition to accomplishing the arduous task of interpreting my handwriting, typed many of the drafts of the manuscript and saw that the subject and predicate agreed. Mrs. Wynona Hayden, Mrs. Stella Hess, and Mrs. Michael Miller also typed parts of the manuscript. Miss Elizabeth Armstrong painstakingly typed the final copy.

Mr. Wsevolod Aglaimoff and Lt. Col. Robert F. O'Donnell, as well as other members of the Cartographic Branch, spent many months in research for and preparation of the maps. At the time this volume was being prepared for publication, no reliable maps of Leyte were available. The maps for this volume are based on the highly inaccurate maps used by the troops during the operation. The relief in particular, as shown on these maps, has little in common with the terrain configuration which confronted the troops. Thus, both military and geographical information as given on the maps in the volume should be regarded only as an approximation of the actual situation at the time of the battle.

Major Arthur T. Lawry selected and edited the photographs used in this volume. Lt. Roger Pineau (USNR) furnished me the photograph of General Suzuki. Mr. Israel Wice and his capable assistants in the General Reference Branch were helpful at crucial stages of the manuscript.

My sincere appreciation and thanks go to Maj. Gen. Harry A. Maloney, Chief of Military History, and to his successors, Maj. Gen. Orlando Ward and Maj. Gen. Albert C. Smith, as well as to members of their staffs, for their understanding and co-operation.

M. HAMLIN CANNON

Washington, D. C. 15 June 1953

CONTENTS

Chapter Page

I. THE STRATEGIC PLAN 1

Preliminary Discussion 1
Plans Agreed Upon 8

II. THE NATURE OF THE TARGET 10

Geography of Leyte 10
The Resistance Movement on Leyte 14
Liaison Between Leyte and Australia 18

III. PLANS ARE MADE AND FORCES ARE READIED 21

Estimate of the Enemy Situation 21
The Tactical Plan 23
The Logistical Plan 35

IV. THE RETURN 40

The Convoy Forms 40
Softening the Target 42
Japanese Plan of Defense 45
Securing the Channel Approaches 54
The Convoy Enters Leyte Gulf 58

V. A DAY: 20 OCTOBER 1944 60

Bombardment of the Shores of Leyte 60
X Corps Goes Ashore 62
XXIV Corps Goes Ashore 72
Bringing in Supplies 80

VI. THE JAPANESE REACTION 85

The Air Forces 85
The Battle of Leyte Gulf 88
The Japanese Reinforce the Leyte Garrison 92

VII. SOUTHERN LEYTE VALLEY: PART ONE 103

The SHO Operations 103
Enlarging the 96th Division Beachhead 107
Catmon Hill Area 114

VIII. SOUTHERN LEYTE VALLEY: PART TWO 124

The Dulag-Burauen Road 124
Securing the XXIV Corps Beachhead Line 133

IX. NORTHERN LEYTE VALLEY: PART ONE 146

San Juanico Strait 146
Leyte Valley Entrance 157

X. NORTHERN LEYTE VALLEY: PART TWO 168

Drive up Leyte Valley 168
Capture of Carigara 179

XI. LOGISTICS AND CIVIL AFFAIRS 184

Logistics 184
Medical Support 192
Civil Affairs 198
Relations With Filipino Refugees 200

XII. THE MOUNTAIN BARRIER: PART ONE 206

The Coastal Corridor 206
Battle of Breakneck Ridge 211

XIII. THE MOUNTAIN BARRIER: PART TWO 221

Reinforcements 221
32d Division Assumes the Offensive 223
Battle of Kilay Ridge 227
Central Mountain Range 235

XIV. MEASURE OF THE FIGHTING 244

The American Ground Forces 244
Japanese Warfare 251

XV. BATTLE OF THE RIDGES 253

American Plans and Preparations 253
Battle of Shoestring Ridge 257
Battles of the Hills 266

XVI. THE FALL OF ORMOC 275

Plan for Amphibious Movement 276
The Movement Overwater 280
Drive Toward Ormoc 284
Two Sevens Are Rolled in Ormoc 290

XVII. BATTLE OF THE AIRSTRIPS 294

The American Dispositions 296
First Japanese Effort 297
Battle of Buri Airstrip 298
Attack From the Sky 300

XVIII. LOGISTICS 306

Construction 306
Supplies 308

XIX. THE ENTRANCES TO ORMOC VALLEY 313

Southern Entrance to Ormoc Valley 313
The Mountain Passage 321
The Drive South 323

XX. SEIZURE OF ORMOC VALLEY 329

Drive From the South to the Libongao Area 330
The 32d Division Resumes the Offensive 339
Debouchment From the Mountains 342

XXI. WESTWARD TO THE SEA 347

The 77th Division Goes West 348
X Corps Goes West 354
The Japanese Retreat 358

XXII. LEYTE IS LIBERATED 361

The Eighth Army Assumes Control 361
The Road Ends 367

Appendix

A. GHQ OPERATIONS INSTRUCTIONS NO. 70,
21 SEPTEMBER 1944 371
B. BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS 378

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 380

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 383

INDEX 391

Tables

No. Page

1. Sixth Army Daily Strength Reports, 12 November-25
December 1944 222
2. Shipping Tonnage Discharged in Leyte-Samar Area,
28 October-25 December 1944 310
3. Airdrops by 11th Air Cargo Resupply Squadron, 11
November-25 December 1944 311
4. U. S. Army Battle Casualties at Leyte, 20 October
1944-8 May 1945 368
5. Sixth Army Battle Casualties by Arm or Service, 20
October-25 December 1944 369

Charts

1. Operational Organization for the Leyte Campaign 25 2. Organization of the Central Philippine Attack Force 29 3. Japanese Army Organization of Major Units for the Leyte Operation 48

Maps

1. Pacific Ocean (National Geographic Society Map) Inside back cover 2. Leyte Island Inside back cover 3. Sixth Army Plan, 23 September 1944 32 4. Situation in the Pacific, Mid-October 1944 47 5. X Corps Landings, 20 October 1944 64 6. XXIV Corps Landings, 20 October 1944 73 7. 96th Division Advance, 21-30 October 1944 105 8. 7th Division Advance to Dagami, 21-30 October 1944 125 9. Securing the Tacloban Area, 21-23 October 1944 147 10. Fight for Entrance to Northern Leyte Valley, 21-25 October 1944 158 11. Drive to Jaro, 26-29 October 1944 169 12. Advance to Carigara, 30 October-2 November 1944 177 13. Battle for Northern Entrance to Ormoc Valley, 3-15 November 1944 207 14. Battle for Northern Entrance to Ormoc Valley, 16 November-14 December 1944 225 15. Shoestring Ridge, 23-25 November 1944 255 16. Shoestring Ridge, 26-27 November 1944 261 17. Battle of the Ridges, 5-12 December 1944 267 18. Situation on Leyte, 7 December 1944 274 19. Securing the Southern Entrance to Ormoc Valley, 7-15 December 1944 278 20. Japanese Attack on Burauen Airfields, 6 December 1944 295 21. Mountain Passage, 25 November-22 December 1944 321 22. Seizure of Ormoc Valley, 15-21 December 1944 329 23. Opening the Palompon Road, 22-31 December 1944 348

Illustrations

Page

Conference at Pearl Harbor 5 Guerrillas Prepare for Inspection at Consuegra 15 Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita 51 Lt. Gen. Sosaku Suzuki 51 Patrol of Company F, 6th Rangers 56 Convoy Off Leyte 61 Landing Beaches 63 Troops of the 1st Cavalry Division 66 75-mm. M8 Self-Propelled Howitzers 70 Maj. Gen. Franklin C. Sibert 71 Beach Area 75 Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger and Col. Ruperto K. Kangleon 79 Unloading Supplies at Dulag 81 Japanese Air Attacks 87 Air Strikes Against Japanese Installations 95 Antiaircraft Gun 97 Lockheed P-38 98 Japanese Convoy Under Attack 100 Landing Areas and Leyte Valley 106 Crew of a Light Armored Car M8 109 Filipino Civilian Guides U. S. Tank 113 San Vicente Hill 118 105-mm. Self-Propelled Howitzer M7 Firing 120 Dulag and Bayug Airstrips 126 Maj. Gen. John R. Hodge 127 Disabled M4 Tank 132 Burauen 134 Engineer Troops 140 A Patrol From the 7th Cavalry 149 Maj. Gen. Verne D. Mudge 150 8-inch Howitzers Readied for Action 151 General MacArthur 153 Proclamation to the People of the Philippine Islands 154 Tacloban 156 Tank-Supported Infantrymen of the 34th Regiment 160 Palo 162 Pastrana 172 U. S. Antitank Platoon 174 155-mm. Guns Firing on Carigara 180 U. S. Patrol Crossing the Canomontag River 182 Access Road From White Beach 186 Tanauan Airstrip 189 LST's Unloading at Tacloban Airfield 191 Road Conditions 193 A Litter Squad Evacuates a Casualty 196 A Casualty Receives Treatment 196 An Operating Room at the Station Hospital, Tanauan 197 A Casualty is Evacuated by Ship to a Rear Area 197 An Officer of a Civil Affairs Unit 200 Refugee Area on Orange Beach Near Dulag 202 Engineers Remove Land Mines 214 View From the Ridges Looking North up the Limon Valley 217 American Troops in Limon 226 Lt. Col. Thomas E. Clifford, Jr. 229 Filipino Carriers Haul Supplies 236 Foothills of Central Mountain Range 238 General MacArthur and Maj. Gen. Archibald V. Arnold 245 Troops of the 77th Division Board LCI's at Tarragona 281 Convoy Carrying 77th Division Approaches Deposito 282 A Patrol of the 307th Infantry 288 Aerial View of Ormoc 292 Buri Airstrip 299 San Pablo Airstrip 301 Operational Losses at the Burauen Airfields 307 Approach Road to Quartermaster Service Center 309 Heavy Machine Guns Cover Crossing 315 U. S. and Japanese Tanks 327 Japanese Dug-in Positions Along Highway Banks 332 Japanese Light Tank 335 Palompon After Allied Bombings 350

All illustrations but one are from Department of Defense files. The photograph of Lt. Gen. Sosaku Suzuki on page 51 was contributed by Lt. Roger Pineau (USNR).

LEYTE: THE RETURN TO THE PHILIPPINES