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For the Japanese of WWII
Death poem
The jisei, or death poem, of Kuroki Hiroshi, a Japanese sailor who died in a Kaiten suicide torpedo accident on 7 September 1944. It reads: “This brave man, so filled with love for his country that he finds it difficult to die, is calling out to his friends and about to die”.
Tadamichi Kuribayashi
On March 17, 1945, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, the Japanese commander-in chief during the Battle of Iwo Jima, sent a final letter to Imperial Headquarters. In the message, General Kuribayashi apologized for failing to successfully defend Iwo Jima against the overwhelming forces of the United States military. At the same time, however, he expressed great pride in the heroism of his men, who, starving and thirsty, had been reduced to fighting with rifle butts and fists. He closed the message with three traditional death poems in waka form.
国の為 重き努を 果し得で 矢弾尽き果て 散るぞ悲しき
仇討たで 野辺には朽ちじ 吾は又 七度生れて 矛を執らむぞ
醜草の 島に蔓る 其の時の 皇国の行手 一途に思ふ
Kuni no tame / omoki tsutome o / hatashi ede / yadama tsukihate / chiruzo kanashiki
Ada utade / nobe niwa kuchiji / warewa mata / shichido umarete / hoko o toranzo
Shikokusa no / shima ni habikoru / sono toki no / Mikuni no yukute / ichizu ni omou
Unable to complete this heavy task for our country
Arrows and bullets all spent, so sad we fall.
But unless I smite the enemy,
My body cannot rot in the field.
Yet, I shall be born again seven times
And grasp the sword in my hand.
When ugly weeds cover this island,
My sole thought shall be [the future of] the Imperial Land.
Susannah Willey, author
From Susannah Willey
https://utterloonacy.com/2023/06/11/the-poetry-of-war-sonnets-going-home/
Home! Going home! I’m going home today. War’s brutal horrors past, I’ve lived to see The happy faces of my family; But I am not the boy you sent away. I am a well-trained killer; I have seen Men die in fearful agony, while I Have killed in turn, so that I might not die. I am a killer. I am just nineteen. I have no other marketable skill. I went from high school straight into the war. Now I am going home, to fight no more. Now I must learn the work of shop and mill. And leave behind the bayonet and gun. A killer, yes; but I am still your son.
愛し国 親、妻、子供 いざ帰国 Itoshi kuni Oya tsuma kodomo Iza kikoku Beloved homeland Parents, dear wife, and children, I return to you!
Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
John A. Adams – Carbondale, PA; US Air Force
Richard J. Andersen – Sioux Falls, SD; US Navy
Jack M. Cash – Kitsap County, WA; US Army, Korea, Pfc. # 19319102, A Co/1/9/2nd Infantry Division, KIA (Yongsan, SK)
Ralph W. Freibert – Downers Grove, IL; US Navy, Vietnam, Captain (Ret. 29 y.) / US Maritime Administration
James R. Hall – AZ, USMC
Leon R. Karwacki – Milwaukee, WI; US Army, WWII, ETO, Pfc. # 36296184, Co E/2/36/3rd Armored Division, KIA (Mausbach, GER), Bronze Star
Thomas E. Laborio Sr. – Lexington, KY; US Navy, Korea, USS Midway & Bon Homme Richard
Darrell A. Mitchell – Mountain View, AR; USMC, Korea
Morris C. Seamans – De Quincy, LA; US Air Force, Chief Master Sgt. (Ret. 30 y.)
Stanley T. Wojeski – Amsterdam, NY; US Navy, USS Midway, electricians mate
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EVER HAVE ONE OF THOSE MONDAY MORNINGS?
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Artistic Moments from WWII: Year 1945
I hope you all enjoy this pictorial post. 1945 was a pivotal year for the world.
“Battle of Luzon” by: Yorozujiro Terauchi, 1945
Mandalay, Burma, by: David Pentland, Feb. ’45
Pacific Glory” by: Nicholas Trudgian
‘The Great Tokyo Air Raid’ by: Hashimoto, 10 March ’45, age 7
Raid on China Coast, By: Roy Grinnell April ’45
‘Indochina Prisoners of War’ by: Donald Friend
‘Ready Room’ by: Tom Lea
“Victoria, Labuan Island” Borneo, July ’45 by: William E. Pigeon
“Surrender Flight”, Mike Hagel
‘Milk Run to Kyushu’ by: Jack Fellows
“USS Missouri Signing” by: Standish Backus, 2 Sept. ’45
Responsibility, But For What? Kyoto Street by: Barse Miller. Army WWII, 28 Sept. ’45
‘Japan Surrender’ by: Howard Brodie (veteran of 3 wars, Bronze Star)
Resources –
IHRA: for their blog and their books and prints
Jack Fellows website
Howard Brodie sketches
“WWII” by: James Jones
“WWII: A Tribute in Art and Literature” by: David Colbert
For the art of Nicholas Trudgian http://www.brooksart.com/Pacificglory.html
Roy Grinnell
https://www.roygrinnellart.com/ Barse Miller
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barse-miller/
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE AND VIEW THE DETAIL.
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Military Naval Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Charles H. Christian – Elbe, WA; US Navy, USS Midway
Eugene J. Darrigan – Wappinger’s Falls, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, SSgt. # 32662082, 320BS/90BG/5th Air Force, B-24D radio operator, KIA (Hansa Bay, NG)
John W. Emmer – Minneapolis, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, SSgt. # 37021765, 320BS/90BG/5th Air Force, photographer, KIA (Hansa Bay, NG)
Jimmy D. Hall – Tupelo, MS; US Navy, E-6 (Ret. 20 y.), USS Midway & Juneau
Jon G. Hosney – Frankfort, NY; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Thomas V. Kelly Jr. – Livermore, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 2nd Lt. # O-752864, 320BS/90BG/5th Air Force, bombardier, KIA (Hansa Bay, NG)
Sandor Nemeth – Durham, CT; US Navy, USS Midway
Herbert G. Tennyson – Wichita, KS; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 1st Lt. # O-745216, pilot, KIA (Hansa Bay, NG)
Edward Vaira – Sidney, MT; US Army, Korea, 187/11th Airborne Division
Christopher W. Zimmerman – Toledo, OH; USMC, US Army
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Seriously? It’s Monday already?
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Japan’s Underground
Ammunition is removed from storage cave at Takatsuki Dump, Osaka.
General Swing made General Pierson commander of the 187th and 188th joint group which became known as the Miyagi Task Force. They set up their headquarters in an insurance company building in Sendai. The principle responsibility of the Miyagi Task Force was to collect and destroy all arms, munitions and armament factories. They were also charged with seeing that General MacArthur’s edicts were all carried out. Many of the military installations had underground tunnels filled with drill presses and machine tools of all types. The entire zone needed to be demilitarized and equipment destroyed. Colonel Tipton discovered a submarine base for the two-man subs and a small group of men still guarding them. They told the colonel that they just wanted to go home.
The Japanese mainland was still potentially a colossal armed camp, and there was an obvious military gamble in landing with only two and a half divisions, then confronted by fifty-nine Japanese divisions, thirty-six brigades, and forty-five-odd regiments plus naval and air forces.
On a hillside overlooking a field where students play volleyball, an inconspicuous entrance leads down a slope—and seemingly back in time—to Japan’s secret Imperial Navy headquarters in the final months of World War II. Here, Japan’s navy leaders made plans for the fiercest battles from late 1944 to the war’s end in August 1945. The navy commanders went rushing to the underground command center whenever US B-29 bombers flew over. The tunnel had ventilation ducts, a battery room, food storage with ample stock of sake, and deciphering and communications departments.
Imperial Japanese War Tunnels, WWII
Click to clearly read
Considerable stocks of war equipment were dispersed amid the tangled masses of fire blackened girders, in thousands of caches located deep in the hills, in carefully constructed tunnels and warehouses, and over miles of Japanese landscape. Along the shores near the great ports, there remained many permanent fortresses. Japan’s frantic preparations for a last ditch stand against invasion resulted in numerous hastily built coastal defenses. The majority of these coastal defenses were manned by brigades. The larger and more permanent installations were equipped with heavy artillery and were concentrated in strategic locations such as the peninsula which forms Tokyo Bay, the northern entrance to the Inland Sea, the southern tip of Kyushu, and the coastline around Fukuoka.
Almost three hundred airfields, ranging from bomber and supply strips to “Kamikaze” strips, sheltered some 6,000 Japanese combat aircraft capable of providing air cover and close support for the ground and naval forces. (Plate No. 42) Japanese arsenals, munitions factories, steel plants, aircraft factories, and ordnance depots were widely scattered throughout the country. Japanese naval vessels consisting of carriers, battleships, destroyers, submarines, and auxiliary and maintenance craft were anchored in all of the major ports.
June 23, 2015 photo, staff members of Keio University walk underground tunnels that Japan’s Imperial Navy once used as secret headquarters underneath of Hiyoshi Campus in Yokohama. (Eugene Hoshiko)
In the Sixth Army zone during the month of November 1945, at least ten ports were in operation, and approximately 4,500 tons of ammunition were disposed of daily.
Records later indicated that actually some 2,468,665 rifles and carbines were received by the Occupation forces and later disposed of. The Japanese reported more artillery ammunition than small arms ammunition. Ammunition for the grenade launcher, often known as the “knee mortar,” was also more plentiful; some 51,000,000 rounds were reported, or an average of 1,794 rounds for each weapon.
This Japanese underground bunker consists of many rooms and was built by Korean and Chinese forced laborers during the Second World War.
A check on the police stations in Aomori, Hirosaki, and Sambongi (all towns in Aomori Prefecture) produced some 1,880 rifles, 1,881 bayonets, 18 light machine guns, 505,260 rounds of rifle and machine gun ammunition, 46,980 rounds of blank ammunition, one case of TNT, and 150 military swords. Daily G-2 and CIC reports revealed many instances of smaller caches, sometimes in school compounds.
The Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters (松代大本営跡, Matsushiro Daihon’ei Ato, “Matsushiro Imperial Headquarters Site”) was a large underground bunker complex built during WWII in the town of Matsushiro which is now a suburb of Nagano, Japan. The facility was constructed so that the central organs of government of Imperial Japan could be transferred there. In its construction, three mountains that were symbolic of the Matsushiro municipality were damaged
Entrance to the Matsushiro Zouzan underground shelter
Approximately seven million armed men, including those in the outlying theaters, had laid down their weapons. In the accomplishment of the extraordinarily difficult and dangerous surrender of Japan, unique in the annals of history, not a shot was necessary, not even a drop of Allied blood was shed.
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Military Humor –
WELL, I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNY.
FUTURE WAR STORIES.
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Farewell Salutes –
Donald C. Atkins – Wayne, WV; US Army
Roger R. Betin – Lakefield, MN; US Army / US Navy
Old Glory, courtesy of Dan Antion
Jack E. Finley – Cañon City, CO; US Navy, USS Cabot & Midway, electronics / Civilian, Raytheon Co. missile systems division
Craig S. Halle Sr. – Fon du Lac, WI; US Navy, Vietnam, USS Midway, Petty Officer
Russell D. Harris – Bloomfield, IA; US Navy, USS Midway, (Ret. 20 y.)
Edward R. Kirk – W.Palm Beach, FL; US Navy, Comdr. helicopter training squadron HT-8, (Ret. 26 y.) / Civilian, test pilot
Glenn A. Nielsen – Miltona, MN; US Navy, Vietnam, USS Ashtabula & Midway
Don Roland – Herrin, IL; US Navy, USS Tutuila, Bainbridge, Midway & Nereus, engineer (Ret. 22 y.)
David E. Somers – Detroit, MI; US Army, Korea, 1st FA Observation Battalion
Kachadoor M. Toromanian – Worchester, MA; US Navy, USS Midway
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Norman Rockwell & Willie Gillis
Rockwell by Boyer
Norman Rockwell has been a well-known artist since his first magazine cover. His work helped the home front during the war in more ways than just a nice painting at the news stand. He produced over 300 covers in his 50-year career. His influence is still felt today.
Rockwell’s Willie Gillis Jr.
Willie Gillis, Jr. (more commonly simply Willie Gillis) is a fictional character created by Norman Rockwell for a series of World War II paintings that appeared on the covers of eleven issues of the Saturday Evening Post between 1941 and 1946. With the rank of Private, Gillis was an every man whose career was tracked on the cover of the Post from induction through discharge without being depicted in battle. Gillis and his girlfriend were modeled by two of Rockwell’s acquaintances.
Although Gillis was not exclusively used on Post covers, the Willie Gillis series of covers was a hallmark of Rockwell’s wartime work. In Rockwell’s prime and at the peak of its popularity, the Post had a subscriber list of 4 million, and many of these subscribers believed Gillis was a real person. Rockwell’s wartime art, including Willie Gillis, the Four Freedoms and Rosie the Riveter, contributed to the success of the wartime bond sales efforts.
Robert Otis Buck aka Willie Gillis Jr.
Robert Otis “Bob” Buck served as Rockwell’s model for Gillis and eventually enlisted for service in the U.S. Navy, despite being except from the draft. When the 15-year-old Buck met Rockwell to pose for the first time, Buck only stood 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall. At that time, Buck had a lock of hair that used to drop down on his forehead. Rockwell had been seeking a model, and met Buck at a square dance in Arlington, Vermont. Buck’s job in Arlington was as a sawmill hand. Rockwell observed Buck from different angles during the dance, and Buck told Rockwell that if he did not stop staring, Buck would knock him flat.
Since 1999 the Gillis series has been included in two major Rockwell tours. From 1999 to 2002 it toured as part of a Rockwell Post cover art retrospective, and from 2006 to 2010 it toured as part of a 1940’s World War II Rockwell art exhibition.
Rockwell did not name his works, but many of them have one or two names by which they are known. The following are the eleven Willie Gillis Saturday Evening Post cover paintings:
- October 4, 1941 – Willie Gillis: Food Package/Willie Gillis: Package From Home
- November 29, 1941 – Willie Gillis: Home Sweet Home/Willie Gillis: Home On Leave
- February 7, 1942 – Willie Gillis: USO
- April 11, 1942 – Willie Gillis: Hometown News/Willie Gillis: On K.P.
- June 27, 1942 – Willie Gillis: What To Do in a Blackout
- July 25, 1942 – Willie Gillis in Church
- September 5, 1942 – Willie Gillis: Girls with Letters/Double Trouble for Willie Gillis
- June 26, 1943 – Willie Gillis: Cat’s Cradle/Willie’s Rope Trick
- January 1, 1944 – Willie Gillis: New Year’s Eve
- Willie Gillis “In Convoy”
- September 16, 1944- Willie Gillis: Gillis Heritage/Willie Gillis Generations
- October 5, 1946 – Willie Gillis in College
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Home Front Humor – ala Saturday Evening Post –
“I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET MY LIFE IN ORDER FOR 15 YEARS. NOW MY DRAFT BOARD EXPECTS ME TO DO IT IN 10DAYS!”
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Farewell Salutes –
Richard E. Blezard – Pawtucket, RI; US Air Force / Civilian, Dept. of Defense
James C. Damron – Columbus, OH; US Navy, USS Midway/Navy Reserve, HR Chief (Ret. 24 y.)
Half Staff; courtesy of: Dan Antion
Elizabeth “Betty” White Dybbro (102) – Olympia, WA; US Army Air Corps WASP, WWII
Harrison Hull – Fort Wayne, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, crew chief
Bruce D. Mills – Asheville, NC; US Air Force, aviation & weapon engineering, Colonel (Ret. 27 y.)
Jimmy D. Parks – Yuma, AZ; US Navy, Vietnam, USS Midway
Jaime R. Reatiraza – Luzon, P.I. – US Navy, USS Midway & Paul Revere, Chief Petty Officer (Ret. 20 y.); Pentagon
John A. Rooke – Inglewood, CA; US Navy, ‘Wings of Gold’ / USMC, Vietnam, A-4 pilot, Marine Attack Squadron (“Black Sheep”). Lt. Col. (Ret 21 y.)
Rudolph A. Wuttke – Fort Wayne, IN; US Army, WWII, Iceland, radio operator
Robert J. Yates – Rochester, NY; US Navy, USS Midway
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Post-World War Japan and Asia 1945-1951
Cold War map
In eastern Asia, the end of the war brought a long period of turmoil. In the European colonies occupied by Japan, liberation movements were established–some strongly Communist in outlook. In Indochina, Indonesia, and Malaya, wars were fought against the colonial powers as well as between rival factions.
The messy aftermath of war precipitated the final crisis of the old European imperialism; by the early 1950s, most of Southeast Asia was independent. In Burma and India, Britain could not maintain its presence. India was divided into two states in 1947, India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim), and Burma was granted independence a year later.
San Francisco Treaty
Japan was not restored to full sovereignty until after the San Francisco Treaty was signed on September 8, 1951. The emperor was retained, but the military was emasculated and a parliamentary regime had been installed. Japanese prewar possessions were divided up. Manchuria was restored to China in 1946 (though only after the Soviet Union had removed more than half the industrial equipment left behind by the Japanese). Taiwan was returned to Chinese control. Korea was occupied jointly by the Soviet Union and the United States, and two independent states — one Communist, one democratic — were established there in 1948.
The most unstable area remained China, where the prewar conflict between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and the Chinese Communists led by Mao Zedong was resumed on a large scale in 1945.
After four years of warfare, the Nationalist forces were defeated and Chiang withdrew to the island of Taiwan. The People’s Republic of China was declared in 1949, and a long program of rural reform and industrialization was set in motion. The victory of Chinese communism encouraged Stalin to allow the Communist regime in North Korea to embark on war against the South in the belief that America lacked the commitment for another military conflict.
Korean War begins
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when the troops of Kim Il Sung crossed the 38th parallel, the agreed-upon border between the two states. By this stage, the international order had begun to solidify into two heavily armed camps.
In 1949 the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb. That same year, the U.S. helped organize a defensive pact, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to link the major Western states together for possible armed action against the Communist threat.
By 1951 Chinese forces were engaged in the Korean conflict, exacerbating concerns that another world war — this time with nuclear weapons — might become a reality. The optimism of 1945 had, in only half a decade, given way to renewed fears that international anarchy and violence might be the normal condition of the modern world.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor – Saturday Evening Post style –
“I HOPE YOU’RE NOT ANGRY WITH ME FOR TAKING YOU AWAY FROM YOUR FRIENDS.”
“WELL NO…. BUT I DO HELP RUN IT.”
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Farewell Salutes –
James Carpenter – Hopewell Junction, NY; US Navy, USS Midway
Jose Duenez Jr. – Joliet, IL; US Army, Operation Atlantic Resolve, SSgt., 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, KWS (Lithuania)
Ellis “Gene” Fish Jr. – Los Lunas, NM; US Navy, USS Midway, transportation Equipment Assembler
Edvin F. Franco – Glendale, CA; US Army, Operation Atlantic Resolve, Sgt., 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, KWS (Lithuania)
Howard H. Howells – Harrodsburg, KY; US Navy, WWII, USS Gen. G.O. Squire, Midway & Cadmus
Troy S. Knutson-Collins – Battle Creek, MI; US Army, Operation Atlantic Resolve, SSgt., 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, KWS (Lithuania)
Walter J. Parsons – Revere, MA; US Navy, USS Midway, Helicopter Utility Squadron-1
John C. Platt – Missouri City, TX; US Army, Gulf War, 82nd Airborne Division
Michael R. Saxton Sr. – Toledo, OH; US Army, Middle East, 11th Armored Cavalry / US Navy, aviation electronics, (Ret. 20 y.)
Dante D. Taitano – Dedelo, Guam; US Army, Operation Atlantic Resolve, Pfc., 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, KWS (Lithuania)
Sylvester “Butch” Wheeler – Hutchinson, MI; USMC, Cpl., USS Midway
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First Occupation of Japan in 2000 years
It began with the landing of the 187th RCT/11th Airborne Division – the first to set foot in Japan! And Smitty was there! This video was located and contributed by Pierre Lagacé.
Gen. MacArthur, 1946
Nippon Times article on MacArthur
Unlike Germany, Japan retained a native government throughout the occupation. Although MacArthur’s official staff history of the occupation referred to “the Eighth Army Military Government System”, it explained that while: “In Germany, with the collapse of the Nazi regime, all government agencies disintegrated, or had to be purged”, the Japanese retained an “integrated, responsible government and it continued to function almost intact”:
In effect, there was no “military government” in Japan in the literal sense of the word. It was simply a SCAP (Supreme Commander, Allied Powers) superstructure over already existing government machinery, designed to observe and assist the Japanese along the new democratic channels of administration.
General Horace Robertson of Australia, head of BCOF, (British Commonwealth Occupation Force) wrote:
MacArthur at no time established in Japan what could be correctly described as Military government. He continued to use the Japanese government to control the country, but teams of military personnel, afterward replaced to quite a considerable extent by civilians, were placed throughout the Japanese prefectures as a check on the extent to which the prefectures were carrying out the directives issued by MacArthur’s headquarters or the orders from the central government.
USMC “barracks”
The really important duty of the so called Military government teams was, however, the supervision of the issue throughout Japan of the large quantities of food stuffs and medical stores being poured into the country from American sources. The teams also contained so-called experts on health, education, sanitation, agriculture and the like, to help the Japanese in adopting more up to date methods sponsored by SCAP’s headquarters.
The normal duties of a military government organization, the most important of which are law and order and a legal system, were never needed in Japan since the Japanese government’s normal legal system still functioned with regard to all Japanese nationals … The so-called military government in Japan was therefore neither military nor government.
USMC had their 10-in1 meals, 1946
The Japanese government’s de facto authority was strictly limited at first, however, and senior figures in the government such as the Prime Minister effectively served at the pleasure of the occupation authorities before the first post-war elections were held. Political parties had begun to revive almost immediately after the occupation began.
Left-wing organizations, such as the Japan Socialist Party and the Japan Communist Party, quickly reestablished themselves, as did various conservative parties. The old Seiyukai and Rikken Minseitocame back as, respectively, the Liberal Party (Nihon Jiyuto) and the Japan Progressive Party (Nihon Shimpoto).
Shigeru Yoshida
The first postwar elections were held in 1946 (women were given the franchise for the first time), and the Liberal Party’s vice president, Yoshida Shigeru (1878–1967), became Prime Minister. For the 1947 elections, anti-Yoshida forces left the Liberal Party and joined forces with the Progressive Party to establish the new Japan Democratic Party (Minshuto). This divisiveness in conservative ranks gave a plurality to the Japan Socialist Party, which was allowed to form a cabinet which lasted less than a year. Thereafter, the socialist party steadily declined in its electoral successes. After a short period of Democratic Party administration, Yoshida returned in late 1948 and continued to serve as prime minister until 1954. However, because of heart failure, Yoshida was replaced by Shinto in 1955.
In 1949, MacArthur made a sweeping change in the SCAP power structure that greatly increased the power of Japan’s native rulers, and the occupation began to draw to a close. The San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed on September 8, 1951, marked the end of the Allied occupation, and when it went into effect on April 28, 1952, Japan was once again an independent state (with the exceptions of Okinawa, which remained under U.S. control until 1972, and Iwo Jima, which remained under US control until 1968). Even though some 31,000 U.S. military personnel remain in Japan today, they are there at the invitation of the Japanese government under the terms of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan(1960) and not as an occupying force.
Information documented in the Gutenberg project.
Just one year after a devastating war…..
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Ralph L. Abston – Halstead, KS; US Army, MSgt. (Ret. 29 y.)
Dominick J. Annese – Scranton, PA; US Navy, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, USS LeBanon, Ranger & Midway,
(Ret.) Bronze Star / DOD Civil Engineer
Michael A. Baca – Albuquerque, NM; USMC, Vietnam
Bruce H. Baker – Greenville, NC; US Army, Japanese Occupation, 101st Airborne Division, 508th RCT, Sgt. (Ret. 27 y.)
James Humphries (100) – Edwardsville, PA; US Army, WWII, PTO, I Co./511/11th Airborne Division, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Frederic E. Lussky (103) – St. Paul, MI; US Navy, WWII, aircraft electronics tech., USS Midway
Thomas W. Levi – Winchester, VA; US Army, Vietnam, 11th Airborne Division, Sgt., combat engineer, Bronze Star
John P. Panopoulos, Athens, GR; US Army, HQ Co/7th Army, cook
Jalen C. Patterson – Winfield, AL; US Army
Gabriel A. Rodriquez – Staten Island, NY; US Navy, Captain (Ret. 30 y.), pediatrician/anesthesiologist
Luke Thomas III – Detroit, MI; US Navy, Cuban Missile Crisis, E-7 (Ret. 25 y.), USS Sabine & Estocin, Bronze Star
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The Japanese Paratroopers Who Jumped on Smitty’s Regiment
I received this video from Koji Kanemoto a while back and only just relocated the footage. He had it verified that this was the unit that had jumped on HQ Co/187/11th Airborne Division when they were on Leyte. General Swing and Smitty were both there.
Next week we will continue to chronicle Smitty’s time in Japan.
Koji Kanemoto had relatives on both sides of the Pacific War and has a blog that details his family.
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Current News –
Please visit Pat’s blog: e-quips to see Janine’s Team Mission # 115. Veterans who have a birthday coming up, their story and address to send cards. THANK YOU!!
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Richard M. Chilton – Genoa City, WI; US Army, Korea, 11th Airborne Division / Special Force
James E. Covington Jr. Alexandria, VA; US Army, Vietnam, 101st Airborne Division, 2 Purple Hearts, Col. (Ret. 26 y.)
Donald P. Daley – Upland, CA; California National Guard, MSgt., 163 Air Tactical Group
Patrick Q. Locke – Poultney, VT; US Navy, USS Midway
Larry McNeely – Pax, WV; US Air Force, Korea
Robert G. Protosevich – Chicago, IL; US Army, Lt. Col. (Ret.), Russian translator, Chief of Operations: 111th Military Intelligence Brigade
David W. Reep – Roanoke, VA; US Navy, USS Midway
Morton D. Sims (103) – Portland, ME; US Army Air Corps, WWII, 11th Airborne Division / bombardier, 8th Air Force / Lt. Col, Army Counterintelligence / Institute for Defense Analysis
Don R. Stephenson – Hixson, TN; US Army, Lt. Col., engineer, Cmdr. of 3397 US Army Garrison Support Unit
Ted G. Westermann – Santa Barbara, CA; US Army, Vietnam, Col. (Ret. 22 y.), Bronze Star, Silver Star, Purple Heart
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“If the job ages you this much, I don’t think I want it!”
11th Airborne Division : First Into Japan
Gen. Swing’s flag atop an Atsugi hanger
General Swing, Commander of the 11th A/B, brought with him on the plane a large American flag and a banner painted, “CP 11th Airborne Division” to be fastened onto the roof of airplane hangar. He was dressed in battle fatigues and “11th A/B” was stenciled on his helmet. He carried a .38 pistol and a bandoleer of .38 caliber shells draped across his chest. (As ready for combat in Japan as he was on Leyte and Luzon.) A Japanese officer approached him as he departed the plane. The officer saluted and introduced himself as Lieut-General Arisuye, the officer in control of the Atsugi sector. He then asked the general what his current orders would be and Gen. Swing lost no time in telling him.
American POWs had been left unguarded at their prisons just days before. Two hours after Gen. Swing’s arrival, two POWs walked into the CP. (command post). They had taken a train from the prison to Tokyo. No Japanese soldiers or civilians approached them along the way.
Generals Swing & Eichelberger w/ Japanese surrender detail
Later that day, Colonel Yamamoto presented himself as the chief liaison officer; both he and his aide were still wearing their swords. Gen. Swing ordered them to remove their weapons. Yamamoto arrogantly protested and insisted on explaining that the sword was his symbol of authority. Swing repeated his order, but with a more firm and commanding tone of voice and the two Japanese men complied immediately.
Yokohama
The 11th A/B then proceeded on to Yokohama where the Allied Headquarters was to be established. The fifth largest city of Japan was now little more than a shantytown after the persistent Allied bombings. In fact, most of the towns and cities resembled the crumbled remains seen in Europe. Yokohama and Tokyo would become sites for the Allied Military Tribunal trials for the Japanese war criminals, similar to those held in Nuremberg for the Germans.
The original Toonerville Trolley
The trucks waiting for the men at Atsugi airfield to be used as transportation between Tokyo and Yokohama mostly ran on charcoal and wood. Only a few vehicles still operated on gasoline. They were consistently breaking down and the fire engine that led General MacArthur’s motorcade was said to look like a Toonerville Trolley.
Below, the photograph from the New York “Daily News” show the 11th A/B in front of the New Grand Hotel and on the right, one of the many vehicles that constantly broke down. The date written on the picture is the issue my grandmother cut them from the paper, not the dates the pictures were taken.
General Swing wanted to view his newly arriving troops farther down the runway from where he was, when he spotted a Japanese general exiting his car. Seconds later, ‘Jumpin’ Joe’ hopped into the backseat. The interpreter translated from the driver to Swing that the limo was reserved for the Chief of Staff of the Imperial Army. Swing roared in returned, “Goddamn it, we won the war. Drive me down the strip.” Once in front of his troops, Swing exited the car and the Japanese captain said, “Well sir, Generals are alike in all armies.”
Gen. Douglas MacArthur landing at Atsugi Airfield
The 11th Airborne band set up for the arrival of General Douglas MacArthur at 1400 hours. When the general’s plane the ‘Bataan’ landed, the five-star general paused at the door wearing his pleated khakis, his shirt unbuttoned at the neck and the garrison hat with the gold encrusted visor crown. (In other words – his typical attire). There were no ribbons clipped to his shirt, but the customary corncob pipe hung from his lips at an angle. He then descended, shook hands with Gen. Eichelberger and quietly said, “Bob, from Melbourne to Tokyo is a long way, but this seems to be the end of the road. This is the payoff.”
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Shunji Adachi – Kona, HI; US Army
Peter C. Blaisdell – Marblehead, MA; US Coast Guard, Lt. Commader (Ret. 21 y.)
Steven R. Bender – Overland Park, KS; US Navy, USS Midway
Erra Carlson (101) – St. Cloud, WI; US Navy WAVES, WWII, pilot
James E. Carter Jr. (100) – Plains, GA; US Navy, Naval Academy class of 1946, submarine service / US Senator / President of the U.S.
Garvice H. Chapman Jr. – Calhoun Falls, SC; USMC, Vietnam, (Ret. 20 y.)
Roy Stapleton – Maryville, TN; US Navy, Middle East, USS Midway & Mauna Kea, Machinist mate 2nd Class, Petty Officer
Henry A. Stigall – Knoxville, TN; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army Air Corps, 11th Airborne Division, Japanese Occupation
Deacon B.W. Swanson – Ponta, TX; US Navy, Vietnam, USS Ranger, Niagara Falls & Midway
Paul Tomberg – Clermont, FL; US Coast Guard
Myron J. Weare – San Antonio, TX; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division / US Army, Korea
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SHOUT OUT !
I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A PHENOMENAL NEW YEAR !!
From: Pacific Paratrooper
Okinawa 1945
B-32 on Okinawa, 12 August 1945
When the fighting on Luzon concluded for the 11th Airborne Division, The Potsdam Conference sat to decide the border lines of Germany and Poland. The atomic bomb also received its final test. The results were sent to Pres. Truman.
Saturday, 11 August 1945, top secret orders were delivered to General Swing for the division to be prepared to move to Okinawa at any time. The division G-3, Colonel Quandt, called Colonel Pearson, “This is an Alert. Have your regiment [187th] ready to move out by air forty-eight hours from now.” Commanders throughout the 11th A/B had their men reassembled, even those on weekend passes had been found and brought back to camp. The lead elements left Luzon immediately. At 0630 hours on the 13th, trucks brought the 187th to Nichols and Nielson Fields for transport and they landed at 1645 hours that afternoon at Naha, Kadena and Yotan Fields on Okinawa. They would remain on the island for two weeks.
C-47’s of the 54th Troop Carrier Wing/5th Air Force
It would take the 54th Troop Carrier Wing two days to transport the 11th Airborne using 351 C-46s, 151 C-47s and 99 B-24s; with their bombs removed and crammed with troopers. The planes had carted 11,100 men; 1,161,000 pounds of equipment and 120 special-purpose jeeps for communication and supply. Eighty-six men remained on Luzon long enough to bring the 187th’s organizational equipment to Okinawa by ship.
Jeep trailers on Okinawa
Jeeps on Okinawa
Okinawa, as one of the islands being “beefed-up” with supplies, men and materiel, quickly became significantly congested; it is only 877 square miles. One day would be unbearably hot and the next would bring the heavy rains that created small rivers running passed their pup tents. The troopers were back to cooking their 10-in-1, ‘C’ or ‘K’ rations on squad cookers or eaten cold. A typhoon crossed the island and the men were forced to live on the sides of hills with their pup tents ballooning like parachutes and taking off in the wind. In the hills were numerous old Okinawa tombs that the Japanese troops had adapted into pillboxes and these helped to protect the men from the storms.
Okinawan cave in better weather
Swing was not certain how the enemy would take to him and the 187th regiment landing in Japan, so the men were ordered to be combat ready. Besides staying in shape, they spent many an hour listing to numerous lectures on the Japanese culture. The 187th regiment of the 11th Airborne Division would be the first troops to enter Japan, as conquerors, in 2000 years.
U.S. cemetery on Okinawa
Also, on 13 August, two ships, the Pennsylvania and the La Grange were hit by kamikaze carrier planes. All ships in Okinawa harbors were shipped out to ensure their safety. Although the Emperor was at this point demanding peace, the complicated arrangement of their government (Emperor, Premier, Cabinet, Privy Seal, etc. etc.) made it difficult for them to answer the Allies immediately. As Soviet forces, hovering at the 1.5 million mark, launched across Manchuria.
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Military Humor –
“Now that you mention it, it does sound like patter of rain on a tin roof” from: Willie & Joe (Bill Mauldin)
“Explain that maneuver to me, Johnson!”
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Farewell Salutes –
James J. Carney – Bradford, IL; US Nay, Korea, USS Midway
Walter A. Drusedum – Lansdale, PA; US Navy, Korea, photographer, USS Midway
Donald W. England – Indianapolis, IN; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army, 11th Airborne Division / Indiana Nat. Guard
Jim Gerakins – Mandeville, LA; US Navy, Vietnam, USS Midway, underwater demolition team, 2 Bronze Stars / USNR, Special Boat Unit 22
Paul A. Mata – Garden City, ID; US Air Force (Ret. 23 y.)
Beverly Paige – Harpswell, ME; US Navy, Iraq, Captain (Ret. 22 y.), PhD psychologist
Edward J. Parker – East Haven, CT; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Michael F. Stenftenagel – Ft. Worth, TX; US Air Force, Lt. Colonel (ret. 20 y.)
Albert C. Stroud Sr. – Island, KY; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army Air Corps, 11th Airborne Division, Japanese Occupation
Myron J. Weare – San Antonio, TX; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division / US Army, Korea
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HERE COMES LUZON, P.I.
Gen. Joseph M. Swing. [on the reverse side, Smitty wrote “My General”
Gen. Eichelberger
24 January, General Swing issued Field Order Number 10 that specifically outlined their orders. To accomplish their task, 120 ships and landing craft would be used to transport the troops, equipment, ammo and replacements for the division up northward approximately 400 miles. They were now numbered 8,200 men, about six thousand short of a normal division.
Luzon was the most populated, the most highly developed and the most historical island in the archipelago. It was also a land of wild boars, birds, snakes, reptiles, feral dogs, tons of insects and an enemy hiding within the cogon grass at every turn; the plant had coarse spikes with “silky” hairs that made your skin feel as though hundreds of creatures crawled beneath it. There was always a threat of dengue fever; contracted from a mosquito and if left untreated resulted in bleeding and death. It was here that Smitty contracted a mild case of malaria, but quinine and stubbornness kept him out of the hospital. (He always said that he was one of the lucky ones, but I witnessed one relapse and cannot imagine what the unlucky ones had gone through.)
Rod Serling
Rod Serling, best known for his televisions shows, “Twilight Zone” and “Night Gallery,” was a Pvt. in the 11th A/B and would earn a Bronze Star.
Luzon, Japanese groupings 1945
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.
27 January, the 11th airborne set sail for the island aboard the transport ships under the command of Admiral Fechteler. The LCIs were crowded and the men ate “10-1” rations (50 pounds of food, enough for ten men) during the cruise. The 188th landed at Lucena and secured the beachhead. Immediately following, the 187th Glider Regimental Combat Team landed to protect the south flank by making certain the enemy could make no approach from the Balayan Bay-Santiago Peninsula area and the 511th would jump on Tagatay Ridge. This was labeled Operation Mike VI; devised by generals Eichelberger and Swing and would be considered quite unusual by most traditional military planners.
Entering Luzon, Jan. 1945
All the troopers had been so well briefed on the terrain from aerial photographs and mock-up reliefs that upon their landing the area gave a feeling of deja vu. Once they were on land, they started down Highway 17 toward Tagatay. That journey would consist of approximately 30 miles of valleys, flat terrain of rice and cane fields, mountains and careful traversing along crests of ridges. The distance between Tagatay and Manila was about 37 miles, traveling passed Nichols Field before reaching Manila proper. (the main supply area for the Japanese troops) Manila was a crucial stop-off for the enemy on Guadalcanal, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
27-31 January, General Eichelberger wrote to his wife of the beauty in watching the large naval convoy and how much he marveled at their expertise. He also commented, “General Swing is a grand to deal with …” (Frankly, I do not know of one person to ever say something contrary about Swing). He also noted the navy’s ability to keep their sense of humor, that while aboard ship before the landing, he heard over the speaker system. “Sick call — all sick, lame and lazy report to the sick bay.”
31 January was known as X-Ray Day for those bombing Japan. In Luzon, the Japanese forces were basically divided into three groups. The Shobu Group, under the command of General Yamashita, totaled 152,000 men and in control of the northern part of the island. The Kembu Group under Major General Tsukada had 30,000 men and dominated the Clark’s field and Bataan peninsula area. The Shimbu Group was 80,000 strong and ruled over the southern half of the island under Lt. General Yokoyama. The Fuji Forces, named for Colonel Matsatoshi Fujishige, would be created later on. They numbered 8,500 men, but they were working with 5,000 troops of the Surface Raiding Base Force, a unit that consisted of 100 suicide boats, called Maru-ni and operated by another 100 men.
Luzon 1945
The US Sixth Army, under General Krueger, had landed on Luzon north of Manila before the 11th airborne division went ashore to the south. MacArthur became upset with the slow progress the 6th was making to retake control of the capital and told Gen. Eichelberger, “speed up your ‘palsey-walsey,’ Krueger doesn’t even radiate courage.” Ergo – a rivalry was born and a race between the Sixth and Eight Armies was underway.
The problem was, the 11th airborne had been given more than one priority to handle…
[I know we have the occasional relative of an 11th Airborne trooper visiting for information; so for those inquiring minds, the following events on Luzon can be followed at… https://pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/race-for-manila-begins/
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Jesse S. Alcon – Blanco, NM; US Navy, Vietnam, USS Midway & Jason
Richard A. Denny – Tucson, AZ; US Navy / NSA (Ret. 42 y.)
Jimmy F. De Witt – Augusta, KS; US Navy, USS Coral Sea & Midway
John D. Erb – Suring, WI; US Navy, USS Midway
Edwin C. Hosto – St. Charles, MO; US Navy, Korea, USS Midway
Robert E. Pierce – Portland, OR; USMC, Vietnam
Joseph A. Ribeiro – Holyoke, MA; US Navy, WWII, PTO
William Salstrom – Seattle, WA; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army, Korea
Robert R. Trudeau – Teaneck, NJ; US Army, Vietnam, “Chinook” pilot, 68/52/17th Aviation Group, KIA
James P. Watson – Oshkosh, WI; US Merchant Marines / US Army, WWII
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Pacific Paratrooper 