With the 41st Division in the Southwest Pacific: A Foot Soldier's Story

6 Zamboanga: VICTOR IV

6 Zamboanga VICTOR IV On March 8th, our battalion boarded an LST that was to become part of a 200-ship convoy under the command of Admiral Forest Royal.1 The LST, a large, shallow-draft, ocean-going ship that was 328 feet long and 50 feet wide, was capable of carrying troops and supplies plus trucks, tanks, and small landing craft. Because of its large size and because it usually traveled at a speed of only eight or nine knots, it was sometimes called “large slow target” rather than “landing ship tank.” We were aboard an LST because we were to make the landing in LVTs, which were carried on the tank deck of the ship. Although our entire battalion was aboard the LST, there were bunks for only 160 men plus the ship’s crew, so most of us had to ¤nd a place to sleep. The top deck was covered with military vehicles of every imaginable type, but Stacy and I were able to ¤nd a spot under a big truck, where we bunked during the journey to Zamboanga. WhilewewereenrouteIfoundasparelifepreserver,cutit open, and removed some of the kapok that ¤lled it. I ¤lled a small rubber bag with the kapok and used it as a foxhole pillow throughout the remainder of the war. I found it to be a big improvement over the air-¤lled pillow I had been using. 1. Morison, The Liberation of the Philippines, p. 222. 140 With the 41st Division in the Southwest Pacific After an uneventful voyage, we arrived at our destination early on the morning of March 10, 1945. At about 0815 we went below to the tank deck of the LST, where we climbed aboard the landing craft. The LVTs, or buffaloes, were tracked amphibious vehicles with an overall length of only twenty-six feet. Each LVT could carry about twenty men. I had been aboard an LVT twice at Biak, the ¤rst time when we made our withdrawal from Mokmer Village, the second when we bypassed the Parai De¤le and landed at Parai Village. Both of these operations started and ended on land. We were now about to set out on a water-to-land operation that would begin quite differently. The LST had two large vertical doors at the bow of the ship. Those doors could be opened at sea and a ramp from the tank deck could then be lowered into the ocean. The LVTs would use the ramp to make their entry into the water. Thatmorningbeforethedoorswereopened,the coxswainofour landing craft warned us that when the buffalo went off the ramp into the water, the front of the vehicle would tip sharply forward and some waterwouldcomein.Hetoldustogetasfaraftaspossible and hang on. He assured us that the water that we would take in would quickly drain out. He closed his short speech by saying, “There’s nothing to worry about.” Hedid not convince me;I worriedanyway. The use of life preservers was a matter that always seemed ironic to me. When we were aboard large ships such as a transport or an LST, we were required to have a life preserver with us at all times; but when we boarded small landing craft to make our assaults , life preservers were discarded. Of course, I understood the reasons; nevertheless, that morning when our buffalo was about to dive into the Sulu Sea, it would have been comforting to have been wearing a life preserver rather than a heavy pack. As the doors of the LST swung open, the motors of the landing craft were started and, in spite of the circulation system, the air¤lled with exhaust fumes from the diesel engines. The ramp was lowered and the buffaloes began to make their way down the ramp and dive into the water. Our turn came. The LVT slowly climbed a slight incline to reach the doorway and started down the ramp. The vehicle made its descent with its treads clanking against the steel ribs of the ramp. As it reached the end of the ramp, it tipped forward at a sharp angle and plunged into the sea. Water rushed in and I was 141 Zamboanga sure we were going down, but the craft quickly leveled, the water drained out, and I drew a sigh of relief as we bobbed on the waves. The coxswains then maneuvered the LVTs into circles. Each circle was composed of vehicles for...