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Tag: WWII

How a Tropical Cyclone Defeated a U.S. Army Offensive

Published by D C on October 1, 2015

As we here on the east coast of the United States await the landfall of Hurricane Joaquin, it brings to mind another big storm that occurred on the other side of the world, 71 years ago this week. Deep in the jungles of Bougainville, in the Solomon Islands, Allied troops were locked in a long standoff with Japanese forces. The Allies had established a perimeter on the Japanese-held island in November 1943. Japanese forces planned and executed a huge offensive in March 1944, but this attack failed, and their remaining troops faded off into the jungle (read more here). Allied airstrips on the island remained safe and operational, and major fighting on the island was over. Yet thousands of Japanese soldiers lurked in the deep jungle and massive mountains beyond the American perimeter. U.S. Army units slowly expanded the perimeter, but there was no concerted effort to drive the Japanese off the island or wipe them out.

There were periodic small clashes. In late September1944, the 182nd Infantry set off into the jungle near the Laruma River to wipe out a reported Japanese encampment. The soldiers clawed their way up steep hills, and waded through chest-deep rivers. By 1 October, they were in position to launch what they referred to as “The Battle of Nip Gap” along the Doyabie River. PFC Arnold West of Company G was killed in attack on a pillbox, while Sergeants Jack Morton and Robert Egler of the company were awarded Silver Stars for their actions that day. The fighting continued for days, with the 182nd Infantry claiming nearly 200 enemy soldiers killed, and multiple pillboxes. On 6 October the American troops returned to camp to resupply, before heading out the next day to knock out another Japanese camp near the village of Piateripaia. As they moved in to encircle and attack the Japanese position, rain began to fall. This was a daily occurrence on Bougainville, but this storm strengthened and conditions worsened. The rain turned into a deluge, and the wind began to roar. The Laruma River flooded. Seven bridges built to cross the river were destroyed. Communication wires were ripped out. Trees were knocked down, and the 182nd began to take casualties – from the storm. Food spoiled, and supplies were washed away.

In the midst of this carnage, the 182nd Infantry kept advancing on the Japanese. But they soon found themselves out of position. The terrain, even in the best of conditions, was nearly impassable. Compounding that problem, some of the trails and roads had been washed away by the storm. Other routes were blocked by downed trees. The loss off food and supplies left the soldiers hungry, and emergency rations were being used. By 10 October, the 182nd Infantry offensive was called off, and the exhausted troops returned to their base behind the front lines. Their attack was over, defeated by a storm that laid waste to the battlefield.

Researching a World War II Veteran

Published by D C on September 12, 2015

I am very lucky to regularly hear from veterans of the 182nd Infantry from World War II, as well as their children and grandchildren. Sometimes, I am even able to help them find new information, documents or photographs of a particular veteran. It can be difficult to track down the specifics of an individual’s wartime service, though. I wanted to share a few tips here, along with some guidelines for what I can and can not help with on the research front.

First of all, it is important to note that my research focuses on one company of the 182nd Infantry, and their service during World War II. Over the years I have collected hundreds of primary source documents from locations such as the National Archives and the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives. While some of these documents relate to the entire 182nd Infantry, or even the full Americal Division, in most cases they pertain only to Company G of the 182nd. This unit of approximately 200 men made up just a small portion of the 182nd during the war. Thus, I am often unable to help researchers trying to find out more about their relatives. Please contact me if you are unsure what company a 182nd Infantry serviceman served with – I may be able to determine this.

Since I can’t answer everyone’s questions, I always try to point them in the proper direction to do their own research. The starting point for any research into a U.S. service member is the National Archives. The most important pieces of paperwork to track down are discharge papers and separation records. These days, those forms are known as the DD-214, but during World War II, they went by other designations such as WD AGO 53, WD AGO 55, WD AGO 53-55, NAVPERS 553, NAVMC 78PD, and NAVCG 553. These forms list the veteran’s name, address, rank, duties, foreign service, and other important facts. Unfortunately, when researching U.S. Army records during World War II, there is a rather serious problem. In 1973, a massive fire at the National Archives repository in St. Louis destroyed most of these records (read more about that fire here). If you do not have a copy of the veteran’s service records, you should request them through the National Archives here, but be aware that they may no longer exist due to the fire. These records, when they do exist, are held at the National Archives location in St. Louis, at a place known as the National Personnel Records Center.

Other important military records from World War II can be obtained to expand the knowledge of a veteran’s war service. At the National Archives in College Park, MD, dozens of boxes contain the original reports and documents created by Americal Division units during the war. These include important records such as Unit Histories (example here), Operations Reports (example here), and many others. The College Park location of the National Archives also holds photographs of many war time events and people. You can learn more about visiting this location to do research at this link.

Other documents generated by World War II U.S. Army units can be found at the National Archives location in St. Louis. These included Unit Rosters, and Morning Reports (see example here). These reports are highly informative. Morning Reports were created each day by each company, and they list what the unit did during the day. The also list out any changes to the unit’s personnel, such as the departure of sick and wounded, arrival of replacements, and reporting of those killed. You can find out more on their website.

The last archival destination I recommend for 182nd Infantry research is the Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives. Located in Concord, MA, this facility houses the records pertaining to the unit’s time prior to departure for the Pacific in January 1942. There is a wealth of photographic material here on the pre-war years, as well as rosters and paperwork. Please note that this National Guard facility does not hold records related to the 182nd’s four years overseas in the Pacific – a period when the unit had been federalized and served in the U.S. Army.

In terms of reading material, one book in particular is crucial to knowing the story of the 182nd Infantry Regiment in World War II. This is Under the Southern Cross, written by Captain Francis D. Cronin a few years after the war. It can be purchased from the Americal Legacy Foundation in their Online Store.

I hope this this general information is helpful to those investigating the service of a World War II service member. If you have specific questions about a 182nd Infantry Regiment individual, please feel free to contact me at 182ndinfantry@gmail.com.

Cebu 2015: The Ghosts of World War II, 70 Years Later

Published by D C on June 6, 2015
  • Tracked amphibious landing vehicles (LVT) make their way ashore. In the distance, Talisay Beach is masked in thick smoke. The larger craft at center is an LCI, the type of ship Company G landed in. Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, 80-G-259254.
  • Americal Division Veterans Association tour group at Museo Sugbo, Cebu City, 2015. Source: Americal Division Veterans Association.
  • Filipino military forces re-enact the Americal Division landing at Talisay Beach on the 70th anniversary of the battle. Source: Dave Colamaria.
  • Comparison of the landing at Talisay Beach in Cebu, with 1945 at top, and 2015 at bottom. Source: top photo Naval History and Heritage Command SC 264198, bottom photo Dave Colamaria.
  • Dave Colamaria at an overlook on top of Babag Ridge, looking down on the sprawl of Cebu City below. Source: Dave Colamaria.
  • Sam Arnold (left) and Dave Colamaria pose with the newly dedicated monument at the site of the Japanese surrender on Cebu. Source: Dave Colamaria.

In March 2015, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Cebu, an island in the Philippines. Along with a group of men from the Americal Division Veterans Association (all veterans of the war in Vietnam), I spent a week on the island touring sites with ties to World War II. This included several locations where the 182nd Infantry engaged in combat. It was a very emotional experience for me, retracing the footsteps of my grandfather, Ed Monahan. He served as First Sergeant for Company G of the 182nd on Cebu, from their amphibious landing in March 1945, until he was rotated home on points in May 1945, with the heaviest fighting completed.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to post a short series of stories on the Cebu trip. I am going to post them in an order approximating the sequence of events that the fighting on Cebu occurred, rather than how our trip was scheduled. The first piece will look at the extravagant ceremonies hosted by the people of the Philippines to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Americal Division’s landing at Talisay Beach, on 26 March 1945 (read Part I here). Next I’ll look at some of the sites in the urban center of Cebu City, which was seized shortly after the successful landing at Talisay (read Part II here). We’ll move from there into the imposing hills of Babag Ridge, scene of the bloodiest fighting of the campaign (read Part III here).  A visit to the west coast of Cebu affords the chance to tour some World War II pillboxes and tank barriers (read Part IV here). And lastly, we’ll finish up with a piece on the dedication of a new monument at the spot where thousands of Japanese troops surrendered to the Americal at the end of the war (read Part V here).

The main purpose of our visit was to attend this new monument dedication. My grandfather was not present when the Japanese on Cebu surrendered to the Americal Division at the end of the war. So in a way, I saw this trip as a way for me to bring some symbolic closure to the war for him. On that last day in Cebu at the monument dedication, I did find that closure, in a deeply satisfying and emotional moment I’ll describe in my story on the ceremony.

After completing the Cebu portion of the trip, I had a brief stopover in Manila, where I visited the graves of men from Company G who were killed during the war. You can read that story here. To learn more about the battle for Cebu, read the story here. Please check back throughout the month as a I post the details of the 2015 trip. The journey begins with the reenactment of the Talisay Beach Landing.