What information do you have on the Battle of Leyte?

Answer 1

I assume you are talking about the battle of Leyte in the Phillipine Islands.

The purpose of the attack was to get air bases for the Air Corps to support the landings to be carried out on Luzon a few months later.

Leyte was too far away for ground based air to support our troops, so carrier based aircraft did the job. The Marine air wings did their finest work work giving close air support to Army troops! Leyte turned out to be a bloody battle and the island was found to be a poor airfield once the island was secured. The island of Mindoro had to be attacked to provide the airfields needed to invade Luzon.

Any books about the 5th Air Force will tell you about Army power in the Pacific.

AnswerI and the Amphibious group from the 7th Fleet landed on Leyte on 10/20/44. there were no landing fields built on any area around Leyte Gulf Clark Feild was the armyAir Force and was almost complety rebuilt after we secured thd Leytearea I remember being in Minila around Xmas time and there were just AA few pockets around that were having problems,Our first incounter with a kamazze was just off of luzon on our way to Iwo Jimawe Lost oferr 30 men all from the flag.any one who was in compac phib group#1 I would like to hear from you. Omer SM2 Answerthere were two airfields built in the southern end of leyte island. clark field is on luzon not leyte luzon was invaded at the end of January 1945 manila was retaken in march of 1945.the first ship hit by a kamikaze in ww2 was the cruiser uss Nashville on dec 13th 1944 on it's way to support the landing on mindoro island. before luzon or iwo jima was invaded. AnswerI'am sure glad, the writer got the location of Clark airfield cleared up; There was an airstrip built with the metal landing mats that were hooked together; this was at tacloban (mispelled) on the island of Leyte. The air strip was not suitable for the needs of air strikes : on the Island of Samar,(across the leyte gulf ,was just the right spot; it was on the southern tip of Samar; a little ove a mile,from the gulf to the open Pacific. The army corp of engineers, couldn't build it in the time required,so the Navy sea bee's took on the job.My self along, with my buddy's, were on Manus island Island, waiting for Leyte to be secured, so we could build; aircraft repair and overhaul shops; That would contribute greatly to the war effort;since the aircraft, were being sent across the ocean to Alemeda, Ca.: the CB'S needed help so we (the ones who were to operate the shops)volentered.to help build the airstrip at Samar; We were sent by APA, to New Guina, to join up with the convoy,going to Leyte Gulf. We worked with the CB'S and built the airstrip, shops and the whole base at Guian, Samar. (I know this is getting to be a long story, if you want more on it, just let me know): George Hack ADRC USN Ret.

PS, the sea voyage on the Robert Doncaster, from San Francisco to Manus Island was of great interest!

AnswerMy father, Joe B. Thomas, was with the AAF 110th Observation/Recon squadron and was on Mindoro Island. His unit won a presidential unit citation for their valor. It was a hellish couple of days from what I know.

My Father Joseph M Donatelli joined the army air core shortly after the outbreak of ww2. My father quickly rose to the rank of Master sergeant. He was attached to the 385 Army Air Core Service group. The 385 Army Air Core Service Group was essentially a combat zone airfield building, maintaining and defending group. The 385 was designated a Special Operations Group, because the Airfields they built and defended were behind Enemy lines. Army Air Core Service Groups of this kind did not have Officers in command. There was a Cornel attached to the 385 who handled the official paperwork, but had no command authority. First Sergeant Joseph Donatelli commanded the 385. My father and the 385 fought all through the Philippines campaign. My fathers Airfields supported the P57 Close Air Support Fighters and the Cargo Supply Planes attached to the P57 Group. This group of P57 Close Support Aircraft supported the First Calvary Division and a Marine Division whose designation is lost to me. Since all intense battles are so much the same blur let me relate one battle to you that illustrates what the men of the 385 Army Air Corp experienced.

During the battle of Leyte, my fathers Airfield was on the Island of Tacloban. The First Calvary and The Marine Division landed on one side of Tacloban and on Leyte Island itself. While the 385 landed on the opposite side behind enemy lines. The 385 came ashore with Bulldozers, Rode Rollers Steal Grates and Anti Aircraft guns. As quickly as possible the Jungle was cleared, the steel grates were laid down and the P57�s were landing, refueling and rearming for another attack on the Japanese positions. At the same time Cargo plains were landing food supplies, fuel and ammunition at a furious pace to keep up with the P57�s. The First Calvary and The Marines were to drive the Japanese toward the airfield, on Tacloban and in that general direction on Leyte Island, bringing them ever closer to the P 57 close support aircraft, allowing the P57�s ever shorter missions, so more missions could be flown per hour. For 44 days as the Battle for Leyte raged the airfield was bombed at dawn and at dusk in an attempt to knock out the important airfield that wrecking havoc on the Japanese positions. After each bombing, the men of the 385 raced for their bulldozers to fill in the bomb craters, put down new steal mats, so P57�s out of fuel and ammunition could be rearmed and refueled for the next strike. This Air Field caused the Japanese so much grief that on about the 20 Th day, before dawn, my father and his men heard a different kind of engine noise coming from the ocean. Several Japanese Paratroop planes flying just above the ocean suddenly gained altitude. At less then 80 feet, rather then the 200 feet intended, 300 Japanese Paratroopers jumped from the planes. The Japanese were too low. All 300 Japanese solders hit the runway before their parachutes opened and bounced down the runway to their deaths. The men of the 385 were caught by surprise. Had the Japanese paratroopers been at the right altitude the airfield would have been taken and the men of the 385 slaughtered. Someone is misinformed if he thinks this steal grate airfield was not a menace to the enemy, why would the Japanese have gone to so much trouble to knock this airfield out if it had no value in supporting the US troops during the battle for Leyte?

AnswerThat was a major naval battle in the Philippines in 1944. The Americans were invading the Philipines in order to retake them. The Japanes plan was to let the Americans conduct their landing and then attack and destroy the fleet protecting the invasion which would then permit them to destroy the invasion force. Parts of their plan worked very well but ultimately they were forced to withdraw with heavy losses.

The Japanese took the Philippines from America in 1942. In 1944 America took it back. The generals wanted to leave the Philippines but over all the man that ran everything wanted that back before anything else