The Halmaheras--MOROTAI

JAPANESE FLEE TO THE HILLS ON MOROTAI

Coordinated with the attack on the Palaus, 500 miles to the northeast, U.S. troops landed on the south-western coast of Morotai Island, northernmost of the Halmaheras Group on 15 September, 1944. The landings were preceded and supported by heavy air and naval bombardments of the landing area and of enemy airfields on nearby Halmahera Island. Units of the Seventh Fleet and of the Pacific Fleet, including carrier-based aircraft, convoyed the armada of transports, landing craft and other ships and participated in the landing operations. The first wave of

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BATTLE OF SURIGAO STRAIT

COMPOSITE TRACK CHART
BATTLE OF SURIGAO STRAIT
25 OCTOBER 1944

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assault troops went ashore at 0830, landing from almost every type of amphibious craft. In less than half an hour we had established two beachheads, one at the base of Cape Gila peninsula, and another a. mile to the south. Both forces pushed inland and established a perimeter around the, base of the peninsula and gained possession of Pitoe airfield, without opposition. The small enemy garrison on the island, probably not numbering over 200, fled without offering any resistance, either on the beaches or later, and scattered into the rugged jungle covered mountains. Despite a fringing reef, with shoals and coral heads, all landings were made without incident, the amphibious tracks being followed to the beaches by LCT's and LST's, while offshore, converted destroyers and transports unloaded more troops and engineering equipment. Our losses were very light with no fatalities and only three wounded. During the night of the 16th two enemy planes unsuccessfully attacked our positions and on the following day there was an unsuccessful attack by 2 enemy dive bombers, one of which was shot down. On the 17th three more unopposed landings were made on Morotai. This landing carried our Southwest Pacific ground forces north of the equator for the first time and deepened our penetration of the Netherlands East Indies. Establishment of airfields on the island brought all the southern Philippines within easy range of even our light bombers and permitted fighters regularly to escort bombers in attacks on Mindanao and the islands to the north. The range of heavy bombers was greatly extended and they were now able to reach the central Philippines.

COAST GUARD VETERANS AT MOROTAI

The Coast Guardsmen manning the LST's at Morotai were the veterans of campaigns as far back as Lae and Finschhafen, of the initial landings at Cape Gloucester and of resupply from Saidor to Biak. They had helped secure the Green Beach at Sansapor. A large Task Unit of LST's and miscellaneous cargo vessels under CG Command, Captain Frank D. Higbee, were first to land at Pitoe Beach on the east shore of Morotai. This beach proved so superior to Red Beach on the west shore that landing elsewhere were discontinued. It is the steepest beach used in the whole campaign -so deep near shore that stern anchors could not be used. As the Task Force hove into sight of Red and White beaches on Morotai, an even larger force of ships approached from the south, using the same time table, but one day later. They were the First Reinforcement Group, under way to initiate the resupply phase of the operation. Now the Elsie Items (LCI) and Elsie Tares (LCT) were nuzzling against the shore discharging men and machines to reinforce the assault troops already on the island. The task of resupply had begun, one which would take weeks and would keep life blood flowing to our forces both by air and sea.

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