"Sighted
the mts of Leyte, and will be in the harbor, lowering our boats away
in 1 hour. Sporadic air alerts were experienced since dawn, but no
direct attack on our convoy." - 2d Bn Journal, 18
November, 1945.
The first
LCVP touched beach about 10 miles south of DULAG, at TARRAGONA. The
weather is perfect, but this is the wet season and may not last
long. The situation is not too bright. The Japs still have about
50,000 troops and are reinforcing from nearby islands. The first
camp is established right on the beach, which is lined for miles
with a coconut grove 400 yards deep. Behind the grove is swamp, all
the way to DULAG.
From
arrival through to 10 December, all personnel do regular camp
duties, and stage for the next mission. In off hours they
enjoy the dandy beach by swimming and playing ball on the sands, and
some movies are run in the evenings. Many Nippon planes are shot
down from the skies overhead, so foxholes are dug beside each man's
bed. "Each night resembles Coney Island on the 4th of July."
Because of
the dearth of airfields capable of staging an air-mission, the 503d
prepare, as part of a task force aggregating 15,000 men, for
its first beach landing.