08:00

08:00

"No change."

09:10 

"Flash! - 2nd Bn will be prepared to move from Ebli’s Plantation tomorrow.  We will go by C-47 planes to Biak, and from there take LCI’s to Noemfoor.  Barracks bags, hammocks, and complete kitchen equipment will be taken.  Particulars will be issued later."

16:00

"Breakfast at 03:00 hr. tomorrow.  Entruck at 04:00 hr in order of Hq, D,E,F for transportation to Sentani Drome and Cyclops Dromw:  2 Co’s per drome.

Bn Hq will have eight planes, each line Co, seven:  A corresponding number of trucks has been assigned to each Co.  We are due in Biak Is. tomorrow, 8th at Mokmer Strip.  From there we go under Navy control for transport to Noemfoor by LCI on the 10th, giving the Bn. one day on Biak."

Pancakes, sugar and water syrup, and salt bacon.  A good breakfast.  Mail going out again, so the officers had mail censoring duty.  This was probably the most hated by the junior officers of all their duties.

We found out that jump casualties were so heavy in the 1st and 3rd battalion that they cancelled our jump.  We fly to Biak tomorrow morning.  From there we will be transported by boat to Noemfoor Island.  We hear there has not been much action on Noemfoor.  They cannot find the 2800 Japs.  Of course our Battalion is saying that we’ll just have to go find them.

Bully beef patties, bread, apricots, and synthetic lemonade for lunch.  Heavy rains started at 1400.  We stayed in our jungle hammocks much of the afternoon.  The  show tonight was very poor, “Jam Session”.  We get up at 0245, eat at 0300, and leave at 0400.  We are carrying our barracks bags with us.  Had a smoko and went to bed.

0300 

06:45

"Weather closed in at Hollandia.  Will sweat it out in planes until take off time."

09:00

"Weather at Biak is “5”, or visibility zero.  If it doesn’t clear by 13:00, it will be too late to take off.” 

This is incorrect in part.  As explained above "F" Company did depart from Cyclops Strip and made it to Biak.

1300

"Weather still bad.  Personnel will spend nite in plane or under it, prepare for early take off tomorrow."

"F" Co. and "E" Co. went to Cyclops Drome.  Bn Hq. Co. and "D" Co. went to Sentani Drome.  F Co. left at 0730 in heavy weather.  The other companies were held back waiting for a break in the weather.  We were flying right down on the water and still could not see.  We were in plane #301.  After a long time the crew chief told me that the visibility was growing worse,  and we were going to turn and go back to Hollandia.  Just about this time we broke out into the clear and landed on Biak about 1100.  By 1230 they had moved us to our area by trucks.  The rest of the Bn did not come in until the next day, and they had to walk about two miles from Mokmer Drome.

Our area was a low coral hill.  It had once been covered with small trees,  but now these were denuded stakes. The shelling had been very heavy here.  We had difficulty setting up jungle hammocks, because the tree trunks were too small to support the weight of a man.  This area had been booby-trapped by our troops.  They had set these up with hand grenades.  We found several and removed them. George Harrigan unknowingly tripped one we had overlooked. Men were all around it.  I felt the heat on my back.  Emory Ball was a few feet further away chopping on a small tree trunk with his machete.  Just before the blade struck a grenade segment stuck the tree trunk near the spot where the blade hit.  No damage was done physically, but our faith in our fragmentation grenades did suffer.

Looming a half mile to the north was a ridge of great length with high cliffs towering above us.  We could feel great pity for the men who had to advance across this coastal plain to attack the cliffs.  Most of us set out for the cliffs to satisfy our curiosity and look for souvenirs.  At the base of the cliffs were many caves.  Some were large extending back to no telling where.  The large cave entrances were reached by descending into deep pits probably 50-75 feet deep and a couple of hundred feet in diameter.  Narrow trail wound down the sides of the pits to get to the bottom.  This gave perfect protection to the cave entrances from shell fire. 

C-47’s would drop 55 gallon drums of gasoline into the pits.  After a large number were dropped in they would drop an explosive device and have a raging inferno for a time.  The problem was that the Japs could get well out of harm’s way back into the depths of the caves.  We climbed down into the pits of a couple of caves and looked around the front parts. Many of the stalactites had broken from the ceiling and fallen to the floor.  We saw parts of Japs sticking out from under several, so the naval shelling had some effect here.  One large cave still had a fire burning burning in the pit.  The C-47’s had dropped gasoline in it the morning of our arrival.  This was the third burn-out for this cave. With all the stalagmites and the wreckage of the stalagmites among them it would had been very difficult to go back into the caves.  The face of the cliffs were pockmarked with small caves.  Crowning the cliffs were huge hardwood trees forming dense rain forest.

J Rations for supper.  No movies that we could find.  There was still heavy fighting taking place and some not too far away.  Any movies would be by small units in secluded places.

06:45

"Take off for Biak Is."

08:00

"Passed over Wadke Is. and Gelvink Bay."

0845

"Landed at Biak.  The Japs were 300 yds. from Strip.  P-40’s bombed and strafed their positions.  One P-40 was knocked down by a Jap Dual Purpose Gun while we awaited designation of bivouac area.  We are still attached to 24th Div."

0930 

"The bivouac is two miles from Mokmer Drome, where we landed.  Only two trucks are available and they will shuttle barracks bags while the personnel walk.”  "F" Company was lucky when they arrived the day before.  They rode to the bivouac area."

1400 

"Biak is 100% coral and the hammocks sure came in andy.  We are bivouacked along the final protective line of unit holding area above jetty."

1600 

"2nd Bn and attached units will spend the night on Biak and tomorrow take LCI’s to Noemfoor Is.  where the rest of the regiment is now stationed.

We are grateful for the manner in which the 24th Div. arranged our bivouac area, rations and water supply.  "

As a bastard regiment we usually had to fight for everything we ever received, and it is heartening to see a unit interested in our welfare.

The "F" Company History is brief and inaccurate in that it states the company left Hollandia for Biak 4 July.

Eating field rations.  It rained early.  About 0930 everyone headed for the cliffs.  Ball, Marion Boone, Richard Lampman, Brown, and I climbed to the tops of the cliffs and went into the rain forest heading north following a well used trail. Climbing up the cliffs after we left the caves three back soldiers joined us.  They were members of a signal company.  The trees were of the 150 feet variety.  The mountain was coral.  The tree roots would be 3-4 feet above the ground where they joined the tree trunks.  The roots would radiate out in every direction putting out feeder roots in every pocket of soil in the coral.  Jagged coral was exposed in abundance.  The undergrowth was heavy.  it was cleared in a few places where trails led to a few trees.  Ladders had been attached to these trees leading up to platforms high up near the top of the trees.  The Japs had built these observation platforms to watch the sea.

The trail began a deep descent to the north.  After walking 400-500 yards we emerged into the open.  The descent of the trail leveled out and became a gradual descent.  This side of Biak was arid.  There was little grass, just scattered clumps, and scrubby trees 15-20 feet tall.  The trees resembled mesquite trees.  The trail was well worn, and there were signs that a lot of action had taken place along it.  Sound and power wire was still strung along the side of the trail.  Spent brass cartridges were everywhere.  The empties made it easy to spot the locations of the automatic weapons - or rather where they had been located. Bloody compress bandages were scattered and even some U.S. equipment such as helmets were abandoned.  We were sure that our front lines lay up ahead somewhere.

Brown picked up a good carbine.  These Jap carbines were rare.  When we left this morning I had my pistol.  None of the others carried a weapon.  The 3 black soldiers had a TSMG and two M1 carbines.  After we got started one of them told me that they had not fired these weapons and asked if it would not be better if some of us carried them.  Our group took the weapons offered and felt much more secure.

The trail intersected a well traveled two lane coral-surfaced road.  We turned left, west, and followed the road.  After traveling possibly a half mile we approached a low knoll covered with heavy bush.  The land was completely clear of brush for some distance around the knoll, but this was not particularly noticeable because of the scarcity of brush in this region.  As we neared the knoll we heard a click and immediately froze.  Peering closely into the bush we made out a brass round plate.  The truth suddenly dawned that we were looking at the business end of a water cooled 30 caliber machine gun. 

A voice came out of the brush demanding to know who we were and what we were doing there.  After we answered promptly and told them what they wanted to know they led us inside their fort.  The walls were built of rocks several feet high and quite thick.  What appeared to be a knoll was actually brush and small trees laid overhead forming an arbor.  The fort was defended by a rifle company reinforced by a heavy machine gun platoon.  They thought we had lost our minds.  There were many Japs in the area.  The captain commanding wanted us to spend the night and wait for two tanks coming in with supplies the next day.  We felt sure the rest of the battalion was in by now and knew that we were scheduled to leave Biak the next morning.  Colonel Britten would not take it too kindly if we were not there.  We thanked the captain and left,  anxious to get back to our home on the rocky knoll.  We retraced our steps very quietly and very rapidly. 

As we approached the forest again we began to breathe easier.  In fact we were actually breathing harder because of the gradual ascent toward the cliffs, our rapid pace, and the hot sun we were winded.  We noticed several P-40’s strafing and bombing the ridge a few miles east.  An L-5 liaison plane was flying around spotting for them.  He flew our way and then turned back.  We were almost to the rain forest when we saw a P-40 head our way.  Exhausted as we were we ran for the cover of the forest and upon reaching this cover dropped down to rest.  The P-40 zoomed over and a loud boom and concussion followed.  He had dropped a bomb about 40-50 yards in front of us of where we would have been had we not stopped. 

After being mistaken by our own troops for Japs we were really ready to get back, but we stayed in a crater until we were sure no planes were around.  We went over the ridge, down the cliffs, and back to our area.  As we neared our area one of the black soldiers asked Ball and me if we would come take “scarf” with them.  We politely declined saying their commander might not appreciate uninvited guests coming in for dinner. 

Soon he was back with an invitation from his company commander to eat with them.  We accepted and enjoyed a family style served meal at a table under a mess tent.  This was a signal company and they had an area walled off by canvas where they showed movies.  We saw the movie, “Stage Door Canteen.”

After we returned that night we learned that three "F" Company men who were unarmed ran into three Japs in a cave.  The Japs were armed.  Pvt. Robert Hobbs was hit in the leg and for his foolishness got a Purple Heart.  When foolish stunts are rated ours would top the list.

07:00

“Four LCI’s will dock at jetty 300 yds from our bivouac area at 16:00 hr today.  There will be one company per LCI, plus 1/4 of ammo and rations, and a breakdown of 1st Bn Hq., 3rd Bn Hq and some Serv Co. personnel."

10:00 

"The 3 trucks supplied to the Bn. by the 24th Div. started shuttling the Bn. to the jetty, complete with barracks bags and extra impedimenta."

14:00

"Entire Bn at jetty awaiting LCI’s which are now off shore, to come in at 16:00 hr."

16:00

"Two LCI’s beached at jetty for Hq & "D" Co’s.  Each Co. lined up its men without barracks bags and had them load ammo on LCI’s up one gangway and down the other.  The Lt. Commander in charge of the 4 LCI’s said it was the quickest and most orderly manner in which his ships had ever been loaded."

17:00

""E" & "F" Co’s LCI’s beached and were loaded."

18:00

"Our 4 LCI’s pulled out into the harbor to join convoy for Noemfoor. It has Liberty Ships accompanying plus 8 destroyers."

19:00

"There is a bunk for every man on the LCI:  an average of 195 per craft."