I met a fellow about a decade ago, a Canadian boy from the prairies who had served in the US Navy. There was no work around home for him in the late 'thirties, so he found a way to get down to the 'States and enlisted in whatever he could find. The navy took him in, I believe he was around nineteen at the time.
He spent a few years running some sort of coastal patrol in a small boat based out of San Francisco. Then Pearl Harbour happened.
He was re-assigned to landing craft, and spent the rest of the war commanding a variety of LC's througout the island hopping campaign.
Leo's memories indicate that he may have beached his boat at every second island landing. Notable among his recollections are that of moving his boat slowly through the dark of Iron Bottom sound, picking up survivors "during" a major naval engagement.
Another is the sound of Japanese bombers gliding down the hillside of an island to strike a group of landing craft tied up in a lagoon. Their idea may have been that the inland hillside was so steep and close to the lagoon, that an attack from that direction would not be suspected. They were right.
The only sound Leo heard was the whisper of their props as the twin engine craft appeared overhead from an impossible direction.
The next was the explosions of ordinance, the roar of radial engines as the pilots slammed open their throttles, and gunfire as the American boys realized what was happening and opened up in defence. Leo said they were all just kids. In his early twenties, he was the "old man" of the lot. They had felt safe in that lagoon, and most were busy enjoying a little time off, splashing around in the tropical waters. He said a lot of those kids died right then.
Leo's survival was based on his experience. While the other skips had felt the lagoon was safe, had simply tied up and let there crews relax, Leo felt apprehensive. He had moved his LC to the other end of the lagoon, moored it in the shade of overhanging trees, and ordered his crew to maintain watch.
Even then, they never saw the bombers coming.
Assuming that he had possibly memorized some recognition charts, I asked Leo what sort of bombers they were. He looked at me funny, and said simply, "Mitsubishis!!"
A few more question, and I realized that he and his peers had refined aircraft recognition to an economical art. According to Leo:
All Japanese bombers or twins were Mitsubishis.
All Japanese fighters were Zeros.
All American fighters were Grummans, or Corsairs. ( Easy to see the bent wings.)
All flying boats were PBY's. ( He may have had a name for small craft like Kingfishers, but I negelected to ask...)
Single engine bombers were Avengers ( He couldn't believe how loud they were!) and twins were B-25's.....but he said he almost never saw those.
I asked him about P-51's or Liberator bombers, he snorted, and said he'd seen them only in magazines.
Whenever I meet folks who have survived events like the Second World War, no matter who they are, I go out of my way to make time, and ask about their experiences. It's more than a fascination with the event. For me, it's about learning human nature, about how people learn to adapt, survive, and make decisions under unimaginable circumstance.
From children to housewives to servicemen, I've listened to countless recollections spaning Berlin to London to Amsterdam and Jakarta during WW2. Mind boggling stuff. Helldiver, my respects and my thanks for every word you post.
Please don't mind that I post words on Leo's behalf, he's not here to do the talking anymore.
