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Bob,
I do not know of the site, but the Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton,
California, maintains a rather larger museum of amtracs and if you contact
them, I am sure you can get a picture and other information. You also might
want to contact the Marine Corps Museum, Quantico, Va 22134 which also
maintains some amtracs and is the repository for Marine Corps historical
publications.
R. S. Rayfield, Jr.
Major USMC (Ret)
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert D. Brooke [mailto:rdb18@csufresno.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2000 1:31 PM
To: mil-veh@uller.skylee.com
Subject: Re: [MV] 23 Feb 1945
*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
Also on this same date, 2-23-1945( February 22 on this side of the
International Date Line), my father, along with approximately 2200
other prisoners of war, were rescued from the Los Banos Internment
Camp in the Philippines by the US Army's 11th Airborne Division.
Because of Iwo Jima, the classic picture of the US Flag raising, and
the significant loss of life on Iwo Jima, the Los Banos Raid news was
pretty much overlooked by our wonderful press, as they concentrated on
the Iwo Jima story.
The Los Banos Raid was a classic military operation flawlessly
executed
by the 11th Airborne. It involved a company sized dawn parachute drop
from a very low 500 feet, a conventional ground movement of a
Battalion minus, using trucks, and an amphibious movement across a
huge lake in darkness. The amphibious force made a dawn landing under
Japanese fire, a two mile dash to the camp, crashed through the
perimeter fencing, dismounted the on board troops, and took control of
the camp from the startled and completely surprised Japanese.
Those many (mainly US and British) POW's too emaciated to walk the two
miles out were loaded into the amphibious vehicles which re-entered
the lake and took them to safety across the lake, behind US lines. The
POW's who were able to walk to the landing site on the lake's shore
were protected as they waited by a combination of brave Filipino
guerillas and the 11th Airborne troops, who had either initially
ridden in the 54 amphibs, or had parachuted in. They were under fire
by elements of the elite Japanese "Tiger" 8th Division, who were
attempting to kill the US troops, as well as the weak and defenseless
POW's.
The amphibious vehicles returned one more time, picked up the
remainder of the POW's and got them all safely out. Miraculously, only
one POW was injured, and I believe only one soldier was killed.
The Amphibious Vehicle which was *KEY* to this amazing operation is an
LVT-4A "Amtrac", sometimes called an "Alligator". They are armored,
tracked, dual purpose, amphibious, road running tractors. They carry a
crew of three, have mounted .50 caliber and .30 caliber machine guns
on pedestals, are powered by a 9 cylinder aircraft engine mounted
forward of the guns. They have a rear ramp and could carry a platoon
of fully loaded troops with all their ancillary equipment in the open
bay. They can also carry jeeps or "pack howitzers".
They lumber along at approximately 15 MPH on land, but in the water,
they wallow along at about 5MPH, throwing out a wake of white water.
They make a huge racket, on land or in the water.
If anyone has a good picture of these wonderful monsters, or knows
where to find one, I would appreciate it, since the picture I have of
them at the camp is of poor quality. Or if anyone *has* one, I would
be interested.........
Today, those of us who remember and care, can, as Tom suggested, say
a little prayer of thanks to our wonderful men, and machinery, that
made the difference between success and failure.
Bob Brooke
Tom Norris wrote:
>
> *This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(tm) Pro*
> I was surprised there was not a discussion of this day, regardless of
> the lack of MV content, I think it is worth mentioning that on this date
> elements of the 28th Marines took the summit of Iwo Jima and planted
> the US flag only 4 days after landing on the island.
>
> There were over 24,000 Allied casualties, ( over 6000 dead ) 20,000
> Japanese dead by the time the battle finally ended on 26 March.
>
> Thanks to those whose served, those who still serve, and those who
remember.
>
> ( and for the sake of the list, the MV's that helped them in the effort )
>
> Tom
>
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