|
Page 4 of 5 26th Marines D+1, 20 Feb 45 Weather: Clear and mild CT 26 (less LT 126 attached to CT 27) maintained positions in 5thMarDiv reserve on this date. At about 1830 one platoon (reinf) of LT 326 was sent to outpost west beach in 163, remainder of LT 326 planned to switch position facing beach should counter-landing threat develop. The only vehicles cleared of the beach and available were those of two of the 37mm platoons and 3 half-tracks. Very little equipment or supplies were received over the beach. Casualties: 1 Off, 58 Enl. Effective Strength: 145 Off, 3052 Enl. 27th Marines - D plus 1 20 February, 1945 At 0330, the enemy launched a counter-attack south of airfield #1 with a sizeable force. This attack was broken up some 300 yards in front of our lines. The enemy continued to pound our CP with artillery and mortars throughout the morning. Our front line units reported their assault troops were being held up by heavy enemy mortar and artillery fire, but they were encountering very little small arms fire and enemy infantry. They reported many enemy pillboxes and land mines in the form of yardstick mines wired to 63 kg. bombs. Two or three enemy artillery pieces in T.S. 199F were reported destroyed by naval gunfire. An enemy dog-tag identified the 145th Infantry Regiment while a captured enemy document disclosed the 2nd Company, 312th Independent Infantry Battalion. One of our reserve units backing up the line on our left flank reported an enemy CP which had been over-run in T.S. 163X, northeast. They reported 300 enemy dead in the area at 0925. The enemy dead reported to date was 400.
|
