Word: mortaring
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Neither Madrid nor Stalingrad nor Cassino had the elements of this fantastic fight for Intramuros . . ." And still another comes from Bob Sherrod, veteran of New Guinea and Attu, of Tarawa and Saipan, who landed with the Marines on Iwo Jima : "Shortly before we hit the beach three mortar shells dropped in the water beyond us, but the Higgins boat crunched on the shore and without even getting our feet wet we ran up the steep beach and started digging in. ... That first night can only be described as a nightmare in hell. The Japs rained heavy mortars and rockets...
...four reasons why Iwo Jima is the toughest target in the Pacific war. First is the weather, which has been rough beyond anything encountered along the Central Pacific way. Only heroic work by LST and LSM men and shore parties has kept supplies moving through the fairly steady mortar fire on the beaches. One-third of our small boats have been knocked out by high surf or by enemy fire...
...sickening to watch the Jap mortar shells crash into the men as they climbed. These huge explosive charges-"floating ash cans," we called them-would crash among the thin lines of marines, or among the boats bringing reinforcements to the beach, throwing sand, water and even pieces of human flesh 100 feet into the air. Supporting naval gunfire and planes with bombs managed to knock out some of the mortars, but the Japs continued throwing their deadly missiles all afternoon. By noon the assault battalions reported 20 to 25% fatalities...
Some of the war's best photographs carhe out of the Pacific last week. The up-close, thick-of-battle quality of the pictures was evidence of the bravery and skill of the photographers on Iwo Jima, who worked in such a din of artillery and mortar fire that one of them, the A.P.'s bespectacled Joe Rosenthal, reported that he could not hear his shutter click. The speed with which the pictures appeared in U.S. newspapers was evidence of the Navy's growing press-sense...
...Japs really showed what they could do. Their minefields were reported as dense as any the Germans laid in North Africa. Any position with heavy stone walls was turned into a strong point. Churches suited the Japs perfectly. One churchyard fortress had to be burned out with artillery, mortar fire and flamethrowers. The centuries-old walled city, the Intramuros, was a natural fortress. Colonel Lawrence K. ("Red") White, of the 148th, saw no hope of saving most of Manila's famous buildings. Where the Japs had artillery, he would use artillery, refusing to send unsupported infantry against guns...