Memoirs of No Battle at Leyte Island (2)

　
I did not know which was earlier, dawn or passing of the typhoon. After dawn the sky was blue and we had no wind and breeze. I knew that the typhoon passed, but I wondered why the boat did not swing. No, it did not move. I was more amazed to see no water around the boat. How the boat stood on the beach! Why not! At the right and the left, other consort boats stood in the same pose.


This could not be expressed by being amazed or being astonished. Four boats really went on the beach at the almost equal space. Everybody could not help knowing the amazing fact.

On the four boats, two platoons of 2nd company, some of 3rd company, and commanding team and three platoons of the 1st company of machine gun, who were totally about 300 men, went on board, I supposed.

Anyway, for antiaircraft we got off boats and moved into the woods of palm. When the next measurements were being planned, we found a ship going far off the coast. Immediately, semaphore was tried. We knew that it was Seikichi-Maru where the commander of 1st battalion was on board. Seikichi-Maru changed its direction and approached the beach. As the beach was far shallow, major Saito, the commander, landed by a small boat. He confirmed our situation and ordered us to go after as soon as possible. And he asked one platoon of machine gun to follow him. Tadaka platoon, that was the strongest, got on board in a hurry. The ship started again to Leyte.

On the way of the story, but Tadaka platoon was only one platoon of our 1st machine gun company that could reach Leyte and fought hard as only one platoon of machine gun of the 1st battalion. All soldiers of the platoon including the leader, but excluding S superior private, died an honorable death as demons of Leyte.


By the marine chart provided by the boat, we knew that this island was Masbate. We left the port of Manila in 8 boats of fleet. Seikichi-Maru went to Leyte and 4 boats were here. Other 3 boats were missing since the typhoon at the night. On the 3 boats, one platoon of our company of machine gun, one squad of the battalion of big gun, one company of other battalion, and almost of the 4th company got on board.

The typhoon went through the center of the Philippine Islands to the east and moved from Masbate to Leyte. According to the late news, the 59th regiment spent a night getting soaked to the skin in octopus pots of the Lemon Pass of Leyte at the night of 9th.


Looking at 4 boats that ran ashore more than 100m far from the sea water at low tide, the captains had a consultation and concluded that we should do our best to float boats on the sea even if impossible. However, everythig we had was 2~3 hundreds of soldiers, shovels and several hoes. Of course, we had no engineers or tools. In the afternoon, anyway digging out sands around Kammon-Maru began.

For five days we had been shut up inside the boat with lack of exercise, so we could not immediately work hard. In the blue sky after the typhoon, the burning sun was blazing down continuously.


We stayed at night in portable tents here and there in the woods of palm, and we worked to dig sands continuously at daytime. It was a job that anybody had never experienced and could not be planned. But, thanks to our efforts, we began to think at 3rd day hopefully that we might dig out one boat. We had been doubtful until then, but all of us changed to believe that it was possible if we tried.

At noon of 15th day when everyone believed its possibility, unfortunately Mr. Horaguchi, the captain of Kammon-Maru, was crushed to death by the bottom of boat which leaned to the opposite side. 　Although works were carried on carefully, it was most regrettable that the accident happened due to dangerous works that had not been experienced. We prayed for the peaceful repose of the dead.

(To be continued)