Diary vs Letter Home (36)

Time is a precious commodity on the front, but writing helps Gene deal with the horrors of war.  The men on the front don't want their ones back home to worry, which poses a dilemma.  If they write too much, they will worry because they know how bad it is, but if they write too little, they will worry because they know they aren't getting the whole story.   Compare Gene's diary entries with his letters to his beloved (and prone to worry!) wife:

First, the diary:

May 31, 1944
     We landed on a Sunday again - May 28, D+1.  Fairly quiet landing.  On the way in our boats shot at a Zero [most numerous and very capable Japanese fighter plane].  And we could see bombs or shells dropping around one of our LCT [landing craft, tank] or a destroyer.  We landed and were in our area about 1 1/2 miles west of Bosnek, by 10 A.M.  We set up some tents and were receiving patients by 2 P.M.  by 7 P.M. we had 110 wounded and 140 by morning.  The clearing station next to us had over 100 and all portables were swamped, as were we! 

Map of Biak showing southern coast where all the fighting is.
(map from http://www.3rdattackgroup.org/maps.php)

     A Zero was shot down just out from the beach in front of us that evening, but I was operating and couldn't see the show.  He came along strafing.  Likewise on the morning of the 28th (before we got in) they got 2 [Zeros] out of 5.
     Surgery is a mad house.  We couldn't keep up with the work.  Last night I slept 10 hours.  2 nights before (first after landing) I slept from 5 to 6 A.M. on the ground outside surgery, the next night from 1 to 7 [A.M.].  So I had 1 hour sleep in 44, then 6 hours.
     At the end of 48 hours we evacuated 215 patients not all the lightly wounded having been taken care of.  The wounds are horrible and we've had 10 deaths.  I've no idea how many have been killed.  I've done so much surgery that I get dizzy thinking of it and stuff I'd never thought I could attempt.
     Artillery shells (75, 105 and 155 mm [the diameter of the projectile: about 3", 4" and 6"] ) pass overhead all the time, sometimes at intervals of a few minutes.  It's been raining for 2 days.
     If we are operating, we wait to duck until the nearest guns open up.  The trouble with that, the planes may be over us before we know it, not being able to see out.  The Navy is pounding the Japs.  Some of our men got right to the Mokmer air strip and were driven back by the murderous Jap mortar and dual purpose ack ack [anti-aircraft guns;  A was "ack" in WWI phonetics] and big guns.  They landed from buffaloes and advanced without opposition right into a trap, when the Jap marines shelled the devil out of them.
     On the night of D day they say about 20 men sleeping in hammocks back of the perimeter [inside the area that is guarded] were bayoneted, stabbed and grenaded.  Moral - Don't use hammocks.
     For a while on the 30th we were afraid the Japs would be able to break thru and clean us out.  But they were stopped about a mile away.  Parts of the 162 were cut off, but got out with the help of our tanks covering fire.  For a while the 205 FA Bn [field artillery battalion] were the front line, with the guns depressed and laid on trees [aiming low instead of high], with fuses cut to 2 seconds for point blank range.  Some outfits used canister shot from 37 mm guns with deadly effect on the Japs.  Up to this time the 162 and 186 have been the only combat troops.  Some of the 163 came from Wakde (where it was bad enough) as reinforcements.  They will shell for a day or so and try again.  The 186 is attempting to work up behind the air strip, several ridges behind it.

Gene didn't want to dump the fear and horror that he felt onto Beth, but he needed to write to her, and wanted things to seem normal.

31 May '44
Beloved,
     Today is Decoration Day for you.  I suppose I'll remember it in future years.  Right now our bombers are zooming over us and just beyond we can hear them bombing and strafing the Japs.  Last night big Naval guns were pounding them.  Various artillery shells keep whining over our heads.  Compared to this our last affair was a Sunday School picnic.
     Coming in our outfit fired at a Nip plane.  Then I saw some white plumes around a ship several miles off and thought it was bombs, but it turned out to be the Jap artillery.  Otherwise all was quiet for our landing.  Things had really been blasted along the shore.  Within 4 hours of landing we were set up and ready for business - and got it.  I was up at 5 that morning and worked till 5 the next morning when I lay down outside the tent for an hour's sleep.  That night I went to bed at midnight.  Last night I got 10 hours of sleep so today I'm fresh as a daisy.
     I haven't seen a plane shot down yet.  Every time one comes down I'm busy and can't watch.  Our gunners are pretty good.  They've knocked down 4 or 5 within our area.  Last evening one came by that I watched and what a hail of steel met him.  Just as he got out of sight he began to smoke and was later reported down.  When we hear the guns down the line open up we all duck.  There is a radar station right by us and they let out a yell when they spot one [notice he doesn't mention that radar station is something the enemy would like to get rid of!].  Right handy!  Our tents are either well sand bagged or set down 5 feet in the ground.  This is beautiful sub-soil - a sort of finely crushed coral and the bulldozers can scoop it out for the tents in a hurry.  Then when it rains (as it has been doing) the water running down the sides of the tent soaks right in.  We are close to the beach and to a nice spring that runs into the ocean.  Nice for baths!  Our mess was set up in a hurry so we didn't have to eat box rations.  My appetite holds up well.  All in all I'm feeling fine.   None of our boys has been hurt, except a few skinned places from diving into a fox hole or having someone else dive in on top.  Last night we had the ack ack passing right over our heads and oh boy does that make you flatten out, even though you know what it is.  I've certainly done a lot of war surgery and don't feel hesitant about saying I've been in the real thing!  When things quiet down we'll have a nice place here.  At present we are just having a lull for things are due to flare up before long.  The fellows say the Jap dead are in big piles.  We really have the advantage of air and artillery support, although the Jap mortar fire has been bad.
     I'm getting a bunch of wet dirty clothes piled up.  I'm darn glad I have a change of shoes this time.  Our waterproof bags came right with us.  My mustache is getting quite luxuriant.  I trimmed it this morning and I've taken time to shave and wash my face each morning.  I've found it most refreshing.  And I had a bath yesterday.
     I'm on straight surgery.  Mac, Baker and a few others have wards and put in spare time on surgery.  So I consider myself lucky.  I've been working on my own hook and assisting too.  Everyone is doing a fine job.
     There isn't the large amount of Jap supplies here that there was at the other place [Hollandia].  When we capture the airstrips there may be more.  There are some Japs trapped on a small island a few miles off shore [Owi, on which MacArthur wanted to build a strategic airfield] without much to fight with and are they ever getting bombed and strafed!  One thing, this division isn't cluttering up the place with wounded Jap prisoners!  And I think they are doing right.  Certainly our men taken prisoner haven't been spared in other campaigns.  These Jap marines, the fellows tell us, are big fellows and deeply imbued with Emperor love or something and fight like demons but make futile mass rushes.
     I'm curious as to where you think we are this time.  You certainly hit it the last time.
     My watch is running O.K. and my pipe is too!!
     All my love, Eugene

Everything was true, but Gene just focused on mundane things, trying to make it sound every day.  His next entry is short.

June 1, 1944
     163 Reg. came to help.  We need them!

But he waxed more poetic for Beth.

31 May - 1 June 1944
Beloved,
     We just listened to the news by short wave from Australia, called the Philippine Hour.  It certainly sounded funny to hear them talking about our campaign.  They told it straight too.  Things have been quiet all day.  This afternoon I went to our spring and washed some clothes and took the nicest bath!  The water is so nice and cool.  Things - time out for an alert, and nothing happened - Well as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, things don't get nearly so dirty here.  It is a much nicer spot.  The humidity is about the same.  Gum becomes sticky and wet inside the wrapper and a sugar cube gets very mushy.  I haven't noticed any tobacco molding.  Some of my stuff was out in the rain the other day and I didn't get it dried until I hung it over the sterilizer today.  My nice shiny hunting knife rusted but I was able to polish it with sand.  I've been wearing my cushion sole wool socks for the first time and they are really comfortable when it isn't too hot.  On the inside of the foot it is woven something like a Turkish towel.  Yesterday and today have been nice and cool.  I haven't taken any pictures yet.  I have only one roll here.  Our food has been O.K.  We haven't had any Jap stuff yet!  Just now (I'm on call tonight and am writing in the blacked out tent where we can have lights) the boys have fried up some bacon.  Quite good!  I do miss the good coffee.
     They certainly do burn a lot of ammo when they shoot at even one plane.  It is a case of "Shoot James, and don't spare the ammo!"  No doubt the air transport will begin to function in a few days.  There is a Piper cub plane down the beach a few hundred yards.  The first time I saw him land I didn't know there was a runway there and I though for sure he had crash landed.  They can darn near land on a handkerchief!
     Our Chaplain is certainly on the ball and everyone likes him.  And our trade on Tipple was to the good.
     This island seems fairly flat except for a few ridges.  It is no small coral atoll, however.  Or should I say "Atoll, at all?"!
     Last night after I wrote there were a few more alerts and once 4 flares were dropped almost over us and certainly did light things up.  The gunners shot them down.  Then I heard a yelling down the other way.  The ack ack had nailed a 2-motored bomber coming in.  Some of the fellows saw him fall but I only saw him burning.  I tell you our gunners are good!  And it discourages the Nips no end.

Now some more reality.

June 2, 1944
     Early this morning I heard a carbine and rifle fire and grenades on the ridge about 3 or 400 yards behind us.  2 Japs were killed - one officer.  A small patrol, with feet bound in sacks, carrying dynamite bundles, they cut thru the booby traps and were closing in on the perimeter guarding the beach.  Apparently they were heading for the radar next to us.  The man on guard saw one only a few feet away.  6 carbine bullets in the chest were required to drop him, and he was still alive at daylight several hours later - but not for long.  Both Japs were 6 footers.  The officer carried his sword, even on a patrol like that.  Officers always lead a patrol - they're no cowards!  They threw grenades but none of our men were hurt.  About 200 Japs broke thru the 162, further west along the ridge and there was quite a fight.
     More LST's are in this morning.  Our war is going none too well.  I heard one officer say that we'd had about 10% casualties already in the 186 and 162.  2 battalions of the 163 came in yesterday, leaving 1 at Wakde.  The whole division was under strength to start this, and there are a lot of un-baptized [first battle] replacements.
     The Japs are the 36th Imperial (Tiger) Division (some marines?) who were responsible for the capture and looting of Singapore and a crack outfit.  The 41st faced them in Burma.  They are fanatics, charging a tank with bayonets to give others a chance to set up a gun to hit the tank.  In some places along the beach road where tanks and 50's [heavy machine guns] cut them down as they charged, their dead are piled up several deep.  this is the first real tank battle in the SWPA [South West Pacific Area].  Their tanks are flimsy, compared to our M4's [also known as the Sherman tank].
     The 12th Portable Hosp. had a rough time along with the 162.  Jap mortar shells were falling so thick on them that when the 162 withdrew they had to leave their tents, litters, blankets, stoves and other heavy equipment.  That was the day that if the Japs had followed up their gains, we'd been in for it.
     Casualties continue to pour in - mostly mortar wounds.  The Japs have a tremendous concentration of mortar fire.  Last night some of our troops were about 6 miles up the beach beyond a Jap gas dump, and in shelling them the Japs set the dump on fire.  We could see the glare.  The 3 Jap strips here are not serviceable so their planes are coming from other places.  Javenese [sic] money has been found on some of the aviators.

Inside the major surgery tent with three operating tables.

     Two nights ago our AA [anti-aircraft guns] knocked down a Jap bomber about 2 miles from us.  We saw it burning.  One afternoon about 5 a Zero came along the beach, quite low, with everything blasting at him.  It seemed impossible for him not to be hit.  That was one I saw.  I thought they'd get him right in front of us, but they didn't until farther along the beach.  The 2nd evening one of our A-20's [bombers]came in low to drop photographs, depending on the radio warning,.  But some batteries hadn't the word and shot it down.  The next afternoon 5 Zeros came by and they got 2.  But again I was busy and didn't see the show.  The surgeries are sand bagged and blacked out, but don't offer much protection.  They have electric lights.  Most ward tents are set down in the sand about 4 or  feet, bulldozers having scraped it out.  The rain soaks right into the sand, fortunately.  I have no fixed abode.  My pack I keep in minor surgery.  Some nights I find a vacant bed in a ward and some nights I put a litter on the floor in surgery.  We evacuated another 50 today.  We had a census of 189 today - mostly medical.
     Sparky says a lot of his psychos have been precipitated by being fired on by our own guns or planes.  This is harder on them than enemy fire.
     This is a much better spot than the red mud on Pancake hill at Hollandia, and we are better set up.
     Last night there were 2 alerts.  We could hear the planes but couldn't see them.  They dropped several flares on two occasions - some right over us.  The AA shot down the flares.  The moonlight helps the Japs.  One night they dropped 3 bombs about 1/2 mile from us, and the plane got away.
     I can't understand why they didn't fire on our LST's when we came in, for we came past in front of their position [he stated earlier that the Japanese were planning an ambush].  Shells often go over us from our guns - some a light whistle and some with a terrific blast and then sound like a train rushing into the distance.  All in all it is some war and really fierce fighting.

And the letter.

1-2 June '44
Beloved,
     My day has been quite easy.  I did a little work this morning and then sunned most of my clothes.  They were a bit damp.  I even aired the Kodak!  It has been a beautiful day.  I've arranged to watch the nightly show from Hiram's foxhole [notice that he doesn't mention that he doesn't have a foxhole!], which is a mere 7 or 8 feet deep.  I sort of enjoy watching the tracers and then, too, I still want to see a plane go down.  Inside a tent, even though safe enough behind the sand bags, I can't see what is going on.  I took my daily bath and washed some socks today.  Funny how nonchalant we get.  From where we wash I could hear occasional bursts of small arms fire.  Of course if the Japs had any artillery to spare we'd be more cautions.  Apparently our tanks are superior to the Japs.  Today I saw some deep dents in one of ours but it had not penetrated.  They say some Japs will take a bunch of grenades and jump on the tanks for a suicide attack but it doesn't phase [sic] them [the tanks, not the Japanese soldiers, I presume].  But the 36th Jap Imperial Division or whatever it is, are fighters.  I saw some of their big coastal defense rifles that had been knocked out.  Apparently they were never able to use them.  Arnie [Niemeyer] and I started out to see the Jap bomber they got last night but found it too far away to be worthwhile [or safe!].  I spotted some nice Jap rubber impregnated silk which would make an excellent tobacco pouch so I will procure some.  Our supply, somehow, was able to get some huge rolls of it.
     Rainfall isn't so bad apparently.  It is supposed to be 5-8 inches a month.  This is the beginning of the SE monsoon season.  The NW starts in November.  Apparently a monsoon is a prevailing wind and doesn't become "excessive" here.  In fact in our Cook's Tours, Army Style, this is pictured as quite a pleasant spot!
     I saw a native today that was plenty crummy.  He had what appeared to be a scaly fungus infection from head to toe.  There are supposed to be a lot of natives on this island but I judge they consider the war none of their responsibility and cleared out until the shooting stops.  They are no dummies!
     Good fresh bread for supper!  There are two washing machines going but not for our personal use [they are probably for the operating room supplies].  We have our generators going with lights in a number of blacked out tents.  I expect to listen to the radio tonight.  I watched some of our big guns firing today.  What a terrific whallop!  Certainly it is more blessed to give than to receive!  Apparently these air fields are not serviceable for the Japs, so visiting laymen from the next closest airdromes are called to fill the pulpit each night [in other words, the Japanese planes have to come from elsewhere].
     My feet continue to be fine and I'm O.K.
     Everything was quiet last night except for some firing at a Jap patrol on the hill back of us.  These Japs are the greatest night owls.  Our guns hit a Jap ammo dump or gas dump last night.  Great stuff!

Probably writing letters looking at the bright side of things as much as possible helped Gene actually remain more optimistic.  Prayer probably helped, too.