After securing the village of Dagami in the central portion of the island, the 7th Division's next mission was to push across the mountains from Abuyog to the village of Baybay on the western coast. From Baybay, they were to advance northward toward the important village of Ormoc.
Because the Allies were unable to use most of the airfields during the rainy season, they were unable to prevent the enemy from landing constant reinforcements of troops and supplies through Ormoc. Initially the Japanese had about 432,000 troops on Leyte, but were eventually able to land another 45,000 troops and 10,000 tons of supplies, despite having 80 percent of their vessels sunk en route to and from the island.
The village of Ormoc was located in Ormoc Valley, which was the last key area of the island still held by the Japanese. To clear this area, the U.S. forces initiated a "pincer operation," with elements of the X Corps pushing southward through the mountains from the northern part of the island and Franklin's 7th Division pushing northward from Baybay. During this operation the 7th would be required to advance 30 miles through mountainous terrain where the Japanese had established much of their remaining defenses.
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