WW2 Chapter 55 - Trapping the Enemy Forces



News Report, December 12
(underlined by Franklin's parents)

Over the next several days, the 7th and 77th Divisions continued to converge along the western coast, while destroying much of the remaining Japanese 26th.

AP Report, Dec. 11: “There have been no recent estimates of the Japanese forces, but Gen. Douglas MacArthur described the force trapped between the 7th and 77th Divisions as ‘many thousands strong.’ Three forces were converging on the trapped Japanese. The 77th was pushing southward and expected momentarily to join with the 7th moving relentlessly northward. A third force had already joined with the 7th after breaking through to the coast from the eastern side of the island.” “In the ever-narrowing corridor between these forces were thousands of Japanese facing a deadly squeeze play.”

AP Report, Dec. 12: “Doughboys of the 77th and Seventh Infantry Divisions effected a junction just south of Ormoc Monday and eradicated the 26th Nipponese division, hopelessly caught in a nutcracker-like vise fashioned after strategic Yank landing on the coast below Ormoc Thursday.” “Correspondent Al Dopking, who was with the Seventh Division in its strenuous advance over 90 miles of swamps and mountains to reach the west coast of Leyte, wrote that the Japanese abandoned ammunition dumps and supplies as they retreated under the knockout attack launched Saturday.” “Dopking said the Japanese in the trap between his division and 77th were ‘some of the Japanese imperial army’s best – not garrison troops encountered in central Pacific atolls.”

AP Report, Dec. 13: “American ground forces, still battling the elements as well as the Japanese, are moving ahead slowly below Limon in the northern part of Ormoc corridor while at the southern end troops of the 7th and 77th divisions are cleaning up isolated enemy pockets missed when they closed their trap, snuffing out thousands of some of Japan’s finest soldiers.”

AP Report, Dec. 17: " MacArthur said that the Japanese caught by the juncture of the Seventh and 77th divisions were suffering ‘extraordinarily heavy losses in their desperate effort to escape over mountain trails.’”

AP Report, Dec. 18: “The 7th division continues to reduce trapped elements of the Japanese 26th division around Ormoc.”