Jan. 8, 1945
My Kay:
Up at 3 :30, we started bombarding at 6:00 a.m. We are going to keep the beach clear so that the demolition squads can go in close and clear the beaches of any kind of Barricades. Those guys are very brave. We can now see their destroyer type ship going in.
After they get in pretty close they launch their Higgins Boats and still go in closer. When they get in close enough to see the barb wire structure they dive off the side of their boat and fasten the explosives to the wire. Then they swim back towards their boat. The boat will not stop for them, they just throw out a line. The guys grab hold or the line and are pulled in. They do this while the boat is going about 20 knots an hour. They have been shot at twice from the beach, we have been firing on the beach all the time they have been working.
The Underwater Demolitions Teams (or UDT) were the precursor to "Frogmen" of later wars.
We just had a report that there were several planes on their way here to bomb us.
The demolition squads are now returning to their ship and are coming back.
Our Combat Patrol, just reported that all Jap planes have canceled their flight. (That means they have been shot down).
As we were moving out we had an attack. I finally saw something I have always wanted to see. I wanted to see what would happen if one of our 5-inch shells made a direct hit on a plane. This Val was going to crash dive one of our Battleships and the ship started firing. On the second shot it hit the plane. There was a big explosion and the plane was blown into. three pieces. I could see the motor going straight toward the Ship but it hit just beside it,water splashed on the ship it was that close to it. The rest of the plane came floating down. To my surprise we saw two parachutes. Those Japs did not bail out of that plane. The plane was blown from them. They just fell out.
Val Two seat bomber
