Angels at the Airfield PTO (id:#58035)

Kinetic Energy Productions (March Madness `99 Pack ID: KE 15)   [next]   [previous]

Prior Publication: KE:March Madness `97 Pack KE10

San Pablo Airstrip, Leyte, Philippines 1944-12-07 (4 others)

Overview:

General Sosaku Suzuki, Commander of the Japanese 35th Army on Leyte, was desperate to neutralize the growing American land-based airpower presence in the Philippines. Aided by General Tomoyuki Yamashita, he planned a daring joint ground and airborne attack on the airstrips near Burauen. On the night of 6 December, elements of the 3rd and 4th Raiding Regiments, Kutori Shimpei Force, landed between 250 and 300 paratroopers in the vicinity of the San Pablo and Bayug airstrips, wreaking havoc among the assorted service and air corps troops in their path. Only a small force of engineers that were able to dig themselves in on the southwest end of the San Pablo strip offered any determined resistance to the Japanese. Major General Joseph Swing, commander of the American 11th Airborne Division ("The Angels"), recognized that the Japanese were present in his rear area in force rather than as a raid, and set about gathering troops to drive the enemy back off the airstrips.

Defender: Japanese (3rd Airborne Raiding Regiment, Katori Shimpei Force)  

Errata (source)