Looking for any info on USMC Artillery involvement in the Leyte Campaign

Hi,

First post here. Came across your board while searching for information on my grandfather's service time during WWII. He was originally assigned to the 2nd Defense Battalion (Seacoast Artillery Group) and served at Tarawa in 1943-1944. After that he was re-assigned to the Fifth Amphibious Corps and served with Battery A 5th 155mm Howitzer Battalion (part of the Fleet Marine Force) and participated in the Invasion of Leyte in October 1944. He was wounded in November of 1944 and went stateside before the year was out. I found all of this information on his OMPF a few months ago.

His name was Salvatore Colello. I was curious if anyone had done any in depth research of the USMC involvement in the Leyte campaign such as Muster Rolls or daily casualty logs. All I can gather so far from reading various accounts/histories was that there were 1500 Marines involved (mainly Artillery) since this was an Army operation for the most part.

I placed a call to the USMC Records Service Section at Quantico to see how I can go about requesting muster rolls for his units in 1943/1944...but got a voice mail box.

If anyone is interested I scanned in the pages that the NPRC sent me regarding his service time in addition to some photos that my mother came across:

jaypbpics - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Thanks in Advance

Jason

 

Th only Navy and Marine lists wounded Salvatore Colello l found was Joseph Salvatore Charles Colello, Seaman 1c, USNR. Parents: Mr and Mrs Anthony Colello, 63 Exchange St, West Albany, NY, and it does not appear to be the right man. Sorry I could not pull more information.

 

I am very interested in your findings, as I have a cousin who is trying to find out some info on his Father. I'll have to go back and search my desk when I get home, for the details. I do know that he also served on a 155mm crew, he was killed on the first day of fighting there. I'll get back to you soon!

 

Thanks for all the replies! I've been in contact with a gentleman named Danny Crawford over at the USMC Historical Division at Quantico...and he found 2 Muster Rolls with my grandfather's name on them...one from his time on Tarawa with the 2d Defense Battalion and the other from his time with the 5th 155MM Howitzer Battalion.

When I get a chance I plan on scanning in the muster rolls to allow others to search for relatives names...but the copies were pretty poor so I'm not sure how well they'll scan in.

Mr Crawford also sent me over some USMC history booklets, notably the Tarawa operation as well as the USMC's involvement in the Liberation of the Philippines. I recently sent a letter to the following address per Mr Crawford's instructions to see if any "unit diaries" can be dug up:

Archives II Textual Reference Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road - College Park, MD 20740-6001 - (301)-713-7250

 

I scanned in a bunch of things that I received back from the National Archives in College Park MD (Special Action Reports) as well as a Muster roll from December 1944 from Dan Crawford at USMC Historical Society in Quantico.

I'd try and insert the photos into this post or even attach them...but they are too big for the site (based on maximum .jpg size). So, in the interest of putting this out there for others to see, here's a link to my photobucket site where you can view them as well as some of the Tarawa stuff I received back as well. Maybe someone will spot a relatives name on the muster roll OR someone will read the Special Action report and be able to put 2 and 2 together:

jaypbpics - Page 1 - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

 

Thanks for posting this nice link! I will tell others to have a look to and give you feed back on this thread.

 

Jason, from the Medals & Awards page of his service record, it does not appear that he was awarded a Purple Heart for the wounds received at Leyte, assuming he was eligible?

 

Good question. When I sent away for his jacket from the NPRC in St Louis they didn't include a medical file. From what his brother told me he was wounded in Leyte on the beach when a Japanese plane strafed the beaches (cargo area?) and he leapt into a foxhole and a piece of bamboo puncture the bottom of his foot. A Navy Corpsman sewed him up....but I was told he came down with something called the "woo woo" or the "moo moo" (Can't remember what my grandfather's brother called it)---an infection of some sort...that necessitated him being evacuated from the Philippines for treatment.

So---it's possible the wound on the beach wasn't good enough to "send him home"...but the infection was ?!?!?

 

Just found this again, great info here!

Thanks for posting! Hoping you'll see this and we can re-open some of this!
I'm still looking for info on the 226th, any and all help is greatly appreciated!

 

Hey Scott,

Believe it or not I just revisited this topic by shooting off an e-mail to a gentleman whose name I ran across while scouring the web for info on the USMC howitzer Battalions at Leyte.

I found the name of a Frank Pinciotti, the fella who's credited with coming up with the ,"By the grace of God and the help of the Marines, MacArthur has returned to the Philippines" slogan that greeted MacArthur upon landing in the islands. He was listed as a contact for the VAC Howitzer Battalion reunions in an old issue of Leatherneck Magazine (2007?).

I sent over a little intro with a link to my scans on photobucket of my grandfather's papers and the OLD pics we found of him and his buddies.

His wife responded back and said she'd talk to him about it and then she replied back again and cc'd a few of the marines in her husband's unit to see if they could take a look at the pics/paperwork and shed some light on their recollections (if any) of my grandfather.

I'll post back any replies/feedback I get.

Jason

 

Wow! Great news! I'm looking forward to anything you find!

I've just sent off many of the addresses and organizations to my cousin to have him request the info on his Father.

Anything I hear back I'll post as well!


keep in touch!

 

Jason,
I found this forum and your post just recently. I looked through all your postings on Photobucket with great interest because my husband, John Arold, was with the 5th Div. 155mm Howitzer Battalion on Leyte. I have been trying to trace his records. He was in the 2nd Div. and wounded on Tarawa, hospitalized in Hawaii, reassigned to the 5th Div and sent to Leyte. (Service records I have obtained so far don't list him as ever being wounded) When I came to the pictures your mother had found of unidentified Marines, there was a picture of my husband. I have the identical picture and was able to identify the other men because John had listed their names on the back. Hopefully you will return to the VBulletin someday and find this post. Go to your 79 photobucket uploads. I think #71 is the photo with John in it standing to the right of the 155 Howitzer. I wrote down the names of the other two men for you. What are the chances of your grandfather and my husband being in the same picture. Whoever took it knew both of them and gave each one a copy. Here's another kicker for you. On the timeline page I find that they left the US at the same time on the Santa Monica. They were in Pago Pago at the same time and left for Tarawa on the same LST #169. They were probably at Camp Tarawa in Hawaii at the same time. They left Hawaii on the USS Catskill at the same time and wound up in Leyte with the 5th 155th. If you read this, please contact me at:
jearold@yahoo.com Thanks, Eleanor Arold

 

Marines in the Liberation
of the Philippines
by Captain John C. Chapin, USMCR (Ret)

http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/PDF_Files/Pubs/WWII/And%20A%20Few%20Marines-Marines%20in%20the%20Liberation%20of%20the%20Philippines%20PCN%2019000314300.pdf

 

Jason,

I was amazed to go through your Photobucket and see you corresponded with my Grandaddy Harry A. Johnson Jr! I just figured I would pass you an update that he passed away November 18, 2011. He truly loved corresponding with people like you and always loved to share this kind of information.

Jay

 

So sorry to hear about your grandfather....sorry for the belated condolences. I haven't googled my grandfather in years...and totally forgot about all the postings I blitzed out all those years ago until Veterans Day caused me to look online for some information.

I actually just came across the handwritten letter he sent me while going through a pile of paper about my grandfather.

Sorry again.