Pvt James A Whittington(ASN-34891370),720th MP Batln.,813TH MP COMP., KIA Jul.6,1918-Nov.3,1944

PVT. James A. Whittington - PH

Pvt James Andrew Whittington (1918 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial

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The 813th started out in Australia as Gen. MacArthur's personal bodyguard unit. By 1943, the 813th had been transferred to guard duty of the transport and combat vessels coming in and out of Luzon.
They also handled high level security guard duties of "unspecified" detail along with the 814th MP Company. At the time of Pvt. Whittington's KIA, a detachement of the 813th was guarding the vessel "The Matthew P. Deady" at Tacloban on 3 November 1944. It came under Kamikaze attack igniting a fuel fire on the deck. Pvt. Whittington was most likely killed in the action that issued and later described by his fellow guards.

http://generalmacarthurshonorguard.com/wordpress/the-stories/the-stories-only-the-finest



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Robert--Rowen - User Trees - Genealogy.com - William James Rankin - Fellow 813th Guard and witness to the action.

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Philippines -- Leyte.
William James Rankin remembers Larry being killed by kamikaze.
"The Matthew P. Deady had just arrived at Tacloban on 3 November when
several Japanese raiders bombed and strafed the shipping. Gunners
on the Juan Cabrio knocked down a plane headed directly for their
ship, but it burst into flames and crashed into the Deady, killing
four of the Armed Guard. Twenty-two soldiers were killed when the
exploding plane set off a load of liquid acetylene. Arthur F. Maxam,
an ordinary seaman on the Deady, received the Merchant Marine
Meritorious Service Medal for heroic action in leading a group of
volunteers into a blazing hold full of carbide and other
inflammable cargo, an action that probably saved their ship. On 12
November another suicide plane missed the Deady and splashed into
the bay nearby. Three more kamikazes were splashed by that ship,
which claimed a total of six planes killed during 44 raids at
Tacloban."from Pacific
The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II--1944
3 November, Fri. --

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Pvt Leo P Welch (1920 - 1944) - Find A Grave Memorial - Fellow Guard KIA

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The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II--1944
3 November, Fri. --
Pacific
Japanese aircraft attack air facilities on Saipan and Tinian as part of a series of strikes on this area from which heavy bombing missions against their home islands are launched.
Japanese planes raid U.S. shipping and airfield facilities at Tacloban, Leyte; U.S. freighter Matthew P. Deady is crashed by kamikaze that is engaged with intense antiaircraft fire from the Armed Guard; the explosion of the crashing suicide plane starts a fire in the cargo that threatens the ship. Although firefighting efforts are successful, two Armed Guard sailors (of the 27-man detachment) and 26 troops (of the 300 on board) perish in the attack.

Light cruiser Reno (CL-96) is damaged by Japanese submarine I-41 off Leyte, 13°46'N, 131°27'E.28

Submarine Cero (SS-225) lands men and supplies on east coast of Luzon.

Submarine Gurnard (SS-254) attacks Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, and sinks merchant cargo ship Taimei Maru about 275 miles west of Labuan, Borneo, 05°48'N, 111°12'E.

Submarine Pintado (SS-387) attacks small detachment of Japanese warships and sinks destroyer Akikaze 160 miles west of Lingayen Gulf, 16°50'N, 117°29'E.

Submarine Pomfret (SS-391) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Hamburg Maru in Bashi Channel, 20°19'N, 121°30'E. Transport Atlas Maru, torpedoed by Pomfret the previous day, is beached, a total loss, off Sabtang Island, 20°18'N, 121°51'E.

Japanese merchant cargo ship Shino Maru is sunk by aircraft off Palau.

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NARA - AAD - Display Full Records - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records)

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