Week 27 - A Record I Read Differently Now - Bill Porter in WWII

 Many years ago, my mom showed me Dad’s DD214 papers from his time in WWII.  I was excited to see it, had copies made and made sure the original was given back to her. I quickly added his list of battles and ribbons awarded to his genealogy profile. And then I moved on.

Recently, I was looking for something else and veered off to look at his papers again. Down the rabbit hole I went. Just like any other family genealogist.

Before, it was just dates and cities and countries. But I read that document differently that day. Suddenly, I could almost picture him in a tent, a rifle at hand, on alert constantly. Defending our country from the enemy. I could feel the heat, the sweat, the inner fear of the unknown. It made me want to know more about the timeline of him being in Australia. This isn’t a complete synopsis of his time in the South Pacific, just a small part of his story.

Bill Porter - Australia

Upon arrival in late December 1941, the 147th South Dakota Field Artillery was one of the first U.S. units to land in Australia after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  The Provisional Field Artillery Brigade, under Major General Julian F. Barnes, established the first U.S. headquarters in Brisbane, Australia following the assault.

On February 19, 1942, a Japanese naval carrier bombing raid devastated Darwin and the harbor fleet. The 147th’s artillery positions were part of the coastal defense network, and the unit’s presence was critical in repelling the attack. While a Japanese invasion of Australia never materialized, the 147th’s role in defending Darwin was vital.

They spent the next two years building a defense against the Japanese in Brisbane working to maintain control of many of their ports. Their presence was critical in reinforcing Allied defenses in the Pacific during the early, chaotic months of the war.

Then, while General Douglas MacArthur was leading an advance along the northern coast of New Guinea the first US troops landed on the island of Wakde-Sair in the south Pacific. On May 18,1944, soldiers came ashore from their landing crafts on the south-western side of the island. They were followed at five-minute intervals by another five waves. Shortly after landing, the U.S. troops came under heavy fire from concealed positions. The fire, however, was predominantly aimed at the landing craft gunboats and ultimately the Americans reached the beach with only light casualties. By 9:25, the invasion force was ashore with two tanks which the Americans used to secure the beach head, despite heavy fire from Japanese defenders which killed one of the company commanders. Close air support was provided by a squadron of attack aircraft. Within three days, we had taken control of the island.

The 147^th regrouped, rested and 71 days later they advanced to Noemfoor Island and clashed with the Japanese from July 2 – August 31, 1944

During the battle, Allied forces landed on the island to capture Japanese bases as part of their advance through the Pacific towards the Philippines. The initial landing was largely unopposed, and the Japanese defenders withdrew inland as the US troops came ashore. Sporadic fighting took place over the course of two months as the Allies secured the three airfields on the island.

Four months later the 147^th was then sent to Luzon in the Philippines. The fighting lasted from Jan 9 – Aug 15, 1945, and was the largest and longest battle in the Pacific Theater, resulting in the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation. Although the land battle was a victory for the Allies, pockets of Japanese resistance held out in the mountains until the unconditional surrender of Japan in September 1945.

Large star is Darwin - smaller stars are battles

Dad was discharged on December 10, 1944, and arrived back state-side in January 1945 after 36 straight months in the South Pacific. Reading about the battles that the 147^th was involved in helped me to understand that dad had been in the thick of things quite often and how those challenges changed him.

It also made me realize that you should always revisit the documents you have in your possession and be aware that sometimes you need to read them differently the second time around.

Barbie