Hunter Sniper

Japanese soldiers were now leaping from the vessel into the water, but they were loaded down with their heavy equipment — packs, rifles, ammo, grenades, bayonets, even swords — everything they had anticipated that they would need for the landing. They were soon pulled under and lost from sight.

Even the ones who managed to swim weren’t safe, because the soldiers on shore targeted them with their M1 rifles. Although the water was growing darker in the fading daylight, the sand-colored Japanese helmets and uniforms stood out against the dark backdrop, making them easy targets.

Deke fired just once or twice, but then lost steam. The rifle seemed to grow heavier with each shot, the bolt harder to work.

Around him, soldiers had left the cover of their foxholes and were standing up to get a better angle of fire into the waters of the harbor. Deke was reminded of a firing squad. Captain Merrick had even drawn his .45 and was squeezing off shots.

Although the Japanese machine gun had claimed a few casualties, it had fallen silent, leaving the enemy transport defenseless.

This wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre.

The horizon was alive with explosions and gunfire, each pop and crackle signaling that a man might be dying.

Deke felt no pity toward the Japanese. If the tables had been turned, they would have shown no mercy to the Americans. For the soldiers, this was payback for buddies lost in the fighting. Considering that they had been resupplied just a short time ago on the beach, there was no shortage of ammunition.

He sat down and let the others do the shooting. This was no longer what he would have called precision work. This was shooting fish in a barrel.

The smell of gunpowder burned his nostrils, and smoke stung his eyes, but Deke couldn’t tear his gaze away from the scene before him.

The Japanese vessel was now settling deeper into the water, its forward motion halted. The merciless fire from shore continued. Soon enough there was no sign of life aboard the transport or in the surrounding water, just a few bodies floating on the surface.

“Cease fire!”

Gradually the fusillade came to an end with a few final gunshots. The men on shore stood staring out at their handiwork.

“I’ll be damned,” Philly said, surprise evident in his voice. “We just sank us a ship.”

“That’s got to be a first,” Lieutenant Steele replied. “It also means that the Japanese will be getting that many fewer reinforcements.”

“Amen to that,” Philly said.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sinking the Japanese vessel had brought a sense of elation, but it was fleeting. The sighting of the enemy vessel seemed to raise even more questions. If the Japanese had sent one boat, would they send others? Had there been landings that they hadn’t seen, meaning that enemy troops might be circling around behind them?

“Over here!” shouted a soldier who was exploring farther down the waterfront. He had reached a cove that had been concealed around a bend in the shoreline.

Their fears regarding the Japanese presence were confirmed when someone found tracks in the mud and sand where another enemy craft had apparently landed. The number of footprints and the impressions left by the equipment that had been dragged ashore indicated that a contingent of Japanese had escaped their detection.

The tracks were so fresh that water was still oozing into them from the surrounding mud. The Japanese must have landed undetected, possibly just before the arrival of the US troops at the waterfront or when their attention had been focused on sinking the Japanese landing craft.

“The Japanese landed here, all right,” Lieutenant Steele said. “The question is, Where did they go?”

Considering that they hadn’t immediately attacked, it was most likely that the Japanese had slipped away toward Ormoc to bolster the defenders with more men and supplies. But the ship that had brought them to shore couldn’t simply have vanished in such a short amount of time.

Deke swung his gaze out to sea.

“Look!” he cried, pointing toward a dark speck riding the swells beyond the harbor. They could just make out the outline of the distant vessel. The vessel was definitely going away rather than approaching. It wouldn’t be long before the vessel disappeared over the horizon.

After an uneasy night getting what sleep they could, new orders arrived. Although they had not come under further attack during the night after the incident with the barge, they could still hear random firing in the distance. It seemed to be a promise of things to come, letting them know that the Japanese weren’t finished yet.

In any case, their assignment to guard the harbor proved to be short lived. General Bruce, the division commander, apparently did not see fit to let his battle-hardened troops rest easy. Captain Merrick’s company received orders to move out, and a company of fresh troops was moved into position.