We started watching The Pacific a few nights ago and are now through episode 5. It is brutal, but I'm so glad to finally be watching it.

My dad fought in Leyte, Luzon and I think Okinawa. He told us that he was a gunner on an amphibious tractor, and in one of the episodes we got a good feel for what that must have been like.

Does anyone know if the gunners stayed on the tractor or if they got off to attack the beach as the other soldiers did? My dad never talked much about actual combat, and I always wanted to know if he had to endure the land fighting as well.

in the Atlantic campaigns such as Normandy/Anzio/North Africa/Sicily the "botswains" of the US Navy were piloting the landing craft

they would go in, drop off their load, and then back up and go back to the larger transport craft to pick up another load.

most gunners were Navy and I have seen some were US Coast Guard.

I don't think many were actual Army guys who would have had to have been trained to use a shipboard weapon system and then jump off and leave the weapon unmanned.

Thanks LMCane. That makes total sense. My dad was in the Army so we may have misunderstood or he may have misspoken (he had Alzheimer's for several years before he died.) He talked about the amphibious tractors a lot but not much about actual combat. But that's understandable given how horrific it was.

With main armament of a 50 cal and secondary of a 30 cal it would have been pretty unusual to dismount, except for...

The whole purpose of the Ducks and Alligators (wheeled and tracked assault vehicles) was not to go back and get more troops but to support the wave they launched with. The firepower of the vehicles would be lost by dismount. However a hot beach with anti-tank guns firing would make Ducks and Alligators sitting ducks, so to speak, so dismount might be warranted.

Navy and Coast Guard handled HIggins boats, LSTs, and the like.

Amtracs (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) were operated by the Army and Marines.

The LTV(A)-1 had a turret (from the M3 Stuart light tank) with a 37mm gun, and the LTV(A)-4 had a turret (from the M8 gun motor carrier) with a 75mm howitzer.

To the OPs father, if he was involved in the landings at Leyte and Luzon, his unit would have been part of MacArthur's command. Given that, I think it's less likely that he would have be at Okinawa, since that operation was done by Nimitz's command. He could very well have been involved in other operations clearing the southern Philippine islands, though.

Smeghead, thank you so much! This is valuable info for us. My dad was indeed under MacArthur's command because he talked about MacArthur a lot. The talk about Okinawa was after he had been suffering from Alzheimer's so we never knew what to make of that.

There were several Army divisions that were under the Navy's control, so it is possible that your dad was on Okinawa as he says.

Thank you clarythedrill. We're learning a lot here.

Aggies76 said:

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We started watching The Pacific a few nights ago and are now through episode 5. It is brutal, but I'm so glad to finally be watching it.

My dad fought in Leyte, Luzon and I think Okinawa. He told us that he was a gunner on an amphibious tractor, and in one of the episodes we got a good feel for what that must have been like.

Does anyone know if the gunners stayed on the tractor or if they got off to attack the beach as the other soldiers did? My dad never talked much about actual combat, and I always wanted to know if he had to endure the land fighting as well.

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My dad was on alligators and Higgins boats on his three landings: Tarawa, Saipan, and Tinian. His group was in the floating reserve on Okinawa so he didn't go ashore.

I do not remember him ever saying, nor do I remember ever reading, about a gunner leaving the LTV or Higgins boat. At least not as a matter of course. I am sure that since so many of the LTVs and Higgins boats were disabled in the water or just a little ways up on the beach (for the LTVs) that more than a few gunners became just like the Marines they ferried to shore. There was no easy way to get back to the troop ships, so I suppose they stayed and fought. Likely with a weapon picked up from a dead Marine and not their machine gun.

Even if he stayed on the LTV, he likely saw more than many people realize. I know that to be the case on Tarawa because of the nature of the landing, lack of decent armor on the LTVs, the tiny size of the island with a lot of the defenses set up to have crossing fields of fire, etc. The LTVs were the focal point for Japanese gunners since they were obviously bringing in the Marines. And the LTVs moved slowly.

I do remember my dad (who also never talked much about the war) mentioning that he saw one machine gunner firing away at the beach when a round or two from the island hit the ammo box that is attached to the side of the machine gun and how the gunner had numerous fragments in his hands and face.

Thank you one safe place. We may never know about my dad, but this exchange has been very helpful.

Aggies76 said:

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Thank you one safe place. We may never know about my dad, but this exchange has been very helpful.

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My dad died in 1989 and a few months later my mom found a typed page of his platoon; it was his platoon near the end of the war. I joined the Second Marine Division Association and wound up talking to on the phone and corresponding with guys he served with, I even met one in person. Got a nice letter from Retired Major General Michael P. Ryan, who was my dad's company commander (he was Major Ryan then).

I really wish I had made more effort back then, I will forever regret not doing so. Though my dad never said anything, or implied anything, I just got the feeling the combat was not to be asked about so I didn't. But I did find out a great deal from the guys I contacted after his death. Even was told about a song he would sing (when not in action) in the morning while cleaning his BAR.

Due to the passage of time, you are correct that you might not find out about your dad, by that I mean his actual service and combat experience. If you can pinpoint his outfit somewhat (like with my dad, I knew the division, battalion, regiment, and company, and actually even his platoon) you could possibly find out more. But as a gunner on an LVT if they made landings under fire, he was one bad dude to have gone through that! I have a hard time wrapping my head around all they went through.

As to the boats involved in the landings, I am not sure if you know the story on Eddie Albert (of Green Acres fame). He was in the Navy, and a coxswain or commander on a salvage boat, I forget. He made several trips toward the beach rescuing around 50 wounded Marines from the water, first in his salvage boat and later in an LCVP (Higgins boat). He was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions that day.

Keep searching and good luck, I hope you are able to find out more.

Thanks for sharing that one safe place. I will be forever grateful to men like our fathers. And thank you also for your service.

Here is the story of Coast Guard Gunners Mate Devita who was landing troops on DDay Normandy:

Coast Guard Gunners Mate 3rd Class Frank DeVita was just one of them, but his story brings that intimate struggle of that day to us these seven and a half decades later with a powerful intimacy.

We offer the small token of our eternal thanks to Frank DeVita and all who fought, and died for the cause of freedom in WWII.

Coast Guard at Normandy Landings

Marine Amphtracs landing at Peleliu

You can see some of them landing here

clarythedrill said:

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There were several Army divisions that were under the Navy's control, so it is possible that your dad was on Okinawa as he says.

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My grandfather was in the army as an engineer and he was at Okinawa. He was injured during the building of the runway, some how.

Aggies76 said:

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Thanks for sharing that one safe place. I will be forever grateful to men like our fathers. And thank you also for your service.

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No problem. And yes, I admire and appreciate what that generation did and what they went through.

I didn't serve, my lottery number was 12 so I was about to get drafted, but they stopped the draft a few months before I would have gotten the letter.

Nothing important to add, but this is a really cool thread. I never really thought of just what the heck gunners do on amphib. Tractors after they drop off their troops.

If you want even more context around his service, you can try to request his records. Military records are 100% public data after 62 years. If his records survived the 1973 fire, you can request his full official military file online.

Only like 20% of the records survived the fire. We were doing some genealogy work and I went 2/5 in my requests, so above average. The other three were destroyed.

Buck Compton said:

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If you want even more context around his service, you can try to request his records. Military records are 100% public data after 62 years. If his records survived the 1973 fire, you can request his full official military file online.

Only like 20% of the records survived the fire. We were doing some genealogy work and I went 2/5 in my requests, so above average. The other three were destroyed.

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Both my dad's and his dad's records were lost in that fire.

Tarawa on the Web

Aggies76, hopefully that link will take you to a photograph of an LVT-1 which should give you some idea of where your dad would have been on the trip to the beaches and just how exposed the front two gunners were to enemy fire. No protection at all to speak of.

Wow no protection at all. Some of the landing crafts depicted in The Pacific had shields.

Thank you Buck. I will look online to see how to order these records if they exist.

Aggies76 said:

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Wow no protection at all. Some of the landing crafts depicted in The Pacific had shields.

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The shields might have been on later versions of the LVTs (the LVT-2, LVT-3, LVT-4) but I can't really say, I am no expert on LVTs, lol. I do know the armor ranged from non-existent to poor early in their development. I think, though could be wrong, that they were used more to ferry supplies and ammo to the beach on Guadalcanal, and to evacuate wounded. Even so, the landings there were pretty much unopposed anyway, at the water's edge. They were first used in combat on Tarawa. Though they fared somewhat poorly (35 of the 125 used were operational after the first day) they did show promise for future assaults, once they were improved, and so those modifications began.

Some of these documentaries and films and such deviate from actuality. I was watching one the other night and within 15 minutes they made two statements that were just not true.

The shields may have been on a Higgins boat rather than an LVT, but I agree that we should not believe everything we see in some of these films.

Aggies76 said:

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Does anyone know if the gunners stayed on the tractor or if they got off to attack the beach as the other soldiers did? My dad never talked much about actual combat, and I always wanted to know if he had to endure the land fighting as well.

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Amtracs were organic battalions composed of five companies (125 vehicles) assigned to support infantry divisions during a beach assaults. They were manned by a track commander, driver, and gunners. The gunners stayed with the vehicle.

The vehicle could be tasked to stay and support the dismounts ( my modern term) or return to the transports to haul additional men ashore.

Exert for USMC's 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion 's history as part of the 2nd Marine Division
"The battalion's LVTs provided a continuous supply of ammunition, reinforcements, and ferrying back of the wounded. Of 125 vehicles used (50 new LVT-2s and 75 LVT-1s),only 35 remained operational by the end of the first day, continuing to ferry men and supplies across the coral reef and through the shallows to the beach. The Battle of Tarawa resulted in 32 killed in action and 68 missing Marines for the battalion. Among the dead was the battalion's commanding officer, Major Henry C. Drewes, who was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions under fire before being killed on the first day of the battle"

There is still a Sherman tank just off the beach on Tarawa, but no sign of any LVTs. There is an LVT up on the island, somewhat covered in vegetation and mostly buried by sand. Some years ago, 1974 I think, there were two sets of remains found in that LVT. I believe that also at that time they were doing some sort of water and/or sewer project and found five more.

For the past several years, a non-profit called History Flight has been searching and has recovered many sets of remains. The bones and anything found with them (rings, dog tags, etc.) are put in evidence bags and turned over to DPAA for identification. They are taken to Hawaii for that process. Last I heard, I think there are just over 400 Marines (including possibly some Navy corpsmen as well) still on that tiny island. They also know the general area of the 17 coast watchers and 5 civilians that were beheaded by the Japanese but have not done any looking for them yet.

Japanese remains are turned over to the Japanese, I think they come to the island once a quarter or so. Almost none of them are ever identified. My second trip there was for the 75th anniversary, and there was quite a turnout. Japan sent some sort of delegation. There is a small memorial area for the Japanese and this young Japanese couple were there, late teens or early 20s I'd guess. I wondered who they lost there, likely a great grandfather or great uncle.

I think all of the LVTs in those photos are LVT-1s. If memory serves, the LVT-2 had a bow ramp like a Higgins boat, which was a big improvement for the landing troops versus having to go over the side.

Smeghead4761 said:

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I think all of the LVTs in those photos are LVT-1s. If memory serves, the LVT-2 had a bow ramp like a Higgins boat, which was a big improvement for the landing troops versus having to go over the side.

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I am going on memory as well, and I don't trust mine any more, lol, but I thought the LVT-4 had a ramp (the LVT-3 might have also but think the LVT-4 came into use before the LVT-3) but the ramp was in the rear. I think it was over the side for both LVT-1 and LVT-2 troops.

None of them had bow ramps.

LVT- 1



LVT-2 "Water Buffalo"



The LVT-4 had a stern ramp.

If anyone wants to take a look at an LVT-2, there is one at he Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, in you happen to be in the Valley

LVT-4s being used inland as APCs on Okinawa.