Beyond the Call of Duty: Heart-warming stories of canine devotion and bravery. Isabel George

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      The Battle of Midway in June 1942was to prove critical in the Pacific War. The Japanese had relied on superior gun power to win over the opposition but this sea battle was about superiority in the air and the US claimed that advantage. The Japanese were then unable to force a ground battle leaving the US Navy calling the shots. The Japanese Navy was feeling the strain of not being able to repair and replace its hardware as swiftly as the Americans. All over New Guinea, the effects of these battles were being reflected on land. By late 1942, the Japanese were retreating in the highlands of New Guinea and with the assistance of Australian Forces the US was able to capture the Buna-Gona beachhead in early 1943. This had been a key position for the Japanese invasion. The Allied leaders of the Asian and Pacific Theatres – Chinese leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill – met in Cairo to discuss the way ahead with Japan. In June 1943, the Allies launched Operation Cartwheel which defined the strategy for the South Pacific. The plan was to starve the Japanese out of their base at Rabaul and sever the communication lines. This prepared the way for Nimitz’s target to reach Japan or at least get close enough to launch a series of strategic air attacks to facilitate invasion. The Allies’ movement across the Pacific seizing one island after another was underway. The use of submarines in the Pacific War had previously been underestimated. Now they became one of the single most powerful forces capable of crippling the Japanese. US subs were responsible for destroying 56 per cent of the enemy’s merchant ships. Mines and aircraft were responsible for the rest. They were used in reconnaissance and, as in the Battle of Midway had sighted the enemy fleet approaching giving the Allies the advantage. They were also responsible for saving many lives, especially of downed flyers.

      When 128,000 US Army troops and Marines landed on the island of Saipan on 15 June 1944, the objective was to create the airfields that were to send B-29s over Tokyo. The plan had been devised over ninety days and it had to work because it was imperative the Allies secure the island. It was equally important to the Japanese Commanders to retain it. And to do this, they would have to destroy the US Fifth Fleet which comprised 15 carriers with 956 planes, seven battleships, 28 submarines, 69 destroyers and several cruisers. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance was in command. The opposition, under Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa was outclassed and outnumbered by the Allies. But this battle was all about strategy and the one advantage Ozawa had was that his fighter planes were lighter than the US Navy Hellcat and therefore had a greater range. By positioning his fleet 300 miles out, he could attack the US carriers, land at Guam to refuel and then hit again. It could have worked if the planes had not arrived in staggered sequence allowing the US Hellcats to pick them off. Nimitz’s carriers had individual combat information centres and were onto the Japanese plan right away. The Emperor’s Navy was virtually destroyed. And Saipan was in US hands.

      When General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte on 20 October 1944 he was flanked by the Sixth United States Army. His landing had been the result of successful bombardment by air and sea which cleared the way through. While the Sixth Army continued its advance from the east and the enemy tried to re-enforce their position from the west, the US Fifth Air Force was able to stop the Japanese attempts to resupply. Even though, by 7 December, the US Army was in control and the Allies had cut off the Japanese ability to supply Leyte, fierce battles were still taking place. Neither side was going to let go of their prize easily. It was into this background that Bill and Smoky went into battle.

      Around the same time Bill saw the convoy of ships heading for Leyte, he received news that he was due combat leave having notched up seventy-three hours flying time in thirteen missions over ten weeks. He had been expecting a response to his application for promotion but this news was just as good. He packed for ten days R & R in Sydney and hitched a ride on a Transport Command C-47. Of course, Smoky took leave too as there was no way Bill would go anywhere without her. But their break was not to be the restful time they had hoped for – man and dog still managed to have a few adventures.

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