727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion Association

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Documents Associated With The 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

HISTORY OF BATTALION

4. East Indies - Combat Zone: 1 Jan 1942 to 22 July 1942
- SW Pacific Area less Philippine Islands and less that part of Australian south of lat. 21 deg south
11. New Guinea - Combat Zone: 24 Jan 1943 to 31 Dec 1944
- Less: Philippine Islands after 16 Oct 1944
16. Southern Philippines - Combat Zone: 17 Oct 1944 to 1 July 1945
- Philippine Islands, exclusive of Luzon, lying south of lat. 13 deg 35’ north and adjacent waters (Mindoro and south)
17. Luzon - Combat Zone: 9 Jan 1945 to 4 July 1945
- Island of Luzon, other Philippine Islands lying north of lat. 13 deg 35’ north and adjacent waters (north of Mindoro
)
In the service record of enlisted personnel (WD AGO Form 24), this general order may be cited as authority for such entries for personnel who were present for duty as a member of or attached to a unit listed at some time during the limiting dates of the New Guinea campaign.
- 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion:
- G.O. #88, par 5, Hq Sixth Army, dated 2 June 1944, Battalion assigned to Sixth Army.
---- Instructed 32nd Infantry Division in use of LVTs at Aitape, New Guinea
---- Assisted in evacuating personnel and crew from C-47 that made forced landing along Tami Beach.
---- Instructed 24th Infantry Division in use of LVTs at Aitape, New Guinea
---- Alerted for King II Operation (Leyte) on 5 Sep 1944

Philippine Islands, exclusive of Luzon, lying south of lat. 13 deg 35’ north and adjacent waters
In the service record of enlisted personnel (WD AGO Form 24), this general order may be cited as authority for such entries for personnel who were present for duty as a member of or attached to a unit listed at some time during the limiting dates of the Southern Philippines campaign.
- 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion:
---- Company A:
------ Platoon 1 - Attached to 19th Infantry Regiment
------ Platoon 3 - Attached to 34th Infantry Regiment
------ Platoon 2 - Reserve
- Sixth Army (U.S.) - 727th Amph Trac Bn attached to following (20 Oct to 14 Dec 1944)
---- 24th Infantry Division
------ 19th Infantry Regiment
------ 34th Infantry Regiment
------ 63rd Field Artillery Battalion
------ X Corps
------ 1st Cavalry Division
------ 32nd Infantry Division
------ 127th Infantry Regiment
------ 128th Infantry Regiment
------ 39th Quartermaster War Dog Platoon
------ 21st Infantry Regiment (38th Infantry Division)
Also aided the following:

- 85th Chemical Company
and 7th Portable Surgical Hospital
- 210th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion
- Air Corps Technical Intelligence Unit
- 71st Rcn Group A-3 (B-25)

Philippine Islands, exclusive of Luzon, lying north of lat. 13 deg 35’ north and adjacent waters
In the service record of enlisted personnel (WD AGO Form 24), this general order may be cited as authority for such entries for personnel who were present for duty as a member of or attached to a unit listed at some time during the limiting dates of the Luzon campaign.
- 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion:
---- Company B:
------ Platoon 1 - Attached to 1st Infantry Regiment
------ Platoon 3 - Attached to 1st Infantry Regiment
------ Platoon 2 - Attached to 20th Infantry Regiment
- Sixth Army (U.S.) - 727th Amph Trac Bn attached to following (9 Jan 1945 to 21 March 1945):
---- 6th Infantry Division
------ 1st Infantry Regiment
------ 20th Infantry Regiment
---- 543rd Engineer Battalion
---- Base M (entire Battalion)
------ Sub-base No. 3
---- I Corps
---- XI Corps (3rd Platoon, Company A)
------38th Infantry Division
-------- 151st Infantry Regiment
-------- 592nd Engineer Boat and Shore Regiment
Also aided the following:
- 1st Cavalry Division
- 32nd Infantry Division
Eighth Army (U.S.) - 22 March 1945 to 20 August 1945 - 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion attached to following:
2nd Australian Imperial Forces
- I Australian Corps - 5 April 1945 to 13 July 1945
---- 9th Australian Infantry Division (OBOE One - Tarakan) - 5 April 1945 to 8 May 1945
------ 26th Australian Infantry Brigade 22 April 1945 to 8 May 1945
-------- 2/13 Australian Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers - 40 April 1945 to 8 May 1945
-------- 2/23 Australian Infantry Battalion - 22 April 1945 to 3 May 1945
---- 9th Australian Infantry Division (OBOE Six - Labuan/Brunei Bay) - 5 April 1945 to 28 June 1945
------ 20th Australian Infantry Brigade (Brunei Bay) - 19 May 1945 to 11 June 1945
-------- 2/15 Australian Infantry Battalion (Muara Island) - 22 May 1945 to 11 June 1945
-------- 2/8 Australian Field Regiment - 19 May 1945 to 11 June 1945
-------- 2/3 Australian Field Company, Royal Australian Engineers - 24 May 1945 to 11 June 1945
------ 24th Australian Infantry Brigade (Labuan Island) - 15 May 1945 to 28 June 1945
-------- 2/28 Australian Infantry Battalion (OBOE Six - Labuan) - 23 May 1945 to 10 June 1945
-------- 2/43 Australian Infantry Battalion (OBOE Six - Labuan) - 18 May 1945 to 10 June 1945
-------- 2/11 Australian Commando Squadron (OBOE Six - Labuan) - 10 June 1945
-------- 2/32 Australian Infantry Battalion (OBOE West - Weston) - 15 June 1945 to 17 June 1945
-------- 2/13 Australian Infantry Battalion (OBOE Coconut - Lutong) - 16 June 1945 to 27 June 1945
---- 7th Australian Infantry Division (OBOE Two - Balikpapan)
------ 21st Australian Infantry Brigade - 11 June 1945 to 3 July 1945
-------- 2/27 Australian Infantry Battalion - 11 June 1945 to 3 July 1945
-------- 2/14 Australian Infantry Battalion - 1 July 1945 to 3 July 1945
-------- 2/12 Australian Infantry Battalion - 11 June 1945 to 3 July 1945
-------- 2/10 Australian Infantry Battalion - 11 June 1945 to 3 July 1945
-------- 2/4 Australian Field Regiment - 11 June 1945 to 13 July 1945
-------- 2/15 Australian Field Regiment - 11 June 1945 to 3 July 1945
-------- 2/5 Australian Field Regiment - 3 July 1945 to 13 July 1945
In the service record of enlisted personnel (WD AGO Form 24), this general order may be cited as authority for such entries for personnel who were present for duty as a member of or attached to a unit listed herein and who actually participated in the landings named. Attention is directed to the requirement that only one bronze arrowhead may be worn on a theater ribbon, regardless of the number of assault landings credited to a unit in that theater.
Southern Philippines Campaign
Leyte Island - Red Beach: 20 Oct 1944, 1000 to 1600 hours
- 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion
---- Company A:
------ Platoon 1 - Attached to 19th Infantry Regiment
------ Platoon 3 - Attached to 34th Infantry Regiment
------ Platoon 2 - Reserve
- 19th Infantry Regiment
- 34th Infantry Regiment
- 13th Field Artillery Battalion
- 63rd Field Artillery Battalion

Luzon Campaign
a. Lingayen Gulf, Luzon: 9 Jan 1945, 0930 to 1700 hours
- Company B, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion
- 1st Infantry Regiment
- 20th Infantry Regiment

Bataan, Luzon: 15 Feb 1945, 0930 hours
- 151st Infantry Regiment
transported and supported by 3rd Platoon, Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion
(unrecognized)

Unrecognized for Luzon Campaign:
Caballo Island - 19 Mar 1945, 1130 hours
- 4 LVTs of 3rd Platoon, Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion
- Detachment from 151st Infantry Regiment

Caballo Island: 27 Mar 1945, 0900 hours
- 151st Infantry Regiment

Borneo Campaign
Balikpapan, Borneo: 1 Jul 1945, 0900 to 1600 hours
- Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

Brunei Bay, Borneo: 10 Jun 1945, 0915 hours
- Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

Labaun Island, Borneo: 10 June 1945, 0900 to 0930 hours

Tarakan Island, Borneo: 1 May 1945, 0815 to 1000 hours
- Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

Asiatic-Pacific Theater
New Guinea: 24 Jan 1943 to 31 Dec 1944 (Fig. 11)
Leyte: 17 Oct 1944 to 1 July 1945 (Fig. 16)
- Philippine Islands, exclusive of Luzon and Mindoro, lying south of lat. 13 deg 10’ North and adjacent waters
Luzon: 15 Dec 1944 to 4 July 1945 (Fig. 17)
- Islands of Luzon and Mindoro, other Philippine Islands lying north of lat. 13 deg 10’ North and adjacent waters
Southern Philippines: 27 Feb 1945 to 4 July 1945 (Fig. 19)
- Philippine Islands and adjacent waters south of lat. 13 deg 10’ North and adjacent waters, exclusive of Luzon, Mindoro, and the Leyte-Samar area.

Leyte: 17 Oct 1944 to 1 July 1945
- Philippine Islands, exclusive of Luzon and Mindoro, lying south of lat. 13 deg 10’ North and adjacent waters
In the service record of enlisted personnel (WD AGO Forms 24 or 24A, Service Record), these general orders may be cited as authority for such entries for personnel who were present for duty as a member of or attached to a unit listed at sometime during the limiting dated of the Leyte Campaign.
-- 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

The Battalion was attached to the following units at varying times during the Leyte Campaign:
-- 1st Cavalry Division
-- 7th Portable Surgical Hospital
-- X Corps
-- 11th Field Artillery Battalion (24th Inf. Div.)
-- 13th Field Artillery Battalion (24th Inf. Div.)
-- 63rd Field Artillery Battalion (24th Inf. Div.)
-- 19th Infantry Regiment (24th Inf. Div.)
-- 34th Infantry Regiment (24th Inf. Div.)
-- 126th Infantry Regiment (32nd Inf. Div.)
-- 127th Infantry Regiment (32nd Inf. Div.)
-- 128th Infantry Regiment (32nd Inf. Div.)
-- 210th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion

II. - Units credited with Assault Landings
3. Luzon: Paragraph 4, section II, WD GO 109, 1946, as amended by paragraph 2, section II, DA GO 23, 1947, pertaining to the Luzon assault landings, is further amended as follows:
Brunei Bay, Borneo - Delete: Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion
Labaun Island, Borneo - Add: Company A, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

XVI - Units credited with Assault Landings
Labuan Island, Borneo - 10 June 1945, 0900 to 0930 hours. So much of section II(4y), GO 109, dated 26 September 1946, WD is amended as follows:
Add: Company B, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion

OPERATION KING-TWO (Leyte)

OPERATION MIKE-ONE (Luzon)

OPERATION OBOE ONE (Tarakan)

OPERATION OBOE SIX (Brunei Bay)

OPERATION OBOE TWO (Balikpapan)

7th Aust Infantry Division - Operation Orders - 9 June 1945 - awm52-1-5-14-74

21st Aust Inf Brigade Operation Order dated 11 June 1945 - Pages 2-19 from AWM52-8-2-21-032

21st Aust Inf Brigade Operation Order dated 11 June 1945 - Appendices - Pages 20-24 from AWM52-8-2-21-032

1st Aust Inf Brigade Operation Order dated 11 June 1945 - Order of Battle - Pages 25-28 from AWM52-8-2-21-032

OBOE TWO - Distribution of Force to Ships for 21st Aust Inf Brigade - Pages 79-89 from AWM52-8-2-21-033

Landing Diagram - Page 96 from AWM52-8-2-21-032

Landing Diagram - 18th Aust Inf Bde Page 46 from AWM52-8-2-18-068

Landing Tables for 21st Aust Inf Brigade dated 15 June 1945 - Pages 98-133 from AWM52-8-2-21-032

Operation Order - 2/27 Aust Inf Bn - Pages 2-37 from AWM52-8-2-21-044

Operation Order - 2/14 Aust Inf Bn - Pages 80-106 from AWM52-8-2-21-044

Operation Order - 2/12 Aust Inf Bn - Pages 107-152 from AWM52-8-2-21-044

Location Statement dtd 10 July 1945 - 7th Aust Inf Div - Pages 37 48 and 53 from awm52-1-5-14-76

7th Aust Infantry Division - Report on Operation - 28 Sept 1945 - awm52-1-5-14-87

Report on Operation OBOE TWO - 727 ATB **

On 1 July 1945, thirty-one LVTs of Company A were used to land the 2/27 Australian Infantry Battlion in the first three waves. Operation Orders stated that these waves were to hit Green Beach at Klandasan, near Balikpapan, Borneo. However, the underwater obstacles were not fully destroyed and our LVTs landed on Yellow Beach to the left of their intended landing. This caused some initial confusion and congestion on the beaches. Owing to the massive naval and aerial bombardment, resistance was light during the highly successful landing, but an enemy sniper killed T/4 Robert P. Ullman. Four other LVTs from Company A comprised the left flank of the second wave that landed onRed Beach (was supposed to be Yellow Beach) with elements of the 2/12 Australian Infantry Battalion aboard. Then in the 18th Wave, sixteen LVTs were each loaded with a 25-Pounder Mark II (field artillery piece) along with members of the 2/4 Australian Field Regiment on Green Beach. After the landing, a platoon of LVTs were assigned to the 2/14 Australian Infantry Battalion in support Phase 5 of the initial landing program, which was to exploit the Stalkedo feature.

During the following day, some battalion members decided to make a fire on the beach to prepare some coffee. Unknowingly, an unexploded enemy artillery shell was buried under the sand where the fire was made. A short while later, the shell exploded and sent shrapnel flying that hit T/5 Clayton F. Davis. Company A reverted to the control of 7th Australian Division per operational orders. Our Command Post was harrassed with 10 rounds enemy artillery fire on 3 July 1945.

Company A continued to support the Balikpapan invasion force by transporting artillery pieces, ammunition and supplies by land and by sea to the front lines near Sepinggang Airstrip, Manggar Airstrip and on to Manggar-Ketjil. Each day we would haul thousands of rounds of artillery shells to the front until relieved from duty on 12 July 1945.

The following is excerpted from the Report of Operation OBOE TWO from Headquarters, 7th Australian Infantry Division dated 28 September 1945 (page 34, AWM 52-1-5-14-087):

"AMPHIBIOUS TRACTOR BATTALION (U.S. ARMY)"

"During the operations from FOX to FOX plus 2 Day, LVT proved invaluable in landing the assault waves and in transporting heavy weapons, ammunition, consolidation stores, water, etc to forward troops. Apart from their vulnerabilty, jeeps and trailers in the early stages would have had a limited value due to the steep and sandy terrain behind the beaches."

NAVAL REPORTS# OF OPERATION OBOE TWO RELATING TO 727TH AMPH TRAC BN

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, Amphibious Group Eight

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, LST Flotilla Twenty-Two

War Diary July 1945 by Commander, LST Group Forty-Four, Flotilla Fifteen

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, Task Unit 78.2.2 (Amphibious Assault Transport)

War Diary June-July 1945 by Commander, LST-457

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, LST-777

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, LCI(R)-230

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, LCI(R)-331

Report on OBOE TWO by Commander, LCI(R)-338

Report on Resupply for OBOE TWO by Commander, LST Flotilla Seven

FINAL MONTHS OF THE WAR

Company B departed from Borneo on 30 June 1945 and arrived at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon on 5 July 1945, the same day our Headquarter and Service Company departed Morotai. The next day, Company B departed San Fabian. On 7 July, Company A received a message from 1st Austraian Corps that our Battalion rear echelon had departed for Luzon. From 17 July to 20 July, Company A LVTs were loaded onto LSTs numbered 666, 753, and 673. The 20th of July also marked the date that the Headquarters and Service Company arrived at San Fernando, Luzon. We also received a radiogram from the Commanding General of the Eighth U.S. Army informing our Battalion at it was being attached to the XIV Corps and was to proceed to Aparri on the northern coast of Luzon to prepare for future operations.

On 21 July, Company A departed from Balikpapan. The next day Headquarters and Service Company arrived at Aparri and made camp at Linao Point near the Linao Lighthouse. On 23 July Company B departed from San Fabian and arrived at Aparri the following day. Finally, Company A arrived at Linao Point, Aparri, Luzon*** on 30 July 1945. This marked the first time tha our entire Battalion had been in one place since it was stationed in New Guinea.

We were being staged for the invasion of Japan's mainland. The initial campaign in the southern islands as scheduled for November 1945. Our Battalion was going to be used in the main assault on Tokyo Bay on the Island of Honshu with at target date of 1 March 1946. Shortly after our arrival at Aparri, two atomic bombs were detonated at two key Japanese military and industrial cities, Horoshima and Nagasaki. This action finally brought the Japanese government to accept the unconditional surrender that was demanded by the Allied Nations. The use of atomic bombs undoubtedly saves the lives of many of Battalion members as well as countless other lives, including civilian and military, for both the Aliies and the Japanese.

After the surrender was announced, our Battalion was assigned to AFWESPAC via Field Operation Order #21, Hq XIV Corpsdated 20 August 1945. The following day the Battalion received verbal orders from the Commanding General of AFWESPAC to assume responsibility for the operation of the Port of Aparri and Port Command. Thirteen LCM were assigned the the Battalion and instruction in their operation was provided by the 544th Engineer Special Brigade. On 27 August 1945, the Battalion assumed command of the Port of Aparri from the 276 Port Company. Many Japanese POWs in various US Naval transported were processed through this Port. It was also used to process units returning to the States and by many ships that needed safe harbour from the frequent typhoons that came through this area.

Gradually (from late July 1945), the men of our Battalion received their orders to return to the States for discharge from the Army. Those that remained continued to operation the Port and take care of the day-to-day routines. On 9 February 1946, the inactivation of our Battalion was completed.

NAVAL REPORTS# OF TRANPORT SHIPS RELATING TO 727TH AMPH TRAC BN WHILE AT APARRI, LUZON, PHILIPPINES

War Diary July 1945 by Commander, LSM-23

War Diary August 1945 by Commander, LSM-217

* This video was made using selected clips from the following public domain films available at the Australian War Memorial website: F01708, F01709, F01724, F01975, F07213, F07224, and F07553. Location slides and caption text was added to highlight the Battalion.

** Documents provided by the family of Norman Ahlstrand: John Ahlstrand, Char Martin, and Sue Gardner.

*** Excerpt from United States Coast Pilot, Philippine Island, Part 1, Luzon, Mindoro, and Visayas First Edition, Department of Commerce, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, E. Lester Jones, Superintendent. Washington GPO 1919.

# U. S. National Archinves, World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, compiled ca. 01/01/1942 - ca. 06/01/1946, documenting the period ca. 09/01/1939 - ca. 05/30/1946. Known as "war diaries," these are daily operational journals created by various naval commands throughout the Navy during WWII.

## Donated by Steven Whaley, whose father served on LST-562 during World War II.

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