Ormoc Harbor in WWII as reported to Pres. Osmeña
President Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. who was installed by Gen. Douglas MacArthur on October 23, 1944 at the steps of the Leyte Provincial Capitol in Tacloban, Leyte, was in receipt of a war communiqué by Col. L. A. Diller of the General Headquarters of the Southwest Pacific Area. The report was dated December 8, 1944, it narrated the landing in Ormoc Harbor.
"Leyte. The 77th Division of the XXIV Corps has landed in Ormoc Harbor in the enemy's rear. In an amphibious operation with air and naval support, the troops went ashore three miles south of Ormoc and are rapidly advancing northward. The movement caught the enemy unawares on the west with his reserves already largely committed to meet our converging attacks from the north, east and south. His ground resistance to the landing was in consequence negligible and we had practically no ground losses. By this maneuver we have seized the center of the Yamashita Line from the rear and have split the enemy's forces in two, isolating those in the valley to the north from those along the coast to the south. Both segments are now caught between our columns which are pressing in from all fronts. In a desperate attempt at diversion the enemy landed parachute troops during the night in the vicinity of San Pablo. Approximately 200 men were dropped, the majority of whom have been killed. Some sabotage damage was accomplished but the effort was a feeble one and promptly vessels consisting of four large transports of from 7,000 to 8,500 tons each, two freighter transports of 2,500 tons each, and seven destroyer escorts was discovered approaching from the north with strong air cover. Our air forces immediately attacked and our own convoy in turn was set upon by the enemy's air. A desperate melee resulted in which all thirteen vessels in the enemy's convoy were sunk without unloading. The transports were heavily packed with troops and 4,000 were estimated as lost. We had one destroyer and one small transport hard hit by aerial torpedoes and after transferring the crews abandoned the ships and sank them. Fifty-two enemy planes were shot down by our fighters and ten by Navy aircraft. We lost five planes but rescued the pilots. At the close of the day our air force, making a final sweep of the area, spotted and sank six small craft loaded with troops along the northwest coast of Leyte."
As for Mindanao, this was what happened:
"Reconnaissance units sank 2,000 ton cargo vessel at Davao and two small freighters in the Talaud Islands to the south. Attack planes and fighters hit barracks and minor targets in southern Mindanao. One of our convoys off the coast of Mindanao was attacked by the enemy divebombers which sank one of our medium-sized cargo ships. The crew and passengers were rescued."
In the Visayas, "Air patrols exploded a 5,000 ton freighter, set afire another 1,000 tons and two coastal vessels, and shot down a floatplane."
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