Republic of the Philippines - Stamps & Postal History

RP Issues of 2014

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2014, October 20.  Leyte Landing, 70th Anniversary

Litho Offset, Amstar Company, Inc.,  Perf 14

Singles, Sheets of  40

                    

 

10p  Leyte Landing with Gen. Douglas MacArthur - Singles   (80,000)

 

Artist/Designer:  Derrick C. Macutay, Presidential Communication Development & Strategic Planning Office

Layout Artist:  Victorino Z. Serevo 

Design: Image of the Leyte Gulf landing with the famous quote by Douglas MacArthur “People of the Philippines, I have returned”

 

 

First Day Covers:  Manila & Palo, Leyte

  

         

Phlpost Official FDC Envelopes

 

 

Privately Prepared FDCs

 


 

Leyte Landing with Gen. Douglas MacArthur, American Armed Forces - 70th Anniversary

 

The Leyte Landing Memorial in Red Beach, Palo, marks the spot where American Liberation Forces of General Douglas MacArthur (along with Philippine Forces headed by Gen. Carlos P. Romulo) landed.   Preliminary operations for the Leyte invasion began at dawn on October 17, 1944 with minesweeping tasks and the movement of the 6th Rangers toward three small islands in Leyte Gulf.   Although delayed by a storm, the Rangers were on Suluan and Dinagat islands by 0805 military time.   On Suluan, they dispersed a small group of Japanese defenders and destroyed a radio station, while they found Dinagat unoccupied.

The next day, the third island Homonhon, was taken without any opposition. On Dinagat and Homonhom, the Rangers proceeded to erect navigation lights for the amphibious transports to follow. Meanwhile, reconnaissance by underwater demolition teams revealed clear landing beaches for assault troops on Leyte. Independently, the 21st Infantry Regiment on October 20, 1944 landed on Panaon Strait to control the entrance to Sogod Bay. Following four hours of heavy naval gunfire on A-day, October 20, Sixth Army forces landed on assigned beaches at 10:00. X Corps pushed across a 4 mi (6.4 km) stretch of beach between Tacloban airfield and the Palo River. 15 mi (24 km) to the south, XXIV Corps units came ashore across a 3 mi (4.8 km) strand between San José and the Daguitan River. Troops found as much resistance from swampy terrain as from Japanese fire. Within an hour of landing, units in most sectors had secured beachheads deep enough to receive heavy vehicles and large amounts of supplies. Only in the 24th Division sector did enemy fire force a diversion of follow-up landing craft. But even that sector was secure enough by 13:30 to allow Gen. MacArthur to make a dramatic entrance through the surf onto Red Beach and announce to the populace the beginning of their liberation: "People of the Philippines, I have returned! By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil."

The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of Leyte in the Philippines by the United States and Australian forces and allied Filipino guerrillas under the command of General Douglas MacArthur and waged against Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita from October 17, 1944 to July 31 1945.   The battle launched the Philippine campaign of 1944-45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, was the largest naval battle in modern history. It was fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations, in the seas surrounding the Philippine island of Leyte from October 23 to October 26 1944 between the Allies and the Empire of Japan.
The “Battle “ of Leyte Gulf was actually a campaign consisting of four interrelated battles:  The Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle of Cape Engaño and the Battle of Samar.  Leyte Gulf also saw the first use of the Kamikaze aircraft. A kamikaze hit the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia on October 21, 1944 and organized suicide attacks by the “Special Attack Force” which began on October 25, 1944.   http://en.wikipedia.org

 

 

TOPICAL CATEGORIES

 

  • World War II

  • MacArthur, Douglas

 

Articles by Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak

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