Down From Heaven - The 11th Airborne Division in World War II & Beyond
The Rat's Ass Charge: 35 Paratroopers vs. 150 Japanese Soldiers in World War II
September 18, 202538 min · 6,031 words
Show notes
On December 22, 1944, 35 Paratroopers from 1st Platoon, Company D, 511th PIR, 11th Airborne Division found themselves engaged with over 150 Japanese soldiers on the island of Leyte. When the platoon became pinned down, PFC John "Bad Soldier" Bittorie yelled at the enemy before firing two longs bursts from his Browning machine gun. John then charged the Japanese, inspiring his fellow Angels to "perform a Banzai charge of their own"!
Highlighted moments
One even said, after Leyte, hell was a vacation.
“enemy dead were found carrying cooked pieces of human flesh in their pockets”
“first platoon's 35 paratroopers were now almost face to face with a withdrawing Japanese column of about 150 soldiers on a trail 10 to 15 feet wide and my grandpa just said it was a machine gunner's dream”
“there are two kinds of military reputations one is official and on paper in washington the other is the one that goes from bar to bar from the mouths of those who served with you there that is the only reputation i ever really cared about”
Transcript
Transcript not available for this episode yet.
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