| United States Army soldiers take cover from Imperial Japanese Army machine gun fire during landing operations on Leyte. Note that 1 solider is stringing telephone wire. The 1st Cavalry Division, commanded by Major General Verne D. Mudge (September 5, 1898 – January 29, 1957), was to land on White Beach with brigades abreast — the 1st Brigade on the left (south) and the 2nd Brigade on the right (north) — and advance inland. Flanked by rocket and gunboat Landing Craft Infantry (LCI-Gs and LCI-Rs), and preceded by amphibian tanks, the 5th and 12th Cavalry Regiments, which formed the 1st Brigade, and the 7th Cavalry, which with the 8th Cavalry (in reserve) composed the 2nd Brigade, raced for the shores of Leyte. The escorting rocket ships laid down a heavy barrage which covered the beach defenses to a depth of 1,800 yards (1,650 meters) inland and left the enemy incapable of organized resistance. As the boats neared shore, only small arms and machine gun fire opposed the landing. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2117.jpg |
| Image Size | 1 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 3000 x 2355 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | October 20, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Leyte |
| Country | Philippines |
| Archive | United States Army |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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