War History of USS Leutze (DD-481)
by Walter J. Fillmore
Narwhal Press, 2001, 240 pages
On April 6, 1945, a kamikaze plane hit the destroyer USS Leutze
(DD-481) (pronounced "Loyt΄-zee"), killing seven and wounding 34
[1].
The bomb carried by the kamikaze plane exploded and caused heavy damage by
nearly blowing off Leutze's fantail, but damage control crews worked
frantically and kept the ship from sinking. However, the mangled Leutze
stayed at Kerama Rettō for over three months until July 10, 1945, when repairs
finally were completed to make the ship seaworthy for the trip back to the
States. Walter Fillmore, author of War History of USS Leutze (DD-481),
served as Combat Information Officer on the destroyer from her commissioning on
March 4, 1944, to October 1, 1945. This short history of Leutze includes
many interesting historical photos. As the title indicates, this book focuses
on Leutze's war history, but it does not contain that many personal
stories from officers and crew.
Fillmore writes the history with short sentences and a
matter-of-fact style. Although the book does not mention sources used, the
author clearly performed extensive research in order to write an overview of
World War II and a detailed history of Leutze. The book's first four
chapters mainly provide a summary of key events leading up to US entry into
WWII and the course of the war through the Allied invasion of Normandy in June
1944. These chapters also give some details of Fillmore's family and childhood.
Throughout the book, Fillmore uses the term "Jap," commonly used by
Americans during the war but now considered a pejorative name. The publisher
has a "disclaimer" at the front of the book to state that the term
has been allowed since the book is clearly intended to be a factual history and
the author's use of the term "Jap" represents terminology of the
past.
After an overly long general introduction to the war, the
ship's history finally begins in Chapter V, which mostly covers battle action
between October 1944 and January 1945 in the Philippines. On November 1, 1944, Leutze
and other destroyers began firing at Japanese planes in a mass kamikaze attack.
A kamikaze crash sank the destroyer Abner Read, and kamikaze planes also
severely damaged the two destroyers closest to Leutze. Although Leutze
originally had the nickname of Never Sail since she was launched in October
1942 but not commissioned until March 1944, in the Philippines she got the new
nickname of Lucky Leutze, an apt description as she remained unscathed
during the frequent air attacks in Leyte Gulf. Leutze also experienced
several kamikaze attacks in Lingayen Gulf during January 6-9, 1945, but the
closest calls came from two suicide explosive motorboats, which the destroyer's
gunners shot and destroyed. Luck finally ran out for Leutze, when
friendly fire from some nearby LSTs wounded six Leutze sailors right
after the explosion of the second suicide boat.
Chapter VI describes Leutze's support of underwater
demolition teams during the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February 17, 1945, shore
batteries on Mt. Suribachi fired on the destroyer, with the fourth salvo making
direct hits on the forward stack and the ammunition magazine under the bridge.
Commander Robbins was critically wounded, and three other men were seriously
wounded. Lieutenant Grabowsky took command of the ship when Robbins fell down
paralyzed with a piece of shrapnel imbedded in his spinal cord.
The last chapter covers Leutze's time in Okinawa,
including the kamikaze hit and the long stay at Kerama Rettō before repair of
the damaged ship. In the late afternoon of April 6, 1945, about a dozen kamikaze
planes headed toward Leutze and Newcomb, two destroyers escorting
the battleship Tennessee. Five kamikaze planes hit Newcomb and
killed 40 men. Five planes dove at Leutze. The gunners from another ship
shot down the first one; Leutze's gunners got the next three; and the
last suicide plane barely missed and crashed into the ship's wake. Leutze
moved alongside her stricken sister ship, Newcomb, to help fight fires
and attend to the wounded. Another kamikaze plane came in, grazed the Newcomb
amidships, and crashed into Leutze's port quarter at water level.
Captain Grabowsky pulled away from Newcomb as he radioed that Leutze
was in danger of sinking. The crew managed to put out the fires and keep the
ship afloat, and the minesweeper Defense towed the damaged destroyer
through the night to Kerama Rettō. The ship's crew had to wait for three long
months before repairs were finished so the ship could return to the US. During
that time, they experienced over 100 air raids, hid under smoke screens at
night, and witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by kamikaze attacks as
crippled ships were towed to Kerama Rettō. This chapter includes about ten
pages of photos of ships seriously damaged by kamikaze strikes.
Leutze crew members inspect
damage from kamikaze crash
Walter Fillmore writes his ship's history in a
detached manner even though he served as Combat Information Officer during the
entire period of Leutze's service during World War II. He never
describes his duties aboard ship nor his personal involvement in the
destroyer's key battles. The book does contain some lighter reminiscences, such
as four pages, including two pages of photos, about the ceremony with
Shellbacks and Pollywogs when Leutze crossed the equator. However, War
History of USS Leutze (DD-481) lacks personal accounts from the ship's
officers and crew about most battle action, including the kamikaze strike that
put the ship out of action.
Note
1. These casualty figures come from the casualty report prepared by the Leutze's
Medical Officer on April 7, 1945 (pp. 224-6). The book's text indicates "47
casualties, seven killed" (p. 150), even though the Medical Officer's
report lists the names of only 41 total casualties, with seven killed.
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