Hqs Support Acft Party 30 Declassified EO 11652 Support Aircraft Party 30 A.P.O. 31 23 July 1945 SUBJECT: INFORMATION ON S.A.P. ACTIVITIES FOR MINDANAO CAMPAIGN TO : A.G.O., 31st Infantry Division, A.P.O. 31 Loading of division elements, including Captain Wiper's party, was accomplished on 16 April 45. An administrative landing was made 2 April 45 at Parang on Davao gulf; and, as near immediate commitments were made of division units, the party started functioning smoothly and at once. The present operation has been much more fluid than that of Luzon. Problems of movement and supply have been great. Indeed, this division has been almost entirely supplied by air transport. Further, the 31st Infantry Division has not been working as the usual division normally does. It is covering a much larger front, with the result that the S.A.P. is dependent on its forward elements for many functions usually attended to by its own headquarters; namely, the designation of true air targets and the direction of support thereon. In addition, as the artillery has been prevented by weather conditions from moving with the ground elements, Support Air has had to function on targets normally designated as artillery rather than true air. Two JASCO and two Marine forward units were assigned to direct our strikes. This combination, as a whole, worked well; however, the co-operation and smoothness of operation which marked previous work, when all direction was done by Air Force personnel, was not so apparent. Air support in the Mindanao campaign has been given almost completely by Marine and Navy units with results exceedingly satisfactory to the comman- ding general of this division. Extremely bad terrain in the Malaybalay- Silae sector, and abominable weather conditions from 3 June 45 to 15 June 45 added to the difficulty of attaining division objectives. The air support has contributed most heavily to the success of the division's attack. The party feels that its record of missions flown and strikes directed has been above the average with such adverse weather. Particularly is the S.A.P. proud of its record of exactitude and the lack of errors - unavoidable in most operations - which might add casualties to our own troops. Such few errors as have occurred can not in any way be attributed to the Air Force personnel of the unit. Some 217 missions of 1226 sorties have been flown for the 31st Infantry Division on Mindanao, the present operation which officially concluded 30 June 1945. [Original Signed] Martin M. Rudich, O-324874 Captain, Air Corps Commanding mmr/m ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The copy of this document also indicates that Major Wiper, Air Corps, reassumed command of S.A.P. 30 on 25 July 1945. JASCO is an acronym for Joint Assault Signal Company. See http://jasco295.tripod.com/. Note the error about the location of Parang. Parang is a harbor on Illana Bay in the Moro Gulf, in western Mindanao. The Davao Gulf lies off Davao in southeast Mindanao. ============================================================================== Archive Reference: Research Studies Institute U.S.A.F. Historical Division Archives Branch Apr - July 1945 Call Number: 720.645A IRIS Number: 00256361 Old Accession Number: 9467-90 Classification: Unclassified ============================================================================== Transcribed by Paul M. Webber on 22 February 2002. Home Page: http://home.pcisys.net/~pwebber/31_id/rtw.htm