Louisville (CA 28) - Naval Cruise Book

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OUR 1NcEssAN'r drive against the Japanese Outer Empire had swung into a series of climactic punches. Palau had opened the door to mighty air strikes against the Philippines, Formosa and other strategic Jap possessions. We were on the brink of one of the greatest battles of the Pacific war. Admiral Halsey took his fast carriers o11 exploratory strikes not only to destroy enemy installations but to confirm the reported distribution of principal Jap con- centrations. We were planning multiple landings to start at Mindanao, when Ad- miral Halsey returned from his sweep of the China Sea. His report changed the entire course of the war-Leyte was the open door, not Mindanao. We could strike immediately at that island, thus cutting months from our war eyte calendar. Washington was notified, high commands made the decisiong plans were changed. Headquarters' officers worked night and day for two weeks re-mapping the operation. Leyte was on the way. Meanwhile we of the Louisville were catching up with a little rest and recrea- tion at Manus. We relaxed our bodies on the beaches, but could not drag our active. minds from the driving aggression of the war. We knew the importance of this next offensive and that it would be one of the toughest we had yet faced. The Philip- pines were the heart of the Jap Outer Empiref, By taking them we could sever vital life-lines between Japan and her rich Southern holdings. But most important of all, we would betaking a staging area for the all-out battle for the Homeland itself. Natives, principally feminine, paddled out to our ship to barter and sell to sailors. 137