SECRET                                    7 MAR 45

FROM:       5TH MAR DIV
TO  :       VAC                     INFO: EXTROPAC  X  3D AND 4TH MAR DIVS

DISPATCH SUMMARY FOR THE PERIOD 061700 TO 071700 FOLLOWS X THE NIGHT WAS
RELATIVELY QUIET ALONG THE ENTIRE DIVISION FRONT X LIMITED QUANTITIES OF

GRENADES AND SMALL ARMS FIRE WERE USED BY SMALL PARTIES OF JAPS IN FRONT
OF OUR LINES X A TOTAL OF 7 JAPS WERE KILLED DURING THE NIGHT X OUR KING

HOUR ATTACK MET WITH CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS X CT 28 ADVANCED RAPIDLY BY-
PASSING MANY CAVES IN THE VICINITY OF 233M Q R X MOP-UP OF THESE CAVES IS
UNDERWAY X

THE ADVANCE ON THIS AREA WAS MADE ACROSS THE MOST DIFFICULT TYPE OF
ROCKY GORGES BORDERED BY PRECIPITOUS CLIFFS X HILL 215 IS NOW SOLIDLY
WITHIN OUR

LIMITS X IN FRONT OF CT 26 FOLLOWING A LIMITED OBJECTIVE NIGHT ATK THE
OPPOSITION WAS PROVIDED BY SMALL GROUPS OF ENEMY IMPLACED IN ROCKY
CRAGS AND CREVICES

FROM WHICH ALL TYPES OF INFANTRY WEAPONS WERE BROUGHT TO BEAR X THE
JAPS STILL APPEAR TO HAVE PLENTY OF MEN AND LIGHT WEAPONS BUT THE
QUALITY OF DEFENSIVE

ORGANIZATION BEING ENCOUNTERED REFLECTS the EFFECT OF CASUALTIES AND
CONTINUAL POUNDING FROM OUR WEAPONS X A LARGE AMMO DUMP WAS
DESTROYED IN  234X

AT 1100 X CT 27 ON THE RIGHT IS BUTTING INTO ONE OF THE STRONGEST REMAINING
POSITIONS O THE ISLAND X BUNKERS ARE BEING BY-PASSED FOR FUTURE
DESTRUCTION

WHILE GRENADE BATTLES ARE BEING FOUGHT UP A SERIES OF ROCKY LEDGES X THE
SHORE LINE ON THE NORTHEAST COAST IS WITHIN SIGHT OF LT 2/27 X TANKS

WERE UNABLE TO GIVE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF SUPPORT BECAUSE OF the
NATURE OF THE TERRAIN THERE ARE 37 TANKS OPERATIONAL OF WHICH 3 ARE
FLAME THROWERS X

VMO-5 MAINTAINED TWO PLANES ON STATION AS LONG AS WEATHER PERMITTED
THROUGHOUT THE DAY X ARTY OBSERVERS ALOFT BROUGHT THE ARTY TO BEAR ON
TARGETS OF

OPPORTUNITY X IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO  DETERMINE THE EXACT NUMBER OF
WEAPONS DESTROYED BY AERIAL PRECISION ADJUSTMENT X HOWEVER ONE MORTAR
WAS DEFINITELY
TROYED AT 1245 IN TA 235H WEST X DIRECT HITS WERE MADE ON AND IN
OPENINGS OF CAVES X AS OF 1700 OUR FRONT LINES WERE AT 233I WEST TO 233O
SOUTH

WEST TO 234P CENTER TO 234Q CENTER TO 234M SOUTHWEST TO 234S NORTHEAST TO
234T CENTER TO 234P SOUTH CENTER TO 235Q CENTER TO 235W NORTH CENTER TO
235X

NORTH CENTER TO 235T SOUTHWEST X OUR CASUALTIES TO DATE AS OF 1500 X KIA
60 OFF 1000 ENL X WIA

185 OFF 3891 ENL MIA 1 OFF 189 ENL X SK 10 OFF 375 ENL X TOTAL 256 OFF 5455 ENL X
INTERRED IN DIV CEMETERY 32 OFF 1033 ENL 15 UNIDENTIFIED X

TO BE INTERRED 55 X ENEMY CASUALTIES 6489 POW 26 X CASUALTY EVACUATION TO
VAC EVACUATION HOSPITAL X 30 AIR EVACUATION DURING LAST 24 HOURS X 1920

RDS 75MM HE AND 5242 105MM HE RECEIVED DURING LAST 24 HOURS X AT 1500
FOLLOWING NUMBER OF RDS OF HE AMMO ON ARTY POSITIONS X 1ST BN 6185 RDS
75MM

2D BN 2400 RDS 105MM X 3RD BN 2706 RDS 105MM X 4TH BN 2306 RDS 105MM X 24
DISTILLATION UNITS IN OPERATION X 26030 GALS WATER PRODUCED DURING LAST

24 HOURS X 40,000 GALS WATER IN DIV DUMP X SLIGHTLY OVER 2 UNITS OF FIRE
81MM HE WITHIN DIV X LVTA'S 27 SERVICEABLE 8 LOST OR DESTROYED X LVT'S

124 SERVICEABLE 8 UNDER REPAIR 61 LOST OR DESTROYED X DUKW'S 29
SERVICEABLE 7 UNDER REPAIR 64 LOST OR DESTROYED X WEASELS 9 SERVICEABLE 1
UNDER REPAIR

8 LOST OR DESTROYED X NO CHANGE IN LOCATION OF COMMAND POSTS X

                                        RAY A. ROBINSON,
                                        COLONEL, USMC