Original U.S. Navy WWII LST-126 Commander’s Invasion of Leyte Battle Torn Flag - Colossal Grouping With Photos, Written Correspondence and After Action Reports
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Original Items: Only One Grouping Available. This is one of the most historically significant and largest named groupings we have offered. These items belonged to Marion A. Cassell, Commanding Officer of the Landing Ship Tank (LST) 126. Included in this grouping is a list of items far too long to fit in the description. There are dozens, if not hundreds of photos and handwritten correspondence as well as after action reports and general reports by LT Cassell. However, the most significant items in this grouping is the battle torn American flag that flew above LST-126 during the Invasions of Leyte in October of 1945. The flag has been professionally mounted and framed and measures approximately 70" x 42". Accompanying the flag is a 1944 dated handwritten letter from him to his mother describing the flag, and a photograph of LST-126 with the same flag flying. The letter was written on August 16, 1944 (scan in photo section) and the beginning is as followed:
“Aug 16, 1945
Dear mom,
I am sending a package of things home. Part of it may look like pure junk to you but I want you to save it. Some of that junk has considerable value to me. That old battered American flag was one used in an invasion…”
That invasion he mentions in his letter is the Battle of Leyte. The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II, was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines, led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita. The operation, codenamed King Two, launched the Philippines campaign of 1944–45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation.
When Japanese forces were closing in on key defensive positions in the Philippines in March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur was ordered out by President Roosevelt. His great promise to the Philippines, “I shall return,” was fulfilled two and a half years later when soldiers of the U.S. Sixth Army came ashore at Leyte. LSTs at Leyte found themselves under frequent attack by Japanese aircraft, and came to feel the first effects of the “kamikaze” strategy.
The following is a handwritten account, one of many by Cassell during his time in the Pacific:
“LST 126 hit the beach on D day in the Leyte Invasion. It shot down 3 enemy planes during this invasion. The ship went through a typhoon following the Leyte invasion, while evacuating the survivors of the USS Johnson (DD557) and USS Roberts (DE415), all of which had been sunk during the Philippine Sea Battle.”
In one of his earlier letters, Cassell describes their first encounter with a Japanese airplane inbound for their LST while in Saipan which he stated they were able to shoot down. In his handwritten account he states:
“In Saipan LST 126 shot down it’s first jap plane. Casualties among Marines landing in Saipan were extremely heavy.”
There is an unbelievable amount of letters written by Cassell while he was in the Pacific. The ones that we felt were of the most importance were scanned for you to view. One of the other letters that stuck out was a letter, once again written to his mother but in January of 1945. In his letter he describes his presence during the Luzon landing. This is another long letter, so again we will only describe the first paragraph:
January 17, 1945
Dear mom,
A lot of things have happened since my last letter.I suppose you have been hearing and reading about the Luzon Landing. We were right in the middle of everything. As usual we were in there the first day.It wasn’t much fun either…
The Battle of Luzon was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., the Philippines, and allies against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory. The Allies had taken control of all strategically and economically important locations of Luzon by March 1945, although pockets of Japanese resistance held out in the mountains until the unconditional surrender of Japan. While not the highest in U.S. casualties, it is the highest net casualty battle U.S. forces fought in World War II, with 192,000 to 217,000 Japanese combatants dead (mostly from starvation and disease), 8,000 American combatants killed, and over 150,000 Filipinos, overwhelmingly civilians who were murdered by Japanese forces, mainly during the Manila massacre of February 1945.
We could go on and on about this grouping, but realistically we just do not have enough space to describe everything. You will have to do your best to view the pictures. There will be scans of the very important documents included in this grouping, so be sure to look thoroughly through our photos section. We have been able to find pictures of LST-126 at the Gulf in Leyte in life magazine (included) during the landing and there are actual personal photographs of the same ones we found digitally, just at different angles. The battle torn flag comes in a nice 63 ½” x 38” plexiglass black frame, which compliments it wonderfully.
Get yourself some new frames and pull up a comfortable chair because everything comes ready for display and further research!
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