Walter G. Hiipakka
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
Walter G. Hiipakka entered the Army August 26, 1942, Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Home at entry: Meadowlands, Minnesota.
He served as a Corporal and cannoneer with Battery B of the 532 Field Artillery Battalion in the Eastern Mandates, Southern Philippines, Luzon, and Ryukyus.
Mr. Hiipakka was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbons with one bronze star and three overseas service bars.
"Arrived in Hawaii on January 30, 1943. Most of the crew were sea sick as the sea was rough. We were in Hawaii about three months training to toughen us up for future battles. The training was tough at times."
"We had 12 LSB ships anchored side by side all loaded in Pearl Harbor to sail to Saipan. The top deck of the ship carrying the marines was being welded and they also had gasoline barrels there and a spark started the gasoline on fire. This was Sunday as we were to sail the next day. Ten of our ships burned and sank in Pearl Harbor, including ours. Only two ships had time to pull away. the two watchman on our ship jumped and swam ashore. By Tuesday, other ships started to load. Rest of the week we really worked hard. We loaded 1300 rounds of shells weighing 96 pounds each. Then put plank floor and loaded our artillery, 155 Long Toms which weighed over 29,000 pounds each, four of them. On top deck we loaded our trucks and other small equipment, gasoline barrels, men also. It was open deck. the only shelter was our pup tents. In a week after our ship sunk we left Pearl Harbor and sailed to Saipan."
"There were two towns on Saipan. On the first day marines took the town in the South end. When we landed we set our 155 Long Toms to support Marines and infantry as they started to move North where the Japanese were. First night our crew lost one man, enemy mortar shell fell on his fox hole. Couple nights after plane flew over and dropped six bombs. We were a mile from the air field. Could hear them come. Did not know if they were falling right where we were. I thought of everything we were told if bombs fall close. Finally when the bombs reached the ground they were about a half mile from us, halfway to the airfield. The Japs were trying to bomb the airfield. Our aircraft artillery kept them so high that they could not get the target right."
"Marines were going to take the other town and there were so many snipers that they called them back and ordered all the artillery to open up on that town. We had twelve 155 Long Toms. each shell weighed 96 pounds, the cost to the government just about 100 dollars each. We opened up A battery gun 1-2-3-4, B battery gun 5-6-7-8, C battery gun 9-10-11-12. Each gun fired thirteen rounds in that order. That's 156 rounds in less than 30 minutes, and the Navy opened up. We destroyed the whole town. Gun barrels got hot. B battery gun five was the gun I was on. It took 10 to 12 men to each gun, four guns to a battery. Our unit or Battalion had 12 guns. Nine miles was good shooting. Each gun weighed over 29,000 pounds. They got one Jap officer alive and he said he would like to see our automatic artillery. He did not realize we had so many artillery and firing them as we did sounded like automatic. When the Marines started to move up after the heavy shelling, Jap soldiers had no choice, surrender or suicide."
"Tinian battle was next. It was a real small island. It was five miles from Saipan. We just turned our guns around and fired to Tinian from Saipan before Marines landed there. There were not too many Japs there."
"When we got the barrels for our guns to replace the ones we wore out at Saipan battle, we sailed to Philippines. On the way we got news Japs attacked the convoy ahead of us a couple of days before. They shot some torpedoes at U.S. Ships and when we got to Philippines we saw those ships had some holes. When we got the news Japs had attacked convoy ahead of us it made us think if they sunk our ship in that open sea miles from no where, sharks would have had a good meal. We were lucky to get to Philippines safe."
"When we landed in Philippines we put up our pup tents. When we got ready for chow three Jap planes were coming. Two of them flew right over us. Our machine gunner opened on them. there were two ships of ours that had the hold open as they were unloading groceries into small rafts to bring ashore as there was no dock in that part of the Philippines. the two Jap planes were trying to sink the ships. One plane sunk one of the ships as he steered his plane right into the hole. The other one was wounded, he missed the hole and the plane landed on the raft which caught fire and they untied the raft and it floated to shore. The ship they got burned all night as part of it was on top of the water where it was shallow. The third plane took off."
"...Friday, August 10, 1945. this day I had waited 40 months for. I and another guy went to a outside movie. We had to take our carbines along as we had to go to other outside area as they said they were scared Japan was going to send paratroopers. I and another guy sat next to the little shack that had the movie machine. A telephone rang in the shack. I told the other guy the war was over. Same time the guy stuck his head out and said war was over. The news spread in seconds all over the island and sea. So many had rifles along they started to shoot in the air, and the Navy shot tracers. It lasted 15 minutes and word came anyone first out of order will be court-martialed. Some guys went into burial vaults for protection from all the bullets that were flying. Saturday our inspection was canceled. It was Japs surrendered as U.S. dropped the second bomb. Sunday we were back to normal, and our training and inspections. It took three months before we could start back to U.S."
"Finally our ship came and we loaded 5,000 soldiers on it to sail to Seattle, Washington. There was a large crowd to meet the ship. We had to wait about two weeks for a troop train to take us to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Got there December 5 and I got my discharge at 10 a.m. I put a call to Gertie that I am on my way to Duluth that I would be there on December 6. Then I took a bus to LaCrosse to get the train to Saint Paul. When I got to Duluth, Gertie was at the hotel waiting for me. that was a happy moment as I had not seen Gertie for 22 months."
"That was 40 months of my life that was not my own. I consider myself lucky that I came back in one piece. I got my discharge December 5, 1945, and the war was behind."
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 113.
