on right over there and those people need this ammunition." We continued right on. The shells, minus the fuse, were loaded with explosive powder.
At the time the Japanese were making their big push - some nights we would go to sleep with the five inch guns and the 105MM Howitzer going continuously and we would wake up next morning with them still going. We had learned to sleep with the noise. One of the 105MM was not far back of us; the concussion would shake our tent when the gun was fired.
After the enemy had been pushed back into their area, Rice and I went up on a high ridge at the most forward defense line overlooking the enemy territory. The army men told us about two of our men being stationed as lookouts in a huge tree nearby before the Japs made their push. and the last thing that was heard from them (by phone) was that one had been killed.
On re-taking this ridge the enemy who had dug in under this lookout tree had to be burned out by flame throwers. While standing there talking and surveying out into enemy territory, we turned around and to our surprise we were looking directly into the muzzle of a 105 gun, camouflaged in the edge of the bushes.
The 90MM ammunition is a high power shell and is used principally against enemy aircrafts. The 105MM is a standard shell and is used in surface combact. Both of these are assembled in a brass shell or casing known as "fixed type." The 5-inch and larger ammo is not assembled, due to its weight in loading. All of the three above are equipped for time fuses, which are screwed in just before use and pre-set for explosion as required or set to explode on contact.
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