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Uniform of Sgt. Leonard Doss- Bataan Death March Survivor and FEAF POW


NDTMilitaria
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NDTMilitaria

This is a personal favorite of mine. This uniform entered my collection as a $30 unnamed AAF Ike Jacket. After checking and double checking I found a name. With a name, a remarkable story unraveled. Sgt. Doss would spend a grueling 3 years, 5 months, and 3 days as a prisoner to the Japanese, and truly lived through hell in the pacific. So without further introduction, Im honored to share with you his incredible story of survival:

 

 

Leonard G Doss was born April 7th, 1921, in Fort Worth Texas. He was raised just outside on the family ranch. During his high school years in Fort Worth he would meet the love of his life, Jean Marguerite Hoera. Despite his courtship with Jean, it wasnt enough for his sense of adventure. Hed spent his whole life in Fort Worth Texas, and although he loved it, he needed a change of scenes. Unfortunately, it wouldnt go so well as planned.

 

He enlisted in the US Army on September 27th 1939. He served in the pre-war Philippines Army Air Corps, going over in October 1940 with the 20th Pursuit Squadron where they were reorganized into the 4th Composite group, 5th Interceptor Command. He was trained as a mechanic, and worked to maintain the 28 Boeing P-26 Fighters there. In May 1941 it was restructured as the Philippine Department Air Force and the 20th received the only modern aircraft in the entire Department, 31 Curtis P-40B Fighters, which Leonard helped construct after they were arrived. However they wouldnt be operational until July when they finally got a shipment of antifreeze and Engine coolant. Additionally there was no Oxygen producing plants In the Philippines which critically limited how high the aircraft, especially the P-40B could fly. To only worsen their unpreparedness for the coming war, an attempt by General Clagett to shake up command took the 20ths senior and best trained pilots out of the field and into administration while poorly trained pilots took their place. In October, thanks to General Henry Arnold, 50 new P-40Es And a new group, the 24th Pursuit group, was formed to hold the 3 squadrons of the new arrivals, including Leonard and the the 20th. Leading up to December 1941 the War Department scrambled to prepare for the coming storm. 197 new pilots arrived, 141 who were assigned to Pursuit squadrons, all but 28 were rushed recruits fresh out of flight school. On November 16th, 1941, it was restructured again, to match its expansion, as the Far East Army Air Force. On November 25th the 20th received another 25 P-40Es that Leonard again helped assemble. By December 7th, 1941, a critical shortage of 50 caliber rounds left the vast majority of the new aircraft untested and all aircraft under-equipped.

 

On December 8th 1941 at 6:00 AM the shocking news that war had begun spread among the men. And at 8:30 the warning networks informed them a large force of aircraft was heading for them on the Island of Luzon. The radar detected them an hour out at 11:30. Despite the warning, only one P-40 Squadron took off, and due to scattered and frantic info on the Japanese position, found nothing, ran out of fuel, and were forced to return. As they landed upon return, the Japanese attack arrived. At 12:35, 175 Japanese Bombers and 90 Zero Fighters bombed and strafed the Nichols and Clark (Clark is where Leonard was that morning) airfields into rubble until they left at 1:30. Nearly the entire bomber force was destroyed and over a third of the fighters were destroyed. On the 10th of December the Japanese struck again destroying another third of fighter aircraft. Beginning on the 12th the Aircraft began to be transferred to Australia, Java, and anywhere out of fire to save what little was left. The last bombers and most of the fighters had left by January 1st and Leonard was left stranded with the skin and bones 24th group, the only unit left after command evacuated to Darwin Australia.

 

On January 18th they were recalled to the last airfield on Bataan in Mariveles. At this point all ground echelon began to function as Infantry in the defense of Bataan. Despite the victories over Japan on Bataan in early March, the Japanese pushed on in an endless stream. On the 3rd of April the mechanics and enlisted men of what was left of the Far East Air Force took up arms and fought the Japanese alongside the battered 57th infantry regiment in the last battle of Leonards war time service. On the 9th of April 1942 they were overwhelmed and surrendered to the Japanese. Sgt. Leonard G Doss has fought long and desperately. But he was now a Prisoner of War at the liberty of the Japanese.

 

From that day on, Sgt. Doss would survive hell for 3 and a half years. Leonard G Doss was grouped in a field at Mariveles where the men were stripped of all their possessions and valuables. Any with Japanese items were shot, as they assumed it has been looted from Japanese dead. Sgt. Doss was unaware that he was now part of the 10,000 American POWs to embark on the Bataan Death March, one of the greatest War Crimes of the PTO. Of the 49 men of 24th Group captured he was one of only 17 who survived to see the end of the war. On April 10th Doss and the other Americans captured began the brutal forced 65 mile Bataan Death March south. Starving, sunburnt, and brutally exhausted, Sgt. Doss arrived in Balanga where he and the survivors of the march so far were gathered. They were overcrowded, and disease spread through the allied prisoners quickly. He caught sickness there and was treated by POW U.S. Medical personnel. He would recover before leaving Balanga, which likely saved his life. Sgt. Doss was stuffed into a metal box car that measured at 110 degrees Fahrenheit with 100 other POWs for a nearly 4 hour train ride to Capas train station. Upon arrival, they were immediately forced on the last 9 mile march to Camp ODonnell. Sgt. Doss was one of the 54,000 POWs to survive and arrive at the camp out of 80,000. He was part of the first POWs to arrive shortly after at Cabanatuan Prisoner Camp where he was sent after his arrival at Camp ODonnell.

 

after spending the summer and fall of 1942 there in captivity he was relocated due to his sound health that made him a prime candidate for manual labor in August 27th of 1942. Arriving by travel via the Hellship Lima Maru In early September, he along with over 300 other Americans were immediately sent north by overnight train to become the first prisoners of Taiwan POW camp #2 in Taichu Taiwan (Formosa). On November 12th, 1942, all able bodied and healthy American POWs, nearly 300, left the camp to be sent for slave labor in Yokohama to make room for 500 new British POWs. Sgt. Doss was one of less than 15 Americans who stayed in Taichu with the new British POWs. Sgt. Doss made a recovery there in December of 1942 and spent his time in the camp excavating a flood diversion channel in the river valley which ran adjacent to the camp. The work was done every monsoon season by hand with shovels and picks and dirt and rock was moved out by hand or in brackets or stretchers the POWs were forced to make themselves. Escape wasnt a thought. Only once ever did anyone try it, American Pvt. Coleman Greelish and British Pvt. Thomas Johnson. When the Japanese caught them, they were beaten for a month, and then forced to dig their own graves before execution. Sgt. Doss remained at Taichu until spring of 1944 when a typhoon ravaged the island and POW camp. The flood waters forced an emergency evacuation and Sgt. Doss was moved to the new camp formed 20 miles south, Taiwan POW Camp #2A, Inrin. Around 100 wounded or sick POWs, including Sgt. Doss, were taken by train to the new camp.

 

The POWs there stayed until October 1st 1944 when new American Marines and Army POWs arrived at a new camp 1 mile away, Taiwan POW camp #3A, Inrin Temporary. Sgt. Doss and the healthiest of the Camp #2A were moved to #3A to assist the Almost all wounded new POWs adjust and build camp. Due to the nature of the wounded POWs there was no hard labor at this camp, instead the healthy POWs such as Sgt. Doss were responsible for the care of the wounded and keeping the camp in order. The able bodied wounded tended to light farmwork in the hills just north, where the camp grew vegetables for themselves. The food grown there allowed the men to regain strength and much needed nutrients and many recovered.

 

On January 1st, 1945, Sgt. Doss helped lead and transport 250 Americans from the camp onto the Japanese hellship Enoshima Maru. On January 28th they arrived at Japanese POW Camp Tokyo #3B in Hosokura, Miyagi Japan. In the last days of the war there at Sendai, Sgt. Doss and 230 other American POWs were forced into labor at the Hosokura lead and zinc mines operated by Mitsubishi. As the American bombing of Japan began to increase, the jurisdiction of the camp was moved and renamed to Sendai #3B. Going into the summer of 1945 in July, Sgt. Doss and the men began to witness American bombing runs from the ground, and they knew liberation was soon. Finally on the morning of September 12th, 1945, after he had been a prisoner of war for 3 years, 5 months, and 3 days, he was Liberated by the US Army.

 

On September 25th, 1945, Leonard G. Doss returned to the United States for the first time in over 5 years. An adventurous teenager from Texas became a battered and war torn veteran. He was distraught to find upon his return that his long time high school love, Jean Hoera, had moved on. She had believed that Leonard was dead, and spent months in agony over it. But upon his return, their old love was rekindled. They married in the spring of 1946 and settled again in Fort Worth.

There, he and Jean raised a family. It is written he never spoke of the war to anyone but his wife, who he spoke with on rare occasions about the war. He died at age 72 on July 13th, 1993.

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NDTMilitaria

He and the remaining men posing with the last P-40 of the FEAF in January of 1942. It was nicknamed "Frankenstein" due to the fact it was maintained using parts from various downed P-40's

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Excellent write up! Are you 100% sure you have the right guy? My only doubt are the 3 overseas bars ( 18-23 months overseas). I would have thought there should have been 5 or 6 bars.

 

Kurt

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Excellent write up! Are you 100% sure you have the right guy? My only doubt are the 3 overseas bars ( 18-23 months overseas). I would have thought there should have been 5 or 6 bars.

 

Kurt

 

Yes, this is true. I don't think I have seen any prisoners from the Philippines with less than 5-6 bars. Also, how would the 32nd ID patch fit into the story as the combat side insignia?

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Great research on this! I find it interesting as he has the same last name as me. I've only ever met in person two other Doss's that weren't family, not a common last name from my experience. As far as I know he's not related to me as my members on the Doss side all hail from Virginia.

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NDTMilitaria

Are you 100% sure you have the right guy? My only doubt are the 3 overseas bars ( 18-23 months overseas). I would have thought there should have been 5 or 6 bars.

 

Kurt

 

I thought the same thing when I first started doing research on the name. But after consulting for some time with another forum member on this (and really, most of my research) we are both confident it is his. We could not come up with an explanation for the overseas bars and we could only speculate on the 32nd patch. I was hoping to get more info via NARA, but have been postponed in that. But as far as we could find he was the only Leonard G Doss Jr. to serve in the FEAF or in the US Army during WW2

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That's an amazing find and a great story! Was it his full name on the jacket or just last name and laundry number? I would definitely try to get what remains of his records to hopefully clear up the issue with the overseas bars and 32nd patch. There are a couple members here, one in particular, that goes to the archive frequently and should be able to help you much quicker than going through the regular route - at least when things open back up.

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I thought the same thing when I first started doing research on the name. But after consulting for some time with another forum member on this (and really, most of my research) we are both confident it is his. We could not come up with an explanation for the overseas bars and we could only speculate on the 32nd patch. I was hoping to get more info via NARA, but have been postponed in that. But as far as we could find he was the only Leonard G Doss Jr. to serve in the FEAF or in the US Army during WW2

Is the name written in the uniform or are you using a clothing mark to attribute it?

 

Kurt

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NDTMilitaria

Is the name written in the uniform or are you using a clothing mark to attribute it?

 

Kurt

 

The name is written in the inside pocket of the jacket with the following Leonard G Doss Jr. in cursive ink

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This snippet may hold the key to your mystery. It represents his reenlistment in 1946. The lack of a Ruptured Duck on the jacket supports a link to Doss as well....guys who came home and reenlisted instead of separating typically don't have them on the Ike jackets. I've actually seen patches reversed on Ike jackets on several occasions. Sometimes guys just sewed the patch for the new unit on the right sleeve instead of switching them. I would request his record to see if he reenlisted in the 32nd ID in 1946, which at this point was a National Guard unit. I also noticed that elements of the 32nd Infantry Division were among the very first to arrive in Japan in early Sep 1945. Perhaps he was attached for a period of time after he was liberated? His record would be interesting...

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NDTMilitaria

This snippet may hold the key to your mystery. It represents his reenlistment in the Regular Army in 1946. The lack of a Ruptured Duck on the jacket supports a link to Doss as well....guys who came home and reenlisted instead of separating typically don't have them on the Ike jackets. I've actually seen patches reversed on Ike jackets on several occasions. Sometimes guys just sewed the patch for the new unit on the right sleeve instead of switching them. I would request his record to see if he reenlisted in the 32nd ID in 1946...

Now that would make sense! I do remember seeing that when I first did research, but it slipped my mind and I guess I never wrote it down. As soon as I can request his file I will, but that very well could be it

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Here is an article from 1945 listing him as a S/Sgt when he was liberated. POWs were advanced one rank when they were liberated to compensate for the lack of advancements during the time they were POWs.

 

Kurt

42B752E7-378B-4F59-8E70-A277820B7BD0.jpeg

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His Obit. It does not look like he had any postwar regular army service. The 32nd division was a national guard unit after World War II from Michigan and Wisconsin.

 

Kurt

F85BD1EF-EEAA-41B0-988F-D2EEE8E42140.jpeg

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The division was recreated within the Army National Guard after the end of the Second World War in 1946. In 1954, it comprised the 127th, 128th, and 426th Infantry Regiments, 120th, 121st, 126th, and 129th Field Artillery Battalions, 132nd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 132nd Tank Battalion, and other units.

 

I am not sure if any of these units are located in Texas..

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huntssurplus

Maybe it was an extra jacket? I know there are plenty of vets that had multiple jackets during their service time, maybe there's only the few overseas bars because it was just an extra? Something to think about.

 

Hunt

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Do you have a photo of the name inside the jacket? If it was not something written in there randomly, it could have also been a reissued uniform to someone who served with the 32nd then the FEAF. Although I am not sure how many survivors I have seen were actually issued Ike Jackets. The ones I always see kept four pockets to the day they were discharged. I have a photo of a gentleman who came home and even in that 1945 picture he is still wearing a four pocket with his POW medal pinned on.

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Military_Curator

NDT,

 

Once again, excellent write up! I am in the same camp as many other forum members who have already commented on this uniform. Could we see a photo of the name? I am with Alex in terms of the uniform being a possible reissue since many Pacific army units retained the four pockets.

 

Stay healthy,

 

Parks

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Here’s the photo I’m referring to, it appears to be the common theme of Bataan survivors to keep their early war uniforms with the high number of service stripes.

 

Posted Image

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NDTMilitaria

Wow! thanks for the newspaper clippings and obituary, I had never seen those, and I didn't know he had gotten a Purple Heart. And doing some more digging I found he did enlist in the Army again on June 29th, 1946 in the regular army. Give me just a minute to snap a pic of his name and I'll get it in here as well

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NDTMilitaria

Heres the pic of the tag. I originally couldnt make out the first name only the G Doss at the end, but after doing research with that I became confident it reads Leonard, although I will admit Ive see better signatures ?

 

If this was a reissue why did they leave the FEAF patch on? to my knowledge Ive never really dealt with a reissue before this, so Im just not sure what the procedure was

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NDTMilitaria

His Obit. It does not look like he had any postwar regular army service. The 32nd division was a national guard unit after World War II from Michigan and Wisconsin.

 

Kurt

 

 

Also, could you please send this to me? it seems some of this was cut off, but it would be greatly appreciated if you can point me to where you found it or a copy of it

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ww2guymandude

Not trying to disprove anything here but that name looks way too hard to read in order to be 100% sure on the ID. Not to mention, the ink looks brand new like it was penned in yesterday...

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