On October 20 1944, the sailors heard on the radio that the invasion of the Philippines had begun. General MacArthur had landed his Marines on Leyte Island. It was only at this point that the crew of the Darter and her sister boat the Dace learned why they were on patrol in this area. They carried out their orders silently and never questioned why. If Sub Command told them to go somewhere, they went. Being isolated and alone on the open sea, it was easy to forget that there was a war going on as each man was fighting his own private war against boredom, fear and anxiety, with the endless routine of diving and surfacing and false alarms.
The role of Task Force 'M' was now clear. Their mission was to patrol the Palawan Passage in an area known as the "Dangerous Ground", and set a trap for Japanese ships passing through on their way to interfere with the Leyte landings. They were trying to 'interfere with the interference', as it were. Just two mice setting a trap for an elephant. Sounded simple on paper. But this was easier said than done.
The area they had to patrol was huge; hundreds of square miles of open sea, and they were just two tiny subs. They would be considered the forward picket line. If the Japanese fleet passed through, both submarine crews knew they would have the best chance at getting the first shot and strike a decisive blow that could start an epic battle in the Southwest Pacific. But there was also a constant fear the fleet would spot them first, all it took was one airplane and they would be in trouble. Due to the secrecy of submarine operations, no one else knew where they were. They were not allowed to contact their own fleet. They were alone and no help would come.
Which boat would be the lucky one to spot the enemy first? Only time would tell...
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