Info on C-46 or C-47 in Pacific Theater

My Dad passed away January 3 2009. He had not been able to carry on much of a conversation since around 2007, because of dementia and Parkinson's. I posted the website for my Dad's scrapbook in my "intro" post. He was in the 12th Defense Battalion, attached to the 1st Marine Division, part of the 3rd Amphibious Corps. Thus my avatar. We also know he was in the HAAG (Heavy Anti-Aircraft Group), which meant the big guns (90mm?). He trained on 105mm guns and thought he was going to be part of the 11th artillery. He was classified as a fire control man (as well as truck driver and general clerk.) Now, when I was growing up I was not as interested in the *details* of his service. I knew he fought the Japanese in WWII in remote Pacific Islands, but never paid much attention to exact locations, dates, etc. I always knew he wasn't infantry on the front lines, but he also told us his buddy got shot in the head standing right next to him outside the entrance of a cave (and as I've read a quote from a Peleliu vet, "...there was no 'rear echelon' on Peleliu. It was all front lines.") He carried him back to camp, but had been dead when he hit the ground.

Now, here is the mystery:

He did not keep a detailed diary. He kept a log of locations and dates. In his log, he notes the ships, then islands and dates of arrival. He leaves Pavuvu for Banika, then ships out on the SS 'Crescent City' with "Peleliu Sep 17 44" on the next line, indicating he landed on the island D+2. Next line is "C-46 'Little Angle' [sic] Sept 26 44", which indicates he flew off the island D+11, on what we believe to be "Little Angel" instead of "Angle". What he was doing (during what anyone would consider fierce fighting) before he flew off? The Unit Diaries didn't help me much. And, if (as one person suggested to me) he was flown back to Manus as part of the 'rear echelon', why would the USMC fly them back instead of loading them back on a ship? I don't know how many Marines a C46 could hold, but I doubt it would make sense to make multiple trips??? That is part 2 of my mystery...why was he flown off the island? Malaria (which we know he did have at some point in his service)? Heat exhaustion? Battle fatigue? We also know he made it back to Peleliu Nov 10 1944, and remained there until the end of the war. There is a reunion association for the 12th AAA (I joined it last year), but (as with all of the WWII vets), the numbers are dwindling, and it is a needle in the haystack to find anyone from his Battery (C) that might be able to help me.

My mom knows he told her that he helped fire artillery into caves, because he said he was never sure of the effect of fire while he was doing it...they just kept firing into them. But, was that Sep 17 - 26, or after Nov 10? Or both? Man, I wish I could turn back the clock about 25 years and ask him these questions.

Theories as to why he would have been *flown* off the island during the worst of the battle, when warm bodies were needed in all phases? Or, more generally, why would they be flying C-46's back to Manus island? I am just insanely curious now as to what he was doing.

 

Bump...Can anyone give me any pointers for sections in the National Archives or books that I might research? Thanks.

 

The "rear echelon" was commonly a ship is these situations...

Just a thought.

 

No doubt he was not on the frontlines. But, he was on the island D-Day +2, then left. Also, I got the unit records from the archives and it didn't make sense to me that his movements on and off the island didn't seem to correspond date-wise with notations of rear echelon troops arriving. I'll revisit those and see if I spot anything I may have missed before.