United States Army General Douglas MacArthur’s Second Landing on Leyte

United States Army General Douglas MacArthur restages his landing from an LVCP on Leyte, Philippine Islands, for the press on White Beach in the First Calvary Division sector. At left is Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland, MacArthur’s chief of staff, and directly behind MacArthur, in glasses, is Colonel Lloyd Lehrbas, the general’s aide. LST-740 and LST-814 are behind him. He originally landed on October 20, 1944, under marginal enemy fire on Red Beach in the 2Fourth Infantry Division sector. Both the Japanese and the Americans were shocked to see him wade ashore on A-Day, the first day of the invasion. The Japanese taunted him verbally and opened fire with a Nambu machine gun, but he was not hurt and reportedly did not duck. Philippine President in exile, Sergio Osmena, accompanied the first landing. The Higgins Boat (LCVP) ran aground, and the party had to walk to shore. MacArthur was upset that his carefully prepared uniform was wet, but the shot was iconic. This view, taken the next day for newsreel cameras, was made on a shallower beach, with less tide. First Calvary Division soldiers who saw the photo of the first landing questioned its authenticity, and the controversy over the staged landings began.