The man and the dog stood aboard the landing ship as the sea rolled and heaved beneath them, and the distant roar of incoming aircraft reverberated over the ocean. Cpl. William A. Wynne clutched the rails of the Landing Ship, Tank (LST) as his uneasy eyes scanned the darkening sky, and the deck pitched under his feet. Next to him, a tiny, four-pound furball scampered about and yipped, as though its bark could stop the oncoming Japanese air attack. It was a Yorkshire Terrier named Smoky.
The sound of the planes was growing steadily louder, drowning out even the hiss of the sea as the LST cut through the waves. Wynne could see eight black specks emerging from a charcoal-colored cloud to rain hellfire down on the American convoy. Suddenly, the ship’s anti-aircraft guns came to life with ear-stabbing barrages of fire that shook the whole vessel. They hurled barrages of 40 mm and 20 mm shells heavenward. Clouds of black flack bloomed like dark roses against the sky.
