At 9:30 a.m., the first wave was away. More than 1,000 landing craft motored in toward the beaches, their long wakes carving parallel white lines. By 9:40, nearly 20,000 troops were ashore; by noon, 68,000. They stormed ashore along a 12-mile stretch of beaches at the southern end of the gulf, adjacent to the towns of Lingayen, Dugupan, and Mabilao. The beach was wide and continuous, large enough to accommodate two full army corps (four infantry divisions abreast) and the gigantic amount of heavy equipment, vehicles, weaponry, and supplies scheduled to come ashore in a matter of hours.
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