May 1942 (2)

CORREGIDOR

 

3 May – Corregidor had been bombed without mercy for weeks and the beach fortifications began to fall away.  For the 1,300 men of the 4th Marine Division, “…it was like living in the center of a bulls-eye.”  The confines of the Malinta Tunnel became terribly overcrowded.  The US submarine, “Starfish was able to evacuate 25 more of the personnel, (13 of them nurses) and Wainwright told the skipper of the boat as it left, “They will have to come and get us… They will never get us any other way.”  The “Rock” had only five days of fresh water remaining.

US officer giving water to a wounded Japanese soldier

4 May – Wainwright sent a radio message for General Marshall, “In my opinion the enemy is capable of making an assault on Corregidor at any time.”  As if in response, 600 Japanese soldiers landed and the First Marine Battalion went into heavy combat, but the enemy made their way to the tunnel.  Wainwright received a message from President Roosevelt, “You and your devoted followers have become the symbols of our war aims and the guarantee of our victory.”

troops pour into Malinta Tunnel during air raid

Just before noon on 5 May, Japanese General Homma was notified that the white flags of truce were flying over The Rock.  Wainwright had given the order, “Execute Pontiac” – surrender.  The general had been unaware that Homma’s men were having great difficulty in crossing the swift current of the channel and were running low on their small landing boats.  Homma was fearing a possible defeat about the time the white flags were raised.  More than 800 US and Filipino troops had been lost in that final assault, but it cost the enemy in excess of 3x that amount.  Mindanao fighting would continue for two more days.

Japanese troops headed toward the ‘mile-long’ barracks

10 May – Gen. Wainwright officially surrendered to Gen. Homma.  At MacArthur’s press conference he said, “Corregidor needs no comment from me.  It has sounded its own story at the mouth of its guns.  It has scrolled its own epitaph on enemy tablets.  But, through the bloody haze of its last reverberating shot, I shall always seem to see a vision of grim, gaunt, ghastly men still unafraid.”

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With the end of the Philippine campaign, the Allies had lost 140,000 lives.  Nearly 12,500 US and Filipino soldiers became POWs.  Of the surviving 4th Marine Division, no more than one-third would live through their brutal captivity as enemy prisoners of war.

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For further information, very short videos and a radio broadcast by General Wainwright, The Tragedy of Bataan website can be located – HERE!

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Aviation Humor – 

WE’RE ALL STUCK IN THE SAME TRAFFIC JAM – SO KEEP A HANDLE ON THE ROAD-RAGE!!

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Farewell Salutes – 

Stanford Brunson –  Macon, GA, USMC, Vietnam

Ralph Buelow – Racine, WI; US Army, WWII, ETO

Alice Caccgillo – Windham, NY; US Navy WAVES, WWII

Tommie Falkner – Calera, AL; US Air Force (Ret. 21 years)

Ebo Jansseen – Fort Myers, FL; USMC, WWII, 2 Purple Hearts

Norman Johnson – Tauranga, NZ; NZ Army, Cpl. # 676003

George Kilvington – Victoria, CAN; RC Navy, WWII, ETO

Leonard Romeo – Piscataway, NJ; US Navy, WWII

Chuck Stevenson – Ft. Smith, AR; US Army, Vietnam

Frank Vargas – Hillside, IL; USMC, WWII, PTO / US Army, Korea

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