Evening star., 1941-12-26
Death Inevitable, Jap
Youths Seem to Think
Ry CLARK LEE,

.
MANILA, Dec. 26.-Masses OF jap
anese troops-some of them boys OF
IS to 18 years old and poorly equipped
with .25-caliber guns-are dying IN
attacks on the Lingayen front as II
simply accepting the inevitable.
An American officer who COM
mands one of the beach defenses told
me there was mo hysterical exalta-
ton" in the charge on the shore LAST
Monday, when the major invasion
began.
"They didn't charge, but crouched
forward just little bit, lifting tneir
knees high in a sort of imitation
goose STEP" he said.
They kept coming forward In pairs,
one directly behind the other. They
were coming on to die and many OF
them did.
MANY times one of our heavy ma
chine gun or rifle bullets killed two
men at once.
when hit. they just threw up their
hands and fell forward as II accept
ing an inevitable fate.
Some wore poor quality khaki:
others were in half uniforms ana
half civilian clothing.
! "The invaders carried .25-callber
rifles and about one-fourth OF them
had .25-caliber sub-machlne guns.
The commander of the landing sec
tion said the .25-caliber bullet would
not kill man unless it struck vital
spot.
The United States armed forces IN
the Far East, holding the Lingayen
area, have rallied and are putting up
a determined defense in many
sections.
Young Filipino troops, after their
BAPTISM of fire, are being welded
into an army of tough fighters.
The United States forces have
more than held their own ground.
have spent four days in and around
the fighting front, including a two
day hike over mountain trails a1ter
the japanese cut the main roao
southwark. forcing me to aoanoon
and burn my automobile.
The Lingayen battle started at >
am. Monday with an artillery ouei
between japanese warshlps ana
American shore guns.
At the same time, force esti-
mated at 500 japanese advancing
southward from Vigan clashed with
American armored car units at San
Fernando in La Union Province.
The japanese, who were riding
bicvcles, apparently were unaware OF
the presence of Americans In the
vicinity.
This fight continued until after
dawn Monday, and according to the
American field commander almost
every Japanese was wiped out, al
though many climbed trees to con-
; tinue shooting until they themselves
we're shot down like birds.
At sundown Sunday there were
few japanese transports ana war
ships along the east coast OF Lin
gayen Gull.
The American shore forces aWoke
early Monday to find 56 japanese
ships. most of them small transports
of about $500 tons each, plus few
! destrovers and cruisers, anchored
along the west coast from Bauang TO
Damortis.
In Line Extending Is Miles.
The ships were in line extending
about Is miles and were anchored
) about three quarters OF a mile on
shore.
The gulf coast in this area is sandy
and shallow, with mountains 4 10
miles back from the shorellne.
| The American artillery immedl-
| atelv opened fire and sank several
transports.
One gunner named Johnny Jones
laid two shells from IS gun into
: transport right at the waterline,
4 causing it to sink slowly.
( Low-fying japanese planes bombed
7 and gunned the American positions,
which are not in continuous lines,
but scattered at various strategic
- points along shore. The Japanese
, warships at that time withheld their
Z fire.
t About 7 a m. the japanese troops
Z started coming ashore in small fiat
bottomed motorboats. Many were
sunk by gunfire from the shore. but
the others kept right on coming.
Swarmed on Beaches.
Ignoring the American fire, they
swarmed on the beaches and ad-
vanced in files two abreast toward
the American positions.
One Filipino member OF an
! armored car unit was hit directly in
the back of the head and 10 times
in the back with Japanese machine
gun bullets, but was not critically
wounded.
T Maj. Joseph Ganahl Of the United
States Army was hit by a bomb
( fragment, a trench mortar fragment
7 and bullet, but continued to direct
his troops.
AS the japanese kept landing in
: ever larger numbers, the American
, forces drew back according to pre-
vious plan, fighting delaying actions.
I met American defense officers
Monday night at point overlook
ing Lingayen Gulf, lighted by burn
ing gasoline which they had set
70 y,ravovt froy,, fo1linu iyofp