Evening star., 1942-11-06
By CAPT. WILLIAM LLOYD
and CAPT. DAMON CAUSE as
Told to LEE VAN Alta.

(Cnpt. Cause continues his
personal story OF the escape from
Batann. In the preceding INSTALL
n,ent, he has told hoW his light
truck, in Uhich he had been
carrying supplies to his besieged
companions, had crashed head
on With a Jap arn,ored carr.
AS the Japs spilled from the ar
mored car which blocked our pas
sage over the bridge, almost simul-
taneously Sergt Baker and reached
to turn off the ignition key. That
move probably saved our lives. Ma
chine gun bullets cut through the
windshield and buried themselves
in the gas tank at the spot where
our heads had been a second before.
Lets get out of here" Baker
whispered, as we found momentary
shelter behind the fimsy protection
of the dashboard.
I knew the bridge was at least
Is feet above the water and that
the Japs would fire at us unless we
could keep under at least long
enough to zigzag effectively when
we came to the surface.
do you think we can make it?"
! remember asking Baker.
Damned right" Baker replied
confidently. He nodded his head
toward the truck doors.
I gave an affirmative nod and
we shook hands quickly.
Refuge in River.
The Jap machine guns were al
ready trained on the dashboard. at
about the location we were crouch
ing. We heard their bullets plung-
ing against the metal of the car.
We threw open the doors. using
them for cover only long enough
to utilize the running board as a
level and jumped into space. The
Japs were at the bridge rails. shoot
ing at us as we hit the water.
The impact as I crashed into the
comparatively shallow stream knock
ed every ounce Of breath out of
me, shooting pains stabbed through
my head and stomach. Somehow.
automatically. suppose, I began
propelling myself deeper until I
could feel the muddy river bottom
scraping against my belly. I wanted
air as I had never wanted it before
A thousand thoughts ra. through
my mind in the agonized seconds
during which I half swami half
pulled myself along. I thought of
home and of my wife and of Baker,
and wondered half consciously how
he was. I remembered the Japs
waiting up above. too. Every sec
ond that I was in that river I re-
membered them.
Finally, I couldn't stand it any
longer. My lungs were bursting. I
broke surface about 80 feet from
the bridge. Immediately I could
hear the ping of rife fire. The
Japs apparently weren't wasting
machine gun bullets on us. I in
hailed deeply for minute and then
struck off downstream, clipping
from left and to right as rapidly
As I could, keeping my head bobbing
or ducking all the time. I caught
glimpse of Baker to my right, div
ing and surfacing like a seal. He
wasn't taking any chances either.
Letting the current carry us down
and only using our little strength
to weave back and forth across the
river in order to dodge japanese
fire, we hoated around half bend
in the stream and clambered ashore
Bakers pants legs, where the Japs
had shot at him in the truck, looked
like blocks of Swiss cheese. Almost
miraculously, he had not been
wounded. Both of us were exhaust
ed. but we knew our first job was
to find temporary place to hide
We located that place in clumr
Of underground we'll covered by
twisting gnarled vines.
Caught Between Lines.
We took stock of our situation
We were definitely cut off from our
own troops, unless we could get to
Manila Bay and swim around tc
join them. Our only artillery" was
our Ass, which were little enough
protection against the swarms Of
Japs who were running past us dowr,
the peninsula.
Baker suggested that we take al
ternate turns in sleeping, and re-
main in the bushes until night
striking off down the river toward
Manila Bay as soon as it became
dark enough. Baker took the first
two-hour stretch while I stood
guard, toward noon I wakened him
and turned in myself. 1t seemed
only seconds later that Baker tapped
me and pointed silently through a
hole in our brush fort" My heart
sank at what I saw.
Heavy Japanese artillery was be-
ing moved into position within sc
yards from where we lay. Further
down. the Japs were setting up a
rifle line between us and the Amer
lean troops. 1t looked like we were
trapped before we had started tc
escape We watched all afternoon
scarcely daring to flicker an eyelash
or whisper to the other while the
Japs completed their construction
work and moved in the heavy ar
tillery.
At dusk they opened fire with an
earth shaking crescendo. From the
other side of the Stygian blackness
which had descended over Bataan
broken only by the flames from tons
Of exploding INT, there came an
answering roar. The Americans had
located the new enemy position and
were opening fire with everything
they had.
I don't think I have ever been
more afraid in my life. I know
never was more convinced that ]
was going to die. Artillery shells
fired by our forces were sizzling into
the water almost within inches OF
ESTABLISHED 1865