Evening star., 1942-05-06
Corregidor and Bay Forts Fall;
1000 Feared Captured by Japs;
y. S. Smashes IS Enemy Planes
Foe Also Lands
Assault Troops
On Mindunuo
D. the Associated Press.

y the Assoelakd Press.
Corregidor Fortress fell into the
hands OF the japanese, the War
Department reported today, after
being pounded into helplessness
by unceasing artillery fire and
bombardment from the air.
The surrender of the guardian of
Manila Bay came after 28 days Of
siege, climaxed by a day of con-
stant firing which swept away the
beach defenses and made it possible
for the invaders to pour ashore
from steel barges.
The tired defenders long had been
cut OF from supplies and reinforce
ments.
A communique said one of the last
messages received from 1t. Gen.
Jonathan M. Wainwright before the
fall Of Corregidor reported that
casualties among the defenders were
heavy during the last few days and
the constant pounding by the
enemy resulted in severe damage to
military installations.
Siege Guns Effective.
For the fourth consecutive day
there were 13 separate air attacks
on Corregidor yesterday, Gen. Vain
wright reported, but the shelling
by Japanese 240-millimetet siege
guns was more disastrous than the
aerial bombardment.
The final artillery barrage de-
stroyed barbed wire entanglements
and blasted machine-gun installa-
tions and other centers Of resist
ance, Gen. Wainwright said, and the
Japanese brought their assault
troops across the narrow stretch Of
water from Bataan Peninsula in a
large number of steel barges.
Corregidor's guns replied to the
enemy artillery fire and shelled
truck columns in Bataan during the
last day, Gen. Wainwright reported,
but the counter battery fire was Sc
verely handicapped, as 1t had been
throughout the siege of the Manila
Bay forts, by lack of aerial observa-
ton.
Gen. Wainwright also reported
that the Japanese had landed re-
Inducements in the vicinity of NAL
agang near Cotabato, on the island
Of Mindanao, and were moving a
considerable force tn steel barges
up the Pulangi River, in Mindanao.
Attacking In Mindanao.
Near Digos, on Davao Gulf, in
Mindanao, where American Filipino
forces have dealt severe blows at
enemy installations in sudden raids,
the Japanese now are bringing
heavy pressure against Gen. VAIN
wright's troops, the communique
said.
A War Department bulletin issued
at Ais am. eastern War time)-
more than 16 hours after the Japa-
nese launched a midnight landing
assault on Corregidor Island Fort
ress-announced briefly:
"s Resistance of our troops
has been overcome. Fighting has
ceased and terms are being arranged
covering capitulation of the island
forts in Manila Bay"
About 1000 American and Filipino
men and women were believed in
volved in the surrender of the four
midday forts after holding out for
nearly a month against Japanese
forces which overran Bataan PENN
sula on April 8.
Besides Fort Mills on Corregidor
Forts Drum, Frank and Hughes on
three other smaller islands guarding
the entrance to Manila Bay sue
cumbed to the tempestuous jap
anese attack.
Underwent 800 Air Raids.
Corregidor alone had undergone
more than 300 air raids.
Running desperately low on food
and ammunition, the tiny Amerl-
can-Filipino garrisons had received
a heartening message from Presi-
dent Roosevelt shortly before the
end.
You have given the world shin
ing example of patriotic fortitude
and self-sacriflce," the President
said.
The fall of Corregidor. giving
Japan's invasion armies control OF
the best harbor in the Orient
capped a series of other japanese
conouests including: Hong Kong
- lODpCCIn0p pace Al