Evening star., 1942-04-11

The tert OF the Nary Depart
rent's statement of late yester-
day describing naual and marine
heroism in the Philippines fol-
lolUS.
Evacution Of the bluejackets and
marines who had been fighting on
Bataan since early January-their
presence there was disclosed on
March 19 in Navy Department
communiQue declaring they conSti-
tuted about one-third Of Gen. Mac
Arthur's regular United States Army
troops in the area-was carried out
under orders of 1t. Gen. Wainwright
when 1t became evident that it was
no longer possible to hold the penin-
sula in the face of overwhelming
enemy odds.
Early in April the scale OF enemy
attacks increased and furious fight
ing was reported in the front lines
and along the beaches. Attempted
landings by the Japanese from
barges on the various beaches were
repulsed by Army artillery units and
by naval and marine beach defense
units in hand-to-hand fighting
When it became increasingly ap-
parent that Bataan could not con-
tinue to hold, 1t. Gen. Wainwright
ordered Navy and Marine Corps
personnel, to Corregidor under cover
Of darkness.
Capt. Kenneth M. Hoeffel, U. S. N,
commanded the Navy personnel
evacuated from Cavite and Olon-
gapo when those points fell. Col.
Samuel L. Howard, U. S. M. c.,
headed the marines, about $500 Of
ficers and men. Among the marines
was 1t. Col. John Porter Adams,
U. S. M. c., who received the Navy
Gross for his conduct during Cavities
evacuation in late December.
In Col. Howard's command was
his own 4th Regiment, removed
from Shanghai to Manila last fall,
and various small detachments sta
toned in the Philippine area before
the war, including the 1st Separate
Marine Battalion under 1t. Col.
Adams.
Naval Units Move Southwark.
AS December passed and it became
evident that Manila and Cavite were
no longer tenable as bases, all naval
units and the various marine units
on Luzon were successfully evacu-
ated to the southwark. There they
Joined Gen. MacArthur's forces.
The Navy Yard at Cavits was de-
stroyed prior to evacuation, together
with military stores and equipment
which could not be moved by our
forces, or of use to them. All naval
artillery, fuel and ammunition was
placed at the disposal of the Army
The repair ship U. S. S. Canopus,
moved when Cavite and Olongapo
were abandoned, suffered consider
able damage from bombing, but was
beached at Mariveles and used as
a fort and repair shop for mech
anized units and military equipment
The construction and repair Or
ganization and undamaged equip
ment of the Navy was turned over
to the use of the Army. Operations
of United States Navy submarines
from Manila Bay was ended, and
their base was shifted to the south
ward.
During January and February the
naval and marine forces functioned
as a part of the beach defenses of
Mariveles and Corregidor, manning
guns and operating In cooperation
with the Army. In the third week
of February the naval battalion was
shifted from Mariveles to man the
beach defenses of Fort Hughes.
Fight Beside Army Units.
Up to this time the naval battalion
had been assigned the defense OF
a sector on the Bataan front. The
month of March found the 4th Ma
rines and the naval battalion ar
integral part of the harbor defenses
and they continued to fight at the
side of the Army units until 1t
Gen. Wainwright's order to move to
Corregidor.
Severe damage to storage facili.
ties, power plants and repair ia.