The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-04-18

Every reserve man was In action
Az q last resort, General Jonathan
M. wainwright ordered extra rAticns
issued from his soanty store, The
rattons were waiting at the last de-
tense line 10 which the men With
drew. The Japanese aenaed the kill
and they drove On relent leasly.
The Americans and Fiilpinos were
outflanked, on their eastern wing
and they were thrown back along
the main highway.
On the night OF April eth Vain
wright held o conference with hi
commanders,
Resistance Hopeless
II was agreed that further res
slStaneo was hopeless. 30 It had
been ell along, but now the end was
The pitifulH few men who could
DO withdrawn were taken To Cor.
regidor fortress Ia Manila bay. The
thousands who were left waited for
the japanese.
on the night Of April 0, after q
sleepless night, I watched the near
by wooded tip Of Dataan peninsula
from oorrogldor.
The airing went on intermittently,
Then Il began 10 dwindlo, There
Was an occasional furry Of charges
Al the last. Not even the Japanese
planes bothered 10 attack any more
and there was silence.
The Bstaan army which was
beaten had been starving slowly for
weeks. II was ridden With malaria
and dysentary. In the last days
there were 10000 patients In the tive
field hospitals; another 10000 troops
had malaria but were able 70 stick
II out; some Of these had dysentary
also,
Ratlons had been cut In half In
January. They were cut In hall
again In the last weeks.
Qulnine Gives Out
Then the quinlne began 70 give
out, and the rainy season was com.
Ing TO mosquito.infested Bataan,
one Of the'nAlaria pest holes Of the
world.
saw the men In Bataan day by
day through all the siege, They be.
gan the fight aS seasoned, strong
carefree fighting men; at the end
every man had lost weight and they
we're dragging themselves BY will
power alone into action,
They had eaten all the carabao
lthe Philippines buffalo, on the
peninsula; they had eaten the
horses Of the 2eth cavalry and most
OF the pack mules. They had eaten
stawed monkey and Stil there wa
not enough food. 49,
On my arrival In Australia with
the bombing fleet that went from
here TO bomb the Philippines, ! saw
O magnificent team Of ClydeSdale
horses.
Nv frst thought was what = meal
they would have made for q Fegi.
ment IN Bataan,
&a.Bo for One Cigarette
In Bataan, ! saw soldiers pay o.
much as ave pesos, e26o, for Q
single cigarette. I saw men form
0uCues 80 that each could take q
puff Oh the one eigaret which one o.
wy" when / hit Frisco I'm going into
the best restaurant and order rice
and salmon. Then I'm going TO
push them aside and laugh Of them
while ! put down the biggest T-boiie
steak In town."
I remember 9 young Alabaman
who Said -.
again when get there I'll be wsils
ing to hoe cotton from sunrise 70
sunset for the rest Of ms life"
These men are now prisoners OF
the Japanese.
Among them. I believe, Is Capt.
Arthur Wermuth, Of Chicago, "uie
ono man army" who "a credited
with killing more than 100 Japanese
single handed.
WerInuth ana his heavysweaponS
company went up into the front line
toward tho last to get themselves
some more Japanese.
In uuEOuts Q Months
When tho Anal attack started, the
men In Bataan had been IN their
fox holes two months.
The japanese started by INTENSE
tying their bombing. Dive bomberS
ahrleked down on the front lines
All day. The enemy brought O new
type OF twinsInotorod bomber into
action to bomb the rear with exs
ploNivOs and incendiaries.
FF4a. -. Nk.ast Aanaga aatAts4n tNNy eHt0ht
a. well as day and the troops who
had been hungry and sick were Dc"
MED the last boon Of men n ex'
tremity, aleep.
Next heavy ARTILLERY opened Up,
and then the pick OF the enemy
army crashed into the American
and Filipino lines.
They were thrown back again and
again, But II could not last and
they sent speaFhead through the
rlaht-center Of our line.
They started night infantry at-
Maj. Cen. Vicente Inns crack
division threw back two full scale
attacks.
one OF these waS O terrible bayonet
charge fought hand-to-hand with.
out quarter by the ghastly bright
light OF the moon.
Tho American Filipino line gave ~
Il had to. back TO the reserve re-
sistanee line.
The japanese sent Up tanks TO
fight OF COUNTER ttacks.
wainwright sent In his 31st
American Infantry, "Maniia's own"
They tried TO hold the path 10 Mt.
Sufnat where the American Fiji
pino forces he'd their greatest afs
tiliery observation post.
Il was & pitiful sight 10 SEQ
these fine troops, who had been
called again and again 10 plug O
weak spot, walking hack Up there.
tired 70 the point Of exhaustion,
going IN with their casualty
thluned line to meet fresh, Weii-fed,
well-aTmed Japanese. They had TO
talk becatse there was no gasoline
ior trucks
900 Reach OeFFagfdoF
About 500 Of the 3lst got TO Cor.
~