Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-04

(Toddv Capt. Damon Gduze
takes up the story OF the escape
from the Philippines
commanded machine gun unit
in the front lines of Bataan. For
four months, in knee-deep dust,
often without food and water and
always under the constant barrage
of enemy artillery and bombs, my
unit defended our most advanced
positions on the right peninsula
flank. We pumped millions Of rounds
of 40 and so caliber ammunition
into wave after wave of green-clad
Japanese troops.
Taking up our positions on jan
uary Is, we were still holding them
on the morning that Bataan's de-
tenders were forced to give up the
struggle. Day after day, week after
week, we fought in sweltering jun
gles-a nerve wracking, exhausting
battle against massed enemy units.
We fought against prowling snipers,
who infiltrated into our lines under
cover of darkness, and against gre
nade-carrying japanese patrols,
which we often moved down when
they were less than Is feet from our
trenches.
The youngsters of the Air Corps,
uneducated in ground or infantry
tactics but brilliant marksmen with
machine guns, formed the bulk OF
nv unit. Some of them were barely
10 years old. Youthful, carefree
striplings when the war began, they
were tired, haggard veterans the
morning they were ordered to desert
their guns and surrender to the
overwhelming numbers of japanese
who had broken through the heart
of our Bataan defences. Our ma
chine gun nests were set up IN any
thing and everything that provided
some semblance of camouf1age-ln
haystacks and even behind the pro-
tecting coverage of jungle vines. We
lived in constant fear OF surprise at
tack by the enemy. Often we would
find the men holding our most ad-
vanced positions bayonetted to deatn
when our relieving parties arrived IN
the morning.
A Dismal Christmas.
When the war began last Decem-
Der 8 I was a pilot without an air
plane, attached to a medium pom
bardment unit at Nichols Field. we
were still awaiting the arrival OF our
dive bombers from the United States
when the first legions Of Nipponese
troops landed at Legaspi Bay. I was
assigned to communications at our
Headquarters at Fort Mckinley, and
the remainder of my group was
evacuated to Bataan Oh December
%. There was hardly an American
left in Manila last Christmas Day,
and Second 1t. Leroy Coward and 1
were the only officers who ate
Christmas dinner at the Fort NC
Kinley Officers Club.
On December rs I received orders
to fly an Anticipated observation
plane to Bataan. Arriving there,
and as we were preparing the basic
defenses of Bataan, received orders
to take a convoy of 20 trucks into
Manila to secure vitality important
signal supplies for various units on
Bataan. We arrived in Manila on
the night of December % beneath
a rain of enemy steel. Many sec
tions of the city were in shambles
and the population was confused
and frightened. Manila had already
been declared an open city by Gen.
Macarthur. We found our way to
the docks by the light OF the ire
mendous fires licking along the en-
tire water front. Fortunately, the
Mace where our supplies were stored
had escaped a devastating bombing
attack launched during the after
noon by the japanese.
Loading the trucks was tWo-day
iob-most of the native laborers had
been scared away by the continued
bombings and shellings. On New
Year eve two other officers who
had come from Bataan on special
missions-Maj. Jack Sewall and 1t.
William Connors-and myself went
to a dance at the Manila Hotel. for
mer headquarters of Gen. Mac
Arthur. We were the last Americans
to set foot In the famed hotel before
the arrival of the Japanese forces,
There was only a handful Of Fill