Evening star., 1942-05-06
By the Associated Press.

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The Japanese virtually cleaned uI
their Philippines campaigns today
last day of the wars fifth month
when the surrender of Corregidor's
worn-out, hungry garrison finally
silenced its great guns
For weeks there had been no doubt
in the minds of military authorities
here that sooner or later Corregidor
must fall. They had discounted ii
in their plans since last December
when it became apparent that the
enemy would succeed in cutting of
the Philippines from all but the
most scanty supplies.
The authorities apparently had
counted on Corregidor-and on
Bataan Peninsula until it's fall April
9-to do two things: First, prevent
the Japanese from using Manila
Bay, generally considered the finest
harbor in the Western Pacific
second, tie up as large as possible
force of enemy troops and war
machines for as long as possible.
The beleaguered defenders OF the
island and peninsula. who hung on
in holocaust of shellfire until their
unbreakable spirits alone supported
their failing bodies. were said to-
day to have accomplished both those
purposes far beyond all expectation.
Men and Guns Tied Up.
When the enemy needed more
thousands of troops in Malaga and
the Netherlands Indies, in Burma
and in the approaches to Australia,
when he needed elsewhere the guns
and planes that were tied up in the
Philippines, he was denied them
by the men of Bataan and Corregi-
dor.
When he might have used Manila
Bay as a concentration point for
transports and warshipS to smash
Singapore or Soerabaja early he was
again denied.
After the fall of Bataan military
experts said Corregidor, an Ameri-
can fortress for more than 40 years.
must suffer the same weakness
which sealed the fate of the penin-
sula-hunger. There was presum-
ably ammunition in plenty at that
time. a month ago. But then the
japanese who had been restricted
to shelling Corregidor from the
Cavite side of Manila Bay moved
down Bataan with their heavy guns.
From the southern tip Of Bataan to
Corregidor is only about rs miles
3e M -k1ovaL fnY
the enemy's 240-mm guns.
Now, the enemy is expected to
move in full force against the small
American Filipino regulars still
holding out at various points in the
Philippine archipelago. Experts
noted as significant that In today's
communique 1t. Gen. Jonathan M.
Wainwright reported that powerful
enemy units, including reinforce
ments, were striking again into
the island of Mindanao.
Began on December Z.
The story of the battle for the
Philippines began December 7, a
few hours after the attack on Pearl
Harbor, when Japanese bombing
planes in bold, swift thrusts de-
stroyed American air strength IN
the islands, catching most OF the
United States planes on the ground
ready to go up.
The next loss was the Cavite
naval base. which japanese bomb
ers wrecked without challenge, fore
ing Admiral Thomas C. Hart to
withdraw the ships and men OF his
Asiatic Fleet to the south. A total
of about $500 sailors and marines.
including the 4th Marines, who
had but recently come from China
remained to fight with the forces
then commanded by Gen. Douglas
Macarthur.
That force consisted Of more than
40 1000 combatants, among them
about 10000 American troops. the
others being partially trained
Philippine Commonwealth soldiers
and the tough veterans of the
Philippine Scouts, an arm of the
Regular Army.
Gen. MacArthur's first move, when
IL 0CIduiC dRRdA Civ Vic C1ACAAy Wde
landing in overwhelming force and
knitting into his positions fran sew
eral points, was to declare Manila
an open city and begin withdrawing
into the tangled wilderness of Ba-
taan Peninsula. He was following
strategy that had been laid ou,
for 40 years.
Bataan was one point OF the
ultimate defense system. Fort Mills
on Corregidor Island, with its satel-
lites. Fort Drum on El Fraile and
Forts Hughes and Frank on two
nearby islets, were the other.
The full defense Of Bataan began