The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-04-09
Tanks, Filipinos Join
 Ranks Of Heroes
Ccontlnuee from Page i)

on supplies and lacking air support the defenders fulfilled to the end their promise and their purpose That was to make the Japanese pay and pay, in men, in equipment and in time, for every inch of ground gained.
 In that they succeeded, The bot. tie for the Bataan peninsula, Q l3-mile wide stretch of jungle and mountains, went down as c national epic of valor.
 The nation through President Roosevelt and Gen. Douglas Mac- Arthur have pledged that Bataan and all the rest of the Philippines will be re.won when American striking forces in the southwest Pa- cific nre ready.
 The fateful message from Vain. wright was announced by the War Department shortly after a. ni. Wainwright was on Corregidor fortress, which lies two miles from Bataan at the mouth of Manila bay, There the battle for control of the bay will be carried on. But there was no indication whether Vain. wright would be able to evacuate many of his Bataan forces to the fortress.
 Special COmmunIque
 The War Departments special communique said:
 "A message from General Wain. wright ct Fort Mills just received at the War Department states that the Japanese attack on Bataan pen- insuia succeeded in efveloping the east flank of our lines, in the posi- ton held by the II corps. An at- tack by the l corps. ordered to relieve the situation, failed due to complete physical exhaustion Of the troops.
 "Fnll details are not available but this situation indicates the pron- ability that the defonseS on B0taan have been overcome"
 Suffer Heavy Losses
 Walnwright's men suffered heavy losses during days of fighting. They had no planes to combat oil kinds of enemy aircraft that bombed and Strafed them front and rear. They had no reinforcements to meet the assault of fresh enemy troops. They had only courage and the hope that reinforcementS would Do fortheoni. ing, But Japanese domination of the entire surrounding waters pre- vented the dispatch Of reinforce meflts.
 Only c few small boats-Such aB the torpedo boats which took Mac. Arthur out Of Corregidor --- could make the passage through the Jap- anese blockade. No means could DC found for getting men or aerial re- Inducements to Bataan.
 It was doubted in army circles here that many of the troops on Bataar could De evacuated to the Island forts on Manila yay.
 The question to De answered now is how long can Corregidor and the bay forts hold out. The supply of ammunition cannot hold out for" ever and when that B gone the two- mile strait between the southern tip of Bat0an and Corregldor will be easy for the Japanese to cross
 But the loss 0 fthe LliZon inain- land did not mean that 1t was aban' doned forever.
 When MacArthuT arrived in Aus. tralia March i7 to take command of ell Allied forces in the southwest, he said
 "A primary purpose Of this iS the relief Of tho Philippines. l came through and 1 shall return"
 The main Japanese attack on Ba- taan began about two weeks after MacArthur left and turned over the command to Wainwright.
 Would Not Surrender
 The Dataan defenders promised MacArthur they would hold out aS long as possible and shortly thcreaf- ter--March 22-igrored Japanese uitlmatuin for surrender.
 Soon the Japanese commander Tomoyuki YamashIta began his long anticipated offensive. The fury Of that attack reached it's peak this week and the story of those few days will 20 down in history alongside other famous last stands against overwhelming odds.
 The cost Of Bataan Peninsula to the Japanese was great. YanlaShlta for days has been pouring his troops IntoNthe fray without regard for casualties or the loss of equipment. Since the beginning Of tic battle, war department cofnmuniqueB have referred to enemy losses as heavy"
 This week, however, the long, cH- taustlrg battle began to toll on Wainwflghts men. Continuous nts tacks by dive bombers, straflng by attack planes, bofnbardment by ars Eiiiery and heavy bofnbers, and the repeated Japanese threats to flank the defenders by . sea-borne inc VasIon Of the Manila Bay shore finally exhausted the defendcrS' on. durance.
 For three days the war departs ment has reported that Waips wTights men suffered heavy casual taIes--afd that meant large iitifii- bors Of men were paying with their