Evening star., 1942-04-12
Corregidor's Guns
Stage Duel With
Enemy Artillery
By the Associated Press.

least six landings on the Philip
pine island of Cebu, but a small
band of Americans and Fill
pinos has been holding them
close to the coast and inf1icting
heavy casualties on the invader.
An Army communique late yester-
day announced the landings and
also reported that big guns of Cor
regidor were engaged. during the
day, in a duel with enemy artillery
emplaced on the south shore OF
Manila Bay. Corregidor and the
other island forts of Manila Bay
were repeatedly bombed from the
air.
The communique said fighting
continued on Cebu, although the
japanese had established beach,
heads at Cebu City. Argao, Pima
mungajan, Naga and Talisay. Thus
far, it added, little progress inland
has been made" and Japanese
losses are reported to be mounting
The enemy force landing on Cebu
Island was estimated at 10000 men.
The announcement supplemented
en- earlier communique which told
of heavy Japanese casualties at
Cebu, and of savage attacks on the
Manila Bay fortresses Friday, with
part of the enemy's artillery fire
coming from Bataan Peninsula
where the japanese were finally
victorious Thursday.
Violent Street Fighting.
Cebu is narrow, mountainous
island we'll to the south of Manila,
l30 miles long and at no point more
than 20 wide. The city of Cebu,
with a population of $4,000, is
second in size only to Manila among
the towns of the Philippines. 1t
has been an important trade center.
Toxic broadcasts reported violent
street fighting in the city and said
it was "shrouded in smoke" as the
Americans and Filipinos endeavored
to apply scorched earth policy by
firing vessels in the bay, oil tanks
and other establishments" Land
ings were claimed at the city of
Cebu, at Argao, 40 miles to the
south of the east coast of the island
and at Barili on the west coast.
The Toxic radio also broadcast a
report that two days ago Maj. Gen.
Edward P. King, jr., commanding
American Filipino forces on Bataan,
and a group of his officers appeared
at Limay under a flag of truce and
handed a written surrender to
japanese commander. The latter
was said to have ''refrained from
giving a definite answer
Gen. King, ST, is native of, At
Ianta. He was left in command of
the American and Filipino forces in
Bataan after Lit. Gen. Jonathan M.
Wainwright. Philippine commander
evacuated to Corregidor when the
defenses of Bataan we're overcome
Surrender Not Improbable.
No word of surrender had been
received here, but military quarters
regarded it as not improbable that
there had been a formal surrender
on Bataan.
The War Department morning
communique yesterday said simply:
Despite fierce resistance by the
small American and Philippine force,
the enemy was able to effect a land
ing on the Island of Cebu on April
10. The japanese force now de-
barking on that island is estimated
at 10000 The landing is being sup
ported by dive bombers and heavy
fire from hostile naval vessels. Tank
units have been landed by the Jap
aneSe.
The defenders continue to resist
stubbornly and the invaders have
been unable to advance inland more
than few miles at any point. En-
emy casualties have been heavy"
Intensive Air Attacks.
It went on to describe develop
ments in the Manila area.
"Corregidor and Fort Hughes in
Manila Bay were subjected to in
tensive air attacks during the past
"a hours. However, our casualties
were few and the damage inflicted
was slight.
"Our fortified islands were under
intermittent fire from enemy ar
tillery in Bataan and on the south
shore of the bay. There is no COM
munication between our troops in
Bataan and those in Corregidor."