Evening star., 1943-06-15
CHAPTER l6.

St0y dIiu NY tllot tAAAiS = AAoSA SSe tkA
to realize that We did not have the
forces to defend Manila and to sus-
pect that the path to the capital
was being thrown open to the jap
anese in the hope that when they
arrived in the city without having
to fight, they would be well under
control of their officers and would
observe discipline; whereas, il they
came In fighting and overwhelmed
our forces they would be more likely
to rape and kill and loot.
Meanwhile, the eommuniques said,
"Lines holding firm on all fronts. !"
said to Jacoby. Somehow, these
communiques don't sound right to
me. Let's 60 see for ourselves"
On the morning of December %,
Jacoby and stopped at No. l Gale
Victoria to see Col. Harries and
try to find out what was going on.
Where are Gen. MacArthur's
field headquarters" I asked. I'VE
want TO 60 up and have a look"
The colonel wanted to help us,
but he was in possession of secrets
which meant success or failure to
our forces and he couldn't tell us
too much. While we were talking
Maj. Diller came in. We were sur
prised to see him. as he had left
town with Macarthur and the rest
of the staff.
Look" he said, "all I can say
tc fhic TT ~, v,AcitfNr,
I would try to locate headquarters
on Bataan. I am leaving Manila
myself in a few minutes"
"Bataan?" we said. I'VE thought
headquarters were at the Lingaven
front. And where the hell is Ba-
taan?"
Look at Mariveles on your maps
and you'll find Bataan," the major
said.
We found Bataan was a penin-
sula, shaped like miniature Flor
ida, whose southern end pointed at
Corregidor. On the eastern and
southern shores it was bounded by
Manila Bay and on the west by the
China Sea. We had heard that
lNClCS woo a lldfol bdoC. VIC
figured that possibly Gen. VAIN
wright. as field commander, was
going to set up his headquarters
there to direct the battle on the
Pampanga plains. which by that
time we felt sure would be the scene
of the big United States versus Jap
showdown.
SEoy,ilo lnoEol am opfr &C uyo droyo
out to the north. There was less
traffic and more stores were closed
Smoke was still surging up from
Cavite and from the fires that our
demolition squads had set at Nichols
Field, Fabian Field and Fort Nc
Kinley.
A few miles out of the city we
started to run into traffic, all going
north. 1t was mostly conveys of
buses, with Philippine Army troops
In their blue denim uniforms. with
a sprinkling of khaki. Jap planes
were patrolling over the road and
we wondered why they didn't dive
down and strafe the conveys.
Four or five times the AFRAID
wardens in small towns along the
road signaled us to stop and we
dived into bitches. The towns con-
sisted of only few huts on stills
lining the road and possibly a
wooden general store and a few
streets extending away from the
main highway. Most of the build
tngs were closed.
We pulled into San Fernando and
parked just south of the old arched
bridge and the cathedral. Where
we stopped there was suddenly no
more traffic, and we saw that all
the trucks were turning into the
left-hand road few hundred yards
behind US, the road that our maps
showed led to Bataan. We went
back and stood there and watched
the buses and trucks 60 past.
We studied our map. Most Of
the Bataan area seemed to be noun
famous and there were only few
towns, most of them on the Manila
Bay shore. We debated going there
and decided against it. Some Amer
lean officers came up.
IF you fellows are looking for
news we suggest that you drive
about five miles east along the dirt
road to the town of Mexico. The
26th Cavalry If bivouacked there,
and they have been fighting the
Jape since they landed at Lingayen.
n "
Mexico was another typical low
lands town, with a few dirt streets
laid out in squares, nipa houses on
stills, and trees everywhere. In
none of these towns were there any
sidewalks.
We found headquarters. The
officers were just sitting down to
mess and they asked us to join them.
They introduced us to their COM
mander, Colonel Clinton Pierce.
Pierce was stocky, with black hair
parted in the middle and strong,
leathery face. He hadn't spoken
two sentences before we guessed
his home town.
Are you Dodger rooter,
Colonel"
Have been all my life" he said.
1--WE hear you fought the Japs
for four days at Lingayen, Colonel.
What do you think of them as
scrappers?"
MY professional estimate is that
they are no damn good on the
ground. These fellows they sent
against us were nothing but un-
trained kids. They are shooting
popguns and they are dressed like
a ragged mob. To call their dough-
boys fourth-rate is being charitable.
They can't shoot a rifle, and my
Scouts were picking them off right
and left. They get confused easily
and if you shoot at them they stop
coming. On the other hand, their
tanks and planes were too much
for us.
Il don't know where the bloody
blue hell our own tanks and planes
were, but as soon as they get up
here we'll chase those Japs back
into the sea-"
We spent an hour or so at head