The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-10-13
Wainwright Tells Story
of Retreat Back In Dec.

as well as our Christmas Eve
ated.- "pe1 Cyl
MY withdrawal plan toward Ba.
tam was divided into five phases,
designated as D1, DE-, D3, d. and
ID called for withdrawal to 8
line along Urdaneta, San Carlos
and Agullar, about midway be.
tween the base of Lingayen Gull
ana the Agno. DE- was a line be.
mind the Agno. D3 reached from
San Jose to Santa Ignacio and rar
through Zaragosa, La Paz ano
Tarlac to the high ground west OIL
Tarlac. D4 stretched across the
broad valley leading down from
Lingayen Gulf from Bamban or
the west to Sibul Springs at the
foot of the mountains to the east
1t was unlike any of the text.
book retreats I had studied at the
War College and at Leavenworth
1t differed from the retreat Of
Gen. McDowell's Army from the
First Battle Of Bull Run in that
that had been rout. Nor was il
like Pope's retreat after the Sec.
ond Battle Of Bull Run. or Lees
withdrawal from Gettysburg.
In these classic retreats the OBJ.
ject was to get aWay from the
enemy by speed Of movement.
Moving down toward Bataan we
ing the enemy as long as practi.
cable, not only to permit Gen.
able. not only to permit Gen.
Jones' South Luzon force to clear
around Manila Bay and got into
Bataan. but also to enable Maj.
Gen. George M. Parker to prepare
our Bataan defenses for us. Ours
was more withdrawal than retreat,
withdrawal with delaying actions
all the way. But even that hurt
deeply. It was hard for an Ameri.
can to get used to.
Withdrawal to Line D1 was to be
completed on the night of Decem-
Der 1924; DE- on the night of Dec
ember 24-25; D3 the next night;
D4 the night Of the 27-28th and d.
two nights later, the last two with
drawals subject to cancellation IN
case we should hold those D4 and
DIS lines.
We completed Withdrawals Dl,
DE- and D3 without incident, but
the Japs hit US heavily at D4-
especially at Cabanatuan on our
right flank. The Ninety-First Dl-
vision took the b-unt Of the Jap
tanks, cavalry and infantry. and
gave ground to Capan, ten miles
south of Cabanatuan. Later the
same evening, December 20, the
Ninety-First was attacked again
and was routed. Our BUSES, load
ed to their ceilings, hauled the
survivors 20 miles farther south,
where the division commander raj
lied what was left of his force.
Flank In Peril
NV right flank was in such peril
that l Immediately ordered a gen
eral withdrawal to DIS, the Bamban
line, on the night of December
30-31. That night Bonnet and about
1000 troops of the Twelfth and
Thirteenth Infantry Regiments.
trapped up the Kennon Road two
weeks before, rejoined us and were
placed with the Eleventh Division
along the DIS line.
The Ninety-First was reformed
east and south Of the Pampanga
River. but for some reason which
I've never been able to fathom
MacArthur's headquarters direct
ed that I was not to employ the
Ninety-First's artillery units. ]
Herewith ordered the N in y
First's artillery to withdraw at
once to Bataan.
The South Luzon force, with
drawing northward toward S n
Fernando Pampanga to reach the
only road down which it could
travel to Bataan, had to cross the
Pampanga River by means Of the
Calumpit bridge to reach 5 a n
Fernando Pampanga a d tn e
of the escape road to
Bataan. The bridge was a serious
bottleneck. The Japs knew it and
started for it, bent upon trapping
a large part of the South Luzon
force.
We had to protect that bridge,
and San Fernando Pampanga.
With the 500 men left of the Nine
ty-First Division, plus a regimen
Of the Seventy-First Division and a
battalion of fell artillery, I took
a position along the Pampanga
River north Of Baliaug at II
o'clock on the night of December
30, while the South Luzon force
moved as quickly as possible over
the bridge and through San Fee
nando Pamparga. During the
night a company Of the One Hun
dred and Ninety-Second T n k
Battalion was added to this de-
tense.
At 10:30 on the morning Of De.
ce1nber 81, the Japs attacked. The
Ninety-First, somewhat reinforc'
ed. held its position all day In
sharp fighting, while Gen. Jones
South Luzon men ran what
amounted to a gauntlet. BY mid
night the majority of Gen Jones
men were safely through San Fer
ando Pampanga, protected by
the successful stand Of the Elev