The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-12
Hero OF Bataan Relates
Setbacks Which Prompted
Order For Terror Trek
Continued from Page one)


Jsp troops moving south from W.
gan were ambushed by a platoon
of Filipino infantrymen command
ed by a Lieut.. Williams. The am
bush took alpc teaaltetlitionp F
bush took place at little point
named Tagudin - the beginning,
tiny as It was, Of land war that
was to make the Pacific shake.
The Jap buses were blocked by
Willians' men. Shots rang out
from the hidden positions at the
side OF the road, and when the
Japs piled out of their vehicles 1t.
Williams waded into them with mis-
pistol and killed four OF them sim
glehandedly at close quarters.
MEN WITHDRAW
Then our men withdrew. It was
the BEGINNING of endless days and
NIGHTS Of killing Japs, getting kill
ed and withdrawing. Not that we
did not try, with everything we
had. to hold whatever we had.
The Jap had showed his hand
bv now, He would not strike near
the Zambales coast. So l asked
Macarthur to release the Thirty
First Division from my command
and to give me the Ninety-First,
lock. stock and barrel. It had only
been attached to me; not mine.
Word came back to me from Ma
Mia that Macarthur approved, and
at the same time came Mac
Arthur order for my North Luzon
force to hold the enemy north OF
an east-to-west line running across
the narrow coastal plane so miles
below Vigan at San Fernando La
Union. There was only one way
south of the Vingan landing forces,
and that was straight south down
the coastal plain. The mountains
on their left and the China Sea
on their right blocked any other
route.
The Japs came down the coastal
plain on December 81 and collided
with one battalion Of the Thirteenth
Infantry Regiment and one bat
talon of the Twelfth near San Juan,
five miles north Of San Fernando.
Outflanked by the power of the
enemy, and because of mex
perience, my men dispersed and
were cut Oft from the main body.
Scattered remnants Of the ruptur-
ed units fled into the mountains to
the east, and filtered back to us
in small groups, for the next two
|Weeks.s
| The I senior American officers
with the Thirteenth and tn
Twelfth Infantry Regiments, Lieut.
Coils. Moses and Noble, and Maj
Joe Ganahl, were three Of the fin
est combat officers in my com.
mand. CANAL, a spirited Texan
fought as few men have ever
fought until the fall of Bataan. And
then, when he must have seen with
|haggard eyes the faint ray Of ibe'
ration, he met his death near the
end Of the war when a Navy sub
marine torpedoed a Jap prison
ship filled with our Inen.
Only God knows what happened
to Noble and Moses. brave men
i. They took to the mountains after
the fall of Bataan and succeeded
in organizing fair-sized guerills
force with which they proceeded
to harass the Japs for many
months, ambushing, raiding n {
living the rugged life of the hunt
ed.
!! Stories of their indomitable
spirit reached us in whispered re-
ports from men who had seen then
or had first-hand information o.
what they accomplished.
But at last Noble and Moses de-
cided to surrender. Their provi
sions and arms had been reduced
. to nothingness. They listened, a,
long last, to the constant appeal!
to them by the Japs to surrender
They would be treated as honor
able prisoners of war, the Japs
told them, if they would only come
out Of their hiding places and sur
render.
PLACED IN DUNGEON
Noble and Moses gave up. They
were Immediately slappel into !
dungeon in the old walled city a
Fort Santiago and, from all re
ports, were beaten and tortured
over a shocking period of time
They were later seen at Bilibic
Prison by several Of our men. They
had been starved until they were
little more than skeletons. One O.
. them appeared to have been blind
,, ed. They were last seen with thei,
hands wired behind their backs
being taken out Of the prison.
:, Our setback at San Juan wa,
discouraging. But we were no
backing up yet. 1 pushed tn,
Seventy-First Infantry and a batta
lion of field artillery northward
under Col. Donald Bonnet, to hi
the head Of the Jap column an,
attempt to delay its sweep south
ward from the Vigan area. Bonnet
took off up the coastal road will
= what busses I was able to Civ,
= him.
But that night of December q
% the Japs landed 1e more trans