The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-12

gayan Cult.
AS for Bonnet himself and his
more northerly force, l ordered
that they continue north to Bauang,
get on the Naguilian Road which
winds up the mountains to Baguio
and then come back to us through
southern-bound mountain road
known as the Kennon Road.
made it plain that Bonnet
must negotiate this circuitors route
with al much speed as possible;
that 1t was imperative Gas I will
explain "a bit later that he and
his men be out Of the Kennon Road
by dark on the 22nd.
Something went wrong. Bonnet
went up the shaking Naguilian
Road to Baguio all right, success
fully evading the enemy force then
coming down from vigan. But he
halted his men at Baguio for food
and rest. had no way Of knowing
that he did this, for was even
then planning maneuver which
might blunt the Jap force or lessen
its effectiveness, but If the latter
had to be the case would have to
sacrifice the Kennon Road 49, Bon
nett's escape route.
My plan was to hit the south
bound Jap spearhead with the
best.seasoned men in my COM
mand 49, the Twenty.Sixth Cavalry
- and at the same time contain
the forces which were landing in
the vicinity of Damortis Con the
eastern beaches and halfway down
Lingayen Gulf. These later forces,
linked with even more souther.
| " landings, were the ones threat
ening to cave in the Eleventh's
right flank near San Fabian.
The Twenty-Sixth got up to Da-
morris and hit the Japs landing
there, and others coming from the
North, with all it had. With a little
more punch and fortune, the Twen-
ty-Sixth might have sprayed the
Japs all over the coastal plain.
But the enemy called for planes,
which strafed our men and horses
without fear of aerial counter-at-
tack. We lost more of our few
first.class fighting men that day
at Damortis, and a number OF
fine horses, including my Little
Boy, who took a bullet through
his head.
Another reason the Twenty.
Sixth failed there was that the
tank support I tried to give it fell
far below expectations. The tanks,
standard seven-ton light tanks OF
that day, were operating in my
area but were under the indepen-
dent command Of Brig. Gen.
James r. N Weaver.
| asked that company (16) OF
them be sent to Damortis to help
the Twenty-Sixth in its diffic 1T and
varied mission. Instead only a
platoon of five was sent, and it
was not nearly enough. The pla-
toon fought as well as it could
against the Japs, whose light NOR.
tars and pie-pan mines were Seath
on such tanks, especially when
there were not many to contend
with. Suffice it to say that those
tanks should have been wholly
mine, or not at all.
PULL JAPS EAST
4 But on its alternate mission the
Twenty-Sixth more than made
good. When it Withdrew it succeed
ed in pulling the Japs to the east
ward toward Rosario, fighting gal
liant delaying actions all the way.
As I toresaw, the Twenty-Sixth
backed across the Kennon Road,
and when the Japs followed they
thus cut off Bonnet and his resting
men. The Twenty-Sixth continued
its battling withdrawal until it
reached and crossed the Bued Riv-
er, below and east Of Rosario.
| Bonnet and his men were isolat-
ed somewhere up the sacrificed
Kennon Road. But the Eleventh.
shaky flank, indeed our whole
right side, would not now be
crumpled.
| The Twenty-Sixth's withdrawal
was made possible by thousand
acts Of valor, but none exceeded
the courage Of that of Maj. T. j..
III. Trapnell, a fine football add
polo player and a fine officer who
had served under me when I was
commander of the Third Cavalary
before the war.
| "Trap' commanded the Twenty.
Sixth's rear guard as it pulled the
/ Japs eastward. Jap tanks were
pressing him severely as he edged
back. About halfway between Da-
morris and Rosario he came upon
wooden bridge over deep
muddy stream, impra cticable for
tanks to ford. So he commander
ed truck and damned it side
ways across the important little
bridge. The Jap tanks were with
in range of him now and giving
;; him everything they had. But he
calmly took out his pistol, shot the
car carburetor off the trucks en-
.. CINE, set the thing on fire and got
. away - feat for which he eventu-
ally was given the Distinguished
Service Cross.
Traps war was to end, and