The Wilmington morning star., 1945-03-06
By RUSSELL BRINES

MANILA, P. L., March 5.@R-
The dead are gone from the
streets and the debris has been
swept into neat piles alongside
ruined buildings, but tine tragedy
of 'Mani1a's liberation still lies
heavy over the city.
There are sad souvenirs every
where of the most bestial fight
of the Pacific war. Stark ruins OF
one of Asia's most comfortable
cities matched the stark borrow
still alive in many eyes, and IN
the Individual tragedies betrayed
by long lines of black clad widows
attending services in the charred
and shell-rocked churches.
The little man already has be-
gun his form of reconstruction
He is building little novels with
antlike activity from the rubble
of crumbling bricks and collapsed
sheet iron roofs. Others are
maintaining tiny sidewalk shops
and cafes along the dismal slum
streets which the fires spared,
or even within the gaunt hollow
ruins of once famous buildings.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth gov
eminent officials and American
advisers wrestle with the momen-
tous problem of supplying enough
food to maintain life among. the
thousands of homeless who are
without money or jobs.
The rape of Manila was doubly
brutal because it was absolutely
unnecessary and served no lesiti-
mate military purpose. 1t bore
marks of the same senseless sadis-
tic orgy as Marking, but if any
thing, was far more vicious. Be
hind it was plan to rip out Ma
nilas heart because its people
were courageous enough to resist
the comprehensive japanese at
tempts to intimidate them through
force and win them with soft
spoken propaganda.
Filipino refugees brought the first
indication of the capitals pros
pective fate when they streamed
northWard late in January as two
American columns were racing
toward the city. Maj. Gen. Robert
S. Beightler's 9th Infantry Divi-
sion was driving with forced
marches along Highway No. 8. A
few miles northward, Maj. Gen.
Verne D. Mudge's First Cavalry
rumbled in mechanical strength
along parallel Highway No. 5.
In 1O41, Japan's conquering
army converged upon Manila
from the north and south and Am
orleans declared it an open city.
Officers still believed the imita-
tive Japanese might reciprocate,
if for no other reason than as a
potent political warfare weapon.
But the refugees told of mined
buildings, extensive fortific atoms
and long preparations to convert
the Intra1nuros into a last ditch
fortress using forced labor.
Refugees also described ram.
pant starvation among American
internees as well as Filipinos ir
the city which the japanese hao
virtually stripped of all food
stuff.
So aside from the understand
able competition between the pow
erful and confident divisions te
reach the capital first, the south
ward push also developed into Z
rescue mission.
Manila was built on the fla
coastal plain, lacking any natura
military protection. The Spanish
attempted to overcome this dis
advantage by constructing the
gloomy walled city. The Ameri
cans recognized its lack of de
tense and evacuated voluntarily
The japanese tried to convert the
city into a jungle battle-ground.
Brig. Gen. William c. Chase:
flying squadrons of the First Cav
airy Division discovered tina
when they whipped into the city
the night of February 2, surpris
| ing the Japanese sufficiently tt
prevent any immediate concen
trated fire. Artillery and auto
matte weapons roared angrily
Mrs. Roosevelt Receives