Evening star., 1945-10-26
Sen. Woinwrieht's Own Story:
Gen. Wonwishts Own Story
Coregidor Smelling Continues Despite Presence
OfWhite Flag and Start of Surrender PurIeys
(TWentieth OF a Series.l
BY GEN. JONATHAN M.
WAINWRIGHT.

1IOlllptiy dt llOOli tiilo eCA iibiC Mo.
9, 1912, ordered the white flag rur
up and firing from what was left O.
our Corregidor batteries ceased. I
was with the sickest of feelings thai
gave the white flag-raising ordel
to Col. Paul D. Bunker.
But the Japs continued to hit u.
vehemently - thoroughly dishonor.
able tactics. At 1890 I had Brig
Gen. Lewis Beebe repeat the mes.
sage once more, and the vigil-witt
its fears of total destruction
went on.
Just before pm, however, there
appeared to be a slackening Of
enemy fire. I therefore sent 6
Marine officer with a white flag tt
The Jap position, now within easy
range of the east entrance of the
tunnel. I instructed him to find the
senior Jap officer of the invading
force and ask the man to come to
the tunnel and meet with me.
Jap Wouldn't Come.
For one tortuous hour I waited
while the shelling continued inter-
mittently, and then 1 saw the Ma
rine returning to the tunnel.
He won't come to see you, gen.
eral," the Marine reported. "He
insists that you go and meet him"
I took off my service automatic
and put it on my headquarters desk
the last l was to see of that
weapon. Maj. Gen. George F. Moore
and his aide, Maj. Bob Brown; my
aides, Col. Johnny Pugh and Maj
Tom Dooley and I then walked out
with the Marine officer and started
for the enemy lines in Moore's Chew
rolet. The shelling had died down
considerably. but a flight of JAP
planes was bombing the island and
enemy machine gunners from their
places on Denver Hill sprayed shots
at us as we approached.
We got out of the car at the foot
of Denver Hill and began its ascent
by foot, and as we did the Jap
bombers opened up with very heavy
attacks on Fort Hughes, more than
two hours after I had put up the
white flag.
Near the top of Denver Hill we
encountered Jap lieutenant stand
ing in the road. He stopped us. He
was an average-sized man, wiry
and fit and reeking with arrogance.
He stood there surveying us a mo-
ment, and as he did, Jap private
walked up to Col. Pugh with a leer
on his face and roughly snatched
the field glasses that were around
Pugh's neck.
All Must Surrender.
The Jap lieutenant confronting
us identified himself as 1t. Ura-
mura, and before I had a chance
to speak he barked, in English:
I'VE will not accept your sur
render unless it includes all Amer
ican and Filipino troops in the
whole archipelago"
I had no stomach for discussing
surrender with Jap lieutenant.
Il do not choose to discuss sur
render terms with you," I said.
Take me to the senior officer pres
ent on Corregidor.
While 1t. Uramura considered
this, a Jap colonel walked up. He
was not commander of troops, but
a staff officer either of 1t. Gen.
Masaharu Homma's headquarters
or of the division which had made
the landing. He spoke no English.
But through Uramura 1 told him
that I was rendering the surrender
of the four fortified islands at the
mouth Of Manila Bay. I made no
mention of other, and less-op-
pressed, Philippine forces.
The Jap colonel looked at me
sharply when Uramura relayed nv
message to him. He spoke an angry
torrent of Japanese which, trans
lated by Uramura, told me what
already knew: That Uramura had
stated that my surrender must in
elude all forces in the entire
Philippines.
Deals Only With Homma.
"1n that case I will deal only
with Gen. Homma and with no one
OF less rank" I replied. II want
an appointment with him. I have
made repeated efforts to contact
him by radio"
The Jap colonel then agreed to
take me to Cabcaben, on Bataan,
under terms of the broadcast.
I had planned to use my own boat.
which was anchored at the south
dock of Corregidor for protection
against the shelling. 1t had to be
now brought around the island to
the north dock. I invited the Jap
colonel to walk with me to the north
dock to pick up my boat when it
arrived, and he agreed. 1 asked Gen.
Moore to return to the tunnel to
watch out for things until my re-
turn from Bataan, and then I turned
to tell Johnny Pugh to accompany
me and the Jap colonel. But Pugh
already had departed, bent upon
seeing to it personally that the boat
got from the south dock to the north
dock, and also to see that I re-
ceived some of my personal effects.
Pugh'S path back to the east en-
trance of the tunnel became beset
with sudden and tremendous bar
rage of shelling But by crawling,
crouching and edging along with
what little cover he could find he
made it-n-an act of striking heroism.
In the tunnel he hastily packed a |
few of my things, found Gen. Beebe
and several others and with them
headed for the south dock and my
boat.
Smelling Halts Jap.
But the shelling which Pugh had
survived caused the Jap colonel to
stop in his tracks, for the road to
the north dock lay through that
same bombardment. The Jap re-
fused to proceed further in fear of
being killed by his own shells and
said SO. 1t was the chance I had
been waiting for.
why the hell don't you people
stop shooting?" I shouted at him.
Il put up the white flag hours ago."
He crouched there, watching the
shelling for a time. And then turn
ing to me he said, through his
interpreter, "We have not accepted
any surrender from you, as yet"
He got I'D then and led ,ls-l