The Wilmington morning star., 1945-10-09

4 ooSAA IAle eI1OfLS OF Col.
NOW Brig. Gem Lewis Beebe.
MacArthur's assistant chief of
sta1f In charge of supply.
we were terribly short then, and
UNDERSTANDABLE shorter later, of
grenades, so caliber machine-gun
ana infantry mortar ammunition.
we mad only few rounds of the
1atter type, critically needed in Jun
sie 1lghtlng. We were poverty
~ s,silcken, too, in ammunition for
1ae 2.s5 howitzers, for these were
obsolete guns and the ammunition
ior them no longer was being
made.
We got practically no transporta-
tlon Tor any purpose; hardly a
tluck' hardly car. My command,
oestlned to receive the forthcoming
blow of perhaps a quarter of a
million Well-equipped Japanese
troops, supported by warships and
an air force in full charge of the
SKIES, was spread over an area IS
miles from north to south and 100
miles from east to west.
But the only means of commune
cation with the various divisions
was through the public telephone
lines.
10 top everything, the main
bulk of my men were not onlv m
trained but undiciplined, and were
lea by extremely inexperienced
Filipino officers.
What I am saying is this: The
Philippine Army units with the
North Luzon force were doomed be-
iofe they started to fight. That they
lasted as long as they did is O stir
ring and touching tribute to their
gallantry and fortitude.
They never had chance to win
My more detailed inspection of
the four scattered divisions of the
North LIzon force was to BEGIN
on December 6, 1941. That morn
Ing l worked around my headquar-
tiers at Stotsenburg, and though we
heard nothing from Macarthur or
Washington the tension could
cut with a knife.
l did hear that day from Mac
Arthur's headquarters that the
troops in Hawaii had been put un-
der a sabotage alert. Macarthur
instructed me through his staff -
ne rarely spoke on the phone him.
SELF - to have my troops ready to
move promptly to their beach de-
lenses.
But his staff officer added that
there was no need actually to alert
them.
mat same morning of December
o l rode over to Clark Field, which
IS sort of cintinuation of Stotsen-
ourg. had been riding automobile
cushions for week or so and itch
ed to get back on my thoroughbred
Little Boy" Air Corps Colonies
Eubank and Rosie" O'Donnen had
just arrived at Clark Field, lead
ing a flight of 36 BITS. talked
to EIbank for a time about the
hight, perilous one in those DAYS
But I had nothing to do with the
air forces. They were commanded
by Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton
VINO was responsible to Macarthur
On the afternoon of December e
held an inspection of the Twenty
sixth Cavalry, a battery of the
lwenty-Ih1rd Field Artillery, and
one pack train, on the thousand
yard long parade ground at Stotsen.
burg. They were the extent of nv
units at the fort. I turned in about
II o'clock that Saturday night. and
l had many occasions later on to
remember that I got good nights
sleep. 1t was the last decent sleen
l was to have for three years and
eight months.
PEARL HARBOR DAY
I worked that next day. Sunday
December 7 (Which. of course. was
Saturday, December 6-Pearl Har.
Dor tlme) and finished plans for
the inspection tour which would
fromally begin the next day.
At 4:35 am. on the morning of
december 8 (Which was 7:3E a. m
Sunday morning in Pearl Harbor)
the phone in the room next tn INV
pitch black bedroom rang with
lnslstence. ! got up and strobe
Tor 1t, sensing it was bad news
fYes?"
1t was Col. Pete Irwin, MacAr-
thurs assistant chief of staff for
operations.
Admiral Hart (whose Asiatic
Fleet lay in Manila Bay has just
received radio dispatch from Ad-
m1ral Kimmel Commander of the
Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor) in.
forming him that Japan has init
ated hostilities," Irwin's voice said
l started to dress with one hand
With the other hand 1 jiggled the
phone and called my aide. Johnny
49,