Evening star., 1945-10-18
Wainwright Tells How jap Bombers Blasted
PIuinly Marked Base Hospital on Butuun
Continued From First page.)

CONTINUED From First Page.)
was no way Of persnading a skipper
o'do this without assurance that his
ship would be protected all the way
up and back. So I asked Macarthur
by radio to send up a squadron of
bombers to Mindanao. planned to
use the remaining motor torpedo
boats to assist, and with them and
the bombers, attempt to get our sup
plies up to The Rock. With that in
mind I sent an air staff officer down
to Mindanao to coordinate the
plan. 81
Nerve -Wracking Delay.
I still do not know the cause, but
there was nerve-wracking delay of
days and days. In final desperation
+, for food, I turned to Capt. Kenneth
Hoeffel, u. S. N, who told me the
Navy had two submarines in Philip
pine waters. With MacArthur's help
I had those submarines put in at
Cebu, unload their torpedoes, and
fill up with United States Army
rations. Between the two of them
they could hold 35 tons of food. It
was less than half a days rations
for Bataan, but even that would
! be a God-send.
Even here there was delay; delay
which saw Bataan come closer and
closer to its fall.
Bataan worried me greatly I had
placed Maj. Gen. Edward P. King,
jr., in charge of the Luzon forces
He was the senior American officer
on Bataan after I made my move.
gave him my old headquarters just
north of Mariveles, and presented
him with my trailer. 1t was not
much of a gift, nor was his new
role an enviable one. A sword hung
over his head and over the heads
of his battered men Jap sword.
Compared to Bataan, 1t was peace
full on Corregidor the day I re-
ported. For a change, there was
not a shot being fired. I had not
been able to rest much for three
months, and I said to myself, Here's
where I get some sleep"
Not Much Rest.
But there was not much chance.
The scope of the new job took up
additional hours Of paper work. My
first communique told of a surprise
raid made by a. handful of American
and Filipino troops near Zamboanga,
on Mindanao, and later that same
day there began period of almost
unbearable artillery fire against
Corregidor.
The Japs had moved few long
range, 105-millimeter guns into Ca
vite, our old naval base, s miles
away on the south shore Of Manila
Bay. These guns were now aug
mented with many more, and Forts
Drum, Frank and Hughes began to
suffer increasingly with us. We shot
back with what we had, adding to
the din. But we had no observa-
ton, as had they, with their in
fernal planes always overhead.
On March % our patrols on Ba-
taan ran into furious opposition,
indicating the closer approach to
our lines of heavier Jap forces.
More Jap warships joined the craft
already in Philippine waters, max
ing the proposed blockade running
ofsthe two supply ships less pos
ssible by the hour.
I sent word of all these events,
and the harsher events to come, 20
Macarthur In Australia. / took
early opportunity, in the name OF
all the men and women hghting In
the Philippines, to congratulate MIN
on his safe arrival and on his as
sumption of supreme command In
the South Pacific. Itold him that
we would continue TO Tight as we
fought In the past, and told MIN
that we had the utmost conf1dence
that under his leadership victory
some day would come to us.
ShelIed From Homes.
The new intensity of the she'll
ing of Corregidor from Cavite made
our little houses-Gens. Moore ana
Beebe had the other two homes
near mine-unfit as quarters. Be
sides the shelling we were heavily
bombed on March "a by 81 Jap
bonbers of a new type. picked
up the light walking stick which
Macarthur had left for me and
walked down to Malinta Tunnel,
to live there the rest of my time
on Corregidor. Our houses were
knocked down shortly thereafter.
had only little encouraging
news to put in my communique that
day. A handful of our men on
Mindanao had ambushed Jap mo-
tor column and destroyed 1t. But
there was no sense in underestimate
ing the seriousness of the intensi-
fed shelling and bombing OF the
fortified islands, and on Bataan the
,Japs had begun hitting us with
Increased vigor.
The Jap air force went to work
with vengeance on the Bataan
troops on March 25, dropping con-
siderable tonnage along our front
and rear. The few Japs we caught
that day, alive, were fresh troops
The bombers and Cavite guns made
Correigdor shake all day and thai
night, too.
On the same day I heard, with
pride, that Macarthur had beer
awarded the Congressional Medal o.
Honor for sgallantry and intrepiditI
above and beyond the call of duty
1t is the medal which represents thu
very ultimate of a soldiers dream
of olnrv and WAS nroaId that {