RECOLLECTIONS ON CORREGIDOR

I am putting down the circumstances that took me to where I was when the Japanese blew up the large cave at Monkey Point on Corregidor February 26, 1945.

I’ve used parts of several books to verify the starting date. After that, events are as I remember them. They will not always jibe with the books.

The morning of February 24, the first Battalion of the 503d moved over and around Malinta Hill toward the eastern end of Corregidor . While that hill had been held by a battalion of the 24^th Infantry Division, the island had been cut into two halves. “A” Company proceeded along the southern shore. I was acting squad leader of the third squad, third platoon of that Company.

We went slowly, sometimes wary of anti-vehicle mines in the road (after we saw the first one we walked to the side of the road.) Occasionally we would wait, then follow a mortar barrage. At one point the company held up briefly while our squad shocked out an area off the right flank.

In the late afternoon we swung left and third squad, third platoon, became the battalion’s extreme right flank as we prepared to assault a hill we called “water Tank Hill.” We stayed put while artillery, and probably the 81 mm mortars, worked over the hill. Then we fixed bayonets and went up, at the same time keeping an eye to the right. Nothing threatened there and we encountered only one enemy soldier at our end of the line. He waited until we were right upon him, then jumped from a hole and ran. Many of us fired simultaneously, and he was shot a lot of times.

It was getting dark when we reached the top and there took up a defensive position. With one or two inches of soil over solid rock there was no digging in. This time our squad was on Company “A”’s extreme left. To our left, Company “B” I believe it was,  started its defensive line. Between us was a machine gun, and crew, from Battalion Headquarters company. Even a somewhat depleted parachute infantry battalion was crowded together on that small hill – and not dug in. The platoon CP guys were only about 4 yards behind us. We would all sleep with our helmets on.

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