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FRIDAY 16 FEBRUARY 1945 IS DAY 1 OF THE CORREGIDOR OPERATION, D-DAY.

S-3 JOURNAL, HHQ JOURNAL, D, E & F CO HISTORIES

 

TIME LOCALITY UNIT OCCURRENCE, INCIDENT, OR MESSAGE ACTION
         
  Corregidor   The Japanese who await us on Corregidor more
  Mindoro to Landing Zone "A",  Corregidor 2d Bn, 503d PIR "Sadly, many who arose that morning would never bathe or wash their clothes again, and would be buried in their filthy, salt encrusted fatigues. But the great day had dawned."  ("The Landing.") more
      Army Pictorial Service photographs taken mid-flight, and from the aircraft during the jump. more
0759   5th A.F. 24 B-24s leave the target after securing good coverage from their bombs.  
0800-0829   5th A.F. Eleven B-25s bomb and strafe AAA positions and strong points on the southern coast. Simultaneously with this attack, 31 A-20s bomb and strafe defense positions on Corregidor and nearby Caballo Island. Direct hits and near misses were registered on these positions and all targets are thoroughly strafed.  
0829   5th A.F. When the A-20's leave the target they have brought the weight of bombardment to 3,128 tons since the beginning of preparatory bombing on 23 January.  
0833-0945     The flight pattern for A Field passes over Point 7 (Btry Wheeler.) 'A' Field planes, veer north whilst 'B' Field planes veer east.  map
      High winds cause significant drift, and many men fall short of the fields, directly into Japanese controlled areas.  
    1st  lift Initial landing is against light opposition due to surprise. Third Bn get the first drop honors. LC Ericson as 3d Bn CO in first aircraft, followed by Joe Conway as CO of H Co. LC Erickson is first to jump. Initial jump from 500 ft with a count of 6. Jones orders 400ft with a +10 count. 1000 men in the first lift. 25% jump casualties;  
      XO’s of 2nd lift jump with 1st lift  
  Field A   3d Bn HQ Co,  H Co., Regimental Staff, some 462,  some 161  
  Field B   G Co., I Co., some 462 and some 161  
0833 Lighthouse 3d Bn

Ericson sets up 3d Bn HQ CP in base of the lighthouse. He orders the 3d Bn CO’s to enlarge the airhead far enough out to block routes leading towards jump fields from Morrison Hill, Btry Chicago, and the old hospital Bldgs. He places two .50’s to cover Black Beach.

 
0900 Mile Long Bcks. H Co

As we left the assembly point about 9a.m. and approached the "Mile Long Barracks" Leonard R. Porter’s body was discovered.

more
0940 Topside  

Arrigo & Bates raise the US flag.

 
0945     Initial phase completed and jump fields are secured.  
1028   K Co.
3/34th
First wave of the amphibious landing arrive - K Co, 3/34th Inf  + 2 tanks to go 200 yds, wheel to right, attack left slopes and crest of Malinta Hill - no opposition more
    L Co.
3/34th
Second Wave: L Co, 3/34th Inf + 2 tanks to go 100 yds, wheel to right, attack left slopes and crest of Malinta Hill - no opposition more
    I Co.
3/34th
3d wave: I Co, 3/34th Inf  + 1 tank to go inland and take North Dock;  - no opposition more
1100-1120 Mindoro   Second Lift commences emplaning from Hill and San Jose airstrips.  
  Cheney Ravine
NCO Qtrs
  The Japanese control the head of Cheney Ravine as far as the NCO Qtrs. The Paratroopers control the Landing Zone A as far as the NCO Qtrs. 2d Pltn F Co, under  1st Lt. Edward T. Flash, is assigned to consolidate the perimeter there by occupying the building, and to rescue men falling short. more
1240 Landing Zones   Second jump commences.

John Tolson Cmdr  breaks ankle)Second lift comprises:

Detachment of RHq

Second Bn

Service Co

Btry B, 462d PFABn

.50 cal MG Pltn of Btry D, 462

 
      “F” Company jumped on B Field. E Company jumped on A Field. See Ed Flash’s account of the first arrival of F Company troops.  
    Btry D
462d PFABn

2d Lt.  Robert G. Allen lands short and is KIA

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    Btry A
462d PFABn

PFC Cannoneer Harvey R. Huskey is never seen again after he exits the aircraft. (His body is located after the RCT departure for Mindoro.)

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       and Pfc. Glenn Handlon are KIA attempting to escape from Btry Wheeler after being pinned down. more

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    E Co & F Co Approx 50 men are trapped under fire in the three NCO Married Qtrs buildings along beltline road between the head of Cheney Ravine and the western edge of the Landing Field "A" (The Parade Ground). From their positions they see men landing short, and being caught in a heavy crossfire.   
1400   E Co Second jump has been completed and the platoon are organized and in their assigned positions.   
      3d Pltn of E Co moves to seize the hospital. MG Fire continues to pin men down on the landing zone.  
1400   F Co Having assembled at the "B" Landing Field, the men move down to the last house in officer's Row. (28-D)  
1430 F Co Lt. Bailey orders Lt. Caloun to take a patrol of two squads out and search the big gun battery in plain sight from the upstairs of the house.  Lt. Brown sends word that he has been in the battery and it is clear. Freihoff, Huff, Handlon, and Thomas enter the battery and Pfc. Glenn Handlon is killed immediately in a burst of MG fire. Thomas escapes and reports to Calhoun that Freihoff an Huff are pinned down. In the course of pointing to the room where they are trapped, Pfc. Albert Thomas is killed. After attempts using a bazooka, a flame thrower and a WP rifle grenade all fail, McCarter and Phillips crawl close to the area and make such a racket firing their weapons, throwing grenades and even rocks, the two men escape. more
      Alcohol found in a storehouse along Senior Officer's Row. more
    34th

3d Platoon - are sent around the base of Malinta to secure Malinta Point  -  they are fairly isolated from the rest of the Co.  [Sgt. Lewis Vershun, Pvt. Emil Ehrenhold & Pvt. Ronald Paeth, manning an outpost above North Shore Road, will be cutoff and out of contact with the rest of the company until 23 February.]

 
 
      Calhoun's Diary entry -16 Feb more
         
   

Jump Statistics for the day: 2022 jumped, 1000 in 1st Lift; 2 refusals; 3 streamers, 11 fatal landings; 210 Injuries, incl. 50 wounded in air; 17 rescued by USN;

 

21 KIA’s - overall, 25% jump casualties.

 

 

T/5 Frank G. Arrigo and Pfc Clyde I. Bates raise the US flag.

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NIGHT OF 16/17 FEBRUARY

TIME LOCALITY UNIT OCCURRENCE, INCIDENT, OR MESSAGE ACTION
         
    D Co South side of Topside; 2d Platoon (at the NCO's Quarters) have the hottest part of the perimeter. more
    E Co West end (north side) of Topside Barracks, Corregidor Post Hospital.  LMC Platoon assigned to this sector, where things were quiet. map
    F Co No organized Japanese action, though small attacks along the perimeter. more
         
         
    I Co "No Smoking" - Francis X. O'Neill Jr. more