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FORTS
HUGHES, DRUM, FRANK TAKEN. May 7th
Allied
Headquarters in Australia issued a communiqué last night stating that
General Wainwright "has surrendered Corregidor and other fortified
islands in Manila harbour". The islands in question arc Forts Hughes,
Drum and Frank.
A United
States Army spokesman said that before the beginning of the Japanese
drive down Bataan peninsula, the garrison exceeded 3000. It has been
increased since then. The fall of Bataan saw a large number of troops
transferred to Corregidor, but it is impossible to give an accurate
figure of the size of the garrison at the time of the surrender. The
announcement of the surrender was made three hours after the issuance of
the communiqué announcing that the Japanese had launched a landing
attack against the north beach. No reference is made to the terms under
which the surrender s: as made.
Three
United States minesweepers and two gunboats were last at Corregidor,
according to a United States Navy Department Communiqué issued last
night. About 175 naval officers, and 2100 ratings and 70 officers and
1500 men of the Marine Corps were defending Corregidor.
The
Communique states "Captain Kenneth M. Hoeffel, Commander of the Navy
forces on Corregidor, reported that the minesweeper Pertanager and the
river gunboat Oahu had been sunk by Japanese gun fire from Bataan." The
mine-sweeper Pigeon sunk by bombers and the river gunboat Luzon and the
minesweeper Quail severely damaged by gun fire and sunk by the United
States forces when capture seemed imminent.
A War
Department communiqué issued yesterday morning states that one of the
last messages received from General Wainwright, described fighting on
May 5th before the successful landing attack by the Japanese.
"Japanese artillery, including 240 millimetre guns firing from many new
points shelled Corregidor and the other islands forts all day," the
announcement states.
"Again
for the fourth consecutive day, there were 13 separate air attacks on
Corregidor. The artillery and air attacks were a continuation of the
operations against the forts, which began soon after the fall of Bataan
on April 9th. They increased in intensity as the Japanese installed
heavy batteries on the slopes of Mount Mariveles, in Bataan.
Beginning on April 9th. Japanese artillery fire became much heavier and
from then until May 5th there was little respite from artillery and air
attacks. The artillery fire proved more disastrous than the aerial
bombardment. During the last few days there were many casualties among
our troops and damage to military installations was severe.
The
Japanese landing was preceded by a heavy artillery attack on beach
defences, which swept away barbed wire entanglements and other centres
of resistances. The Japanese used a large number of steel barges in the
short water trip from the tip of Bataan Peninsula to Corregidor.
After
the continuous savage pounding which it has endured for weeks the fall
of Corregidor caused no surprise, though there was a great feeling of
sadness throughout the nation when the news was announced.
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