War came to Fort Drum on 10 December
when its decks were cleared
of peace time temporary barracks, thus permitting all around
fire for Battery Marshall (except for cage mast).
On 13 January a small Japanese vessel
approached Ternate on the Cavite shore but retreated promptly when
Fort Drum opened fire with a 3-in gun (Battery Hoyle. Ed.) installed
that morning on the stern of the ship. Between 31 January and
5 February some of the seacoast batteries which could fire on
the south mainland were in action almost daily, especially those at
Forts Frank, Drum and Hughes. Observation was very difficult from
the fortified islands but Captain Ivey, 60th CA (AA), with a small
party of enlisted men, using a walkie-talkie radio at an OP on the
mainland, gave spotting data until his detail was attacked and
driven out. At 0812 hours on 6 February 1942 the first enemy
artillery fire against the fortified islands fell on Forts Drum and
Hughes and Corregidor shortly after 0800. The bombardment came
from 105-mm batteries on the Cavite mainland and lasted until about
1100. The principal concentration was against Fort Drum which
received approximately 100 hits without, however, impairing its main
fighting strength. Observation to locate enemy batteries was
difficult as most observers were looking directly at the sun. Based
on the best information obtainable, the enemy fire was returned
during the day by Battery Roberts (6-in) at Fort Drum and Batteries
Koehler and Frank North at Fort Frank. Results were unknown.
Corregidor was the enemy objective of all attacks except that on 2
January, Fort Drum and on 5 January, Fort Frank were included
objectives, and on 2 March the latter was the sole objective
attacked. The Pico de Lora hills on the adjacent Cavite shore,
rising to a height of 2225 feet, completely dominated Fort Frank and
the surrounding terrain. Under current war plans this area was to
have been occupied by an infantry battalion and one battery of field
artillery when the main forces found it necessary to withdraw to
Bataan. However this plan was not followed and the Japanese were
able to occupy this important observation post early in January
1942, and from it to adjust heavy concentrations of artillery fire
on Forts Frank and Drum. On 16 February, all fortified islands were
shelled from Cavite Province beginning
with Fort Drum at 2403. Exeter was damaged. On 17 February was a
repetition of previous artillery action. The enemy opened fire on
Fort Drum at 0615, and again on Corregidor at 0854 switching to Fort
Hughes at noon. Although sporadic, this harassing fire was
nonetheless annoying. The
enemy opened fire promptly at 0730 on
15 March 1942 against
Corregidor and Fort Frank, shifting to Fort Hughes at 0800, and Fort
Drum at 0900. During the day Forts Frank and Drum received the brunt
of the bombardment, each being under a heavy concentration of 240-mm
howitzer fire for the first time. Shells falling on Corregidor
and Fort Hughes were still of 105-mm or 15cm caliber. About 5%
were duds. At Fort Drum one 240-mm shell penetrated the
casemate shield at Battery Roberts disabling one gun temporarily.
A fire was started but was extinguished before it reached the
powder. Several men were burned and gassed by the fumes in the
casemate. There were approximately 100 hits on Fort Drum.
In each instance, the damage was light or repaired
within a few hours. Almost every day thereafter various
seacoast batteries at Forts Hughes, Drum, and Frank engaged every
reasonable target on the Cavite mainland with artillery fire. Later
in March (or early in April) Exeter was put out of commission
permanently by enemy artillery fire from Cavite and Fort Drum's
available means of active anti-aircraft defense was reduced to a few
machine guns. However, the enemy had never succeeded in
bombing Fort Drum effectively from the air - in fact the Japanese
made very few attempts to bomb that fort either before or after
Exeter's destruction so the loss of the battery was not keenly felt
as it might otherwise have been. Exeter's M-1 height finder
and power plant were transferred to Idaho. Such other parts of
its equipment as might be of use in
toto or in repairing
damages sustained by other batteries, including its M-4 Director
were transferred to Corregidor. Enemy artillery fire from the Cavite
shore in mid-March resulted in serious damage to the electrical
control system of Albany's searchlight unit on Fort Drum. The light,
however, was continued in service by manual control. The
Searchlight Defense picked up and carried the enemy every time he
came within the range of the lights. Usually illumination by the
lights appeared to confuse the aviators. In numerous instances the
attackers would, when picked up and carried, turn away; sometimes to
renew their efforts from another direction, sometimes abandoning
their attempts altogether. Their bombing accuracy under illumination
was extremely poor as compared to daylight bombings. The use of
Bataan and Corregidor lights on some attacks and the Drum, Hughes,
and Corregidor lights on other attacks caused the enemy aviators
difficulty in keeping their bombing runs oriented and usually
resulted in their dropping their bombs in the water. Fort
Drum was an additional objective on 20, 23, 29 April when 4 aircraft
attacked it, without causing any damage. Every day various seacoast
batteries at Forts Hughes, Drum, and Frank engaged every reasonable
target on the Cavite mainland with artillery fire. On 7 May 1942 ,
when the Corregidor garrison surrendered, Drum was still in fighting
condition. The
captured Fort Hughes garrison was transferred to the 92d CA Garage
Concentration Camp on 8 May. Except for a small detachment,
the prisoners were detained without drinking water in the 92nd
Garage area until removed to Manila by Japanese authorities, the
majority being evacuated on 24 May. Troops at Fort
Drum and Fort Frank were consolidated at Wawa, Nasugbu, Batangas by
the Japanese and were also evacuated to Manila on 24 May.
Battery's E, F, &
H 1942
2nd Battalion. C.O.: Lt
Col Lewis S. Kirkpatrick
(concurrent
Ft. Drum Fort Commander located at Ft. Mills).
H.Q. At Fort Drum
Comprised of Batteries: E, F and H
Battery E Comprised of
Batteries by Name:
Commanding Officer H.Q.
Ft. Drum: Capt.
Ben E. King (after reassignment from Geary on Ft. Mills)
Additionally:
Anti-Aircraft S/L D etachment
from A-60th ("Albany"): C.O. ?????
Fixed S/L Detachment and
beach defense machine guns from Company .M, 4th Marines: C.O. Capt.
Samuel A. Madison
|
FORT
DRUM, El Fraile Island
Batteries
|
Commanding Officer |
E,F&H
|
No. Guns |
Cal. |
Type |
Troop |
Vertical Range (Feet) |
Wilson |
? |
E |
2 |
14-in |
TM |
E-59 |
20,000 |
Marshall |
? |
E |
2 |
14-in |
TM |
E-59 |
20,000 |
McRea |
? |
E |
2 |
6-in |
CM |
E-59 |
17,000 |
Roberts |
? |
E |
2 |
6-in |
CM |
E-59 |
17,000 |
Hoyle |
? |
E |
1 |
3-in |
PM |
E-59 |
10,000 |
Exeter (AA) |
? |
E |
2 |
3-in |
AA |
E-59 |
27,000 Ft (Vert) |
AA
S/L |
? |
F or
H |
1 |
|
Sperry 60-in |
Det-60 CA |
|
Fixed
S/L & MG |
Capt
Madison U.S. Marines |
F or
H |
1 |
|
HD |
E-59 |
|
|
|