In the bottom of old Army footlockers, and in scrapbooks all over America can be found yellowing newspaper articles recalling the glorious battles of long ago. But they are not glorious battles, and no one who was ever there thought so at the time. 

E.G. Anderson, 10540 E. 11th St., took a boat trip during this week in February many years ago to the scene of a famous early battle of World War II.

 In that February, Anderson and a group of Americans disembarked near the shores of a small, tadpole-shaped island at the mouth of Manila Bay in the Philippines.

A band of courageous allied troops and Filipino citizens6 had fought back a ferocious Japanese attack on the island before surrendering on May 6, 1942. That defeat, bitter as it was, became a symbol of perseverance and bravery.

To this day, however, Anderson finds it hard to think of the tiny, outjutting rock as the scene of an heroic defeat.

When he landed on Corregidor Island, 33 years ago, there were more than 4500 Japanese soldiers defending the rugged harbor fortress. When he left, there were none. 6

Anderson's story, the retaking of Corregidor;

At 8:30 a.m. on Feb 16, 1945, a special task force from the 34th Infantry Regiment's 3rd battalion swarmed ashore in an amphibious assault. They captured a short stretch of beach two hundred feet wide. 6

THE ATTACK was preceded by a parachute drop over an impossibly restricted plateau covered with trees, wire and twisted metal, near the centre of the island. "Most of the first 300 were killed, then they had to stop dropping them because the rockets had split the trees to where they were just prongs sticking up," Anderson recalled.6

The paratroopers who survived the jump regrouped where they could. The infantry force dug in near an entrance to the Mantila tunnel, a 925 feet long underground stronghold.6 Anderson, first gunner with the battalion's 81 mortar unit, waded ashore through a minefield with "about everything blowing up around us."

"We set up in a bomb crater in front of the tunnel door, as they called it, and we stayed there until the battle was over," he said.

THE INVASION was planned as a 15 minute operation. In a matter of hours, on the morning 33 years ago, word was flashed back to the United States from the Pacific Theater: Corregidor had been captured. 

But on less than two square miles of jungle-covered rocky island, in the south China sea, where 4,000 Americans squared off in face-to-face combat with 4,500 Japanese, the second battle of Corregidor had just begun.

"I've always said we fought for nine straight days and nights. We lost worlds of men, and it didn't let up at all. We melted the tubes of six 81 mortars, firing them one after the other," Anderson said

American pilots flew low over the island to drop bombs on Japanese defenders in concrete pillboxes and other fortified positions, and in the tunnel.

"This one little nineteen year old pilot would come in and drop napalm bombs in front of the tunnel door. He'd come in so low, doing a couple of victory rolls on the way out, that he hit the flight tower and killed himself," Anderson said.6

THE JAPANESE force remained almost invulnerable inside the tunnel, creeping out for surprise attacks only at night. Hand to hand combat continued 24 hours a day through the nine-day battle.

"You had to tie a wire around your wrist and run it over to the next foxhole, then pull on it to make sure someone was awake there before you took a rest," Anderson said.

In a week's time, thousands had died in direct combat. The Army strategy, to "bomb 'em out of their buried position," worked poorly against the forces in the virtually impregnable Mantila tunnel. Anderson, and everyone else who took part in the assault on Corregidor Island, received an individual unit citation. It was a posthumous award for at least half of the original landing party.

Anderson was discharged from the Army on August 11. He planned to leave the Pacific Theatre for the United States immediately.

The plan did not succeed.

Japan surrendered on August 14, freezing all military movements in the Pacific. Anderson left for home 8 days later.

There was no lengthy mop up operation during the 2nd  Battle of Corregidor. Unlike many battles on Pacific islands, there was no problem in fixing a precise moment of victory.

"They blew the tunnel up. From there on, we were coasting," Anderson said.

At 11:05 a.m. on Feb 26, Corregidor Island was rocked by a powerful underground explosion. The Japanese, dying of thirst in the tunnel and unable to escape, had set off several tons of munitions.

"Fire rolled out to within a few yards of our position, and dirt and rocks rolled out for the better part of an hour. We were lucky. They thought it would bury every one of us," Anderson said. 6

A brief attack against the few Japanese survivors followed. The Army estimated the enemy dead at 4509. No wounded.

"They put in there that we took 19 prisoners, but I don't think we took anyone alive, to tell you the truth about it," Anderson said.6

The battle to recapture Corregidor started on February 16, ended in smoke and fire on February 26 after "nine straight days and nine nights" of combat. The second battle of Corregidor Island – the battle that was heroic but no defeat – was over.