MALINTA
HILL, looking south. Low area,
center, is Bottomside. |
|
Of the four fortified islands in Manila
Bay, Corregidor, the site of Fort Mills, was the largest, measuring
three and a half miles in length and one and a half miles at its widest
point. With its bulbous head pointed toward the west and its tail
stretching eastward, this tadpole-shaped island separated the bay
entrance into a north and south channel. Corregidor had narrowly missed
being two islands, for at the junction of the head and tail it narrowed
to 600 yards and dropped to a height only slightly above sea level. This
low area was known as Bottomside and contained two docks, the barrio of
San Jose, shops, warehouses, a power plant, and cold-storage units.
Directly to the east of Bottomside was Malinta Hill with its labyrinth
of tunnels. Beyond, stretched the tail of the island, where a small
airfield and a navy radio intercept station were located.
West of the narrow neck which connected
the tail with the head of the tadpole was a small plateau known as
Middleside. Here were located the hospital, quarters for commissioned
and noncommissioned officers, a service club, and two schools for the
children of the island. Beyond, lay the heavy head of the tadpole,
rising 500 feet above the sea. Called Topside, this area contained the
headquarters, barracks, and officers quarters, grouped around the
traditional parade grounds. The ground was high almost to the beach line
where it dropped precipitously to the water's edge. Cutting into the
cliffs were two ravines, James and Cheney, which gave access from the
beaches to the crowded area above. These ravines, together with Ramsey
Ravine which led to Middleside, were the critical points in the defense
of Corregidor against hostile landings.
Critical also to the defense of Corregidor
and the ability of its garrison to hold out against a sustained attack
was the safety of its power plant. Fresh water for the island had to be
brought by barge from Mariveles or pumped from the twenty-one deep wells
on the island. Perishable food could be kept in that tropical climate
only by power-driven cold-storage plants. The large seacoast gun
batteries, though equipped with emergency power sets, relied on the
power plant, and ventilation for the vast underground tunnels depended
on electrically operated blowers. Although there were sixty- five miles
of roads and trails on the island, much of the heavy equipment was moved
over an electric railroad with thirteen and a half miles of track which
led to all important military installations. The garrison, therefore,
was dependent in a very real sense on the island's power plant, and it
was natural that those concerned with planning the defense should make
every provision to guard against its destruction by bombardment.