| BATTERY |
|
No. Guns |
Cal. |
Type |
Troop |
Range Yards |
|
| Smith |
 |
1 |
12-in |
BCLR |
F-59 |
29,000 |
 |
| Battery Smith can be found by following
the trail which leads off the tour tram-turning pad near Battery Grubbs. Follow the trail
a few hundred yards and you'll come to a tunnel entrance on your left. When exploring the
tunnel, be aware that it's on more than one level, and watch for the the trapdoors in the
floor, which lead down to lower levels. |
| Hearn |
 |
1 |
12-in |
BCLR |
A-59 |
29,000 |
|
| Battery Hearn was
formerly known as Smith No. 2 but the name was changed pre-war. Hearn is a big
favourite with the tourists, who mill around it like moths to a flame and take their
obligatory "been there, done that" photographs. Captain
Herman Hauck put a link of chain in the recoil cylinder of one of Crockett's operational
12-inch guns. If it were ever fired by the Japanese, it would
have self-destructed immediately. Hearn is always on the tour list,
as is Crockett, because they're easily reached. The truth of the matter is that neither of
them played any significant role in the hostilities, due to their positions facing
squarely towards the South China Sea and the naval assaults that never came. A 1936
Corps of Engineers map shows Btty. Hearn was then named Btty. Smith No. 2. What
was at the bottom of this curious piece of history? The answer can now be found
at Battery Smith |
| Cheney |
 |
2 |
12-in |
DC |
D-59 |
17,000 |
 |
| Battery Cheney
complemented Btty Wheeler as large above ground batteries, sited
to face the sea lanes approaching Manila Bay. Built into the rocky cliffs and
steep ravines, particularly on Topside, were batteries containing a formal array of
eighteen twelve inch and ten inch coastal rifles and twenty-four twelve-inch mortars. On
an average day in the early spring of 1942 about 11,500 persons were crowded onto
Corregidor's 1735 acres, yet the coast artillery batteries and the beach defences had less
than half the number of defenders needed. This was because over half of the persons on the
island were not trained combatants. The bulk of the population of the fortress was more
like that of a sprawling Philippine version of the Pentagon. |
| Wheeler |
|
2 |
12-in |
DC |
C-59 |
17,000 |
Night at Wheeler Point - John Lindgren |
| Crockett |
 |
2 |
12-in |
DC |
B-59 |
17,000 |
   |
| On 24 April 1942, a 240-mm
howitzer, which had been moved from Cavite, scored a direct hit on Btty
Crockett and knocked out it's two 12-inch guns. |
| Geary |
 |
8 |
12-in |
4-M,’08
4-M,’88 Mortars |
H-59 |
14,000 |
 This
photograph appears throughout this site by kind permission of Carl Mydans, LIFE and The
Digital Journalist. |
| Named after Capt. Woodridge Geary, a
casualty in the 1899 US-Philippine war, was commenced in 1907 and completed 1911 at a cost
of $145,198. On 2 May 1942, Battery Geary takes a direct hit from
a 240mm shell. The tail of the island lies under a cloud of smoke and dust. One of
the mortars still has a "fire in the hole". Visit Battery
Geary. |
| Way |
 |
4 |
12-in |
4-M,’88
Mortars |
E-60 |
14,000 |
 |
| Battery Geary
and Battery Way were armed with 12-inch mortars. Geary
had eight, and Way had four. By 1941, these weapons were decidedly old.
In the annals of bravery, one can't go past Batteries Geary and Way.
Because the high trajectories of their mortars were able to put shells on the
Bataan peninsular, the Japanese artillery made special effort to bring counterbattery fire
upon them. Battery Way kept on firing until the day of the surrender, when its last mortar
became so hot, it "froze" the breech. For the history of the unit which manned
Btty Way, go to Btty "E" 60th Coast Artillery
(AA). For a portrait of their CO jump to Eric
Sprengle's Major
William "Wild Bill" Massello. On 6 May 2002, a memorial
was dedicated to Massello in a small ceremony held at Battery
Way. The keynote speaker was Tom Murphy, who has written "Wild
Bill's Memorial." Eric
Sprengle's Major
William "Wild Bill" Massello.For a Floor Plan, go to Floor Plan Battery Way |
| Grubbs |
 |
2 |
10-in |
DC |
C-91 |
13,500 |
|
| Unfortunately for the purposes of posterity, President Clinton visited
Corregidor not too long ago and Battery Grubbs suffered from a
coat of paint and the installation of handrails. There are some things that really should
be left to appear as if they are rusting in peace. There's no room for "prettying-up"
the wreckage of history with cans of jungle-green paint. |
| R.J. 43 |
|
2 |
8-in |
DC |
|
24,000 |
named
after the Road Junction where it was located |
| Ramsey |
|
3 |
6-in |
DC |
|
14,000 |
|
| Battery Ramsay - suffered a direct hit,
and there is very little of it which has survived. There is a large hole in the ground
where it once was, and the guns, together with their concrete emplacements, are up-ended
nearby as if some giant hand had smashed them aside. The battery was not manned when it
was hit. Al McGrew, one of our regular contributors, manned a machine gun sited
immediately in front of the No. 1 gun, and has contributed a
plan of the battery. |
| Morrison |
 |
2 |
6-in |
DC |
C-91 |
14,000 |
|
| - Walking the trails of Corregidor and
hiking it's hills can bring you to gems in the jungle such as Battery
Morrison. You'll find it rusting in peace, and you'll want to leave it that way. If
you have the time, walk the road which is behind Middleside Barracks until you get to
Battery James. Then walk back along the road until you see a walking track going up the
hill to your left. Follow it through and you'll arrive at Btty. Morrison. |
| Hamilton (South) |
|
3 |
155-mm |
Pan GPF |
C-1ST
PA |
17,000 |
|
| Ordnance Pt. |
|
3 |
155-mm |
Pan GPF |
E-92 |
17,000 |
|
| Stockade |
|
1 |
155-mm |
GPF |
A-91 |
17,000 |
|
| Kysor (North) |
|
2 |
155-mm |
GPF |
C-92 |
17,000 |
|
| Levagood |
|
2 |
155-mm |
GPF |
D-92 |
17,000 |
|
| Rock Pt. |
|
2 |
155-mm |
GPF |
B-91 |
17,000 |
|
| Sunset |
|
4 |
155-mm |
GPF |
D-91 |
17,000 |
|
| Monja |
 |
2 |
155-mm |
GPF |
G-92 |
17,000 |
"E" Company attack on Btty. Monja |
| Monja
was at the Wheeler Point end of the South Shore Road. The road
between Searchlight Point and Wheeler Point has been cut by bombardment
and landslides, and Monja is no longer accessable by road. Due to its
isolated location at the base of the steep cliffs, it was the scene of
protracted heavy action between Japanese Marines and members
of the 503rd PRCT. It's also been
the scene of some more recent attempts by treasure hunters to obtain access to the tunnels
and magazines. There's nothing there, except adventure. During the siege, it was manned by Filipinos from
G-92nd CA under command of an American, Lt. Ulanowitz. |
| Hanna |
|
2 |
3-in |
P.M.R.F. |
B-1st
PA |
10,000 |
|
| Cushing |
|
2 |
3-in |
P.M.R.F. |
Hq-1st
PA |
10,000 |
|
| Maxwell Keyes |
|
2 |
3-in |
P.M.R.F. |
Hq-1st
PA |
10,000 |
|
| James |
|
4 |
3-in |
P.M.R.F. |
A-1st
PA
K-59 |
10,000 |
|
|
ANTI-AIRCRAFT
BATTERIES |
| Albany |
|
5 |
Sperry
s/light |
|
A-60th |
|
|
| Boston |
|
4 |
3-in |
AA |
B-60th |
32,000 |
|
| Chicago |
|
4 |
3-in |
AA |
C-60th |
32,000 |
|
| Denver |
|
4 |
3-in |
AA |
D-60th |
27,000 |
The
Battery History is now published on this website at Denver |
| Erie |
|
5 |
Sperry
s/light |
|
E-60th |
|
Originally
a searchlight battery, these men manned Battery Way under Maj.
William Massello. The Battery History is now published on this
website at Erie |
| Flint |
|
4 |
3-in |
AA |
F-60th |
27,000 |
The
Battery History is now published on this website at Flint |
| Globe |
|
4 |
3-in |
AA |
G-60th |
27,000 |
|
| Hartford |
|
4 |
3-in |
AA |
H-60th |
27,000 |
|
| Indiana |
|
12 |
.50 |
AAMG |
I-60th |
|
The
Battery History is now published on this website at Indiana |
| Kingston |
|
12 |
.50 |
AAMG |
K-60th |
|
|
| Lansing |
|
12 |
.50 |
AAMG |
L-60th |
|
|
| Mobile |
|
12 |
.50 |
AAMG |
M-60th |
|
The
Battery History is now published on this website at Mobile |
| Cebu |
|
|
3-in |
AA |
C-91st |
27,000 |
|
|
CORRECTION |
| Reyson |
Battery
Reyson appears to be the result of inaccurate scholarship. It is mentioned in a few books,
notably some which were published in the Philippines, however there is no record of it
ever having existed on Corregidor. The extended stories of the "Search for
Battery Reyson" and the "Suicide Cliff" over which no
Japanese Defender ever committed suicide can be found at Reyson. |
| Ft. Hughes |
 |
Ft. Hughes is currently a Philippine Navy station, and access is restricted. |
See
Tony Feredo's Article |
| Ft. Wint |
|
Fort Wint governed Subic Bay, and it's abandonment
to the Japanese was one of the major USAFFE blunders of the campaign |
See Charles Bogart's article
See George Munson's article
|
| Drum |
 |
Refer Drum Page for data |
Fort
Drum is not on Corregidor, but is one of the chain of forts stretched across the mouth of
Manila Bay, like a string of pearls. The forts were, from the west, named
Mills, Hughes, Drum and Frank |
| Ft Frank |
|
Situated on Carabao Island, Fort Frank was closest to the Cavite Shore |
See Charles Bogart's article. |
|
| 503rd RCT Veteran Corregidoros Don
Abbott writes: Ed,
"Let me expound a bit on my classification of the guns
on Corregidor. I would class them as BIG GUNS, 155 GUNS, SMALL GUNS AND AAA.
Start with the "Big Guns" you have Morrison (2x6inch disappearing), Way (4x12 inch Mortars), Grubbs
(2x10inch disappearing), Smith 1 1x12inch
Barbette), Hearn (formerly known as Smith 2)(1x12inch Barbette), Cheney (2x12inch disappearing), Wheeler
(2x12inch disappearing), Geary (8x12inch
Mortars), Crockett (2x12inch disappearing) and
Ramsay (3x6inch disappearing). RJ 43 (1x8inch Railroad Gun) would have been a big
gun1 but it was emplaced shortly before the end and
never entered into the fight.
Then there are the 155 mm GPF's (they are about 6
inches). They were emplaced in batteries, Sunset, Monja, Rock
Point, Levagood, Kysor, Stockade,
Ordnance Point and Hamilton. Actually, these are
problem to place because, for example Lt (later LG) Wright took two 155's from Battery
Sunset and formed a "roving battery" to try and get away from Japanese counter
fire. Some of the time he set up in the parade ground and fired over the 59th CA
barracks.
The small guns were the 3-inch pedestal mounted guns designed
to protect the mine fields. These batteries, manned by the Philippine
Army were at Hanna, Cushing, James and Maxwell
Keyes. The 60th CA manned several Anti-Aircraft batteries firing 3-inch AA
mounted guns at Boston, Chicago and Denver.
Searchlights, although not guns, were important
installations. There were several of these. I have not got into the 50 caliber
MG's like the one Al McGrew manned. You asked about Battery Monja.
Monja is spanish for Nun. There is a Monja Island a few miles west of
Corridor. You can locate Battery Monja on Wheeler point at the west end of the
South Shore Road. There was one 155 mm gun placed in a concrete embrasure.
There was, also, one 155 mm gun in the cut at the end of the road. This battery was
manned by Filipinos from G-92nd CA under command of an American Lt. Ulanowitz. I
have some good drawings of Battery Monja and will send some of them to you when I find
them.(Don found the drawings and
a detailed engineering view of Monja and
its magazine are now available - Ed.) "
Don Abbott
|
