Bataan and Corregidor Retaken
After the capture
of Zigzag Pass and the opening of Highway No. 7 on 14 February,
XI Corps continued on its mission to occupy Bataan Peninsula and
clear the entrance to Manila Bay. To strengthen the Corps, one
regiment of the 6th Division, the 1st Infantry which had been
relieved at Urdaneta by the 25th Division on 18 January, was
attached to the 38th Division. For the recapture of Bataan, two
forces were designated to carry out simultaneous operations
along both sides of the peninsula. On 15 February, a "South
Force" of the 151st RCT, 38th Division, sailed from Olongapo on
Subic Bay and landed at Mariveles on Bataan's south coast to
take up the advance northward along Highway 110. (Map
No.79) Meanwhile an "East Force" of the 1st Infantry, 6th
Division, moved overland from Dinalupihan on the northern end of
this same highway and advanced down Bataan's east coast to
establish contact with the "South Force". The 1st Infantry also
had the mission of securing Highway No. III which runs laterally
across Bataan from Pilar on the east to Bagac on the west.
The "East Force"
seized Pilar without opposition and, after , diverting two
battalions westward along Highway No. 111, it continued south
against scattered resistance to take Orion and Limay in quick
succession. Progress of the "South Force" was delayed only by a
group of fortified enemy pillboxes in the mountains immediately
northeast of Mariveles. This obstacle was quickly eliminated,
however, and the advance was resumed.
By 18 February,
both forces had joined at Limay to occupy the entire length of
highway along the east coast of Bataan. A co-ordinated attack by
38th Division forces, assisted by Fifth Air Force planes,
dislodged the stubbornly resisting groups of Japanese infantry
who were deeply entrenched near Bagac along Highway No. III. By
21 February, the 38th Division had secured all objectives on the
peninsula. Thus, within the short space of seven days, Bataan
was once more in American hands.
Just as in the dark
days of 1942 when the fall of Bataan had preceded the
capitulation of Corregidor, so now, almost three years later
with the roles of the opposing armies completely reversed, the
recapture of the peninsula was a prelude to the recovery of the
"Rock". Corregidor had been pounded steadily from the sea and
air since the last week in January. In addition to the heavy
naval shelling, the Fifth Air Force alone had dropped over 3,000
tons of bombs and napalm in some 2,000 sorties, shattering the
island's outer fortifications and crumbling the exposed concrete
installations into a mass of jagged rubble.
On 16 February,
after a last powerful naval bombardment, XI Corps launched a co-ordinated
airborne and seaborne invasion against the strategic rock
fortress. (Map
No. 80) A battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry made the
first assault, dropping on the western portion of the island; it
was followed shortly afterward by a battalion of the 34th RCT
which landed by water on San Jose beach slightly southwest of
Malinta Hill. Another battalion of airborne troops was dropped
later that afternoon but because of the extremely rough terrain
in the landing area and the increasing casualties from heavy
enemy fire, the third battalion of paratroops came in by water
on the following day.
The 503rd Parachute
Infantry and the battalion of the 34th RCT quickly joined forces
to eliminate the main system of cave and tunnel defenses running
through the Malinta Hill district. The Japanese fought to the
bitter end, defending each position with devastating fire.
Rather than be dislodged by the irresistible onslaught of tanks,
bazookas, and flame throwers, they blew up many of their tunnels
in suicidal desperation. During the night of 23 February, a
terrific explosion from the vast ammunition stores in Malinta
Hill shook the entire island of Corregidor and sent its
reverberations along the whole of Manila Harbor.
Although these
self-sealing tactics did cause many casualties to American
troops caught in the immediate vicinity of the blasts, the
over-all effect was to lighten the task of cleaning out each
individual cave. By 27 February, the American forces had seized
complete control of all commanding ground on the island, and on
the next day Corregidor was pronounced secured. The twelve-day
fight had been vicious and bloody. Virtually the entire Japanese
force of 4,700 troops had been annihilated with only a handful
taken as prisoners-somber and undeniable attestation to the
tenacity of the enemy's resistance. Another chapter had been
added to the long story of bitter battles that characterized the
campaigns in the Southwest Pacific Area.
The capture of
Corregidor by United States forces marked a historic milestone
in the war against Japan. The "Rock", after a hard and bitter
three-year campaign which carried General MacArthur to Australia
and back, was again in American hands. For the
Commander-in-Chief this was more than a victory in arms over the
enemy; it was the fulfillment of a personal crusade. In a
stirring ceremony on 2 March, General MacArthur, in the presence
of members of his pre-war staff,
