o , 767.4 T37 1993
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"COURAGE WHEN IT COUNTED"
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The unforgettable story of
BATAAN and
CORREGIDOR December 8, 1941, to May 6, 1942
The Bitter Agony of America's Defense of the Philippines By Frank Taylor Second Editon Original Photos By Don Bennett, Frank Taylor Rodell Higoy Additional Research By Alodia Taylor Cover Design and Map Design Edwin Duclayan
Romy de la Rosa Ricardo Nisperos Artist Cameraman Computer Services Imelda Viernes Printed By Malayan Printery .. Printed in the Philippines Copyright, 1993 By Frank Tay/or
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TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDiCATION............... . ........... . ..............
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FOREWORD..................... . ................. .. ..
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MAP, PHILIPPINES -194142 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
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CHAPTER ONE ............................... " . . . . . . . ..
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MAP, MANILA BAY 1941 ....................... . . . ... . ...
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CHAPTER TWO ......................................... 18 CHAPTER THREE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 22 CHAPTER FOUR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 24 CHAPTER FIVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 26 MAP, JAPANESE INVASION ROUTE -1942 ............... . .. 29 CHAPTER SIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30 MAP, BATAAN BATTLEFIELDS ............................ 33 CHAPTER SEVEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 34 CHAPTER EIGHT .......... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 CHAPTER NINE ........................................ 40 MAP, BATAAN BATTLEFIELDS ............................ 43 CHAPTER TEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 44 CHAPTER ELEVEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 46 CHAPTER TWELVE ..................................... 50 CHAPTER THIRTEEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . • .. 54 MAP, BATAAN DEATH MARCH .... . ..........•........... 57 CHAPTER FOURTEEN ............... :................... 58 CHAPTER FIFTEEN .........................•.•..•..•... 62 CHAPTER SIXTEEN .............................•....... 66 MAP, JAPANESE INVASION OF CORRE~IDOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 71 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN .................................. , 72 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ..................... . ............. 80 CHAPTER NINETEEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 88 WALKING TOURS OF CORREGIDOR ..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 90 PHOTO SECTION ................................. . .' . . .. 99 JAPANESE PEACE PARK ....... . .. . .... . ............ • ... 105 FOOT NOTES ............................ .. ...... . .... . 112 MAPS, CORREGIDOR AND JAPANESE PEACE PARK .......... 113
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This book is dedicated to the men and women, living and dead who were caught up in the holocaust of total, unrestricted war unleashed upon them with surprise, savage air strikes by the Japanese, Monday, December 8, 1941. These were followed by a full-scale invasion of more than 40,000 troops. The resulting battle raged on Bataan and the island fortress of Corregidor until the final surrender of all military forces in the Philippine archipelago, .May 6, 1942. Facing their common enemy together, shoulder to shoulder, dedicated American and Filipino soldiers fought gallantly, often to last extremity, in what became a hopeless, five month struggle to defend the Filr' ino Homeland against the unprovoked aggression 0 the Japanese War Lords In Tokyo. The extensive defense of the Philippines would have been impossible without the heroic and tireless fighting of tens of thousands of often poorly trained, ill fed and equipped, Filipino soldiers who fought desperately alongside their American counterparts who fared little better. Starving, exhausted, riddled with disease, but still resisting with every fiber of their beings, the -Battling Bastards of Bataan - and defenders Corregidor stayed at their posts of duty until they were surrendered by their commanders to prevent further useless loss of life. As long as valor and heroic deeds are remembered, the terrible months of bitter resistance by allied forces against the full might of the Japanese War Machine will be written in letters of the brightest gold. It has been an honor of the highest magnitude to write this terse account of the campaign In the Philippines, and to have met and interviewed first hand, many of the honored men of what the author calls -The Epic of Hopeless Heroism. Frank Taylor, Topside, Corregidor, Philippines, May 6, 1992
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Bataan and Corregidor , December 8,1941 to May 6, 1942 : the bitter agony of America's defense of the Philippines I
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