WWII DIARY OF
May 10,1942. I learned today that even if Gen. Jonathan
Wainwright attempted to surrender only Corregidor and the surrounding
Fortresses at Caballo, Carabao and El Fraile Island, (Forts Mills, Frank, Drum
& James) he was forced by victorious Gen Masaharu Homma to surrender USFIP
all over the Phil. Accordingly, the
hapless vanquished commander issued surrender orders to key USFIP Commanders
with the following officers directed to serve said "Surrender
Orders," Lt Col Kalakuka USA to Lt Col Guillermo Nakar '32, Comdr 14th
Inf, in Cagayan Valley; Col Jesse T Trayvick Jr USA to Maj Gen W F Sharp, CG
Vis-Min Forces; and Brig. Gen Guillermo B. Francisco '08 to
Southern Luzon & Bicol Regions.
These representatives of Gen Wainwright are accompanied by ranking
Japanese officers and provided adequate land and air transportation.
Wainwright's
surrender orders became a favorite topic of private discussions among officers
at Malolos POW Camp. To the question,
if you were Col Nakar, and you received the written order, will you
surrender? I am happy to note that
after heated private discussions, all Philippine Military Academy graduates
were unanimous in disobeying the order.
Two reserve officers have strong reservations that if they disobey the
"lawful order of their superior" they can be liable for court martial
later. It will be interesting to find
out how those concerned actually reacted later.
As a lasting tribute to the courageous gunners who manned those
big guns at Corregidor and also to immortalize the names of the twenty
batteries that fought valiantly against the enemy for 26 continuous days and
nights since the Fall of Bataan, here they are in alphabetical order: Batteries Chenny; Crockett; Cushing; Geary;
Gruggs; Hamilton; Hanna; Hearn; James; Kysor; Monja; Maxwell; Morrison; Ramsay; Rock Point; Smith; Stockade; Sunset;
Way; and Wheeler. My everlasting Salute
to both Comrade Gunners and Batteries!!!.
May 15,1942. Since the Fall of Bataan, several small
group of guerilla units started organizing in Central Luzon led by escaped
Bataan USAFFE officers according to Judge Roldan. It is an indication of the people's resentment against the
invaders and unshakeable faith on MacArthur's promise to return. The most active and best organized at
present strangely, according to him, is that pre-war socialist peasant group
under Pedro Abad Santos, reorganized under the leadership of one, Luis Taruc,
renamed Hukbo Ng Bayan Laban Sa Hapon, known as HUKBALAHAP with Hq at Mt
Arayat. At the start of the war, they
took advantage of the confusion and increased their firearms and ammo supplies
from those thrown away or discarded by retreating USAFFE units to Bataan. They are active in selective ambuscades. However, their Socialist philosophy have
changed to Communism.
I remember the
Commando Unit smuggled into Zambales on the night of March 11, by Q-113 of Lt Santiago
C. Nuval with instructions from USAFFE Hq to start guerrilla organization
and operation that early. When I told
this to the Judge, he said that is perhaps the guerrilla unit under a certain
Col Thorpe operating from Mt Pinatubo and some of his officers are former
Cavalry Officers from Ft Stotsenberg that managed to escape from Bataan Death
March such as Lts Ed
Ramsey and Joe Barker.
They were joined by Filipino volunteers from Zambales willing to
continue fighting the Japanese.
The Judge also
mentioned a small guerrilla group somewhere in Rizal led by former PMA Cadets
Mike Ver and Terry Adevoso. I remember
Adevoso, a member of Class '44 disbanded with Class '45 at Santo Tomas
University last Dec and told to go home while Classes '42 & 43 were
commissioned and became a part of the 1st Reg Div of Gen Fidel
Segundo that saw gallant action in Bataan. I saw Adevoso in tears disappointed when told to go home and unable
to join us to Bataan. Judge Roldan
surprised me when he got from his pocket a clandestine one page mimeographed
anti-Japanese Newsgram circulated from Manila.
Now I know the Judge has underground connect.
In Bulacan, an unidentified USAFFE Captain that managed to escape
the Death March from Betis, Pampanga is reportedly organizing a guerrilla unit
at the foot of Sierra Madre Mountains. This is perhaps the unit my younger
brother, Narcy, joined.
May 20,1942. LCol Nakar's unsurrendered USFIP Unit in NL
were remnants of 11th & 71st Div cut off from Bataan, reorganized per Gen
MacArthur's order as 14th Inf under LCol Everett Warner USA last Jan 24 to
operate as guerrillas in Cagayan Valley.
When Bataan surrendered, Warner and fellow USA Os gave up so Gen
Wainwright appointed Nakar '32 as new CO, with Maj Manuel Enriquez '34, my TacO
at PMA, as ExO. Other Os with him are
Lts Ed Navarro '40; Melito Bulan '41; Tanabe, Nery & Quines all '42.
Today, I
learned from Judge Roldan that LCol Kalakuka USA travelling under a flag of
truce accompanied by a ranking Jap O located Nakar in Cagayan Valley and tried
to serve the surrender orders from Gen Wainwright. Nakar directed my classmate, now Capt Ed Navarro to meet Kalakuka
in Bayombong. Instead of following Nakar's
orders, Navarro went to Enriquez and together saw Nakar in Jones, Isabela.
Navarro convinced Nakar and Enriquez that after Gen Wainwright surrendered, he
lost his authority completely. And so
Nakar agreed with Navarro, his Unit did not surrender and managed to report
accordingly by radio to MacArthur in Australia.
Judge Roldan also informed me that the former mobilization center
facilities of the 91st Div in Cabanatuan is being prepared for the transfer
there of the American prisoners in Camp O'Donnell thereby leaving only Filipino
POWs in Capas. With the kind of info I
am getting from the Judge, I am convinced he has underground connect - a brave
and patriotic Judge.
May 25,1942. LCol
Jesse T Trayvick USA, Wainwright's emissary traveling under a flag of truce
accompanied by a representative of Gen Homma, did not find difficulties
delivering the "surrender orders" to Visayas-Mindanao USFIP CG, W F
Sharp who, in turn, immediately issued written surrender orders to all his
subordinates: B/Gen Albert Christie,
Panay; Col Roger Hillsman, Negros; Col Irvin Schraeder, Cebu; Col Arthur
Grimes, Bohol and Col Ted Caroll, Samar-Leyte.
It is reported that all USA personnel and a few hundred Filipinos
surrendered in compliance with Gen Wainwright's orders but many PA units led by
their Os, specially in Panay and Negros refused to surrender. In Panay where the bulk of the 61st Div is
assigned are my classmates Lts Amos Francia, Ramon Gelvezon and Pedro M Yap who
believe Gen Wainwright had no more authority to give orders after he became a
POW. Apparently, they were able to
convince their Philippine superiors like Majors Macario Peralta and Nick
Velarde and so when their Div Comdr Christie told them about the surrender at
Mt Baloy, Peralta and Velarde categorically replied their refusal stating their
plans to continue to fight the enemy.
Gen Christie seemed to understand and even left the remaining funds to
the Div Fin O. Meanwhile, in Negros my
classmates there are Lts Uldarico Baclagon, Abenir Bornales and Epifanio
Segovia and they also were able to convince their superiors, Captains Ernesto
Mata and Salvador Abcede, to disregard the surrender orders of Col
Hillsman. In Southern Luzon and Bicol
Area, surrender emissary B/Gen G Francisco delivered the orders and like in the
Visayas, only the Americans and a few Filipino USPIF members complied and
surrendered.
May 31,1942. It is reported that the transfer of the
about 6,000 surviving American Bataan Death Marchers from the POW Camp
O'Donnell to Cabanatuan is about completed.
The new POW Camp in Cabanatuan was the former mobilization and training
center of the USAFFE 91st Div before the war and have better facilities. Judge
Roldan informed me the Corregidor POWs that were transported by ship to
Manila were paraded and marched to their destinations. Filipino POWs marched to Tutuban Railroad
Station, loaded in the train for Capas.
The about 3,000 American POWs
marched from the Pier to Bilibid Prison in Azcarraga where they are temporarily
detained but gradually transferred to Cabanatuan. Judge Roldan speculated that the Americans were transferred from
O'Donnell to prevent them further seeing the distressing 500 Filipino POWs
dying daily adjacent to their Camp.
American POWs death rate in O'Donnell is reportedly much lower at 60 per
day.
Our
situation at Malolos POW Camp is comparably better than Capas. We were originally 20 POWs last April 10,and
increased by 3 to 23 later. Although
there were few malaria and dysentery cases, the provincial health officers took
good care of us-no death so far. Our
camaraderie is stronger and morale good.
Our hope for ultimate redemption springs eternal.