JFAV Updates
May 06, 2015

THE BATTLE AND FALL OF CORREGIDOR, May 6, 1942

Los Angeles–The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) based in the United States, marked the 73rd Year of the Fall of Corregidor , May 06, 1942,

With the Fall of Corregidor, the headquarters of the USAFFE Command , USAFFE Commander, General Jonathan Wainwright subsequently surrendered the whole Philippines, and all the USAFFE forces on May 9, 1942.

On this day we marked the battle for Corregidor with this account:

With the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, Corregidor was rendered helpless from the relentless artillery bombardment from the highlands of Cavite and Bataan. For 27 days the continued artillery and air bombardment soften the American resistance in Corregidor.

The Battle For Corregidor

“ On May 5, Japanese forces led by Maj. Gen. Kureo Taniguchi boarded landing craft and barges and headed for the final assault on Corregidor.

Shortly before midnight, intense shelling struck the beaches between North Point and Cavalry Point.

The initial landing of 790 Japanese soldiers quickly bogged down due to surprisingly fierce resistance from the American and Filipino defenders whose 37 mm artillery exacted a heavy toll on the landing fleet.

The final blow to the defenders came at about 09:30, when three Japanese tanks landed and went into action. The men around Denver Battery withdrew to the ruins of a concrete trench a few yards away from the entrance to Malinta tunnel, just as Japanese artillery delivered a heavy barrage.

The Fall and Surrender of the Philippines

Particularly fearful of the dire consequences should the Japanese capture the tunnel, where 1,000 helpless wounded men lay, and realizing that the defenses outside Malinta tunnel could not hold out much longer,

Lt. Gen. Wainright expected further Japanese landings that night. He also decided to sacrifice one more day of freedom in exchange for several thousand lives.

In a radio message to President Franklin Roosevelt, Wainwright said,
“There is a limit of human endurance, and that point has long been passed.” Howard burned the 4th Regiment’s and national colors to prevent their capture by the enemy.

Wainwright finally surrendered the Corregidor garrison at about 1:30 p.m. on May 6, 1942, with two officers sent forward with a white flag to carry his surrender message to the Japanese.”

On May 9, 1942, General Wainwright broadcasted ver the radio KSRH in Manila ang ordered all USAFFE forces still fighting in the Visayas and Mindanao to surrender to the Japanese.

The USAFFE surrendered but the FIlipino forces continued fighting the Japanese for three years more

The surrendered troops were brought and marched in display at the streets of Manila in the last steps to humiliate them and were imprisoned at the UST compound at the old Bilibid Prison in Santa Cruz, Manila.

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