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Post by chadhill on Nov 17, 2014 8:14:00 GMT 8
Thanks again, ol' bud. I did some more digging around and think I can offer an answer to xray's question about Mr. Howe.
Heroes of Bataan, Corregidor and Northern Luzon by Marcus Griffin and Eva Jane Matson is a book that belongs on everyone's shelf. I have a copy of the second edition, published in 1994 by Yucca Tree Press. On page 116 there is a photograph of Mr. Howe. It bears the caption:
CPL Edward H. Howe, age 23. Enlisted at 18. USMC, 4th Division, Battery C. March of Death, POW Camp Fukuoka. Then his mother's name and hometown is given. The "4th Division" should instead be the 4th Regiment of course.
From this it would seem that Mr. Howe may have been the Battery C POW mentioned in the 4th Marines R-2 Journal (in my last post above). Battery C was an AA unit that was stationed at Cavite when war broke out, then moved to Mariveles, and was part of the 1st Separate Battalion, which was absorbed with the stroke of a pen into the 3rd Battalion. Keeping this in mind will avoid any confusion about what outfit Mr. Howe was attached to.
I'll SWAG at this time that Mr. Howe began the war at Cavite, transferred to Mariveles and probably fought at Longoskawayan Point, spent time with Company M, 3rd Battalion on Corregidor in Ramsay Ravine, and then went back to Bataan (possibly to Mariveles again). He was captured on April 9th and proceeded on the Death March to Camp O'Donnell.
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Post by JohnEakin on Nov 17, 2014 9:11:03 GMT 8
Chad - I never cease to be amazed at the stuff you (and pdh) dig up. Well done once again.
Okla - I'm with you on the record keeping. The military managed to keep records during the worst of times. There is a history of the 2nd General Hospital which covers their time from Christmas of '41 well in to late '42 and records the comings and goings of all the personnel. Multiple entries record men sent to or returning from the guardhouse. I always wonder what someone had to do to get sent from this horrendous POW camp to the guardhouse and how bad that must have been.
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Post by okla on Nov 17, 2014 9:15:52 GMT 8
Hey Chad...The thing is, your SWAGs usually ain't SWAGing, but obviously have some logic,etc behind them. I say, again, keep the good stuff coming. Regards to you and your "Leader".
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Post by chadhill on Nov 17, 2014 12:46:13 GMT 8
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Ed Howes Grandaughter
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USMC Vet
Nov 18, 2014 9:40:33 GMT 8
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Post by Ed Howes Grandaughter on Nov 18, 2014 9:40:33 GMT 8
Hello all, I am the Grandaughter the original poster mentioned, I meant to come to this board earlier as suggested but I hadn't had time to really invest in this, I am so glad to see all this talk, it is helping me learn more about what a hero my grandad was (is). I always knew what he had been through was intense and that the sheer fact that he survived and lived a normal happy life was impressive to say the least, but I still have a lot to learn. My mom has shared with me stories of things she knows and remembers and I will point her to this board also, I know she will enjoy all the military talk centered around what her father went through. I am excited to learn more and thank you all so very much for all your imformative posts. So am I reading correctly, that it was rare for someone to have participated in the Bataan Death March as well as Corregidor but it seems my grandfather was one of the ones who did ? When I saw mention of Hell ships it reminded me of hearing that he had been in the bottom of ships, packed in like sardines and tortured. Looking forward to learning more Thank you all Kristina
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Post by chadhill on Nov 19, 2014 11:58:24 GMT 8
Hello Kristina, Yes, your grandfather was one who fought on Bataan, participated in the Bataan Death March and also saw action on Corregidor. Those men were relatively few in number. From what I have been able to determine, Mr. Howe was originally in Battery "C" of the 1st Separate Marine Battalion, an anti-aircraft unit that was equipped with a full assortment of infantry weapons so that they could serve in that role also. When war began, they were stationed near Cavite Naval Base on the eastern side of Manila Bay. The Cavite base was bombed by the Japanese on December 10, 1941 and destroyed. Shortly thereafter, the base was abandoned and the USMC and USN forces transferred to Mariveles, a harbor on the southern tip of Bataan. They were bombed frequently by Japanese aircraft throughout the campaign. In January 1942, the Japanese landed troops behind the US lines on Bataan. One of these places was at Longoskawayan Point, immediately west of Mariveles. It initially fell upon the Marines and a provisional rifle battalion of Navy sailors to battle these invaders. It is very likely that Mr. Howe participated in this fighting. The Japanese were eventually killed to almost the last man. Much of the 1st Separate Battalion was soon absorbed into the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Marine Regiment (a paperwork change). Indeed, some sources show Mr. Howe was then in Company M, 3rd Battalion. The 4th Marines had left China shortly before war began and had occupied Subic Bay, about 30 miles or so northwest of Mariveles. In late December 1941 the 4th evacuated Subic Bay and relocated to Corregidor. Most of the 3rd Battalion occupied the Ramsey Ravine area there. The 4th Marines primary duty was to defend the beaches of Corregidor from Japanese attack. However, a small number of Marines remained on Bataan to run a mobile radar station and provide Mariveles with anti-aircraft gun protection. This was where Mr. Howe was. Another small group of Marines provided guard duty to US headquarters on Bataan. When Bataan fell on April 9th, Mr. Howe began the Death March from Mariveles to Camp O'Donnell, about a 65 mile horror trek. PVT (later CPL) Edward H. Howe, USMC All of the information to this point I am pretty sure of. While I have no doubt Mr. Howe was on Corregidor at some point, at this time I can only speculate when. He may have been transferred from Mariveles to Corregidor for a while in early 1942 and served as an anti-aircraft gunner at Ramsey Ravine, firing at Japanese aircraft bombing the island. However, it may be that Mr. Howe, like SGT Donovan Pike, escaped from the Japanese during the Death March and made it to Corregidor (they were in the same unit, see his link in my last post above). He would then have been placed in beach defense with the 4th Marines and could have seen action against the Japanese during the invasion on May 5-6. PFC Emmerson Loewe also said that several men from the unit escaped from Bataan to Corregidor (again, see his link in my last post above). If I had access to rosters of men who escaped to Corregidor after Bataan fell, or rosters of men who survived the Death March and arrived at Camp O'Donnell, I would have a more definite answer for you. Maybe more information will surface. As you know, after all the fighting stopped your grandfather endured unspeakable horrors in the POW camps. Thousands of Americans died at O'Donnell and Cabanatuan. A search at the daddy-of-all POW websites (www.mansell.com/search-helps.html) showed that Mr. Howe was on the Japanese hellship "Nissyo Maru" which sailed from Manila on July 17, 1944 with 1600 POWs to Japan. The living conditions were horrendous and about a dozen men perished en route. Mr. Howe finished up at the Fukuoka 7-B POW camp where a further 54 POWs died before the war ended. One book I would highly recommend to learn more about Mr. Howe's experiences on Bataan and Corregidor is "Fighting for MacArthur, The Navy and Marine Corps Desperate Defense of the Philippines" by John Gordon. Another is "Alamo of the Pacific", by the late Otis King. King was a SGT in L Company, 3rd Battalion. His book is very informative. A quick check of the index did not show your grandfather's name, but King's experiences would closely parallel his. Thank you for joining this forum. We would welcome any further information you could share about Mr. Howe and the Bataan/Corregidor Marines. Chad Hill
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Post by xray on Nov 19, 2014 15:20:27 GMT 8
No more details but wow, impressive findings, more than I expected. Glad to see Kristina has posted, and hello. Looks like the only minor mystery is exactly why he was transferred back to Bataan, if such was the case and it seems it is. edit: didn't read all before I posted, the possibility that he may be a DM escapee is amazing and something I never considered. Kristina did you say there was possibly a pic of him on the March that made the newspapers ? If you could verify and find out which pic [there are very few DM pics for obvious reasons], that would be great. You grandfather was and is an absolute hero, although I'm sure he may disagree. Cannot possibly thank him and others like him enough for their service. edit#2: I see you did post the pic in the other forum, many thanks for that and quite a shot of personal history there. I'll repost it if you don't mind. States that it was taken by the Japs on Corregidor, anyone recognize the pic ? If so that would make the DM escape scenario all but certain.
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Post by xray on Nov 19, 2014 17:40:02 GMT 8
This appears to be it, captioned: "American Prisoners March Past Barrio San Jose and the South Dock on Corregidor " American Prisoners of War of the Japanese, possibly from a contingent commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Lewis S. Kirkpatrick (May 15, 1901-April 27, 1943) march East through Barrio San Jose in Corregidor's Bottomside South. Note this ship sunk in the water in the background of the South Dock. They are probably passing Loading Room #3 (Building 328) and Cable Tanks 5 and 6 (Building 329). 240 enlisted men were left on Corregidor after most Americans were moved to Manila's Bilibid Prison on May 23, 1942. Kirkpatrick, who commanded Fort Drum (an island garrison shaped like a concrete battleship) during the siege, and an additional 75 officers and men arrived on June 7. they were all technical specialists familiar with Corregidor's defenses. Corregidor had significant quantities of weapons, ammunition, and scrap metal, and after interrogating the men about their role in the battle, they cleared out Malinta Tunnel and sent war materiel aboard Japanese ships. This view was probably taken in June 1942, since the roads are cleared and few bodies are evident. On July 2, all the Americans were moved to the Filipino Market, and the hospital was moved to Manila. On July 25, the prisoners moved to the old Station Hospital between Middleside and Topside. Sixty-six officers and men were sent back to Manila on September 4. worldwar2database.com/gallery/wwii1442I do believe Chad can fill in a couple holes with this.
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Post by xray on Nov 24, 2014 6:54:53 GMT 8
Any new SWAG on this ? Anyone think its possible he completed the march and was sent to the Rock on a work detail ?
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Edwards Grandaughter
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USMC Vet
Nov 25, 2014 7:31:25 GMT 8
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Post by Edwards Grandaughter on Nov 25, 2014 7:31:25 GMT 8
This is honestly so amazing!!! I have been looking for the original article that my great grandmother was reading ""American Prisoners March Past Barrio San Jose and the South Dock on Corregidor " for quite some time! I've been wanting to take a day off and drive up to Los Angeles and search through their microfiche of that paper, and here you found it luckily split! You guys are my heroes! I am beyond impressed. I contacted my great uncle, who is my grandfathers half brother, to see if he can help fill in any gaps. I imagine I won't hear anything until after the holiday, but I will gladly keep you all posted! You are all amazing! Thank you for your kindness Kristina
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