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Post by batteryboy on Aug 18, 2008 22:49:27 GMT 8
When Bataan fell to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, they wasted no time to set up their artillery batteries for the siege of Corregior. Here is how they looked like: Regards, Note from Karl: These 2 images had disappeared until today, the 6th of May 2020 and are replaced now from a different server.
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Post by okla on Oct 18, 2008 9:10:22 GMT 8
hey battery...good stuff. i just viewed this post. dont know how i missed it since it has been up since august. senility on my part i guess. i have always known and read many times how the japanese batteries positioned on the heights above mariveles looked right down corregidor's throat. well, i saw either a still photo or maybe it was in a film on the history channel, but they literally did look right down corregidor's throat. the rock's defenders must have felt that they were fish in a barrel. i also realized that fort frank was fairly close to the cavite province shoreline, but didnt fully comprehend just how close until i viewed the excellent pics in one of the posts on this site that one of the members took while visiting that small american/filipino outpost. those troops must have slept with one eye open as i posted at the time i viewed the photographs. i think i also said "if sleep was at all possible" since it seemed the enemy was close enough to hit with an empty beer can.
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Post by The Phantom on Oct 19, 2008 9:06:46 GMT 8
Enjoyed the pictures T.F.
Had not seen any before on the Japanese Bataan gun positions. Have still seen none on the Cavite side. You have a remarkable collection.
Can we assume these were some of the same cannons, and that the positions types for firing were the same as when the guns were em placed on the Cavite side?
Were these positions on Bataan behind hills or were they not as worried about return fire from Corregidor at this time since they could observe all guns on Corregidor as they fired? Except of course for the mobile guns that Corregidor moved around after firing.
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Post by batteryboy on Dec 17, 2008 11:37:46 GMT 8
Phantom,
I think I have a blurry photo of Japanese guns stationed at Bo. Sapong in the Cavite area but I need to search for it.
Some of the 150mm and all of the 240mm came from the Cavite side and were brought to Bataan when the Japanese occupied it. There were emplaced in defilades so as not to be spotted by CA units. The Japanese tried to use as much as possible smokeless and flashless charges. However, some were spotted by the island's gunners and took them under fire mostly from the roving 155mm batteries and some salvos from Geary and later on Way. Battery Wheeler (gun no. 2) and the two guns of Cheney still retaliated together with Monja. Batteries Morrison and Grubbs were knocked out and so was James by Japanese gunners from Bataan. Hearn and Smith never really (on record) fired back at Bataan after the 9th of April.
Regards,
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Post by batteryboy on Jan 1, 2010 7:41:18 GMT 8
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Post by okla on Jan 2, 2010 3:18:39 GMT 8
Hey Battery....Absolutely great stuff. Where did you come up with those shots? If I didn't know better I would have to think that you have access to General Homma's private papers/albums/etc. Seriously, these photos do put a human face on the enemy. Reminds us that a GI or "dogface", whatever army he belongs to, has a very similar look about them, doncha think? ?
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Post by batteryboy on Jan 3, 2010 7:59:56 GMT 8
Hi Okla, yes you are right about putting a face to the enemy. The equipment and material may be dfferent between two sides but their expressions show a lot of similarity. I got these from a group that wanted me to analyze a lot of colorized and digitized shots on the Philippines. Later I will post the US 240mm howitzer in action in the Philippines in 45 on the Weapons side.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2010 3:29:11 GMT 8
Hi Okla, yes you are right about putting a face to the enemy. The equipment and material may be dfferent between two sides but their expressions show a lot of similarity. I got these from a group that wanted me to analyze a lot of colorized and digitized shots on the Philippines. Later I will post the US 240mm howitzer in action in the Philippines in 45 on the Weapons side. It's a dirty shame that the shipment of US 240mm howitzers originally meant to augment Corregidor's gun batteries, back in the 1920's, never made it west of Hawaii. While little would have changed in the conduct of the overall wartime siege, the use of those big guns would have still resulted in alot more Japanese soldiers becoming terminal casualties and meeting up at the Yasakuni Shrine by the time of the USAFFE surrender.
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Post by okla on Jan 14, 2010 9:53:34 GMT 8
Hey John....Have to agree with you once again. Those "biggies", the 240s, although not changing the ultimate outcome of the siege, would have given the Amer/Fil defenders a few more times at bat and increasing the shrine membership, methinks.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2010 9:59:50 GMT 8
You've got that right, Oklahoma! With their range and hitting power, those howitzers would have played merry hell against the Japanese as searching counter battery gunfire. Paul Bunker was a master at this craft and would have no doubt performed yeomans service at this task.
Look at what Japanese 240mm guns did to some of the US gun batteries on Corregidor?
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