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Post by one50 on Nov 30, 2009 11:45:43 GMT 8
Now this is a good topic. I wish I could add some knowledge here for this question has been on my mind since I got the "Corregidor bug".
Look forward to more posting and ideas on this thread.
Thanks Dan
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Post by mapmaster on Nov 30, 2009 21:20:27 GMT 8
Hi
I found some information on the career of Captain Akira Itagaki today. He was born on 20th June 1897 and started as a Midshipman in the Armoured Cruiser Adzuma on 9th October 1919.
Akira Itagaki served as Sub-Lieutenant, Lieutenant Junior Grade, Lieutenant and Commander on a succession of ships. He specialised in Gunnery. On 1st November 1942 he was promoted to Captain and XO of Sasebo Naval Base.
Akira Itagaki was promoted to Rear Admiral on 17th February 1945. The date (16th February 1945) of his KIA notation may not actually be listed where I gained this information. The promotion may have been posthumous or perhaps the date (17th February 1945) is when the Japanese Navy was informed of his death. This detail is listed in the same line on his webpage.
I will arrange for a link to the webpage soon.
Regards
mapmaster
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Post by batteryboy on Dec 1, 2009 8:22:53 GMT 8
Mapmaster and the rest of the gents,
Thanks for all the info.
Cheers, B-boy
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Post by The Phantom on Dec 1, 2009 10:22:56 GMT 8
Another source with basically the same information, though more general.
"WORLD WAR TWO RETURN TO THE PHILIPPINES" By Rafael Steinberg And The Editors Of Time - Life Books Alexandria Virginia 1979
" Fortunately for the 503rd, the Japanese had scurried into their underground network when the bombardment began and few saw the airdrops begin. Their commander, Captain Akira Itagaki was taken by surprise when a group of 25 to 30 paratroopers, blown off target, landed directly on his observation post. His startled troops fired on the parachutists, but the Americans quickly attacked the post and killed the commander and 7 of his men. With their leader dead, and their communications center knocked out by the pre invasion bombardment, the Japanese had lost their ability to conduct a coordinated defense."
(This book has many large, clear photos of the war in the P.I. I have seen no where else.)
Lets look at the similarities.
In the Belote brothers book, written in 1967, Itagaki had "noticed" the loading of the barges in Mariveles, and then he rushed to his observation post near Breakwater Point.
In General Flanagan book Itagaki had been notified by one of his officers, on the north side of Corregidor, that the barges were loading in Mariveles, so the Captain went to his O.P. at Breakwater Point to watch their progress. They were peering past Geary Point. The members of I company caught them unawares and killed the Captain and all but one of the other Japanese troops.
Mapmaster also mentions Geary Point in his notes.
The last book by Steinberg has the paratroopers landing directly on the Captain and his O.P. but doesn't state exactly where it was.
So what can we make of this?
Some common denominators appear, they are.......?
Breakwater Point is where I plan to visit next trip and look for the old O.P. (probably a table still set up) and evidence of the old trail that may be in the vicinity of Breakwater Point, 200 ft above the water and.............
Ah, the adventure...............read the stores go find the facts.
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Post by mapmaster on Dec 1, 2009 13:37:02 GMT 8
Hi There is a common theme, of this incident, within nearly all the written accounts and books. Time-Life "Return To the Philippines" by Rafael Steinberg and Editors of Time-Life Books, as The Phantom has quoted relates the same story, the paratrooper numbers mentioned are similar. Interestingly, the number of landing craft for the 34th Infantry has decrease from 35, in other documents, to 25. Rafael Steinberg was the author of this volume assisted by three Consultants with long military careers. The references for the Time-Life volume are not recorded. However, the Bibliography contains Belote, James H., and Belote, William M., "Corregidor: The Saga of a Fortress", 1967. Again the common theme. There is very little variation in the the majority of what has been written above. We have either D or I Company of 3d Battalion of 503d PIR being involved in the incident. We have paratrooper's blown south of their Landing Field, which would be Landing Field B (possibly confirming D or I Company Paratroopers). We also have Captain Akira Itagaki being in or near an observation post. So that matches. We have the 34th Infantry observed loading their landing craft and leaving Mariveles Harbor at 0830. The aerial bombardment of Topside and surrounds had finished at 0830. The first paratroopers started to land 0833. That drop was complete by 0930, with many of the transports completing 3 passes over the Landing Fields. This is where the information starts to vary. We have Captain Akira Itagaki at either Geary Point or Breakwater Point over looking the 34th Infantry in San Jose Bay heading for Black Beach or perhaps observing the 34th Infantry's progress towards San Jose Bay. Captain Akira Itagaki may have been warned of the preparations of the 34th Infantry in or leaving Mariveles Harbor. If Captain Akira Itagaki left his command post on Topside and moved immediately to Geary Point or Breakwater Point, he and his party would have gone through the tail end of the aerial bombardment or the first descending paratroopers. The timing doesn't fit. Now, the only evidence I can offer is from a set of maps within an official document. The maps have been digitised. One shows the location of the incident between the Paratroopers and Captain Akira Itagaki's party. The location is just south of Battery Crockett in line with Geary Point and very close to or on Geary Road. The only major piece of evidence I have not considered is that of Gerry Devlin's book "Back To Corregidor" and that Captain Akira Itagaki's party had gone to where they could overlook the Bataan Peninsular, which would mean the incident took place on the north side of Topside. EXO -thanks for finding this information. Regards mapmaster
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Post by EXO on Dec 1, 2009 16:19:51 GMT 8
Which detective was it who used to say that if you eliminate what it wasn't, you get closer to what it was? Sherlock Holmes? Magnum P.I.?
I don't think it was anyone from D Co. Firstly, based on my research materials, I haven't found any authority to suggest it. That is to say, if neither Abbott, Lindgren or Calhoun have suggested it was a 2d Bn contact, then it wasn't a 2d Bn contact. Secondly, it was the 3d Bn, as they were the main jumpers into Landing Zone B during the first lift.
So I go with the "I" Company being involved in the action.
Hope this reduces one further factor in the scenario.
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Post by fots2 on Dec 1, 2009 18:49:29 GMT 8
Do any of the surviving veterans have any first hand knowledge of the action early that morning?
They may not have known who they killed but perhaps someone remembers the fight especially if a Japanese officer was among the dead and a number of their own men.
Would there be any record of where Itagaki's body was recovered?
Is there any record of where a group of paratroopers were killed early that morning? That may help to nail down the location being discussed here.
What cave would the Japanese have hidden in?
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Post by EXO on Dec 2, 2009 7:55:26 GMT 8
I haven't crossed paths with anyone who may have mentioned it. For reasons which I don't understand, there aren't that many 3d Bn men around. Most information which has become available is due to Abbott, Lindgren, Calhoun pursuing the documents throughout the years - they are all 2d Bn.
They may not have known the significance of it, though there's the possibility they did - because unlike most every encounter with the Japanese, this encounter ended with obtaining a prisoner, taking the prisoner for interrogation by Harry Akune. That's not something which you'd readily forget -- unless you were KIA a few days later.
From what I have heard, the troopers paid no concerns to the Japanese bodies, except as sources of papers, valuables, souvenirs. Once stripped, they were left where they lay. Officers would supervise a body count. When the risk of disease got that bad on Topside, it was Doc Bradford who ordered the bodies to be thrown off Wheeler cliff rather than allow them to lay around on both sides of the trail.
No documents record where individual KIA's occurred. That largely left to reunions, recollections. I have encountered reluctance of men to link names with episodes, and this continues even today with my research. Particular reluctance to remember the useless deaths, accidents, friendly fire.
I am convinced we miss numerous dug-outs which were blown closed. We tend to see only those under rock formations which haven't collapsed or were filled with CFI garbage.
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Post by The Phantom on Dec 3, 2009 2:12:56 GMT 8
Does anyone have any knowledge or photos of the "repair" of Corregidor after the 1945 battles?
That is, bulldozers covering up tunnel and cave entrances and exits by burying them with dirt? Many were closed off by explosives, cannon fire, or Navy fire, during the battle for sure.
A good example of a closed off tunnel Fots just discussed in James Ravine. He was able to dig himself a way in after he and I had given up earlier in the year.
Years ago EXO and I gained entrance to many Tunnels and caves that had been closed off by someone, at some time, but had been reopened by "adventurers" before we saw them. A little digging, lay on your back, say a prayer, (I HATE SNAKES), and slide in.
If you notice almost all tunnels and caves have their entrances party filled with soil and other debris in today's pictures.
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Post by mapmaster on Dec 28, 2009 10:43:09 GMT 8
Hi Here is the link to information about the career of Captain Akira Itagaki. The link will take you to a page with an alphabetical lists of names. Click on Itagaki, Akira and his career details will be displayed. The details include a list of ship postings and these are linked to details of each ship. corregidor.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=paratroopers&action=display&thread=411Regards mapmaster
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