Japanese Twin 25mm AA gun

[fots2]

Under the trees not far from a road near Battery Way is the metal frame of a Japanese 25mm twin mount AA gun. It is a little difficult to imagine this chunk of metal being part of an Anti-aircraft gun.





I had been told that post war it was relatively intact but became the prey of scrappers. Thanks to batteryboy, a mid 1970s photo was posted so we could all see what this gun actually looked like all those years after the war. Now the frame makes sense.



Note that the right hand barrel looks damaged.


To clarify it even more, mgk1951 posted a rear view photo of such a gun from a non-Corregidor location.



Very interesting but end of story….well maybe not. Occasionally something that you think was lost forever just seems to pop up right under your nose.

Three days ago I was returning from Tailside to the Corregidor Inn. My feet were telling me to take the shortest route so I headed for Malinta’s Tunnel’s east entrance then I would just walk through the hill to the Inn. It was around 4:45pm. Being in no hurry, I stopped many times taking photos along the way.



The Malinta Tunnel East entrance.



While wandering around off to the left hand side, I noticed that the displayed gun seemed a little “wide”. Here is a closer view.



Close-up rear view.



Close-up barrel view. It has the same slits and shape as mgk1951’s photo.



Side by side view for comparison.


A barrel is missing from one of the guns near Malinta but this could have happened anytime after it was removed from the mount. Although the frames have slight differences when compared to mgk1951’s photo, the two are very close. Obviously I cannot be sure this is the same gun from the frame near Battery Way.

What do you guys think?

[okla]

Hey Fots....It would be quite a coincidence if these weapons weren't one and the same, but the fact that a 25mm gun disappeared from topside and now one "guards" the east portal to Malinta does pose an intriguing question, doesn't it. Another little question to drive "geeks" up the wall. I love it. Postscript....Personally I don't think a Japanese weapon should be on display at Malinta's entrance, nor, for that matter, anywhere on the island, but that's just my humble. We have discussed this before so I will delve into it no more.

[batteryboy]

Hey Fots, nice obervation and I would not count out that possibility. The Japanese navy troops defending the island brought in their own firepower and the use of the dual 25mm is common in road approaches and in selected AA positions. Several dual 25mm came from Japanese warships when they upgraded their AAs and so the older ones were given to ground troop units. A big number of them found their way to the Philippines and other islands.

Nice hanging out with you on the island.

[fots2]

Thanks batteryboy. I was not aware where those guns came from or that there were probably more than one on the island.

Okla, I would be surprised if anyone on Corregidor knows that is a Japanese gun. Someone probably thought it would look good on display in that position so that is how it got there.

I will post some photos soon from a walk north of Kindley Field where the Japanese 1942 landings took place. Actually I covered the whole length of the airfield that day. No one else has mentioned checking out the area so I thought I would go see it. There are still 1917 era defenses there. After 1942 and 1945 battles, they must be the most destroyed positions on the whole island.

[Deleted]

I must have walked past that gun at least 4 times, saw the barrel, yet never even thought about looking behind the sandbags.

This is why I love this board.

Thanks everybody.

[okla]

Hey Fots...Looking forward to the pics of the Japanese landing areas. I have always felt that this area receives too little interest,etc when in reality this was the pivotal point in the final collapse of the defense of "the rock". Too much emphasis on the "big guns", Malinta,etc when in reality this non-descript region of Corregidor was where things were decided for good. I gotta admit the Tunnel complex, Topside Baracks and heavy batteries, etc makes for, I suppose, a more interesting tour for tourists, but those beaches out on the tail of the island are where the "rubber hit the road" way back in May 1942. Walking that area has got to crank up the old imagination of any "rock geek", methinks.

[fots2]

Something tells me that we would be good hiking buddies okla.

[okla]

Hey Fots....Thanks for the compliment and confidence, but methinks my 77 year old legs,feet,etc would play out on me and I would become a liability. One thing you could depend on would be my imagination and never ending interest in all that is Corregidor and vicinity. Ironically, yesterday I had to resort to "walk thru" help with my internet setup and my outsource connection was a Filipina down in Cebu City, of all places. We jawed quite a lot. Asked me how I was so familiar with the PI. Told her I had good instructors on this particular website. Also told her that my "wallpaper" screen was an eyepopping view of the sun going down behind Bataan. She was impressed and, of course, she admitted she had never been to Corregidor. I guess that's no diifferent than a resident of San Francisco having never been out to Alcatraz. I will now wonder if this girl, Candace, is the Filipina model whose photo keeps popping up on my desktop screen. Wife would be displeased if she could scope out my thoughts. Rest assured, that if I was present on one of your "hikes" on Corregidor, I would make a valliant effort to keep up with you.

[EXO]

Isn't anyone in the least disturbed disturbed by the neglect of this piece, its dismemberment, its partial scrapping - all by the CFI?

[okla]

I, for one, am continually disturbed by much that goes on out on Corregidor under the auspices of the CFI. Not being a resident or even a frequent or rare visitor to the "rock" I ain't privy to the reasons for the decisions that are made concerning the administration, maintenance, preservation,etc, of this hallowed piece of ground, but many interested and concerned folks do have their "wonders" about such things. The latest atrocity being that cable slide/glide,etc "gizmo" that now graces bottomside Gimme a break.