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Post by cbuehler on Mar 6, 2013 1:59:20 GMT 8
All, I will add a report on the relics here. Finding evidence on site is truly an revelation for me. It not only makes the history come much closer, but it tells you facts that otherwise may only be assumptions. Furthermore, I always record where I find them to preserve their history for the future. What little remains will either be found and preserved, found and discarded (what usually happened according to Alejandro) or decay completely in the ground over time. As mentioned, the site of Alejandro's fields are astride trail 7 approximately 1/2 mile south of the main road. This would indicate the area of the battle of the upper pocket. The little pocket area would be to the east and the big pocket still further to the south along trail 7. As can be seen, nearly the entire area has been cultivated now with the exception of the shallow ravines of the rivers. Alejandro said that there were still trees and brush on his fields in the 70's and 80's. He also said there used to be the remains of a tank much further south towards the mountains, but he was not specific enough to get a better determination, The only reason that so many relics were visible on his land is because the soil had been turned which of course revealed the relics which would otherwise have been still buried. Found on site were:
US .30 cal. cases and bullets, the majority of the bullets being earlier M1 173 grain boat tail, with some later M2 150 grain flat base also found. .30 cal. rifle stripper clips .50 cal. M2 ball bullets
Japanese 6.5 mm cases and bullets 7.7 mm semi rimmed cases and bullets for the type 92 heavy MG Battle damage canteen (found earlier by Alejandro) 2 pieces of Japanese mess kits and equipment
The quantity of expended US ammunition found considerably exceeded that of the Japanese. This is usually the case on all Pacific battlefields, due to a combination of factors, including larger numbers of US troops and quantities of ammunition (in this case Filipino). Also, the Japanese generally displayed much tighter fire control discipline than US troops throughout the war. No material made of steel was found at this site. By now, extremely little ordnance or equipment made of this would remain, having been either found or totally decayed. This would apply to all other battlefields as well.
CB
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Post by cbuehler on Mar 6, 2013 0:43:11 GMT 8
Hi all, Thanks again to Karl for pioneering this trip.The Lapiay Point/Pucot finds are the .50 BMG bullet, which is an M1 tracer that had not been fired (no rifling marks). It was found along the south west slope of Mt. Pucot above Lapiay point. It was probably ignited by one of the many grass fires that have cleared the area over the years and the base has flared out as a result. The .45 ACP bullet was found a short distance away and again is unfired, the case now gone when separated due to fires. The most interesting find was the large piece of shell fragment found on the approach to the summit of Mt. Pucot. The size and weight of it indicate that it could only have come from either a 155 or 12 inch mortar projectile. I think it is most likely from one of the 12 inch mortars of Btry. Geary which did fire on Pucot during the battle, taking into account that it was likely even bigger before rust decreased its size somewhat. I have a 155 projectile in my collection and this fragment would approximate the thickness of the wall if little to no reduction in size were made. The relics found on the top of the ridge on Longos Kawayan are a another .50 BMG M1 ball bullet (standard), the lower half of a US .30 cal case, a mostly intact Japanese 6.5 cal case, a US .30 cal rifle stripper clip and an unidentified cylindrical object. All of these relics were found on the surface of the recently burned areas which reveal anything that would otherwise be hidden by tall grasses or bush. The metal detector was mostly useless. The summit of Pucot is a oblong ridge running roughly northeast/southwest. The south western portion is overgrown with brush and small trees with an abrupt change to an absolutely barren northeastern side covered with rocks and boulders. I have pictures (too large to attach...) of the entrenchments and shell craters on the summit of Pucot. They are located on the extreme western portion inside the overgrown area. There are two depressions which are are more or less rectangular with now varying depth of 2 to 4 feet deep, the largest one approximately 10 feet in length. The must have been considerably deeper considering the fill in over the years. They must have been This would make sense as any observation posts would have to be located here to have maximum visibility of Longos Kawayan and lapiay points below. I was able to see at least 5 visible shell craters now quite shallow, varying from approximately 6 to 7 feet in diameter. There are likely more in the heavy undergrowth. The barren rocky area of the summit to the east, which would preclude entrenchment, show no indication of craters.
CB
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Post by cbuehler on Feb 20, 2013 4:34:08 GMT 8
They are indeed US Marine Corps buttons. They are the domed officer's type as opposed to enlisted buttons which are flat. They are the gilt dress buttons as worn on the full dress blues and whites; of course only the dress whites would have been worn in PI. I am surprised at the condition which is quite good, By the way, US Military uniforms of the period from 1900 to 1945 are my expertise and I have been a collector for 30 years. Same with Japanese military uniforms of the ww2 period, so I would be happy to answer any questions in this regard. Cheers,
CB
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Post by cbuehler on Jan 22, 2013 10:42:12 GMT 8
Yes! The pics posted by ChadHill represent essentially what the area of the Pockets looks like today. Last time I was there was 6 years ago. The marker is indeed restored since. The pathway described as trail 7 ( dont know if it is or isnt ) follows the stream path down to where the stream breaks off into 2 different flows. Beyond (third and last pic) is the open hilly land where the Pockets fighting roughly occurred. As can be seen, it has been cleared for many years now. I have always wanted to take a metal detector into the general area and scour the land for evidence. It may be the only way to pinpoint the locations, but may take quite some time to cover the area. Unless there has been so much land alteration and clearing that all traces of the battles have been removed, some empty cases or other remains must be there. Same would go for the Capot Hill area as covered by Karl. CB
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Post by cbuehler on Dec 11, 2012 6:22:57 GMT 8
Well, luckily I have only run across one snake in my wanderings in PI. It was on Corregidor in James Ravine. I was rummaging around in that small concrete guard house like structure leading down to the beach and overturned a large rock on the floor. It wasnt very big, perhaps 2 feet long. I said hello and gently replaced the rock. While I guess one needs to be aware that snakes do exist, it really isnt something to worry about as it is unlikely you will encounter one. And if you do, chances are you will be able to avoid it before anything unpleasant happens. I am far more frightened of daily road travel in the Philippines than any snake.
CB
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Post by cbuehler on Dec 1, 2012 2:56:07 GMT 8
Ok, Thanks Karl, the only problem being that I dont know how My computer skills are somewhat lacking to say the least. I have a long way to go before I reach "Karl Quality" submissions! At any rate, I believe the mountain areas east of Manila are worthy of further in depth study. So far, much of it has not been substantially changed since the war, although this may be not be too long in coming. The guard at the summit of Mataba leading down to the land fill said that large tracts of the lower areas have been sold to a "developer", the scourge of the historian and military archeology. And its not may; we MUST team up some day. I dont believe that the area of the Battle of the Pockets in Bataan has been thoroughly investigated yet ( hint hint and if my hopes of returning this February pan out, I would like to give it a go. Certainly Okla would like a detailed report... CB
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Post by cbuehler on Nov 30, 2012 1:49:38 GMT 8
And the Wawa dam itself. The boulders just below it are huge and often used nowadays by rock climbers and picknickers. There are scars from shell fragments still to be seen on many of them. Attachments:
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Post by cbuehler on Nov 30, 2012 1:45:35 GMT 8
The gorge leading up to the dam facing east. The rocky face on the left was a Japanese cave and is marked now with a path leading up to it. Attachments:
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Post by cbuehler on Nov 30, 2012 1:39:31 GMT 8
The pics! This is Pacawagan looking east from the approach. Wawa is off the pic to the left. Attachments:
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Post by cbuehler on Nov 30, 2012 1:32:52 GMT 8
Thank you my esteemed colleagues! I apologize for the photos as I had to crop them too much and they do not give a good idea of the breadth of the area, which is of course very large. The battles in the mountains east of Manila to reduce the Shimbu group was the second largest major effort in Luzon. It seems to be either forgotten or receives rather short mention relative to the whole picture. The Shimbu defensive line ran north/south all the way from Laguna, through Rizal, and to Bulacan. The terrain where Antipolo, Mataba, Pacawagan (Wawa dam) and Ipo Dam are is actually just the beginning of the eastward push that was made into the Sierra Madre range. The mountainous terrain only became greater as the Japanese retreated further into it. One can only wonder at the efforts both forces had to exert in just the logistics to conduct battle there. Mt. Mataba today is a popular mountain biking location and I might surmise that some of the trails may have been have been left over from the war? But on to Pacawagan and Wawa... Just north of Mataba lies Mt Pacawagan, a precipitous mountain that forms the southern part of the gorge where Wawa dam is located. This becomes the Marikina river. General Krueger was not aware that the dam at Wawa was not critical to the water supply of Manila as had been thought and it was just another defensive point for the Japanese, who had caves in the cliff sides with guns inside. Ipo dam just to the north was the major supply source. Aerial bombardment was not allowed for fear of breaching the dam. Anyway, great effort was put forth to capture the dam intact, the final capture of it falling to the infantrymen of 38th Division.
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