Japanese Guns

[oozlefinch]

Most of us know about the Japanese gun still mounted above Engineer Ravine. The Japanese Guns located at the Japanese Garden of Peace were once located at the Stockade level. Does anyone know whether those guns were originally located there, or were they re-located there from other parts of the island, and, if so, where were they located. If they were originally located at the Stockade area, it might explain the purported only Japanese constructed building on the island.

[fots2]

Good day Oozlefinch. Long time no chat!

In 1996 I was in the Philippines scuba diving on WWII shipwrecks in Palawan. When I returned to Manila I had one day remaining before my flight back to Canada. I took what turned out to the first of about 60 trips so far to Corregidor.

One place the tour bus stopped that day was on a little side road between Bottomside and Middleside just above the Stockade. The road was a short paved loop where I could see a row of Japanese AA guns. These are the guns which were moved to Tailside’s Japanese Memorial Garden.

A few years later I was returning to Bottomside after a day of exploring and passed through this area. The short paved road was still visible under the grass and bushes but the guns were gone and this was no longer part of the tour. There was nothing remaining that would let people know that the guns had once been there.

That night I asked the Island manager, Ron Benedero, what had happened to the guns. He said he was part of the work group that was tasked with moving them to Tailside. I told him I did not even see any remains of the mounts and he said everything was moved. The mounts/bases were very difficult to recover but they succeeded. He seemed to indicate that he thought this was the wartime position of the guns however I don’t think he had any evidence of that.

I may have some evidence for you that above the Stockade actually was the wartime position of the Japanese guns. Have a look at a crop of a pre-invasion aerial surveillance photo taken on February 6th, 1945 (Dan McRaid collection). It is a bit fuzzy but seems to show a row of items in the exact positions where the guns were located near the Stockade. I cannot post photos anymore so I’ll send them to Karl who can add them to this post for you to decide. I will add some labels for clarity.

Regarding the building you mention, I have heard of it being of Japanese origin and possibly a magazine for a nearby AA gun, I have never seen any real evidence of that. It is located adjacent to the old Spanish fort and not really near the row of AA guns we are talking about (building to guns 525ft or 160m). Seems far away for those guns to have had anything to do with that building but I may be wrong. Even though the building has outer blast walls, I wonder if a magazine would have so many windows and doors as that building does. Another Corregidor mystery I guess.

Have a good day.

[oozlefinch]

Fots - yes, a definite mystery. I first saw them there in 1987. I never really thought about this question until recently, which is why I'm asking about it now. Another puzzling question somewhat along these lines is, where did the Japanese troops occupying Corregidor 1942-45 quarter themselves? If these guns were originally mounted at the Stockade level, they probably quartered at Bopttomside to be near them and the piers, but who knows.

[Karl Welteke]

Fots2 will add comments:

[fots2]

Thank-you for hosting the photos Karl. No comments needed.

[oozlefinch]

Thanx to Karl and Fots. It's been 35 years since I first saw the guns, but I seem to remember them being about 4 o'clock to the purported Japanese structure circled in the 2nd photo. But then I remember there being 3 or 4 guns, not 7. Can anyone clarify how many guns are now at the Japanese Garden of Peace?

[Karl Welteke]

Four Japanese Guns at the Japanese Garden of Pease, I believe.



U890. The Japanese guns at the Japanese Garden of Pease. The correct date of this picture is the 31st of Aug. 2006.



U891. The Japanese guns at the Japanese Garden of Pease. The correct date of this picture is the 31st of Aug. 2006.

[fots2]

Scrappers may have taken some of the guns years ago. Easy access there to do that. If you remember the remaining gun above Engineer Ravine, half the barrel has been cut-off.