Malinta Hill

[fots2]

No problem okla. Yes that is Karl’s Ft. Drum photos online today. I’ll add a pbase album when I get around to it. First I have to get my G1 Control Station photos sorted out for Phantom. I will post them in his Col. Bunker thread.

I hope your wife is feeling better soon.


Thanks for the comments Mr. Phantom. It is great you will be spending two months in PI early next year. We have got lots of exploring to do.

[Deleted]

heyo okla,

None of those POW names ring a bell. Are you in Okla somewhere?
The last survivng POW that knew my father lives east of Ok City.
Also have been searching for a guy named William A. Robbins, 18015220, tracked him to Duncan,Ok a few years ago,, then the trail ended.

fots2, my fathers birthday was Aug 22. big thanks again.

[fots2]

That is a good day for a birthday, same day as mine.

[okla]

hey aloud....yes, i have lived in tulsa and vicinity since relocating here with my parents in 1944 at the age of 12. in addition to the bataan/corregidor veterans that i had the honor of serving with during my korean war USAF hitch i met (but didnt know) a couple of tulsa area corregidor vets who spoke at an american legion function back in the late 1950s or early 1960s. one, whose name was hemphill, lived in claremore, oklahoma and the other whose name i cannot recall was from adair, oklahoma. if memory serves, the latter was a gunner at battery way. i had forgotten these two fellows untill getting involved in this particular thread. the men i served with in the air force, i will always remember because i knew them personally. i am now kinda ashamed about forgetting the latter two, especially when they were from my neck of the woods here in oklahoma. you have to awfully proud of your father. i am glad he made it thru that terrible ordeal. there cant be too many of those guys left. only a hand full, i would imagine. nice talking to you.

[fots2]

In addition to the structures you see in the above trip report, here are more photos of what can be seen at the top of Malinta Hill. Some of them are identifiable but this area is littered with the remnants of concrete walls and other broken chunks of concrete that are not labeled on pre-war maps. I have no idea what their original purpose would have been.




At the top northern point of Malinta Hill is an Emergency Gun Group Fire Command Station (without roof). Due to their shape, these type of structures are nicknamed “bathtubs”.




This destroyed structure (facing east) has the same shape and size as the nearby 75mm gun shelter (facing west). It may have been another one of them.




At the top southern end of Malinta Hill was a position known as II-S-1 (Sector 2, Siege Gun, #1). Only low walls are remaining of this structure.




The entrance to a small bunker near II-S-1. This is not labeled on maps.




The rear entrance of the same bunker shown above is totally collapsed.




Unknown structure.




Broken concrete and metal litters the ground.




Unknown structure.




Unknown structure.




Does anybody know what these are? (air vents, toilets?)

[okla]

Hey fots....What better way to start the day than to log on to another Fabulous Fots Foto Tour, this time being higher portions of Malinta Hill. If there is anyone else on the planet who has taken more photos of the "Rock", walked, crawled, climbed, groped, hacked, etc over literally every foot of this sacred place, I would like to know who it is. You gotta be the foremost expert, among several others, on knowledge of Corregidor. Since this is Veterans Day here in the States, I have insisted that my wife preface all her remarks, requests, etc to me with the words "Staff Sergeant". When she displayed some resentment and reluctance, I relented and told her the simple word, "Sergeant" would suffice. This sign of respect will run from sunrise till sunset. She left the house to run some errands and I will not be surprised if she does'nt reappear till the sun sinks beyond the badlands of western Oklahoma this evening. Postscript....could those "vents" (or whatever they are) be gizmos for some type communication or electrical power cables??? That wide mouth, tapering to a smaller diameter, would certainly make it easier for a lineman,etc to plug-in or insert a cable/wire,etc for some type connection,etc. I have no idea where it leads. Just a wild guess. I guess GIs could have used it for a latrine. Would'nt be at all surprised if they, at times, didn't do just that, whether that was the original purpose for the thing or not. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I say. Thanks again for the latest Malinta Hill photos and narrative.

[fots2]

Staff Sergeant okla,

Your guess is as good as mine. I have seen this type of structure in two places on Corregidor. Both are rectangular concrete blocks in the ground with those vents. Looks more like a latrine to me than anything else.

Being on top of Malinta, this one is certainly a throne with a view.

[fots2]

Here is a final group of photos. It is difficult to wander around the top of Malinta Hill and not stop at times to enjoy the view and the breeze on a hot afternoon. Looking east and west, here is what you will see.



Standing at the entrance to Searchlight #8 tunnel, here is the view looking east. Kindley Field is at the upper left. Middle right is the 92nd Garage area.



A closer view of the 92nd Garage area. Above it you can see part of the Japanese Peace Park.



Now facing west, here is a view of Bottomside south. You can see Black Beach which was the 1945 invasion beach plus part of the South Dock to the left.



Looking down at two Tranvia tour busses parked outside the Malinta Tunnel west entrance. They are waiting for the day tourists to finish the “Sound and Light Show” and then take them to the Corregidor Inn for their buffet lunch.



View of the centre of Bottomside where you see the Corregidor Inn on a hill above the San Jose Church. The other red roofed building seen near the top right is housing for the Inn staff. Just above the Corregidor Inn to the left, the aqua color through the trees is the swimming pool.



This is a view of Bottomside north. At the top left is the power and refrigeration plant. To the right of it is the Engineer Dock. In the middle of the photo is the North Dock with the Sun Cruises ferry waiting to take the day tour crowd back to Manila. At the bottom right is Lorcha Dock. The red roofs near mid left are the CFI office and the Clinic.



After moving farther south to get away from some trees, another view of Bottomside north can be seen. From top to bottom: Battery Point, Engineer Dock, North Dock and Lorcha Dock.

The buildings: yellow roof is MacArthur’s Café, nipa huts and covered eating/videoke area. To the right the red roof is the Philippine Coast Guard. Below the yellow roof, the first red roof is MacArthur’s motel style rooms (1 star on a cloudy night ;D). The bottom red roof is CFI’s “Corregidor Hostel” which is leased to Sun Cruises. It has dormitory style rooms for large groups staying overnight.



A closer view of our primary post hike watering hole…the yellow roofed “MacArthur’s Café”.

[okla]

Hey Fots....Another Fantastic Fots Foto Tour has been finalized in a most enjoyable fashion. Gotta say that this is the most complete look at modern day bottomside that I have seen. Those early day engineers certainly knew of what they were doing when they placed the power and refrigeration plants in that particular location. Before the coming of the airplane those facilities were out of reach of any naval bombardment. I have always been rather surprised that the Japanese artillery on newly captured Bataan didn't knock them out. They are rather tough to make out and from Bataan maybe they were concealed. The enemy may not have had any inkling just where those highly important structures were located. Also viewing that topography from the summit of Malinta Hill I had to think that the Japanese would have had a double tough time moving around the hill on the north and south roads if the east end of Malinta tunnel could have been "plugged" or defended in some way. One would think that demolition of the afore mentioned roads and the making of the east tunnel entrance inaccessible to those three tanks that the western end of the "rock" could have been defended for a much longer period of time. I don't suppose it would have changed the final result, but it might have given Gen'l Wainwright time to gather a bit more information on just how shaky the enemy's position on Corregidor was and maybe resulting in the beating off of this particular effort by Gen'l Homma. The emperor's forces were outnumbered, with American and Filipino troops in front and behind them on the tail of the island. Just a lot of conjecture on my part, but that view from the summit of that stratigic piece of real estate conjures up a lot of questions and "what ifs". Wife says that I have entirely too much time on my hands. It is long past sundown and what little respect I had from her is long gone till next Vets Day. Thanks again for another excellent posting.

[okla]

Hey Fots....Having made my second run thru the lastest Fots Foto Tour (Malinta Hill) I might be coming around to your view on the possible latrine ? structures. While in Korea the medics placed, at various points, on our fighter strip, "stand up" urinals. These fabulous, top of the line, structures consisted of an 8 inch, tile sewer pipe joint stuck in the ground with a wooden fence on three sides so as to provide a bit of privacy and maybe keep the cold wind, blowing directly in from Manchuria, off our private parts whilst relieving ourselves. I can visualize those two gizmos, located on Corregidor, having some type of privacy screen or maybe even complete with roof, serving as stand up "johns". On reviewing this post, methinks my wife might just be correct when she says I have too much time on my hands. Here I am in my golden years discussing the design of possible latrines on Corregidor. Maybe I should get another hobby. NOT A CHANCE. What say you??