Malinta Hill

[okla]

Hey Oozle....I second your motion, wholeheartedly. Chad, he the man when it comes to getting down to the nitty gritty Most of us just don't have the patience and determination to do the "dirty work". Chad, and his "leader", Patty, certainly, have an abundance. This Forum is most fortunate to have them among our number. Cheers.

[fots2]

Hi Chad,

In my opinion the current state of all structures in question supports the view that (most) written accounts of events that took place on April 29th, 1942 are not correct. You have presented this well so no need to rehash the details. What we had read never did seem right to me and I know Oozlefinch felt the same way. Now we actually have someone who was there that day confirming what really happened and where. We can’t beat that for accurate history.

Great job with contacting Mr. Balaza and compiling all the information into one post, thank-you for all the work.

[beirutvet]

Hey Guys

Can I add something that will raise some more questions, perhaps?  BTW, I had a marvelous time going through all 24 pages of this thread, fascinating stuff.

I was intrigued by those makeshift structures in the panoramic photo that you put together fots, and it got me thinking.  There was a link in the thread that went to an interview of Earl Anderson who lived through all of this, God bless him.  He said that on the third day of captivity he and three others went looking for water and were on top of Malinta Hill when they came across four well equipped beds complete with mosquito netting and "all the comforts of home" that they assumed was Col Howards headquarters for the 4th Marine Regiment. 

These well equipped beds would not be just out in the open, so could those structures in your panorama be the headquarters that Mr. Anderson spoke of?  He had mentioned being near the tunnel that lead all the way down to Malinta tunnel that we assumed he mistakenly was referring to the shaft leading to SL #8.  He also mentioned that the sight had a view of the whole battle area, not only ideal but a requirement for a command post.

The structures are obviously something very quickly cobbled together with what ever materials where available.  Also, under constant shelling and bombing, there would not be sufficient time to put up something more substantial.  These structures have all the hallmarks of limited materials, limited time but needed asap and no need for perfection.  All factors very much the order for the day of Corregidor March through May of 1942.

Anyway, just swagging my way through a lazy weekend.

[chadhill]

Those are good observations on your part about the structures, beirutvet. The USMC R-2 Journal frequently mentions an outpost on top of Malinta Hill and, while I do not doubt that Colonel Howard spent considerable time up there, the regimental HQ for the 4th Marines was in Tunnel Queen down below. As you note the outpost would have had an excellent view of the whole battle area, including Bataan, and it may well be one of those structures seen in fots' panoramic.

*     *     *     *     *

Is anybody ready for yet another SWAG about the pom-pom gun? I have spent some more time studying fots' panoramic photo and armyjunk's diagram of the Searchlight 8 tunnel and the Old Land Defense Magazine. Some things are known, such as the position of the pom-pom mount and the location of the rear entrance to the magazine. I have also made a few assumptions:

1. The overturned pom-pom gun in fots' panoramic is very near the mounting plate he and phantom found. In fact, I believe that can be seen in the Philippine Expeditionary Force photo.

2. The Japanese photographer in fots' panoramic is therefore standing slightly southeast of the pom-pom mounting plate. Fots marked its location with a red X on armyjunk's diagram.

3. Charles Balaza told me that the fuel tanks for the SL 8 generator were on top of Malinta Hill, between the SL 8 airshaft and the pom-pom gun.

4. Mr. Balaza said that the fuel tanks took a direct hit from a Japanese shell (records indicate it was a 240mm) and exploded, twisting open the steel doors to the "bunker" (the rear entrance doors to the magazine).


Here is the diagram with these items labeled:

(courtesy armyjunk)




Now here is fots' panoramic photo. I have made two assumptions about it. First, that the steel doors to the rear entrance of the magazine are seen at the far right of the photo. Second, if these are indeed those doors, then I have SWAGGED a rough location of where the 240mm round impacted:

(courtesy fots2)



The point of all this is that if you imagine the 240mm shell exploding where I have indicated, it is easy to see how the pom-pom gun was "blown over" on its side at the angle shown in the photo. The force of the explosion would have toppled it that way.

Still, I am not convinced the gun was in fact blown off the mount, because I cannot explain the absence of damage to the mounting plate and the gun base ring. The lack of damage to the roofs of the structures also puzzles me. We may never know the answers to that. But hey, these SWAGS are fun...

[beirutvet]

Chadhill

You are correct, sir.  These swags ARE fun.

Like you, I am also not convinced that the explosion toppled the gun.  An explosion large enough to dislodge that gun with that much weight would have severely damaged the gun far more than what we can see in the photos.  Also as you say, those flimsy roofs of the structures just a few feet away would have been peppered with shrapnel if not completely blown away.

No, those doors as I understand it were well below ground level and that hit by the 240MM mortar would have blown up, not out to the side, accounting for the lack of damage to the structures mentioned and leaving the gun upright.  I think it must be examined that the gun was unbolted and turned on its side intentionally as a makeshift way of destroying it as ordered.  Remember they were told on May 6 to destroy anything larger than a .45 cal.  Not having much to work with and not a lot of time to do it, upending it might have been all they could do.

[chadhill]

Hello beirutvet,

Thank you for the response. These SWAGS are fun. I am inclined to believe the pom-pom was dismantled and sent back to Japan for evaluation, since it was state-of-the-art USN AAA at the time. That is what I proposed in an earlier post on this thread. This latest SWAG was meant to point out the flip side of the argument, that the overturned angle of the gun could be "conveniently" explained by the force of the exploding 240mm round igniting drums of fuel stored above ground between the weapon and the SL 8 airshaft.

Yes, like you I believe the steel doors were probably below ground level. But, as Colonel Barr stated a crew of engineers was employed to extract the bodies from the wreckage. See my last post on page 23. I'll SWAG that the engineers removed the "twisted doors" (Charles Balaza's words) and put them aside near the top of the rear entrance steps. This would account for the doors being seen above ground in the Japanese photo.

Shrapnel damage to the barrel cooling jackets is readily seen on the pom-pom gun. It is hard to accept that no such damage was inflicted on the metal roofs of the nearby structures. The Japanese photo was probably taken in mid May. The pom-pom was hit on April 29th. A possible explanation is that the roofs were simply replaced in the time between.

[chadhill]

I recently had a short layover in Omaha, Nebraska, and hoped to gain entrance to Freedom Park, where one of the few remaining 1.1 inch quad pom-pom guns is located. I wanted to examine the weapon's base mounting plate and rings and compare them with the parts seen in Japanese photos of the overturned pom-pom on top of Malinta Hill. I also wanted to compare them with the photos that fots took of the mounting plate at the Malinta Hill site. I thought we might get some clues about what purpose the round concrete parts served that he and phantom found.

But this was not to be. My plane landed at 3:30 p.m., and the park had closed at 3:00. I was to depart early the next morning before it reopened. Maybe I will get another opportunity in the future.

Patty found these photos of the gun on the Freedom Park facebook site. It seems there is enough room underneath the weapon to get a good look while holding a flashlight and a camera. If someone passes through the Omaha area I would greatly appreciate them checking the 1.1 out and taking some photos. Entrance to the park is free.


The Freedom Park 1.1 inch quad AA gun came from the battleship USS Texas (BB-35). Two of them were installed on the ship in 1937 but were replaced by 40mm Bofors in 1942.

(photos courtesy Freedom Park Omaha facebook site)

[chadhill]

I recently received a letter from Judy Balaza Warner, Charles Balaza's daughter. She informed me that Mr. Balaza had passed away December 10, 2016. I have included his obituary below, which she sent me.

I consider it a privilege to have spoken with Mr. Balaza over the telephone several times two years ago. He was a most pleasant gentleman and was blessed with a remarkable memory. I learned much from him about searchlight 8, and the fate of Lt. Friedline's pom-pom gun crew on top of Malinta Hill (see the previous page in this thread). I highly recommend his book, "Life As An American Prisoner of War of the Japanese". It is one of the better memoirs I have read. Mr. Balaza also witnessed the sinking of the S.S. Corregidor. Wwalker noticed the crucial information provided in his book, and it eventually led to snake's discovery of the sunken ship. See the thread "The Loss of the S.S. Corregidor".



Charles Balaza YARDVILLE Charles Balaza, 95, of Yardville, passed away Dec. 10, 2016, surrounded by his loving family. Charles was born in Jersey City, NJ, on March 7, 1921, and resided in Hamilton for most of his life. He was a parishioner of St. Vincent DePaul Church. He entered the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1940. Stationed in Corregidor in the Philippines at the beginning of WWII, he was assigned to the 59th Coastal Artillery. After the capture of Corregidor, Charles was a prisoner of war for three and a half years in Japan. He was a recipient of the bronze star and a Purple Heart, among many other awards. After retirement from the Army in 1962, he was employed by the NJ Turnpike Authority for the next 20 years as a heavy equipment operator. During this time, he founded the Continental Chapter of American Ex POW's. He helped veterans obtain all benefits owed to them. He lectured children in school on his war experience. Charlie was known for his generosity and always trying to help those less fortunate. One of his life's proudest accomplishments was when he started Operation Santa Claus to help needy children in post-war Germany. He was the son of the late Joseph and Stephanie Balaza, and brother of the late John, Steven and Sophie. Surviving are his wife of 67 years, Marie (DiStaulo) Balaza; his children, Charles and Norma Balaza of Hamilton, Joseph and Carol Balaza of Doylestown, PA, Donna and Joseph Scarlata of Yardville, Judith and Donald Warner of Groveville; his grandchildren, Nick and Anthony Scarlata, Jason and Beth Scarlata, Andrea and Tony Briscese, Laura and Dan Vesey, Steven and Cole Warner; great-grandchildren, Kiera and Nathan Vesey; brothers and sisters, Edward and Gloria Balaza of Long Island, NY, Lucy and Joseph French of Nutly, NJ, and Carmella DiStaulo of Jersey City, NJ, and many nieces, nephews and friends. Funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, Dec. 15, at 11 a.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Church, 555 Yardville Allentown Rd. Entombment with military honors will follow a the Greenwood Mausoleum. Relatives and friends may call Wednesday, Dec. 14, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Knott's Colonial Funeral Home, 2946 South Broad St., Hamilton. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital , 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN stjude.org Knott's Colonial Funeral Home 2946 South Broad St. Hamilton, NJ 08610 [phone]

[chadhill]

I recently came across another Japanese photo of the pom-pom gun on top of Malinta Hill. That brings the total known photographs of the weapon to three as far as I am aware of, not counting the still pics lifted from the newsreels.