Malinta Hill

[fots2]

Hi okla,

Feel free to lend your eagle eyes to the discussion anytime you like. We learn something every day.

[fots2]

Hi chadhill,

I can only guess but I would say the pom pom was unserviceable. My recovery method would have involved one big push eastward and it would soon be at the bottom of the hill.

I see the dark object you mention and it could be what you say it might be. The video captures you posted amaze me as to how many structures were on top of Malinta Hill then. No wonder we see things in armyjunk’s photo that we are not familiar with today.

A couple captures show the guns facing eastward and one seems to show one gun facing westward. Since they are on wheels, the one in shelter #1 I suppose could have been moved for “dramatic” effects by the film crew. We’ll never know.

The important thing from this exercise is that I would say that we have a very good idea where the pom pom gun had been mounted. Although it was not on top of SL #8, it is quite close by. Thanks for your help sorting this out.

[chadhill]

Thanks, Fots. Please allow me to repost this photo of yours for discussion purposes ;D My PC shows us starting "page 5" and it helps not having to backscroll!

[chadhill]

According to the Belotes in "Saga", page 126, three 75mm guns on top of Malinta Hill were "blasted" during the April 29th bombardment, when they state the pom-pom was hit. From Armyjunk's photo and the Japanese newsreel it's clear that the center (collapsed) shelter was destroyed, but the other two seem intact.

[fots2]

The 1936 map shows three identical gun emplacement symbols on top of Malinta Hill. Two of them are labeled as 75mm guns so it makes sense that the third would be. This agrees with Belote.

I wonder why the siege gun position (II-S-1) at the south end of Malinta Hill is never mentioned? That gun position is damaged and mostly buried but it still has concrete walls visible today.

[chadhill]

Fots, I don't have the 1936 map yet, just the '41 Emergency Defence map, which depicts two gun positions on the extreme southern ridge top. The most southern weapon is unidentified, while the next one immediately north is labeled 75mm. Is the II-S-1 position directly to the left of Shelter 2?




I recently watched an old VHS tape of a meeting with the late veteran Max McClain, on Corregidor in 1987. He started out at Battery Crockett but later transferred to Searchlight # 5. Max told me he had been rotated through all the searchlight batteries, including # 8, to learn the nuances of each position. Familiar with the pom-pom, Max said it was displayed down on Bottomside (in 1987) with several other weapons. He said it was missing one of the four barrels.

Post-battle photos of the pom-pom show that at least one of the barrels was heavily damaged. Originally destined for the USS Houston when it was salvaged from Cavite, the weapon was unique to Corregidor so I would think that the Navy would have brought over any available spare barrels with it, as they tended to wear out. Perhaps the Japanese had tried to change the ruined one. Hopefully it was not scavengers at work hacking away.

[fots2]

Hi Chad,

II-S-1 is not visible in that photo. The position’s location is at the far south end of Malinta Hill. It is not shown on the 1941 Emergency Defense map so I assume that means the position was not going to be used. I wonder why? It had concrete walls and a small underground magazine nearby.

That is interesting about the pom-pom at Bottomside in 1987. I have not seen any photos of it.



This is a 1981 photo of some guns on Bottomside.

The pom-pom was not there at that time. Notice the rectangular gun with one barrel at bottom right? Is that a Twin 25mm Japanese AA gun? It is difficult to say which barrel is missing but this gun may now be the one guarding the Malinta Tunnel east entrance that was discussed in the past.
corregidor.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=625

[chadhill]

Here are two photos that I took of weapons on Bottomside. The top one was taken in 1985 and the lower one in 1986. There is also a 1986 VHS tape I took that shows several guns on Bottomside including disassembled parts laying about. However, I don't see anything that seems to be from the pom-pom. It could be that Max mistook the Japanese 25mm with the missing barrel for it. If so, a great catch on your part, Fots.

[fots2]

Chad,

In your second photo, the big white building sits where the CFI Admin buildings are located now. What was that building used for?

Good photos, thanks.

[chadhill]

Fots, sorry but I don't know what that building was used for. As I recall, there was no public admittance--makes one wonder what might've been stored inside...

Regarding searchlight tunnel # 8; according to the Belotes (page 225), four Japanese soldiers were also KIA inside it, on 16 February 1945.