Walk to the Battle of the Points

[victor]

And it wouldn't be the first and last time something's been mis-identified in a book either (eg. Ilu River was identified as the Tenaru in Guadalcanal). This was written by two of the officers from the 57th Infantry. It's entirely possible they picked the wrong photo while editing the book -- especially since they seemed to have taken the picture decades after the battle (1982).

I spoke to this gentleman on the phone last week (left, photo below). His name is Nick Golla and he was a platoon sergeant with E Company, 57th Infantry. He fought at Longoskawayan. I could ask him what he remembered the trees and jungle were like. He mentioned their platoon engaging in hand-to-hand fighting, about having bayonets fixed all the time, the Japanese not wanting to surrender. He remembers having to retreat and give ground prior to the artillery barrages especially those from Corregidor. He remembers of being scared.


I took this photo in 2007. Nick Golla is on the left. The man on the right is Agustin Lacao of I Company, 57th Infantry. He passed away in 2011 and I never had the opportunity to interview him about his experiences in Mabatang. "I" Co. took the brunt of the Japanese assault there.

I called Mr. Golla last week to tell him that I was planning a trip to Longoskawayan in July. He was curious about how it looked like now so I printed and mailed him some photos that you and Karl took. It would be really cool if I could find a 30.06 shell casing there and give it to him as a present. One of his men could have fired that shot!

[victor]

Mar 6, 2013 5:30:15 GMT 8 cbuehler said:

Thanks, the cylindrical tube is not a cleaning kit tube nor even a container. It is too small and the top does not detach. It almost seems to be something from some kind of electrical equipment, possibly searchlight or something?

To me, that cylindrical object looks too much like a cut front piece of an M1 Garand operating rod. I don't know how one could get to be so cleanly cut off but the troops may have found a way to disable it when they were ordered to surrender. If one googles images of garand op rods, it looks just like that cylinder.

[Karl Welteke]

Here is my find, 2 images, at the Longos Kawayan Point from this visit on the 25th Feb. 2013 with Conrad Buehler. I let the experts figure what these things are:


Karl's find at Longos Kawayan Point on the 25th Feb. 2013.


Close-up of the last image.

Note: I agree completely with Conrad in regards the image of Longos Kawayan Point. This picture isn’t it! It must be a mistake! It just doesn’t fit!

[Deleted]

@ Bob Hudson - Thank you Bob , it would be a pleasure to look you up soon .
@ Karl Welteke - Really appreciate those photos !

My niece just returned from Quinawan . I asked her to go there and take some pictures for me. Being a Filipina with a camera , she returned with 401 photos of the Quinawan Bay area Karl W. , my niece was there with her girlfriend on Feb. 23 or 24 . Maybe you just missed each other.
On a side note ; she said that they paid 1200 pesos for the banca from Bagac to Quinawan Bay , Seems like they got the Filipino price

- Anyway , here is a picture that she took of what she calls the " Budha statue " - Quinawan Bay.
My niece atates that the statue was either stolen during a typhoon , or moved to a higher corner , I'm still trying to confirm her info.
The inscription on the plaque looks like it was dedicated in 1978 , and she translates it as " We pray for the souls of the dead in the last war. We are hoping to further reinforce the friendship between the Philippines and Japanese National unity towards the goal of world peace " .

There is a 96 year old woman in Quinawan Bay that whitnessed the initial Japanese landing , and was then quickly spirited away to relatives in Bicol.
According to my niece , her name is " Lola Gloria " , and my niece took pictures of her as well.
There is another woman in Quinawan that was a child during the war , and befriended some Japanese soldiers . I assume it was during the occupation, and she still has the photos in her with them in her other home in Bagac.

[Deleted]

My niece ( left ) , and her girlfriend Quinawan Bay , Feb. 24

[Deleted]

Left to right - " Lola Gloria's son , my niece , Lola Gloria , and my nieces friend.

[Karl Welteke]

Flystar your input is most interesting to me. In deed we may have passed, a picture is below. It was shot about 2 pm 24th Feb 2013. A party was walking to the beach to catch a boat. But notice the red dress, that doesn’t seem to jive. And it seems to be a man and a young woman. I think, they asked whether I needed a ride.
Too bad there is not more in writing of the experience of the local population of that time. On the West Road, above Biaan I met a 90+ year old about 10 years ago, later I met his sons again at the same place who said he passed away.
The old man told me this about the West Road that is was build in the 1920s for logging; that in 1939 the US Army Engineers worked on the this road!!! That he worked in an aids station near by in 1942. He said a small hospital. Further he said he was writing a history about Mariveles in Filipino.
Do I understand, that you say, your niece took the picture of the plaque of that missing Japanese stature at Wuinawan on this visit and the plaque is still there?
Thanks for your input. And let me use this opportunity to thank all for all your great contribution.

[victor]

Karl, congratulations on your Longoskawayan finds. Good stuff

Flystar,thanks for posting the update. Were did your niece say they found the Buddha statue? Where is it now -- within the town? Thanks.

[cbuehler]

Hi Karl,
Regarding your finds: Left to right: US .30 cal. case, US .30 cal rifle stripper clip, US .30 cal. bullet tip, another .30 cal case, and the last a US .50 cal M2 ball bullet. Other than bullets and cases, US stripper clips seem to be the most commonly found items everywhere. I have one from practically ever major battle location. Japanese used stripper clips too, but they are almost never seen as they were made of a steel based metal and rust away, whereas the US were brass.
and Victor,
The cylindrical object is not from an op rod either. I just dont know what it could be, but still leaning towards some kink of electrical part. Would be very interested to here what Mr. Golla has to say regarding the appearance of Longoskawayan today relative to back then.
Cheers all!

CB

[Karl Welteke]

Coast Line of the Battle of the Points from Agloloma Bay to Bagac Town 2013-02-24

My partner Conrad Buehler and I planed to visit Quinauan Point,-Village,-Bay and Ridge line on this date by boat. On the way back, in the afternoon, the light being more favorable, I took a series of shots from south to north. But I arranged the pictures by the bays from south to north but for each bay the round of shots are organized left to right even though we passed the locations from right to left. There is a lady passenger with two small children in the pictures, she just hitched a ride with us going to Bagac.

These are some of the geographic landmarks on this trip: Quinauan Bay, Anyasan Bay, Silalin Bay, Canas Pt.,Binauangan Bay, Caibobo Pt., Paysawan Bay, Saysain Pt., Pasinay Pt., Bagac Pt.

When we drove back thru Bagac Town we stopped at the Bagac Death March Km Marker # 00. Thru fireball I got aware that this marker had more that just the 00 Km Marker, it has, just like the 00 Marker in Mariveles, a replica rifle with bayonet stuck into the ground to symbolize The Fallen. I had been here before and didn’t realize that here was more to see. Thanks fireball, so we took pictures and they are added at the end of this Battle of the Points Coast Line album

I have uploaded all 117 images into an album and I will present the album URL at the end here because I know that most people would not want to labor thru looking at an album just showing a far shore line.

But here are some sample images, the numbers are only for the purpose to find the images in my album:


327. Leaving Quinawan Village and Bay.


328. Canas Point, just north of Silalin Bay, this picture shows a natural cave.


329. Silalin Bay and small community, I know this place well, it is one of my important walking landmarks.


330. Binuangan Bay and it is a good size village. It is most likely a legal Barangay. The west road has a branch road down to here and it can be driven now but I never did. I always walked here from Paysawan Village. On my walks to the three Battle Points I walk thru here.


331. Caibobo Point and community is an interesting place. On two of my maps the community is called Romay but I’m sure the community here call themselves “Caibobo”. I used to walk thru here but I learned to bypass it because it saves in mileage. The coast line shows two long beaches and aerial image will show the rice land area, a little inland, in a large triangle shape.


332. The two Caibobo beaches.


333. Paysawan Bay is actual more like two bays, for my walks, there is branch off road down to the right bay, the south one, from the West Road. Also at that location is the main part of Paysawan Village which is large and most likely also a separate legal Barangay. As I said, I drive down here and all my walks south have started here.


334. We are closing Bagac and the unused Bataan Nuclear Power plant comes into view at left. The next ridge up, north of it was the Mauban Defense line in 1942. The Japanese hooked around it and established a road block on the West Road, either on that ridge where that power plant is or in the valley south of it. The Mountains that form the west side of Subic Bay are in view behind it.


336. Left is part of Bagac Point and right is the well known Monte Mar Resort.


337. Rounding Bagac Point and the beach community of Bagac is in front of us.


338. The Bagac Death March Marker # 00 also has the separate corner for the replica rifle with bayonet stuck into the ground to symbolize The Fallen! I had missed seeing it before on previous visits. Since I learned of it’s existence I definitely was going to get shots this time.

PS:
Here is that coast line album with all 117 images including 3 maps if you are brave enough to look at 117 images. And about 10 images of the Bagac Death March Marker Km #00 are at the end of this album:

THIS LINK WITH MULTIPLY IMAGE SHARING ACCOUNT IS DEAD FOR EVER. I have been having bad luck in choosing the right image sharing accounts. Multiply just dropped this service even though I had 2 year paid pro account with them.
Other personal activities will prevent me to tackle this problem for the next 4 month and today is 2013-03-24.
Also had problems with the Kodak sharing account in the past and now my Photobucket account is making things difficult also. DON’T RECOMMEND NEITHER ONE TO ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!

pisailor.multiply.com/photos/album/166/Battle-of-the-Points-Coast-Line-from-Agloloma-Bay-to-Bagac-Town-2013-02-24

Note: A reminder we have another great thread about the Battle of the Point started by chadhill, it is from a 1986 visit by inflatable boat and it also got a couple aerial shots:
corregidor.proboards.com/thread/793/quinauan-point-1986