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Post by fots2 on Dec 14, 2010 17:32:44 GMT 8
Hi chadhill, From the 1936 map, the distance between the two water tanks is 260 feet. There is at least one hole in the tank wall. Honestly I was not looking for holes, there may be more. If I remember correctly it is in the south side and about 3ft above the ground. The Japanese could have supported the machine gun on something to fire out of there. Here is a photo of the hole.
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Post by okla on Dec 14, 2010 23:18:02 GMT 8
Hey Guys....This is, as usual, good provacative stuff. These "little" Corregidor "riddles" and mysteries are never ending. I, for one, am tickled to death about that. Cheers.
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Post by chadhill on Dec 15, 2010 10:22:58 GMT 8
Fots, that kind of looks like this hole, which I found in the tank in 1986. Looking at the very bottom right of the hole, a trace of light can be seen through the other side of the tank. Maybe it is blocked out by that large concrete (?) block in your photo. Thank you for taking the time to check the distance between the water tanks. 260 feet...nearly 87 yards. That sounds like a long grenade throw, but then, they may have been on top of the tall tank, which would help. Still, to throw accurately that far at night, and to the inside of the short tank, which still had some of its roof left to block a grenade, makes me wonder. But stranger things have happened. Okla, yes it could be another one of those little Corregidor mysteries. Even stranger, I have come across a couple of accounts that seem to say there were two short tanks on Denver Hill, in addition to the tall tower. Looking above at the B&W February 1945 Water Tank Hill photo, I see a dark object behind and to the left of the tower. Can't say for sure if it's a water tank, but it doesn't strike me as looking like the stubby short tank I saw in '86. That couldn't possibly be, Fots, could it? I better call it a night-
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Post by fots2 on Dec 15, 2010 14:35:29 GMT 8
Hi chadhill,
That large block in my photo is a metal tank inside the old destroyed concrete tank.
I see no other tanks on the 1936 map but they had more than five years (until 1942) for new construction that is not recorded. I don’t know of any other tanks in the area today.
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Post by chadhill on Dec 21, 2010 10:01:55 GMT 8
Fots, I wonder when the metal tank was installed. I'm not sure I remember it from the 1980s, but I sort of remember that pipe inside the water tank in one of your photos...must be the "over-fifty" syndrome, I guess. I kind of bite my lip posting this 1986 photo, because it's such poor quality. This is the other side of the tall tank (salt water). The growth was so dense it was impossible to hack it all down with my bolo if I wanted to have time to see anything else that day. Only because the famous tank is gone forever and there seems to be almost no recent time pictures of it would I post this.
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Post by chadhill on Jan 4, 2011 15:42:33 GMT 8
I've watched a couple of 1942 Japanese newsreels that had brief glimpses of Water Tank Hill. What struck me was that the Japanese took pictures of only the tall (salt water) tank. The short (fresh water) tank was not shown at all. There was no hand-grenade reenacting in these particular newsreels, just short, panning views as the narrator spoke Japanese in the background. It was evident that the footage was taken shortly after the battle, because other segments showed U.S. POWs walking around Malinta Tunnel and finally ending up in the 92nd Garage Area. One narrated scene that showed the tall tank lasted about 20 seconds. Although I don't speak Japanese, I couldn't help but wonder why the narrator would focus on one tank only, and not the other. Maybe he figured the height would be more impressive to a Japanese audience. But the thought struck me that surviving Japanese soldiers may have led him to believe that more of the fighting occurred at the tall tank. The tank that was bulldozed in recent years. Salt water tank, Water Tank Hill. Post-battle, 1942.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 4, 2011 21:45:50 GMT 8
I'm not sure this is the same water tower, but last night I was transcribing some abstracts of death records and found this:
63. Sobert Richard Nuest, Ens., USNR, Swore on May 22, 1943, that George L. Cook, SF2c, USN, while a prisoner of war at the 92d Garage, Corregidor Island, PI, was sent out of the prison area on a wood gathering detail and that this occurred on May 17, 1942; that while in the vicinity of the water tower in the eastern sectar of Corregidor Island Cook picked up a hand grenade which exploded, killing him instantly; that his body was brought to the 92d Garage and identified by Richard Enoch Tirk, Ens., USNR, that the foregoing facts were related to me by Ens. Kirk and that I believe them to be true.
Even if it is not the same water tower, it is consistent with there having been a grenade battle in the area and may be indicative of the amount of duds. Sad, though that someone would survive such fighting only to die from XO.
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Post by chadhill on Jan 5, 2011 0:37:45 GMT 8
Johneakin, by chance have you seen any death records on USMC Sergeants John H. Sweeny or John E. Haskin, the two marines who were killed throwing grenades from one of the water tanks? Sweeney died on top of a tank, and Haskin died while climbing the tank to resupply his friend with grenades. According to one account Sweeney's body was not found and recovered until 1946. I've wondered if any surviving records would say which tank his remains were found on.
Also, I see again that the words "water tower", rather than "water tank", were used. On a hill where there are two tanks, one tall and one short, it strikes me that "tower" would apply to the taller structure. The short tank has never seemed like a "tower" to me. It's easier to see how Sergeant Sweeney's remains may have gone undetected until after the war if they were on top of the tall tank.
It's occurred to me that Sweeney and Haskin may have climbed and thrown grenades from both water tanks that night. In all the frantic confusion it appears that some territory on the hill changed hands back and forth several times.
That would explain some things.
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Post by JohnEakin on Jan 5, 2011 8:41:35 GMT 8
Not yet, but we still have a long way to go. Most of what I'm working on now are from the Death March or Corregidor. Most just say I saw the bodies of blank. But every now and then there's some narrative. Here's one:
During the engagement with the enemy in the vicinity of Kindley Field following the hostile landing on Ft Mills, and at about 0200 6 May 1942 I observed Capt Noel D. Castle, C.O., Co D, 1st Bn, 4th Rgr, walking the Malinta Point trail at _ towards the north side of the road. PFC Edward G. Free, USMC and I were manning a machine gun about 20 yards away. Upon recognizing Capt. Castle I called out, “Go back, there is a sniper shooting this way”. Without stopping Capt. Castle continued on. About a yard from the enbankment on the north side of the road he was hit by what I believe to be rifle or machine gun bullets. I saw him fall forward and disappear from sight over the edge of the road. Shortly after this the enemy opened up with an artillery concentration from Bataan and Free and I were forced to take cover. I jumped into a nearby hole and Free ran across the road into the draw where Capt Castle lay. The concentration lasted maybe ten or fifteen minutes after which each of us returned to our gun. Free then told me that Capt. Castle was hit in the chest and abdomen and was in a bad way. He told me that the Captain could not move and that he had loosened his pistol belt and other equipment. We then moved our gun to a new position and continued in the fight. I did not see Capt. Castle after he fell over the edge of the road.
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Post by chadhill on Jan 5, 2011 10:06:59 GMT 8
That's very interesting, Johneakin. I had not read such a detailed account of his demise before. Captain Castle was also involved in much of the fighting at the Denver gun pits and water tanks. Thank you for providing that account, the records of what happened in the area that night are so sparse. Please keep us posted on your fascinating research. 1937 USMC photo of Captain Noel Castle
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