Re: Pearl Harbor Day

Greg Scholl Wrote:
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> Pearl Harbor started it and Midway turned the tide
> after the Doolittle Raid gave them a taste of
> their own medicine. I recently saw the new movie
> "Midway" which covers all three of these events.
> All I have read seems to point out it is much more
> "Correct History" than the one with Charleton
> Heston. I recommend it. Lots of SBD Dauntless
> and CGI effects, but well done for the most part.
> About 5 years ago one of the Atlanta Wing of the
> Commemorative Air Force brought a Dauntless to
> Cincinnati and I did a video on it. At the time
> only 2 were operational!
>
> Locally, there was a radio interview with a PH
> survivor, and he was 98!
>
> Greg

Greg, There was another incident during that time which seldom gets covered anymore. I guess because we didn't finish on top. On Dec 8th Japan attacked the USAAC's Clark Field base in the Philippines. That was the start of the defense of the Philippines which ended with the surrender of Corregidor. An uncle was with the Air Corp at Clark Field. The troops there fought their way down to Bataan where they eventually surrendered and had to endure the infamous "death march". My uncle was "lucky". He was wounded in Bataan and transported to the Army Hospital on Corregidor, missing the march. After the surrender of Bataan, the Japanese started the siege, and a 24 hr a day bombardment, of Corregidor. The American (and Filipino) troops held out for about three months during which my "lucky" uncle was again wounded. When the island surrendered he was put on an unmarked* hospital ship flying Japan's colors and transported to the island of Japan and when he recovered enough (by the guards' standards) put to work in the mines. They were liberated 3 1/2 years later.

*I understand that some of those unmarked hospital ships were sunk by Allied submarines.