This is where my Dad was on this date in 1945. I was 7 months old.


Seizure of Malinta Hill

At the same time the 503rd paratroopers touched down at 'Topside', the first wave of 3rd Battalion under Lt. Col. Edward M. Postlethwait of the 24th Infantry Division's 34th Infantry Regiment (under Col. Aubrey S. "Red" Newman) waded ashore and established a beachhead at San Jose Point on the eastern end of Corregidor named 'Black Beach'. The succeeding waves of troops took the brunt of the hastily organized Japanese defense, and several landing craft and infantrymen became victims of landmines. The battalion pushed inland against sporadic resistance, mostly from groups coming out of the subterranean passages of the island to waylay the advancing American troops.

Two 3rd Battalion units—K and L Companies under Captains Frank Centanni and Lewis F. Stearns, respectively—managed to secure the road and both northern and southern entrances to Malinta Hill, while Capt. Gilbert Heaberlin's A Company stationed itself near the waterline. I Company—under 1st Lt. Paul Cain—occupied the North Dock and guarded the harbor. They intended to keep the Japanese troops inside the tunnel as other units moved inland, accompanied by tanks and flamethrowers; weapons that devastated pillboxes and tunnels in the surrounding areas held by the Japanese. For eight straight days until 23 February, these units staved off successive banzai charges, mortar attacks, and even a suicide squad of soldiers with explosives strapped to their bodies; they killed over 300 Japanese.

On 21 February at 21:30, Malinta Hill reacted like a volcano when several detonations in quick succession tore it asunder. The Japanese trapped inside had blown themselves up, and after the explosions and rock falls ceased, some 50 Japanese exited the cave to attack, the Americans shot them down. Two nights later, a similar attack happened. Finally, engineers went to work, poured large quantities of gasoline down the tunnels and set them afire, they then sealed the tunnels' entrances. After some time, silence finally reigned inside Malinta Hill.

There were no more organized Japanese attacks for the rest of the campaign. Only isolated pockets of resistance continued to fight on until 26 February, when Corregidor was finally declared secured.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/..._of_Corregidor_(1945)

The use of paratroopers in the Pacific is fascinating to me. One rarely thinks of their use there.

Yesterday, The History channel carried a great mini-series on the war in the Pacific, all in color. Nimitz's island hopping strategy was constantly criticized by McCarthur.

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Yesterday, The History channel carried a great mini-series on the war in the Pacific, all in color. Nimitz's island hopping strategy was constantly criticized by McCarthur.

The same buffoon who said he could easily brush aside the Chinese in Korea.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
The use of paratroopers in the Pacific is fascinating to me. One rarely thinks of their use there.

Yep. ETO Airborne gets all the recognition, but there were six largely unknown/forgotten US airborne drops in the PTO during WW2, performed by the 11th Airborne Division and the independent 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment:

-503rd PIR dropped on New Guinea in September 1943
-503rd PIR dropped on Dutch New Guinea in July 1944.
-Elements of the 11th Airborne Division dropped on Luzon in the Phillipines in February 1945.
-Elements of the 11th Airborne Division dropped on Luzon during the Los Banos Raid in February 1945.
-503rd PIR dropped on Corregidor in February 1945.
-Elements of the 11th Airborne Division dropped yet again on Luzon in June 1945.


The British/Indian Army also made a combat jump in the CBI Theater, with elements of the 44th Airborne Division (India) dropping on Rangoon in May 1945.


And the Japanese made use of both large- and small-scale airborne operations throughout the war.

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Yesterday, The History channel carried a great mini-series on the war in the Pacific, all in color. Nimitz's island hopping strategy was constantly criticized by McCarthur.

So General, how did Nimitz's island hopping differ from your leapfrogging strong points as you worked your way up the coast of New Guinea?

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Yesterday, The History channel carried a great mini-series on the war in the Pacific, all in color. Nimitz's island hopping strategy was constantly criticized by McCarthur.

The same buffoon who said he could easily brush aside the Chinese in Korea.

Patton was a much better general, but he was more interested in winning battles than politics and PR.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Yesterday, The History channel carried a great mini-series on the war in the Pacific, all in color. Nimitz's island hopping strategy was constantly criticized by McCarthur.

So General, how did Nimitz's island hopping differ from your leapfrogging strong points as you worked your way up the coast of New Guinea?

It didn't. MacArthur wanted to liberate the Philippines as fast as possible, and he viewed any other steategy as a drain on his resources.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:

quote:

Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Yesterday, The History channel carried a great mini-series on the war in the Pacific, all in color. Nimitz's island hopping strategy was constantly criticized by McCarthur.

So General, how did Nimitz's island hopping differ from your leapfrogging strong points as you worked your way up the coast of New Guinea?

MacArthur was absolutely insistent that the Philippines be liberated, thus taking the campaign deep into the South Pacific, by way of Marshall's, Solomons, and New Guinea. Whereas Nimitz wanted to more or, less go straight across the Pacific, first the Marianas (Guam, Saipan, Tinian), invade Formosa (Taiwan), then strike Japan itself.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
The use of paratroopers in the Pacific is fascinating to me. One rarely thinks of their use there.

Rod Serling of (Twilight Zone) writer was in a Paratrooper unit in the Pacific.

I have been to Corregidor; about 25 years ago while in Manila for work. It stands out like a trip to Normandy.

Going inside the caves and knowing that the blown up side tunnels still contain the Japanese soldiers behind all that rock gives you a minor sense of what took place on that island. At the time I was there, there were many artillery pieces silently rusting away.

What was surprising was the number of Japanese tourists and memorials to the Japanese dead. They were everywhere. It was eye opening to understand that the Japanese venerated their fallen as we do. I expected that from the western countries but didn't expect it to be so prevalent for Japan.

It was one of many interesting, but far apart places, in the pacific theater where the Greatest Generation served.

I too have been to the island about 30 years ago.

To me it was very sobering to see the many Japanese memorials and the amount of artillery pieces still there, the tunnels, and to imagine what a battle must have been like on the islands during the war.

My father in laws dad was a paratrooper and fought there. He said he landed on a golf course. The greatest generation.

quote:

Originally posted by satch:
Rod Serling of (Twilight Zone) writer was in a Paratrooper unit in the Pacific.

Yep. He took part in the 11th Airborne Division's combat drop on Luzon in February 1945.