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SSG Justin Davis
to remember
Alt, Titus Lilbern, T/4.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Pendleton County
Casualty Date Jul 19, 1942
Cause MIA-Died in Captivity
Reason Unknown, Not Reported
Location Philippines
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery - Taguig City, Philippines
Philippine Islands Campaign (1941-42)/Battle of Corregidor
From Month/Year
December / 1941
To Month/Year
May / 1942
Description On December 22, Japanese forces landed at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon. Unable to halt the Japanese advance, General Douglas MacArthur ordered US and Filipino forces to retreat to defensive positions on Bataan. To oversee operations, MacArthur shifted his headquarters to the Malinta Tunnel on Corregidor. For this, he was derisively nicknamed "Dugout Doug" by the troops fighting on Bataan. Corregidor first came under attack on December 29 when Japanese aircraft began a bombing campaign against the island. Lasting for several days, these raids destroyed many of the building on the island.
While fighting raged on Bataan, the defenders of Corregidor, consisting largely of Colonel Samuel L. Howard's 4th Marines and elements of several other units, endured siege conditions as food supplies slowly dwindled. Efforts to re-supply Corregidor largely failed as ships were intercepted by the Japanese. Prior to its fall, only one vessel successfully reached the island with provisions. As the situation on Bataan deteriorated, MacArthur received orders from President Franklin Roosevelt to leave the Philippines and escape to Australia. Initially refusing, he was convinced by his chief of staff to go.
Departing on the night of March 12, 1942, he turned over command in the Philippines to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright. As the position on Bataan neared collapse, around 1,200 men were shifted to Corregidor from the peninsula. With no alternatives remaining, Major General Edward King was forced to surrender Bataan on April 9. Having secured Bataan, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma turned his attention to capturing Corregidor and eliminating enemy resistance around Manila. On April 28, Major General Kizon Mikami's 22nd Air Brigade began an aerial offensive against the island.
Fall of Corregidor:
Shifting artillery to the southern part of Bataan, Homma began a relentless bombardment of the island on May 1. This continued until May 5 when Japanese troops under Major General Kureo Tanaguchi boarded landing craft to assault Corregidor. Just before midnight, an intense artillery barrage hammered the area between North and Cavalry Points near the island's tail. Storming ashore, the initial wave of Japanese infantry met fierce resistance and was hampered by oil which coated Corregidor's beaches. Gaining a foothold, they made effective use of Type 89 grenade dischargers known as "knee mortars."
Fighting heavy currents, the second Japanese attack attempted to land further east. Hit hard as they came ashore, the assault was largely repulsed by the 4th Marines and the survivors shifted west to join with the first wave. Struggling inland, the Japanese began to make some gains and by 1:30 AM on May 6 had captured Battery Denver. Becoming a focal point of the battle, the 4th Marines quickly moved to recover the battery. Heavy fighting ensued which saw the Japanese slowly overwhelm the Marines as reinforcements arrived from the mainland.
With the situation desperate, Howard committed his reserves around 4:00 AM. Moving forward, approximately 500 Marines were slowed by Japanese snipers which had infiltrated through the lines. Though suffering from ammunition shortages, the Japanese took advantage of their superior numbers and continued to press the defenders. Around 9:30 AM, the Japanese succeeded in landing three tanks on the island. These proved key in driving the defenders back to trenches near the entrance to the Malinta Tunnel. With over 1,000 helpless wounded in the Tunnel's hospital, Wainwright began to contemplate surrender.
Aftermath of Corregidor:
Meeting with his commanders, Wainwright saw no other option but to capitulate. Radioing Roosevelt, Wainwright stated, "There is a limit of human endurance, and that point has long been passed." While Howard burned the 4th Marines' colors to prevent capture, Wainwright sent emissaries to discuss terms with Homma. Though Wainwright only wished to surrender the men on Corregidor, Homma insisted that he surrender all remaining US and Filipino forces in the Philippines. Concerned about those US forces that had already been captured as well as those on Corregidor, Wainwright saw little choice but comply with this order. As a result, large formations such as Major General William Sharp's Visayan-Mindanao Force were forced to surrender without having played a role in the campaign.
Though Sharp complied with the surrender order, many of his men continued to battle the Japanese as guerillas. The fighting for Corregidor saw Wainwright lose around 800 killed, 1,000 wounded, and 11,000 captured. Japanese losses numbered 900 killed and 1,200 wounded. While Wainwright was imprisoned in Formosa and Manchuria for the remainder of the war, his men were taken to prison camps around the Philippines as well as used for slave labor in other parts of the Japanese Empire. Corregidor remained under Japanese control until Allied forces liberated the island in February 1945.
