Bataan became a
U.S rallying cry, but the Army's reward for its hopeless, heroic defense
of this corner of Luzon was bitterness and torture. Major General
Edward King's 78,000 troops were down to one-third rations when the
enemy began a push on April 3, 1942.
Although Major General Jonathan Wainwright (who succeeded MacArthur
forbade it, King surrendered his starving remnants on April 9. Then began
the Death march out of Bataan.
The Japanese brought down big guns to shell corregidor, began their
landings surrendered Corregidor's 10,000.
Troops in the Southern Philippines refused his orders to quit.
Nonetheless on June 9, having lost only 4.100 killed in half a year's
fighting, the Japanese could announce that organized resistance had ended. |
