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A change in command February 1 1942
Evacuation of General Eisenhower
On January 30, 1942, the USS Tarpon arrives at Corregidor carrying the aid de camp of Admiral Bellinger on board with plans from the Admiral for the evacuation of Eisenhower and other key staff. At the same time Eisenhower receives a Presidential order to leave Luzon and to proceed to Singapore and then Australia before flying to Washington to confer with General Marshal, Secretary Stimson and the President on February 20. The order continues that after that conference he is to return to Australia to take command of all Allied forces in South and the Southwest Pacific under the command of Admiral Nimitz (who is overall theater commander of the Pacific Theater).
Although leaving his men behind is profoundly distasteful Eisenhower has little choice but to accept the order. An order is radioed to General Ord promoting him to Lieutenant General and commander of US forces in the Philippines at his new headquarters in Cebu City. Wainwright is appointed commander of US Forces Luzon under the authority of Ord and thus Eisenhower. General King is appointed commander of Bataan, while General Moore will remain as commander of the harbor defenses.
Orders are also given for the evacuation of all the remaining officers of PT Squadron 3, and the 4 remaining boats are to be turned over to officers of the Philippine Coast Guard. The enlisted men are reassigned to other duties or remain with the boats as advisors. Those officers leave with the submarine, along with several older staff officers with important skills, on February 2. All of them are returned to the United States where they will rise in the PT Boat force which will grow significantly over the next couple of years and see action in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.
On the evening of January 31, 8 PBY Catalina patrol bombers, stripped of most of their enlisted men crew, land just before dark. General Eisenhower, his Chief of Staff General Beebe, their aides including Captain Edwin Ramsey, as well as several company executive officers, platoon leaders and senior NCOs from the 31st US Infantry, 65th US Infantry, 192nd and 194th Tank Battalions, 26th Cavalry, and 1st Separate Battalion (USMC) as Eisenhower wants experienced combat officers and senior NCOs to be sent home to pass on their experience but does not want to gut those units completely of good officers. A total of 90 men are flown out an hour after the aircraft land and all successfully complete their first leg to Singapore, arriving just before dawn. There Eisenhower meets with Wavell and finds that the British defenders are demoralized, at least at the command level, particularly their commander General Percival.
The meeting with General Eisenhower however, who is confident his troops will hold out for months and who has fought a successful battle with the Japanese does trigger a decision by Wavell that will have substantial consequences.
On January 30, 1942, the USS Tarpon arrives at Corregidor carrying the aid de camp of Admiral Bellinger on board with plans from the Admiral for the evacuation of Eisenhower and other key staff. At the same time Eisenhower receives a Presidential order to leave Luzon and to proceed to Singapore and then Australia before flying to Washington to confer with General Marshal, Secretary Stimson and the President on February 20. The order continues that after that conference he is to return to Australia to take command of all Allied forces in South and the Southwest Pacific under the command of Admiral Nimitz (who is overall theater commander of the Pacific Theater).
Although leaving his men behind is profoundly distasteful Eisenhower has little choice but to accept the order. An order is radioed to General Ord promoting him to Lieutenant General and commander of US forces in the Philippines at his new headquarters in Cebu City. Wainwright is appointed commander of US Forces Luzon under the authority of Ord and thus Eisenhower. General King is appointed commander of Bataan, while General Moore will remain as commander of the harbor defenses.
Orders are also given for the evacuation of all the remaining officers of PT Squadron 3, and the 4 remaining boats are to be turned over to officers of the Philippine Coast Guard. The enlisted men are reassigned to other duties or remain with the boats as advisors. Those officers leave with the submarine, along with several older staff officers with important skills, on February 2. All of them are returned to the United States where they will rise in the PT Boat force which will grow significantly over the next couple of years and see action in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.
On the evening of January 31, 8 PBY Catalina patrol bombers, stripped of most of their enlisted men crew, land just before dark. General Eisenhower, his Chief of Staff General Beebe, their aides including Captain Edwin Ramsey, as well as several company executive officers, platoon leaders and senior NCOs from the 31st US Infantry, 65th US Infantry, 192nd and 194th Tank Battalions, 26th Cavalry, and 1st Separate Battalion (USMC) as Eisenhower wants experienced combat officers and senior NCOs to be sent home to pass on their experience but does not want to gut those units completely of good officers. A total of 90 men are flown out an hour after the aircraft land and all successfully complete their first leg to Singapore, arriving just before dawn. There Eisenhower meets with Wavell and finds that the British defenders are demoralized, at least at the command level, particularly their commander General Percival.
The meeting with General Eisenhower however, who is confident his troops will hold out for months and who has fought a successful battle with the Japanese does trigger a decision by Wavell that will have substantial consequences.
- galveston bay
- Word Count: 490