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Alamo in the Philippines: The Battle of Fort Hughes June 20-21, 1942
American Garrison (Colonel Valentine Foster, US Army, commanding)
3rd Coast Artillery (Philippine Army) 350 men, 36 M2 (30 caliber) machine guns, 36 BAR, organized into 3 companies of 90 men each, the remainder combat support and command.
3rd Battalion / 59th Coast Artillery (US Army, with Philippine Army and Navy replacements) 450 men, manning Batteries Gillespie, Woodruff, Craighill, Leach, Fuger, Williams, and Idaho.
HQ and support garrison command (30 men, mixed US Army and Philippine Army)
total garrison: 830 men
Heavily pounded during the 1st and 2nd Bombardments, Fort Hughes has 2 x 14 inch guns operational (Battery Gillespie and Woodruff), 1 x 12 inch mortar operational (Battery Craighill), but the open mounts of the Battery Leach (2 x 6 inch guns) and Battery Williams (3 x 155 mm guns) were total wrecked beyond repair, and only 1 of the 3 inch guns of Battery Fuger and 2 of the 3 inch AA guns of Battery William remain operational.
The island is very similar to Corregidor in topography, with a low, middle and topside of the island, albeit on a much smaller scale. The heavy guns and AA guns are topside, with the mortars middleside and the smaller guns on the lowest portion of the island (essentially the tale). One company of machine gunners is assigned to each portion of the island. The glaring weakness is that only a single anti landing craft gun and it is facing the wrong direction. Little can be done however is there are no other guns available on the island and no way to move any from Corregidor.
Japanese assault force
Admiral Niimi commits his entire landing force, 3 reinforced battalions of troops, each with 4 companies of infantry and 1 heavy weapons company. He has 60 landing craft available and they have been practicing since they arrived on June 5 at Balayan Bay. Leading the force and in command of the landing attempt is a veteran of several amphibious landings in China, Captain Keiji Shibazaki, who has been brought over from China Fleet staff for just this purpose. The landing craft move along the shore taking advantage of a gap cleared over the previous days by very careful mine-sweeping by Japanese sailors in small boats.
The attack force is organized into 8 waves, each with 5 assault craft, with 20 landing craft modified into gunboats (each with 2 x 25 mm guns, 1 x 75 mm howitzer and 2 x 120 mm mortars). The narrowness of the landing zone dictates the size of the landing zone. The heavy mortars and light artillery from the landing forces are meanwhile moved to Fort Frank in the days leading up to the landing. Spotters are also moved to the burned out wreckage of Fort Drum to better observe American positions on Corregidor and Caballo.
The Assault
At 2200 hours June 20, Navy float planes begin dropping flares over Corregidor and in the waters between the two islands which serve to back-light Caballo Island and thus make it easier for the landing craft to aim for it while keeping them in darkness. Navy bombers make a continual stream of runs over Corregidor and Caballo (a pair at a time for several minutes each) dropping small bombs which serve to hide the sound of the approaching engines and also keep the garrison under cover aside from anti-aircraft crews.
Meanwhile the Japanese landing forces departs Cavite just before dark and by midnight the first of the landing craft and their supporting gunboats are within 2,000 yards of the island.
The Japanese first wave is a mere couple of hundred yards from the beach when the first observers from the garrison determine something is amiss, and dropping their ramps before anyone can give the order to fire. Thus 3 companies of the 8th Sasebo SNLF are ashore and amongst the defenders of the 1st platoon, Battery L, 3rd Coast Artillery (Philippine Army) before the machine gunners can open up. The Filipino troops and single American (the platoon sergeant) are overwhelmed in a brief and savage fight, and none manage to escape. However the flanking platoon opens fire soon after, and a scratch force of American and Filipino gunners from Battery Fuger and Battery Leach counterattack, and buy a little time although with devastating casualties that shatters the entire Filipino-American force.
By then the second wave is landing, and 3 companies of the 1st Maizura are ashore and bypassing the fight underway, begin making their way up the hill toward Battery Craighill and positions held by Battery H, 3rd Coast Artillery. Now fully alert, but still handicapped by the darkness, the defenders are hard pressed to find targets which makes up for the confusion the Japanese Naval troops are having as they climb up a steep hill in the dark.
Unmolested by shore fire, the remaining waves continue to land troops and supplies over the next
2 hours, along with a handful of light tanks and several small mountain guns, while heavy mortars from Carabao Island rain high explosives and illumination rounds on the top of the island and on the positions held by Battery Gillispie and Woodward, Battery Idaho, and the remainder of the 3rd Coast Artillery and the command posts. This keeps the defenders pinned down and under cover.
It takes two hours for the Japanese to wipe out the defenders holding the middle and lower ends of the island, with only a handful of Filipino defenders and a single American escaping up the hill. Japanese losses are heavy but acceptable, with 200 or so wounded or dead, and all 3 of the Japanese landing teams are intact and combat effective. At this point, at 0300, Colonel Foster attempts to surrender and orders the destruction of his remaining artillery. Sadly, in the confusion and darkness, the men he sends forward to offer that surrender are killed by Japanese fire. Postwar it is determined that most likely the Japanese did not understand what was happening in the darkness.
At 0330, the Japanese launch their final assault, and while the defenders inflict some casualties they are quickly overwhelmed. There is no organized surrender although as the fighting lasts until first light a few dozen Filipinos and a few Americans are able to successfully surrender. Japanese casualties run to another 150 in the last fight. There are no other survivors among the defenders aside from the 34 Filipino and 4 American enlisted men who managed to successfully surrender once it was light enough to see and who survived the process of trying to surrender. Only a single American managed to successfully swim to Corregidor after hiding on the 21st and he is taken to Malinta Hill just after midnight on June 22.
Within days the Japanese have mortars and light guns in position to open fire at will on the lower portions of Corregidor and a valuable observation post within easy sight of most of the island.
victor at Fort Hughes, Captain Keiji Shibazaki
3rd Coast Artillery (Philippine Army) 350 men, 36 M2 (30 caliber) machine guns, 36 BAR, organized into 3 companies of 90 men each, the remainder combat support and command.
3rd Battalion / 59th Coast Artillery (US Army, with Philippine Army and Navy replacements) 450 men, manning Batteries Gillespie, Woodruff, Craighill, Leach, Fuger, Williams, and Idaho.
HQ and support garrison command (30 men, mixed US Army and Philippine Army)
total garrison: 830 men
Heavily pounded during the 1st and 2nd Bombardments, Fort Hughes has 2 x 14 inch guns operational (Battery Gillespie and Woodruff), 1 x 12 inch mortar operational (Battery Craighill), but the open mounts of the Battery Leach (2 x 6 inch guns) and Battery Williams (3 x 155 mm guns) were total wrecked beyond repair, and only 1 of the 3 inch guns of Battery Fuger and 2 of the 3 inch AA guns of Battery William remain operational.
The island is very similar to Corregidor in topography, with a low, middle and topside of the island, albeit on a much smaller scale. The heavy guns and AA guns are topside, with the mortars middleside and the smaller guns on the lowest portion of the island (essentially the tale). One company of machine gunners is assigned to each portion of the island. The glaring weakness is that only a single anti landing craft gun and it is facing the wrong direction. Little can be done however is there are no other guns available on the island and no way to move any from Corregidor.
Japanese assault force
Admiral Niimi commits his entire landing force, 3 reinforced battalions of troops, each with 4 companies of infantry and 1 heavy weapons company. He has 60 landing craft available and they have been practicing since they arrived on June 5 at Balayan Bay. Leading the force and in command of the landing attempt is a veteran of several amphibious landings in China, Captain Keiji Shibazaki, who has been brought over from China Fleet staff for just this purpose. The landing craft move along the shore taking advantage of a gap cleared over the previous days by very careful mine-sweeping by Japanese sailors in small boats.
The attack force is organized into 8 waves, each with 5 assault craft, with 20 landing craft modified into gunboats (each with 2 x 25 mm guns, 1 x 75 mm howitzer and 2 x 120 mm mortars). The narrowness of the landing zone dictates the size of the landing zone. The heavy mortars and light artillery from the landing forces are meanwhile moved to Fort Frank in the days leading up to the landing. Spotters are also moved to the burned out wreckage of Fort Drum to better observe American positions on Corregidor and Caballo.
The Assault
At 2200 hours June 20, Navy float planes begin dropping flares over Corregidor and in the waters between the two islands which serve to back-light Caballo Island and thus make it easier for the landing craft to aim for it while keeping them in darkness. Navy bombers make a continual stream of runs over Corregidor and Caballo (a pair at a time for several minutes each) dropping small bombs which serve to hide the sound of the approaching engines and also keep the garrison under cover aside from anti-aircraft crews.
Meanwhile the Japanese landing forces departs Cavite just before dark and by midnight the first of the landing craft and their supporting gunboats are within 2,000 yards of the island.
The Japanese first wave is a mere couple of hundred yards from the beach when the first observers from the garrison determine something is amiss, and dropping their ramps before anyone can give the order to fire. Thus 3 companies of the 8th Sasebo SNLF are ashore and amongst the defenders of the 1st platoon, Battery L, 3rd Coast Artillery (Philippine Army) before the machine gunners can open up. The Filipino troops and single American (the platoon sergeant) are overwhelmed in a brief and savage fight, and none manage to escape. However the flanking platoon opens fire soon after, and a scratch force of American and Filipino gunners from Battery Fuger and Battery Leach counterattack, and buy a little time although with devastating casualties that shatters the entire Filipino-American force.
By then the second wave is landing, and 3 companies of the 1st Maizura are ashore and bypassing the fight underway, begin making their way up the hill toward Battery Craighill and positions held by Battery H, 3rd Coast Artillery. Now fully alert, but still handicapped by the darkness, the defenders are hard pressed to find targets which makes up for the confusion the Japanese Naval troops are having as they climb up a steep hill in the dark.
Unmolested by shore fire, the remaining waves continue to land troops and supplies over the next
2 hours, along with a handful of light tanks and several small mountain guns, while heavy mortars from Carabao Island rain high explosives and illumination rounds on the top of the island and on the positions held by Battery Gillispie and Woodward, Battery Idaho, and the remainder of the 3rd Coast Artillery and the command posts. This keeps the defenders pinned down and under cover.
It takes two hours for the Japanese to wipe out the defenders holding the middle and lower ends of the island, with only a handful of Filipino defenders and a single American escaping up the hill. Japanese losses are heavy but acceptable, with 200 or so wounded or dead, and all 3 of the Japanese landing teams are intact and combat effective. At this point, at 0300, Colonel Foster attempts to surrender and orders the destruction of his remaining artillery. Sadly, in the confusion and darkness, the men he sends forward to offer that surrender are killed by Japanese fire. Postwar it is determined that most likely the Japanese did not understand what was happening in the darkness.
At 0330, the Japanese launch their final assault, and while the defenders inflict some casualties they are quickly overwhelmed. There is no organized surrender although as the fighting lasts until first light a few dozen Filipinos and a few Americans are able to successfully surrender. Japanese casualties run to another 150 in the last fight. There are no other survivors among the defenders aside from the 34 Filipino and 4 American enlisted men who managed to successfully surrender once it was light enough to see and who survived the process of trying to surrender. Only a single American managed to successfully swim to Corregidor after hiding on the 21st and he is taken to Malinta Hill just after midnight on June 22.
Within days the Japanese have mortars and light guns in position to open fire at will on the lower portions of Corregidor and a valuable observation post within easy sight of most of the island.
victor at Fort Hughes, Captain Keiji Shibazaki
- galveston bay
- Word Count: 1.2k