Retribution_ The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 - Max Hastings [159]
The Japanese held positions prepared with their usual skill, and were soon killing Americans. “This is terrible country to fight in432, jungle thicker than Biak, heat is prostrating…There is an awful lot of combat hysteria among the new recruits and heat exhaustion among all hands,” wrote Captain Paul Austin of the 34th Infantry. On board the transports to Luzon, his regiment had suddenly received an intake of eight hundred replacements: “They had no chance to learn their duties or who their non-coms were. They had a high incidence of hysteria and caused deaths of many of our old men by freezing under fire.”
In the south, however, at first there was less resistance. XIV Corps advanced towards Manila under relentless goading from the theatre commander. “General MacArthur visited433 Corps CP,” Gen. Oscar Griswold of XIV Corps wrote in his diary on 14 January. “Said he expected little opposition, that the battle of the Philippines had already been won on Leyte. I do not have his optimism.” As late as 23 January, MacArthur was raging against “Sir Charles” Willoughby for allegedly overestimating Japanese strength. The general said petulantly: “I don’t see how I have gotten434 as far as I have with the staff I have been surrounded with.” Eichelberger of Eighth Army reported this remark to his wife, adding with relish: “So you see, they all have their troubles.”
Griswold’s men reached the forward defences of Clark Field a week later. Around the air base they fought a sluggish series of battles to secure the commanding heights. These provoked bad-tempered recriminations between elements of Sixth Army. The 129th Infantry, for instance, protested at the flight of its supporting tanks, which refused to return to the line even when the regiment found itself facing a Japanese armoured attack at Tacondo. MacArthur accused the 37th Division of “a notable lack of drive and aggressive initiative.” Krueger wrote angrily to Kenney, the air chief: “I must insist that you take435 effective measures to stop the bombing and strafing of our ground forces by friendly planes.”
XI Corps made a new beach landing at San Antonio, north-west of Manila, on 29 January, and on 31 January two regiments of 11th Airborne Division came ashore at Nasugbu, some forty-five miles south-west of the capital, and began their own advance on the city, soon joined by a third regiment which parachuted in. By 4 February, the first airborne units were on the outskirts of Manila, facing the main southern defence line. A glider infantry company commander famously radioed his battalion: “Tell Admiral Halsey to stop looking for the Jap fleet. It’s dug in here on Nichols Field.”
Meanwhile, in the north, the 37th and 1st Cavalry Divisions raced each other for Manila, slowed by difficult terrain and increasingly stubborn resistance. As the Japanese retreated, they lit the fuse on demolition charges at the only bridge over the Tulihan River. This was snuffed out by a gallant navy lieutenant, James Sutton, attached to 1st Cavalry, who dashed forward alone and pitched a clutch of mines over the parapet into the water. MacArthur had identified the internment camp at Santo Tomas University as a key objective. On the evening of 3 February, a P-38 flew low overhead and dropped a message to its 3,400 inmates, almost all American civilians: “Roll out the barrel. There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.” A relief column pushing towards the camp met two Filipino guerrilla officers who offered to show the way to the camp. After overcoming initial American wariness, the guerrillas clambered aboard the lead tank. They met few Japanese until there was a brief skirmish outside the internment centre, in which one of the Filipinos was killed.
At 2100 “Battlin’ Basic,” a Sherman of 1st Cavalry Division, crashed through the camp gate with its searchlight blazing. A trooper burst