Current Events May 6, 1942: WAINWRIGHTS FORCES SURRENDER CORREGIDOR

                                   Fitchburg     Sentinel

                      FITCHBURG, MASS.. WEDNESDAY. MAY 6, 1942

CORREGADOR FALLS TO JAPS

Fortress Pounded  Into Helplessness BY Unceasing Fire

Surrendered After 28-Day Siege;

Troops Hungry And Exhausted;

Defense Casualties Are Heavy

By the Associated ;Press . . .

Overwhelmingly outnumbered,hungry and .exhausted,

Lieut.-Gen. Jonathan' Wainwright's forces surrendered to the

Japanese today"after 28 days of fiery siege in the'.Battle of

Manila-Bay.

A war department bulletin issued at 4.15 a. m., eastern war

time—-more than 16 hours after the Japanese launched a

midnight landing assault on Corregidor island fortress--- announced

briefly:

“----Resistance of our troops has been overcome. Fighting

has ceased, and terms are being arranged covering the capitulation

the island forts in Manila Bay.”

A war department communique said one of last mess-

ages received from Gen. Wainwright ;reported. that; casualties:

among the defender? Were heavy during the last few days.

In addition to the regular garrison, about 3500 U. S. marines

had been sheltered on Gorregidor after the fall of the

Bataan peninsula.

The ^communique - said . military installations on the tiny,

Gibraltar" of the Philippines, had also: been severely damaged

by constant Japanese shelling and aerial bombing,

Gen. Wainwright- reported that for the fourth consecutive

day there were 13 separate air attacks on Corregidor on May

5, and that the final shelling by .Japanese 240 millimeter siege

guns had destroyed barbed-wire entanglements ; and ; other

defenses.

Delay Forced On Enemy Program

By Gorregidor Holding Action

Of Inestimable Value To Allies

By DeWITT MACKENZIE ;

Wide-World War Analyst

The fall of Corregidor at long last

gives ' the 'Japanese use of the

strategic naval base of Manila over

which this little Gibraltar stood such

gallant guard, - but the "delay imposed

on the enemy program of advance

by the brilliant defense of

Bataan and Corregidor has been of

inestimable value to the Allies in

the preparation of the all-important

defenses of Australia and otherwise

getting set for action.

Manila with, its defenses .was the;

barrier which the Japs had to crash

in order to perfect their attenuated

sea communications with the homeland

and permit them to race onward-

toward Indonesia and- Australia

Had they not been halted- in

the Philippines, Australia might

long ago have experienced invasion.