End of the Trail: A Novel of the Philippines in World War II

End of the Trail

On the cover: American Cemetery, Manila.

Author photograph courtesy of the Albuquerque Journal.

© 2017 by Atilano Bernardo David

All Rights Reserved.

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eBook 978-1-61139-505-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: David, Atilano, 1921- author.

Title: End of the trail : a novel of the fall of Bataan in World War II / by

Atilano David.

Description: Santa Fe : Sunstone Press, 2017.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016059140 (print) | LCCN 2017016422 (ebook) | ISBN

9781611395051 | ISBN 9781632931733 (softcover : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Soldiers--United States--Fiction. |

Soldiers--Philippines--Fiction. | Soldiers--Japan--Fiction. | World War,

1939-1945--Fiction. | Bataan, Battle of, Philippines, 1942--Fiction. |

GSAFD: War stories.

Classification: LCC PS3604 (ebook) | LCC PS3604 A9452 2017 (print) | DDC

813/.6--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016059140

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Dedicated to my beloved wife

Rosa Cunanan David

Foreword

Hours after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from hindering Japanese control of the Southwest Pacific, their forces launched simultaneous attacks against Malaya, Thailand, Guam and Wake, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines. Guam and Wake fell first on December 10 and 22, Hong Kong on December 26, the supposedly impregnable British bastion of Singapore on February 15, 1942 and all of Malaya soon thereafter.

To the dismay of General Masaharu Homma who led the Japanese forces in the Philippines, however, American and Filipino soldiers wrecked the Japanese timetable for conquest by holding out until April, 1942 on Bataan and until May on Corregidor. This unanticipated delay allowed the allies to reinforce positions and set the stage for a successful counter-campaign against the Japanese. The story of the intrepid American and Filipino soldiers who frustrated General Homma and his forces is one for the ages, but most accounts focus on the epic battles themselves, affected as they were by antiquated and unreliable arms, limited foodstuffs, and insufficient medical supplies—and their subsequent horrific experiences on the Death March, the Hell Ships and captivity in dreadful prisoner of war camps or in guerrilla warfare.

Atilano David, a veteran himself of the battle for the Philippines, brings another perspective to this incredible saga by presenting a fictional account (based on his own and his friend’s experiences) of three young Filipinos living in a happy and peaceful nation preoccupied with the joys of life, and the subsequent shattering of their innocence as the Japanese quest for resources enveloped their lives and their land. Atilano’s account of these young men growing up and their interaction with family, neighbors, friends, and lovers as the storm clouds roiled and full scale war erupted presents a riveting perspective absent in other accounts.

Their struggles and experiences as soldiers fighting on their home soil grabs the reader, who now knows what shaped them, their physical and emotional ties to their world now in turmoil. The End of the Trail is required reading for anyone—from history student to student of human nature—craving to better understand the totality of these carefree Filipino citizens turned soldiers as they came of age on the field of battle, and who along with their American allies sowed the seeds of the eventual defeat of the Japanese empire.

Brigadier General Andrew E. Salas

Adjutant General, New Mexico National Guard

Prologue

US Military College 1922

Shaking his head, General Pershing slowly traced a line with his pointer stick from California through Hawaii, then across the map, stopping at the islands of the Philippines. Pursing his lips, he turned, looked at the others around him and said, It will be extremely difficult! The Philippines is seven thousand miles away. In the event of war with Japan, the islands are expendable! The only way that we can keep the islands is our original concept. There is absolutely no advantage in defending the beaches. The original plan WPO or War Plan Orange is our only recourse: hole up in Bataan until we can send reinforcements!

1

Japan War Plans

November 1941

The island of Honshu measures 810 miles long and 31 to 143 miles wide, slightly larger than Great Britain. Frequently visited by earthquakes because of several volcanic mountains, tsunamis have devastated part of the island. Connected to the islands of Shikoku, Hokkaido and Kyushu by bridges and tunnels, it supplies most of Japan’s tea and silk, fruits, vegetables, grains, rice and cotton.

In November, 1941, blue skies above Honshu were speckled with slow-moving clouds and a frisky breeze over the sea pushed little white caps that lapped softly on the ironsides of a Japanese cruise ship. Inside the Admirals’ Meeting Room, several men milled around, arguing with each other. A handsome man with a thin mustache, General Count Terauchi, commander of the Japanese Southern Army, drove a point as he gestured aggressively to Vice Admiral Ibo Takahashi, Commander-in-Chief of the 3rd Fleet, If we do not act now, it will be most unfortunate, for right now we have the advantage.

Takahashi shook his head slowly, looking more like a banker’s clerk, his military uniform hardly hiding his slight frame. I do not know for sure. We are facing a great nation. Whatever advantage we have will be gone after the first strikes.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tokutaro Sato, Operations Chief of the 14th Army, joined in. It will take time for the Americans to recover and then there is the distance factor. Time and distance is on our side. By the time they are ready, we would have occupied islands rich in oil and minerals, which we need badly.

Lieutenant General Obata, Commander of the 5th Air Group of Army Air Force, waved his hands in the air, saying, I have told the honorable officers time and again, we have a superior air force right now. Not only because their planes are tied up in Europe, but we now also have the Zero which can outmaneuver their outdated fighter planes.

Usually a quiet man, careful never to talk about his military schooling in America in 1925 to 1926, Admiral Nishizo Tukuhara pressed his hands together against his lips. "I must also remind you, honorable colleagues, after World War I both America and Britain agreed to curtail the size of their navy. Our aircraft carriers Yamamoto and Musahi are larger and more powerful than any of their battleships."

Lieutenant General Homma, Commander of the 14th Army, rubbed his forehead, waved his right hand over the miniature relief of the Philippine Islands and said, Honorable Gentlemen, I know from intelligence reports that the Philippine Army is not a force to reckon with in spite of General MacArthur’s communiqués to Washington. I know about him and right now he is bluffing to keep us off balance. They are grossly untrained and ill equipped. I know that more airplanes and tanks and troops are being shipped. General MacArthur thinks we will invade the islands in April. Are we waiting for that? If so, it will be a blunder. America is at its weakest right now. Their war materiel is old and outdated, their armies lazy and mostly untrained, their weaponry resources severely depleted by their involvement in the war with Europe. Honorable gentlemen, America is not ready for war with us. We are! Furthermore, when....

At this moment, an aide brought what looked like a scroll to General Obata. His generous eyebrows lifted and he began to tap the war table for attention and a curtain of silence enveloped the room.

General Obata pressed his hands on the table, leaning forward confidently, his usually stern face beaming, and a toothy grin breaking his jowly face. He looked around, slowly and said, Honorable gentlemen, he said, Admiral Yamamoto’s plan has been approved by our Emperor.

For a few moments, a hush fell over the room. A breeze came up and curtains flapped softly, sounding like a fluttering of pigeons’ wings. The Japanese military and naval commanders looked at each other, jabbed the air with their closed fists and cheered.

As they settled around a relief map of the Philippines on the table with miniature American flags strategically pinned, General Homma wiped a burly hand around his chin as he remembered his visit and service in the British maneuvers and Japanese residents who had complained about racial discrimination.

The rustle of shuffling papers erased his inattention as Admiral Takashi in a clipped military tone said, Now, honorable gentlemen, let’s go over the plan one last time. Looking at each leader intently, his hands busy pointing at places on a relief map, he continued, This is Batan Island, the northernmost point of the islands. It is here we will establish an airbase, and some army and navy units. I will spearhead the objective with the 5th Army Air Force Division and the support of the 11th Naval Fleet under Honorable Tsukahara.

The Vice Admiral nodded slightly in acknowledgement. His unlined face and strong jaw belied his fifty years. General Obata’s voice rose slightly in excitement as he pointed to various targets on the relief model.

General Homma’s forces will land here in Aparri and Vigan, Legazpi, Davao, and Mindanao. Objective: Seize the airfields. After our Air Force neutralizes American airpower, we land at Lamon Bay in South Luzon.

General Obata paused for a moment, looked slowly at each general officer as they quietly recognized the brilliance of the Plan...a pincer trap. For a long moment there was a silence. Then they looked at each other and raised their fists into the air. Once again the room erupted in thunderous cheers.

Homma was born on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan, graduating in the 14th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1907, and 27th class of the Army Staff College in 1915. Having spent eight years as a military attache in the United Kingdom, Homma had a deep understanding and respect of the Western world. He was attached to the East Lancashire Regiment in 1917 serving with the British Expeditionary Force in France, and in 1918 he was awarded the Military Cross. From 1930 to 1952 he served as a military attache to the United Kingdom, his fluency in the English language proved useful. Assigned to his country’s delegation to the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1931 he served with the Press Section of the Army Ministry from 1932-1933. He was given a field command in 1933. In 1935, he was promoted to commander of the IJA 32nd Infantry Brigade. In 1937 he served as aide-de-camp to Prince Chichibu, a brother of Emperor Showa, who made a diplomatic tour in Europe which ended in Germany. Attending the November Rally, he met Adolf Hitler. Successively, he became commander of the Taiwan Army and in 1938 he became commander of the IHA 27th Division in China. Reassigned to be commander in chief of the Taiwan Army District, he was promoted in July 1938 to Lieutenant General after the fall of Nanking. With the start of the Pacific War he was named commander of IJA 14th army with 43,100 troops and tasked with the invasion of the Philippines.

2

The sun rose and filled the heavens with pink-colored clouds fading to billowing white, setting off the blueness of the sky over Manila, capital city of the Philippines. Consisting of 7,000 islands, the largest island is Luzon. The Philippines is a nation of peace-loving, happy people famous for native hospitality. At local fiestas, usually for Patron Saints connected to towns, even the poorest families would go into debt to host festivities with food for all, including strangers who are welcomed to each home. Foreign dignitaries and celebrities have partaken of the official hospitality of the president of the Philippines at his imposing residence, the Malacanang Palace on the banks of the Pasig River.

The entrance to the presidential palace, called Entrance Hall, had floors and walls of beige Philippine marble, leading to the Grand Staircase that led to the state reception rooms. The Palace Chapel was on the left and the right passage led to Heroes Hall. Through the Hall, a mirrored passage hung with small paintings of famous Filipinos. Adjoining the hall was the Social Hall, a large room for informal gatherings. A private entrance led directly to the living quarters of Malacanang Palace.

The president and the first lady woke up as soon as the sun’s rays entered the palace bedroom windows. Cheerfully, he greeted his butler who had opened the curtains, Good morning, Cirilo, he called out. Good morning, good morning. It looks like a nice day is upon us.

Cirilo, his favorite manservant, perked up. This definitely will be a good day, he thought, as he opened the windows wider. "Yes, sir. It will be