The Bataan Memorial’s twelve
granite columns bear the names and the story of
the men who served with the 200th and 515th
Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) units in the
Philippines in World War II. The Foundation
extends its appreciation to Jack W. Bradley,
515th Coast Artillery, who, despite a
debilitating illness, wrote the history —
engraved on three of the columns.
200TH AND 515TH COAST ARTILLERY (AA)
IN DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINES
(Panel One)
On December 8, 1941, only nine hours after the
Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor, the 200th Coast
Artillery engaged Japanese bombers at Clark
Field and Fort Stotsenberg, becoming the first
unit to go into action in defense of the U.S.
flag in the Philippines. Despite having outmoded
weapons and faulty ammunition, the 200th scored
eight confirmed hits and lost two men.
That evening, 500 soldiers from the original
regiment of 1800 men were sent to provide
additional air defense in Manila. This
provisional force was christened the 515th Coast
Artillery and became America’s first war-born
regiment in World War II. At that time the
soldiers of the 200th and 515th were part of a
total of 27,000 American troops in the
Philippines along with 98,000 Filipino soldiers.
When Japanese forces under the command of Lt.
General Masaharu Homma landed on December 22,
1941, the 200th and 515th were among the troops
who fought valiantly with little hope of
reinforcements or supplies. New Mexicans were
involved in every defensive battle waged in the
jungles of Bataan and on the small island
fortress of Corregidor.
We’re the battling bastards of
Bataan;
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam;
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no
nieces;
No pills, no planes, no artillery
pieces;
And nobody gives a damn.
— Frank Hewlett, war correspondent,
UPI |
The defense of the Philippines lasted four
months. It gave the Allied Pacific forces the
precious time needed to regroup and delay
Japanese aggression in the Asia-Pacific region.
Shortly before the fall of Bataan, General
Douglas MacArthur left Corregidor for Australia
pledging, “I shall return.”
200TH AND 515TH COAST ARTILLERY (AA)
PRISONERS OF WAR
(Panel Two)
On April 9, 1942, the weakened survivors from
the combined American and Filipino forces were
unconditionally surrendered to the Japanese by
Major General Edward King. Thus began one of the
most cruel and unrelenting prisoner-of-war
episodes in modern U.S. history.
Most POWs were assembled in Mariveles at the
southern tip of the Bataan peninsula and forced
to march to San Fernando, Pampanga. Wounded men
were assisted by able-bodied prisoners or
carried on crude stretchers. Stragglers were
beaten or killed. Civilians who showed mercy to
the prisoners endured a similar fate. The
incident covered a distance of 104 kilometers
(65 miles) and became known as the Bataan Death
March.
The final leg of the northward journey was
completed inside stifling railway boxcars that
took them to the prison set up at Camp O’Donnell
near the town of Capas, Tarlac. Most of the
American POWs were eventually transferred to
Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija. The captured soldiers
were subjected to inhumane conditions. Death
from malnutrition, disease and abuse was a
common occurrence. More than 4,000 American POWs
and 25,000 Filipino POWs died in these two camps
alone.
Prison camps became the staging places for
forced labor. POWs were routinely relocated to
distant work camps in Manchuria, Formosa, Japan,
Korea and throughout the Philippine Islands. The
Japanese transported prisoners aboard unmarked
vessels and many POWs died when Allied forces
mistakenly attacked these “HELL-SHIPS.”
On August 15, 1945 the Japanese surrendered. The
liberation forces rescued approximately 1,000
brutalized and malnourished POWs from the 200th
and 515th. Due to their weak condition, nearly a
fourth of them died shortly after returning to
the United States.
New Mexico earned the tragic distinction of
having the highest prisoner-of-war population
per capita of any state in the Union. The plight
of the New Mexico soldiers motivated next-of-kin
and organizations throughout the state to
participate in government war relief efforts and
to raise funds for the International Red Cross.
“Remember Bataan” became one of America’s most
enduring wartime credos.
200TH AND 515TH COAST ARTILLERY (AA)
HISTORICAL LEGACY
(Panel Three)
The 200th Coast Artillery (AA) has a
distinguished military legacy. The unit was
established in 1939 from elements of the 111th
Cavalry, New Mexico National Guard. The 111th
Cavalry had its origin in the territorial
militias of the 1850’s and fought in the U.S.
Civil War, in the Spanish-American War as “Rough
Riders,” and in World War I.
After the 200th was inducted into federal
service, recruits joined from all walks of New
Mexican life. They enlisted in centers in
Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Clovis, Gallup, Santa Fe,
Silver City and Taos. Many young men deferred
going to college. Many chose to leave their
small towns and rural villages for the first
time in their lives.
On January 6, 1941, the 200th was sent to the
Anti-Aircraft Training Center at Fort Bliss,
Texas where draftees augmented its ranks. At the
end of the training, the 200th was cited as the
best anti-aircraft unit in the U.S. Armed
Forces. In August, General George C. Marshall’s
action letter ordered the immediate dispatch of
the 200th to the Philippines. By the end of the
month, the 200th set sail from San Francisco,
California.
The survivors of the 200th and the 515th are
among the most highly decorated soldiers in
American history. They have received four
Presidential unit Citations, five Battle Stars,
the Bronze Star, the Bataan Medal issued by the
State of New Mexico and a Philippine
Presidential Unit Citation.
The 200th and 515th shall forever be remembered
for fighting against all odds. They fought and
paid a huge price for the freedom Americans
enjoy today. General Douglas MacArthur noted,
“No troops have ever done so much with so
little.” To these men we remain eternally
grateful.
* * *
Our resolve as a nation will be tested in the
future. Be prepared to defend the ideals of
democracy.
— |
Surviving Veterans
200th and 515th Coast Artillery (AA)
April 2002 |
|