A Brief History of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery
The
200th Coast Artillery, better known as “The Regiment,” was
inducted into federal service on 6 January 1941, supposedly
for one year of active duty training.
For eight months the Regiment underwent hard and rigorous
training at Fort Bliss, Texas. Not only did these former
“horse soldiers” have to learn new skills and techniques,
but they had to absorb into their units hundreds of
untrained Selective Service inductees. At one time the
Regiment numbered over 2300, more than 400 above war
strength figures.
On 17 August 1941, the Regiment was notified that it had
been selected for an overseas assignment of great importance
and that the choice had been made because of the high
satisfactory state of training which had been attained. The
reward for all the hard work performed in Federal Service
was to have the 200th named officially as the best
Anti-aircraft Regiment, (Regular or otherwise), then
available to the United States Armed Forces for use in an
area of critical military importance.
By 26 September 1941, the entire Regiment reached the
Philippines and then immediately moved to Fort Stotsenberg,
some 75 miles north of Manila. On 23 November, all batteries
were placed in combat positions for the protection of Fort
Stotsenberg. The training program was to provide the
greatest possible amount of experience under simulated war
conditions.
During the next ten weeks of settling down, the 200th was
able to unpack its equipment, get set in position, and had
even planned for some target practice; however, no target
ammunition could be obtained. As a consequence, the first
shots fired by the 200th were aimed at enemy aircraft. They
fought the war without ever having had any firing practice.
At 1235 hours, 8 December, Manila time, Japanese bombers,
flying at 23,000 feet and accompanied by strafing planes,
made their appearance and the war was on. The 200th could
not, with powder train fuses effective only to about 20,000
feet, do much damage to the high altitude bombers. The men
dished out what ever they could and stood up well under
these unfavorable and unequal conditions. When the smoke
from the muzzles cleared away, five enemy planes had been
shot down and two men of the outfit had lost their lives.
Two
weeks after the war began the Japanese started to make
landings on Luzon and their air effort over Clark Field and
the Manila area was intensified. Soon the main Japanese
landing was made and a decision was reached to withdraw the
forces into Bataan. The parent 200th assumed the mission of
covering the retreat of the Northern Luzon Force into Bataan
while the newly formed 515th assumed a similar mission for
the South Luzon Force.
Fire from the Regiment defense held back Japanese air
attempts to destroy the bridges. As a result, the North and
South Luzon Forces found a clear passage into Bataan. Thus
the 200th and the 515th completed their tasks of bringing
the divisions safely to the peninsula.
The next three months saw the war situation deteriorate from
bad to worse. While the enemy air actions were sporadic in
nature, the menace of malaria and dysentery was everywhere.
Food became scarce and the combination of hunger and fever
reduced the units on Bataan to a state of apathy.
On 3 April 1942, the Japanese received sufficient
reinforcements with which to begin their drive down the
peninsula. An intense concentration of Japanese air and
artillery fire was placed on the front and rear areas. After
two days and nights of continuous shelling, the Japanese
infantry and tank attacks commenced. On 7 April, the
combined enemy effort broke through allied lines.
The
battle for Bataan was ended on 9 April, the fighting was
over. The men who survived the ordeal could feel justly
proud of their accomplishments. Total enemy aircraft shot
down by the 200th and 515th was 86 confirmed. For four
months they had held off the Japanese, only to be
overwhelmed finally by disease and starvation. The story of
the Regiment and the other defenders reached its tragic
climax with the horrors and atrocities of the 65 mile “Death
March” from Mariveles to San Fernando. This infamous march
was followed by forty months in Prisoner of War Camps.
Of the eighteen hundred men in the Regiment, less than nine
hundred made it back home and within one year a third of
them died from various complications.
See: Casualties Report [Re This Statement
In December of 1945, General Wainwright, in paying tribute
to the Regiment, said:
“On December 8, 1941, when the Japanese unexpectedly
attacked the Philippine Islands, the first point bombed
was Ft. Stotsenberg. The 200th Coast Artillery, assigned
to defend the Fort, was the first unit, under The
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, to go into action
defending our flag in the Pacific. First to fire, and
last to lay down their arms! A fitting epitaph for a
valiant Brigade which fought standing firmly in its
appointed place and facing forward to the enemy.”
The 200th and 515th — The New Mexico Brigade — brought home
four Presidential Unit Citations and the Philippine
Presidential Citation. They earned their place in American
History.
Courtesy of the Bataan Memorial
Military Museum and Library |