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Destination Corregidor,
A factual account of the early attempts to supply MacArthur.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 1971
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 18, 2022
Within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbour, airbases throughout the Philippines were attacked with great loss to the US forces. The US forces were severely undermanned and under armed and easy prey for the Japanese. The US government decided to do what they could do “regardless of the cost or risk” and with that came what the US War Dept produced a plan called X. The objective was 60 day supply of all items including ammunition to both Australia and the Philippines. The idea being that Brisbane was the main port with use of Darwin via whatever conditions would allow, including blockade runners. The author described it as a “grandiose plan”. He was correct. His narration follows various small scale attempts to assist the beleaguered with what was in reality a logistical nightmare considering the distances to be covered and the complete loss of aircraft. Plan X hardly got going.
Author Robert L. Underbrink based his research on official documents and published works at his disposal at the time, and interviews with participant’s available. Told in chronological order, there are sources given for each chapter, though no footnotes. Useful maps are supplied.
This was a very easy read with a populist style that mixed the logistical issues with a humane telling about the individuals involved, the vast majority of those people bravely attempting missions that led to little reward considering the overwhelming superiority that the Japanese had over the US and its allies at the time. The little things were bought to the attention, as an example the US government and some of its military leaders having no idea of the tyranny of distance in Australia, as if Darwin was just up the road from Brisbane, the nurse kissing a general goodbye as she left Corregidor.
The final sentence of the book tells it all with the author writing “In terms of actual assistance to Bataan and Corregidor, the efforts of the blockade runners were to no avail. Yet, national honour demanded that the effort be made, and the men and ships and the aircraft involved in this desperate venture deserved far more recognition paid to them”
Yes, they do deserve more recognition. We tend to read the Macro histories instead of the micro, and that can be a loss to those that like history.
Recommended to those that want an easy-to-read book on a little known and underappreciated WW2 event.
Author Robert L. Underbrink based his research on official documents and published works at his disposal at the time, and interviews with participant’s available. Told in chronological order, there are sources given for each chapter, though no footnotes. Useful maps are supplied.
This was a very easy read with a populist style that mixed the logistical issues with a humane telling about the individuals involved, the vast majority of those people bravely attempting missions that led to little reward considering the overwhelming superiority that the Japanese had over the US and its allies at the time. The little things were bought to the attention, as an example the US government and some of its military leaders having no idea of the tyranny of distance in Australia, as if Darwin was just up the road from Brisbane, the nurse kissing a general goodbye as she left Corregidor.
The final sentence of the book tells it all with the author writing “In terms of actual assistance to Bataan and Corregidor, the efforts of the blockade runners were to no avail. Yet, national honour demanded that the effort be made, and the men and ships and the aircraft involved in this desperate venture deserved far more recognition paid to them”
Yes, they do deserve more recognition. We tend to read the Macro histories instead of the micro, and that can be a loss to those that like history.
Recommended to those that want an easy-to-read book on a little known and underappreciated WW2 event.
August 31, 2021
While reading accounts of the battles of Bataan and Corregidor, I wondered, Why didn’t the Americans send more supplies?
Destination Corregidor shows they tried.
Probably for security reasons, American and Filipino troops on Bataan and Corregidor weren’t told of the noble efforts taken to deliver food, medicine, and ammunition they needed to fight and hold. Yet, the U.S. War Department’s top priority to supply the islands results in this true story of the men on submarines and ships and planes, large and small. The U.S. gathered and shipped supplies from as far away as New Orleans, San Francisco, and Australia. The U.S. military directed intrepid officers to collect and transport supplies to the Philippines from other islands in the South Pacific. And the Fil-American commanders in the southern Philippine Islands gleaned and sent what they could to those in more desperate need than they were at the moment.
When ships, planes, and submarines reached Bataan and Corregidor laden with supplies, return trips carried servicemen and women to the southern Philippine Islands or to Australia.
Japanese control of the Pacific after Pearl Harbor and their tightening blockade of the Philippine Islands prevented the bulk of the relief from getting through. Despite the odds, the Filipinos and Americans made a gallant effort.
Destination Corregidor shows they tried.
Probably for security reasons, American and Filipino troops on Bataan and Corregidor weren’t told of the noble efforts taken to deliver food, medicine, and ammunition they needed to fight and hold. Yet, the U.S. War Department’s top priority to supply the islands results in this true story of the men on submarines and ships and planes, large and small. The U.S. gathered and shipped supplies from as far away as New Orleans, San Francisco, and Australia. The U.S. military directed intrepid officers to collect and transport supplies to the Philippines from other islands in the South Pacific. And the Fil-American commanders in the southern Philippine Islands gleaned and sent what they could to those in more desperate need than they were at the moment.
When ships, planes, and submarines reached Bataan and Corregidor laden with supplies, return trips carried servicemen and women to the southern Philippine Islands or to Australia.
Japanese control of the Pacific after Pearl Harbor and their tightening blockade of the Philippine Islands prevented the bulk of the relief from getting through. Despite the odds, the Filipinos and Americans made a gallant effort.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews