the field artillery journal - Fort Sill - U.S. Army

from Misamis Occidental and continues on a winding course
for about 60 miles to Sindangan. Other towns on the road are
Dapitan
and Dipolog. All three have about 30,000 people each.
On the south coast the south coastal road crosses the east
boundary from Lanao and goes to Pagadian (population
46,262), 15 miles from the border.
West of Pagadian on the south, and west of Sindangan on
the north coast, there are no overland connections. The country
is sparsely settled until the vicinity of the city of Zamboanga is
reached. This city is at the southwest tip of Mindanao, and has
a settled country behind it for 40 miles along the east coast and
20 miles along the west coast. This area has a road net.
Zamboanga is free from typhoons. Rains around Zamboanga
city are at a minimum during January, February, and March,
and thereafter are fairly constant. On the north coast, near
Dapitan,
principal city for that area, rainfall is high during the
last three months of the year and low during the other months.
Zamboanga has a site peculiarly valuable for military
purposes. It is almost ideal for an air and sea base to maintain
operations over the Celebes Sea to the south, the Sulu Sea to
the west, North Borneo, Palawan, and the Visayan Islands. 12
miles south of the city is the island of Basilan, 35 miles from
east to west and 22 from north to south.
There is ample terrain near Zamboanga city and on Basilan
for air bases and naval stations. It would be nearly impossible
for the enemy, once driven out, to reinvade this area by land.
There is space to spread billets for large numbers of troops in
the neighboring country, and to install large depots.
Zamboanga city is reported as having a population of
131,455. This includes the back country, however, which
officially is part of the city. A certain amount of labor can be
counted upon as available.
COMMENTS*
Zamboanga and the central plateau region are the two great military
objectives. In 1941 the American forces took position in the central
plateau, while the enemy landed simultaneously in Davao Gulf, Illana
Bay, Iligan
Bay, and Macajala Bay. They then advanced upon the
American
forces by both the north and south Lanao and Bukidnon
Roads from both ends.
Details of this campaign have not yet become known. Soon after the
capitulation of Corregidor the American forces in Mindanao
surrendered also. Whether the military situation at that date was
desperate in Mindanao has not been ascertained.
According to reports as to numbers of prisoners taken, the American
forces (including Filipino troops) numbered well over 40,000 men. It
would seem, therefore, that a force of this size is too small to defend
Mindanao against an enemy having air and sea control.
It can therefore be expected that if the enemy defends Mindanao, and
present indications are that he will, he will have a greater force—one at
least 50,000 strong.
Zamboanga is now (as in 1941) a detached post. There is no
information
as to whether the enemy will defend this area.
Although the Allies now have undisputed sea and air superiority, this
does not assure that it will absolutely prevent all enemy replacements
and supplies from reaching Mindanao after that island is once attacked.
Due to the short distance from the numerous Philippine Islands just
north of Mindanao, occasional intercourse may occur.
Information is that the Japanese
have been building up their depots
on Mindanao, so as to make it unnecessary to transfer additional supplies
for a considerable time. The Japs are using submarine barges as well as
surface barges. Although many of these are lost, they keep coming on. It
must be presumed that in spite of blockades a certain number of these
will get through.
The landing of Allied troops on the south shore of Mindanao presents
the least difficulty. A landing on the north shore is subject to enemy air
interference from island bases to the north. Narrow sea passages restrict
movements. In 1942 the Japanese had neither air nor sea opposition on
either the north and south coasts. The Allies do not now have this
advantage. Some opposition, especially on the north coast, must be
expected.
____________
*This article was written prior to the Leyte landings.—Ed.
——— — ——
"JINX"
German Panzer units threatened to cut the Salerno
beachhead
in two on D+5 (15 Sep 43) when they
opened a gap between the British and U. S. corps. A tank destroyer named Jinx, commanded by Sgt.
Edwin A. Yost, is one reason the German attack failed.
The crew ran their M-10 up to the crest of a ridge under
artillery and small arms fire. They expended
three rounds. The first was short. The second knocked
out a Mark IV tank, which burned. The third hit
an ammunition truck, which exploded. Hostile fire became
so heavy that the destroyer was forced to
back down below the ridge.
A short
while later Jinx again ran up to a hull-defiladed position. This time the first round knocked out a Mark
IV. The second round knocked out a Mark IV. The third round
knocked out a Mark IV. So did the fourth.
In an elapsed time of thirty minutes Jinx had five medium tanks and an ammunition vehicle, with a
total expenditure of seven rounds.
The crew received silver stars.
—E. A. R.
———— ——
LAST OF A "GRASSHOPPER"
Capt. Edward B. Baetjer, first artillery air OP pilot shot
down by enemy aircraft in the Mediterranean
Theater of Operations, gives this account of the incident:
"After an uneventful flight up, I was there just four days
when "Jerry" caught up with me. I was on may to
register-in the —— Bn when a flight of FW-190s on a strafing
mission intercepted me. I was at about 1,500
feet, but they came upon me so suddenly from around a mountain
that they didn't see me in time. The first five
each let go a burst at me, but luckily didn't hit me so I headed
for the ground. But like a sap, instead of landing
I started circling at about a hundred feet. The next thing
I knew a machine gun was barking again, and my
engine sort of disintegrated. Little fountains of gas started shooting
up out of the gas tank, and a blur shot past
in front of me. By the time I cut my switch I was just over
the trees and barely moving. Finally I stalled out
and crashed through the trees, going through the windshield
when I hit and knocking myself cold. Colonel —
—, my observer at the time, hauled me out of the plane and to an aid station. He wasn't even scratched, thank
God! At an evacuation hospital they sewed up my head, taking 29 stitches, and sent me back to North Africa."
—E. A. R.