February 2020 Corregidor Trip

John Moffitt’s pic #13

The trip was to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 503d PRCT airborne assault onto Corregidor. This was the start to retaking the island from the Japanese on February 16th, 1945. What made the trip memorable was the presence of the last remaining paratrooper who jumped on Corregidor that day. Dick Adams at 98 years old was a pleasure to meet again. By the way, he still smokes cigars and drinks Red Horse beer! He was accompanied by his daughter Alyson who is retired from the USAF.

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These pictures were shot and are presented by John Moffitt, called fots2 at the Corregidor Forum. It was the 75^th anniversary of the assault on Corregidor with the last 503d paratrooper Dick Adams participating. I was in Hawaii helping my daughter join the US Navy and missed this event.

John Moffitt writes:

Here is a little report of two trips I made to Corregidor for a total of 11 days on the island. There were two main reasons for the trips plus I had time to wander around on my own. Since Karl is AWOL for a few more months, there have not been many recent photos from Corregidor. Here is an update for everyone.

The first trip was to assist the Coast Defense Study Group in finding a few remote locations they wanted to visit. The group consisted of mostly Americans plus others from the UK, Poland and Switzerland. With the Philippine contingent, batteryboy, his son and me, the group numbered about 30 people. They were a great group with similar interests to everyone on these forums and it appeared that everyone had an enjoyable trip.

The second trip was to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 503d PRCT airborne assault onto Corregidor. This was the start to retaking the island from the Japanese on February 16th, 1945. What made the trip memorable was the presence of the last remaining paratrooper who jumped on Corregidor that day. Dick Adams at 98 years old was a pleasure to meet again. By the way, he still smokes cigars and drinks Red Horse beer! He was accompanied by his daughter Alyson who is retired from the USAF. I even had a brief chat with one of our forum members, Will Walker who was making his first visit to the island.

It was a pleasure to meet Peter Parsons again. Anyone familiar with Philippine WWII history is well aware of Chick Parsons, Peter is his son. Peter himself who was a boy in Manila at the start of the war has amazing stories of his own. You can read all the books you want but how many opportunities remain where you can hear first-hand accounts of battles and wartime memories such as this.

EXO and three other Corregidor friends, John Byrne, Harald Klose and Mike Ross rounded out the group.

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Satellite view of Corregidor Island

Most of the CDSG group at Battery Hearn

CDSG at Battery Cheney gun #2

Alyson Adams, Dick Adams and Peter Parsons arrive on Corregidor from Manila

Dick Adams and Peter Parsons

At the Corregidor Museum is a photo of General MacArthur driving by some soldiers when he visited the island on March, 1945. Dick is looking at himself in that photo.

Dick and Alyson Adams on Topside, February 16th, 2020

Dick Adams, 503d paratrooper

Dick Adams in front of the 503d memorial at the Topside Parade Ground

Peter Parsons with Dick and Alyson Adams

EXO (Paul Whitman) and Alyson Adams unfurl the US 48 star flag as jump time approaches 75 years ago

503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team (3 pics)

Here are some photos from the rest of my days on Corregidor this month

Battery Morrison 6” gun #2

Inside a disappearing gun mount

Destroyed battery control station

Underground magazine two stories below the surface

Near the top of the first stairs is a “T” intersection. Turn left or right to take another stairs up to the surface.

Sunlight straight ahead

Typical fire control station

The only round emergency observation station on Corregidor. This one was for East/West mine control.

Note the powder cans filled with rocks and soil to create a defensive position at the entrance to an underground magazine

The entrance to the Battery Morrison Plotting Room

Inside the room looking out

Battery Chicago “Range Secondary” position

“C-60th, 1941” etched in concrete at Battery Chicago

In some disappearing gun mounts the counter-weights still remain. When the gun fired, the counter-weights were pulled up (and locked) by the recoil of the gun as it returned to the loading position. When loading was complete, the weights were dropped which raised the gun into its firing position above the parapet.

Shrapnel from a Bataan originated artillery shell created this pattern in the concrete roof

Corregidor has quite a few underground structures such as this.

Speaking of things underground, I have counted over 50 tunnels remaining from small to large. Here is a sample of some smaller ones. (many pics)

The Pacific War Memorial on Topside

Fort Mills Administration Building

Late last year Corregidor got most of it’s roads asphalted or concreted. Here we are passing Middleside Barracks.

Topside asphalt

Bottomside concrete

This is MacArthur’s Lodge where many of us eat, shoot the breeze and stay in rooms at the back. It is a bit run down these days but there are plans to renovate it later this year.

Jing Jing’s food keeps up going.

The Corregidor Inn is in view as you walk down from Middleside

For those staying at the Inn there is one last hill to climb at the end of the day

Corregidor Inn lobby area

Inn’s restaurant

Second floor hallway to guest rooms

Tranvia buses are gathering to pick-up today’s day tour visitors at the North Dock.

Visitors are serenaded as they arrive on the island

Groups often come to Corregidor

The Navy delegates get a Philippine Navy escort

The North Dock area with Malinta Point in the distance

Engineer Dock

The 8” railway gun that was installed at Battery RJ43. Sea salt is starting to take its toll.

Lorcha Dock

Corregidor has more monkeys now than I have ever seen in my 24 years of visiting the island

Big daddy watching over his group (and me)

Black Beach, the location of the 1945 amphibious landing.

Another view of Black Beach

Since sunrise photos require one to get out of bed, these are the first and probably last ones you will ever from me. They were taken in the Bottomside South Dock area.