Zc775. U.S. Navy Deep Sea Diver diving on a sunken Japanese vessel next to Pier 7 in1945 at Manila. If I had been born earlier and on the right side of the war it could have been me. I was a U. S. Navy Deep Sea Diver (Hard Head Diver) after the war. That hard head rig weighed about 193 pounds; it was not easy to walk up a ladder with that rig. Bob Hudson provided this picture; he has an interesting web page, or click here:
http://bataanson.blogspot.com/
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A collection of WWII images from the world wide web (WWW). These are pictures that drew my attention or are telling me a story that interests me.
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Manila Bay Harbor Clearance
Zo625. One of many sunken ships, wrecks then, blocking the Manila Harbor in WWII. Image, curtesy of Pacific Paratrooper webpages.
Eye Witness Account – Clearing Manila Harbor, lets start with this story.
This is condensed from a story written by Rear Admiral William A. Sullivan and appears in “The Pacific War Remembered” edited by John T. Mason Jr.
Five pictures and story came from this Pacific Paratrooper website or click here:
Eye Witness Account – Clearing Manila Harbor
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Note from Karl: Diving and salvage are of special interest to me. I served as a diver in every one of my duty stations. I served on three different Diving and Salvage Ships. After retirement I had time to look at history and some of it dealt with diving and salvage.
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WW2 Soldiers
Zo690. WW2 Soldiers. Dutch woman with her German husband who was captured by the Canadian First Army at Walcheren. She marched into the POW cages with him – November 1944. From Facebook, click here:
Zd094. 1942 press photo of Sandy’ father receiving the MOH in 1942.
ISTLT Alexander R. Nininger fell early in the Battle of Bataan. He was awarded the Medal of Honor.
Vitor Verano, secretary of the Philippine Scout Association, sent me this URL for the above picture, click here:
In the Corregidor Forum we have a page for ISTLT Alexander R. Nininger, click here:
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Alexander Ramsey Nininger Jr, WP Class of 1941, Posthumous Medal of Honor.
This 7-page document came from the son of Fred Yeager, WP class of 1940-, who was on the Oryoku Maru and ended up at Zentsuji POW camp.
I put it into my webpage and it is available as a pdf file with this URL (7 pages), click here:
I only copied some parts of it to give some graphic to this entry!
Zd095. Alexander Ramsey Nininger Jr, WP Class of 1941, Posthumous Medal of Honor. From the John Alexander Patterson Collection at the West Point Academy, passed on by the son of Fred Yeager, WP class of 1940 and John Duresky
Zd096. Alexander Ramsey Nininger Jr, WP Class of 1941, Posthumous Medal of Honor. From the John Alexander Patterson Collection at the West Point Academy, passed on by the son of Fred Yeager, WP class of 1940 and John Duresky
Zd097. Alexander Ramsey Nininger Jr, WP Class of 1941, Posthumous Medal of Honor. From the John Alexander Patterson Collection at the West Point Academy, passed on by the son of Fred Yeager, WP class of 1940 and John Duresky
I received the document from John Duresky in Aug. 2020, who wrote this:
Hi Karl, I have this for Lt Nininger and it also includes the other two MOH recipients mentioned in your blog. I got this from the son of Fred Yeager, WP class of 1940-, who was on the Oryoku Maru and ended up at Zentsuji POW camp. Feel free to add it to his information if it is of help.
Regards, John
John Duresky is a member of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team who are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
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Zd100. Battery Way from Wikipedia. It was a 12 Inch Mortar Battery of Fort Mills on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. It has an outstanding war record in WWII.
Zd101. Battery Way from Wikipedia. It was a 12 Inch Mortar Battery of Fort Mills on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. It has an outstanding war record in WWII. Here are some URL’s that I have collected:
Trip Report, Battery Way, fots2, 5 pages now, click here!
https://corregidor.proboards.com/thread/722/battery
Wikipedia: click here!
Corregidor.org: click here!
Corregidor.org, Battery Erie: click here!
Massello by Sprengle: click here!
Massello by Murphy, memorial at B-Way,2 daughters, click here!
AN INTERVIEW WITH COLONEL MASSELLO, click here!
List of Batteries: click here!
Mr. Massello, at General Board, an ex-student wants to use material: click here!
Battery Way Model from Dan Rowbottom: click here!
Battery Way from ironman, the position of guns at Battery Way, click here!
The Kwiecinski Couple and Corregidor, click here!
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Dumping or salvaging WWII equipment?
Zd811. PWs dump Japanese 37mm antitank guns into the North Harbor, Manila, Philippines, June 5, 1946
Much of the Japanese war armament from small firearms to tanks were disposed of this way.
Ordnance Disposal, US Signal Corp photo, Sucherman photographer, US National Archives.
John Tewell provided this picture with this URL, click here:
Zd812. Tanks to dump in bay for disposal, Manila, Philippines, March 1946
Tanks on a barge that will be towed out to sea for disposal.
Ordnance Disposal, Manila, Philippines.
Ordnance Disposal, US Signal Corp photo, US National Archives.
John Tewell provided this picture with this URL, click here:
The above two pictures were copied from John Tewell’s Flickr album: WWII, Manila, 3, click here:
The people of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team forwarded me these pictures. They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon! Here is forum page about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt, click here:
John Duresky wrote me this on the 24th Nov. 2020 about the two pictures above:
Was wondering if any divers ever located all these things, they were dumping in Manila Bay after the war? If these two photos are a sample, then somewhere at the bottom of Manila Bay must be a virtual mountain of discarded war materials.
Not only is war wasteful, but after war is pretty wasteful too. Why they couldn’t transport those things back to the U.S. and donate to communities for war memorials and local museums is strange.
John
I answered him this way:
Hi John
My input.
It most likely would have cost money to hire ships to take the stuff back and then handle it there, not cost effective and a waste of time.
I don’t understand why they dumped it so close to piers, less the area was being filled in later as new land.
Normally you would want to dump where it does not interfere in future activities like mooring ships there or anchoring in the harbor, deep water would be best.
John, don’t worry it would not be salvaged under water. Matter of fact that is a problem now, scrappers are even tearing sunk ships up and scrap them, ships that are considered as under water grave sites.
Here in the Philippines scrappers go as deep as 120 feet or so with a fridge pressure pump and an O2 hose tied around their waist and breath with that and salvage everything, that has been a problem here in Subic.
As a Navy diver here in Subic Bay we often treated victims of those scrapping operation for the bends and other diving problems.
Never saw pictures like that, thanks.
Karl
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Zf010. Fort San Felipe on Cavite from a US News Paper dated 3rd Jan. 1942. This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team
The people of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
Zf011. Description on back of the previous image. Fort San Felipe on Cavite from a US News Paper dated 3rd Jan. 1942. This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team
The people of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
Zf012. The Courier-Journal, Louisville KY News Paper, Section 2, Saturday Morning 3rd Jan. 1942. This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team
The people of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
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Philippines-Strategy of their Defense! Asiatic Fleet steaming past Corregidor!
These pictures are available in high resolution in this web page, click here!
Zf013.-1941 12 31 -1941 8 10 ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH Fort Wint is on map. The Philippines-Strategy of their Defense! This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team.
The members of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
Zf014-1941 12 31 PITTSFIELD MA BERKSHIRE EAGLE Asiatic Fleet steaming past Corregidor. On the picture they wrongly labeled Caballo Island (Ft. Hughes) Corregidor Island; Corregidor is the left one! This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team.
The members of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
Zf015- Asiatic Fleet steaming past Corregidor. This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team. John Duresky wrote this when sending these pictures to me: “Trying to collect original wire-photos of some of the earliest shots used in papers at the start of the war. Original photo much better than what got printed here, can actually count the smokestacks now.
Incidentally, the description of the Asiatic fleet in the attached August 1941 paper had to be a real morale booster”.
John
The members of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
Zf016- Asiatic Fleet steaming past Corregidor; this is the description on back of the previous picture and they got it wrong (Corregidor is the left one). This picture was provided by the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team. John Duresky wrote this when sending these pictures to me: “Trying to collect original wire-photos of some of the earliest shots used in papers at the start of the war. Original photo much better than what got printed here, can actually count the smokestacks now.
Incidentally, the description of the Asiatic fleet in the attached August 1941 paper had to be a real morale booster”.
John
The members of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are:
First is Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman Magazine.
They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
Zf124. The Niihau Incident
This is a display of many in the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum about the Niihau Incident; this is a low resolution picture!
This picture can be downloaded in high resolution with this URL, click here:
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German WWII News about Corregidor 8th Feb. 1942.
The Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team sent this!
Zf346. An image of German WWII News about the Corregidor Siege Situation on the 8th Feb. 1942.
Zf347. This is the writing on back of the previous image and my translation:
Title: 3528/ Last refuge of the Americans in the Philippines
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Our map transmits an understandable image of the Island Corregidor situation in Manila Bay on the Philippines-Island Luzon, which, as the Japanese small flags marked positions show, is completely encircled/locked up from the land side.
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Source, ownership information: 8th Feb 1942
The other stamps are copyright statements.
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The Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team finished their book, it is titled:
Relentless Hope: A True Story of War and Survival, by David L. Britt
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A recent presentation about Gen. Mac Arthur.
ZF469. Gerald Randy Anderson Sr. shared a video link in the Facebook Group: “World War II in the Philippines”.
This is the URL, click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En0W4Wriod4
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Is this really Gen. Yamashita’s pistol?
This is a presentation from the Gen. MacArthur Memorial Dec. 2022 Newsletter.
Zg033
Mr. Hans Hoeflein of Easton, PA, recently donated a Japanese Nambu pistol that belonged to MacArthur’s top World War II secret agent in the Philippines, Commander Charles “Chick” Parsons (pictured). Hoeflein grew up in wartime Manila, Philippines, and after the war became good friends with Commander Parsons’ son, Michael. After the war, “Chick” was in the process of rebuilding his company in the Philippines, Luzon Stevedoring, from the ashes of World War II. As the story goes, one day in 1948, “Chick” walked in with a Japanese sword and pistol; souvenirs from the war. He asked Michael and Hans to pick one. Hans chose the pistol. Commander Parsons told the young Hoeflein it had belonged to the Japanese General, Tomoyuki Yamashita.
There is no provenance that the pistol belonged to Yamashita, but Parsons was known to have helped many of the incarcerated Japanese in the Philippines after the war as they would later become business contacts for Luzon Stevedoring. Was it really Yamashita’s pistol? We have the serial numbers – so now the investigation begins.
Hans Hoeflein’s experience in Manila during World War II is featured in Manila Memories: Four Boys Remember Their Lives Before, During and After the Japanese Occupation.
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On the 16th Dec. 2022 John Duresky provided this URL about a pistol belonging to Gen. Yamashita.: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/21374919/the-axis-powers
Zg058. t is from the yumpu.com/en service, click for the next page, and it is a webpage about the Gen. Yamashita Pistol. I captured 3 images; this is image 1 of 3.
John Duresky is the researcher of the author team of the book: Relentless Hope: A True Story of War and Survival, by David L. Britt.
Zg059. It is from the yumpu.com/en service, click for the next page, and it is a webpage about the Gen. Yamashita Pistol. I captured 3 images; this is image 2 of 3; zoomed in
Zg060. It is from the yumpu.com/en service, click for the next page, and it is a webpage about the Gen. Yamashita Pistol. I captured 3 images; this is image 3 of 3; zoomed in