Its life would be short, but in the forty-eight hours before its untimely death, the Brigade would serve as both artillery and infantry, and it would earn the proud distinction of being the last organized unit on Bataan to surrender.īy 9 April, Major General Edward King felt it was not worth the addition loss of lives should the US keep fighting and – unknown to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright, commander of all US forces in the Philippines – surrendered the men on Bataan. He was named Brigade Commander with the rank of Brigadier General. That day Colonel Sage was notified that Groupmen “A” was now officially born and christened the Philippine Provisional Coast Artillery Brigade (AA).
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Sergeant Earl Harris’s men now how to provide instruction to the airmen on basic rifle skills, “We showed them, ‘this is the trigger and this is where you put the bullets,’ and that’s how we went to the front.” Sergeant Neal Harrington, on having to train the “new’ infantrymen who were “the same regulars who had lorded it over us at Clark because we were only National Guard.” The lines were quickly overrun and the men forced to retreat. They said they were going to Corregidor.” What men were available moved toward the front lines to fill in as artillery and infantry. Then the Philippine line began to break, and soldiers were streaming south. The skies to the north were lit like day with artillery fire. Captain Marvin Lucas recalled “It sounded like a tremendous thunderstorm.
The men, weakened by hunger and disease and out of supplies and ammunition, tried desperately to hold out. On 01 April, General Homma, now having the reinforcements he had requested, launched a new attack on Bataan. Photo from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. Major General Edward King Jr., Commander of Allied Forces on Bataan.
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