Concerning
the view of the 3 cent U.S. Postal Service stamp of Corregidor ,
Phillipine Islands , 1944 :
The view is looking south . On the right , at the "head-end" of the
tadpole shape island , is the highest elevation , called "Topside" ; at
center , is the area called "Middleside" ; and at center-left is the
area called "Bottomside" ; with the Army Air Corps landing area
called "Kindley Field" on the left near the "tail" .
Fortifications located on Corregidor was called "Fort Mills" ,
home for the Coast Artillery Corps 12 inch and 14 inch anti-ship
guns , and mortars . Malinta tunnel system had been blasted
out , 24 feet in diameter , through Malinta
Mountain , which the narrow gage rail road could pass ,
in order to deliver ammunition and supplies to gun battries on
"Topside".
[
Note : One 14" gun could shoot a 1,660 pound projectile, pushed by 421
pounds of powder, and have a maximum range of 22,800 yards (just
under 13 miles away) . The U.S. Navy World War 2 battleship
Missouri is equipped with nine 16" guns and I have heard it
explainded to me : "It is like shooting a Volkswagon Beatle and hitting
a tennis court 15 miles away !"]
The first island off the "tail", clockwise , is Caballo (Fort Hughs) .
The second island , clockwise , off the "tail" is El- Fraile (Fort
Drum) and looks like a battleship . The third island , clockwise , off
the "tail" is Carabao (Fort Frank) . All four of the islands are just a
portion of the crown of an extinct volcano's rim .
My hope is that the younger generations of 2nd. Lt. Burt Charles Gay ,
of New London , N.H. , will always remember that : Freedom is not Free .
[ Burt's Mother and my Mother were sisters .]
Rowland K. "Bud" Wiggins
P.S. The
exact day that our U.S.Forces took back the island of Corregidor , was
the same day that Burt died , February 16 , 1945 , in Fukuoka # 3
P.O.W. Camp , Kyushu , Japan .
