The Army Air Corps had been about
75% destroyed, and Admiral Hart would not risk his small Asiatic Fleet
in battle; he took off for Australia.
At dawn on the morning of Dec. 22, '41, some 60,000 veteran Nipponese
troops of Lt. Gen. Masahatu Homma's crack 14th Army from China swarmed
ashore between Vigan and Dagupun, twenty-five to fifty miles from
Baguio.
Maj. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright had four divisions (11th, 21st, 31st,
and 1 10th) of the Philippine Army on the beaches to prevent a
landing. When the cruisers and destroyers opened fire with their big
guns, there was great confusion on the beaches; many recent recruits
buried their rifles in the sand, and took off for the mountains. "This
was not their kind of war!"
Soon thousands of Japanese veterans, on bicycles, were pedaling south
on the highway bordering the South China Sea. Our Scouts picked off
hundreds of Japs as they rode by, but in a few hours were completely
out of ammunition. The Japs and their bicycles kept right on coming.
Sporadic wounded were appearing at the hospital. Major Joe Ganahl, a
well known polo player, was one of these.
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