Bataan: The Bataan situation was becoming desperate; rations had been
cut a second time. Soldiers in foxholes were having trouble getting
food. The 26th Cavalry was eating its horses. The 65th Pack Train was
eating its mules. Other soldiers ate trapped dogs, monkeys, lizards;
in fact most anything they could catch.
On Good Friday, 1942, General Homma opened up with his biggest
offensive-all his artillery supported by heavy bombing.
The front line of General Lim's 41st Division was pulverized. Nearly
100,000 seasoned Jap troops were overrunning the cadaverous defenders
of the "American Way of Life." A few terrified and bedraggled remnants
of the native companies were managing to filter back.
General Edward (Ned) King's 11th Division was too exhausted
to plug holes in the 41st Division. The Japs were now penetrating in
large numbers.
On April 8, Gen. King called all his officers together; he tried to
spare his starved, diseased, wounded, and exhausted troops such things
as marching to internment camps; he requested conditions of surrender:
1. A four-hour armistice.
2. Japanese forces to remain in present positions during armistice.
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