Wartime Memories

[lanztrick05]

hey guys!!! this is my first tym 2 post on this thread. here are some WWII pics that I got from www.***************.

[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/gmp1a.jpg[/IMG]
Our first photo in this series is of the centre of town, looking north. At the centre of the photo is the Post Office. In front of it is the theater, and on the right is Quezon Bridge. The Bridge on the left is the Sta Cruz Bridge, which will be renamed the MacArthur Bridge.

[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/manila1.jpg[/IMG]
City Hall. If you're walking from Luneta, you'll be coming from the road on the left, Padre Burgos. The main road running South-North through the photo is Taft Ave. The road running along the bottom of the photo is Ayala Boulevard. The walls of fortress Intramuros can be seen top left. Artillery was lined up in the park for direct fire on the walls. The east wing of City Hall was also destroyed by direct fire artillery when it was considered too costly in casualties to root out the remaining defenders. Enter City Hall through the front, and ascend the grand wooden staircase, as did MacArthur. The ambience is unmistakenly "Lost American Empire." Up close to City Hall tower, you can easily see the shell holes which have been plastered over. (National Archives Photo

[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/manila6.jpg[/IMG]
The former Legislature Building is now the Manila Museum, and you can go in, sign the visitors book, and walk through the various galleries. Unfortunately, due to decades of underfunding and political disinterest, it's a sad place which doesn't reflect the enthusiasm and creativity of its staffmembers. The 4.2 inch mortars in the infantry units were incapable of penetrating the reinforced concrete, and the 75 or 76mm guns on the tanks and tank destroyers experienced similar problems


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/mnlapic.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/congrss.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/congress.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/manila1a.jpg[/IMG]
Malacanan Palace is in the foreground, with its ornamental gardens on the near side of the Pasig, and the Palace on the far side. ( National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/manila3.jpg[/IMG]
The Sta. Cruz bridge is in the foreground, leading to Sta Cruz. (It is now the MacArthur Bridge.) The bridge in the background is Jones Bridge. The large gutted building is the Post Office. Intramuros (behind) is almost completely destroyed. The South Port Area fronts Manila Bay. (National Archives Photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/manila4.jpg[/IMG]
At their most vulnerable point in an assault river crossing, troops found that the south bank of the Pasig, having suffered the attention of heavy artillery fire, was strewn with a screen of rubble stretching down to the low water mark. The assault upon Intramuros from the north would initiate with an amphibious crossing over the Pasig by the 129th Infantry, whilst the 145th Infantry would move overland west and through the breaches opened by the artillery. (National Archives Photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/manila5.jpg[/IMG]
Tanks and Tank destroyers could not cross the Pasig until February 13. No photograph illustrates the destruction of old Manila better than this one. (National Archives Photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/bayview.jpg[/IMG]
This is the site of one of the major blots on Japanese martial character. Twenty-five caucasian and mestizo women separated from their families were confined here over a period of a few days and a joro house (brothel) established close to the combat area so that marines coming off duty might satisfy their fantasies before dying in battle. One of our good correspondents, Joe Romero, has established a site about his experiences as a child caught in the midst of the Battle of Manila, including his imprisonment inside the Barview. Visit Joe's page at What Did You Do In The War Daddy? The Bayview was but one of several joro houses set up throughout the Ermita area. The building was torched on 13 February. (Paul C. Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/grteast.jpg[/IMG]
The Great Eastern Hotel. (Paul C. Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/pasiga.jpg[/IMG]
The City Hall tower can be seen in the background. Jones Bridge in the foreground. I have no idea what the name of the monument is. (National Archives photo )

David "Sarge" Ross, who is working on a military board game "Battle of Manila" writes:- "The caption on photo #10 talks about a monument by the Jones Bridge. With all the research I've done on my Battle for Manila project, I've acquired a number of US Army, Navy, and private party photos plus the Archieve ones. I have several that show this "monument". However...

If this were the Jones Bridge, from the angle of the photo, you would see the HUGE Post Office Building...It's not there! If you go downriver one bridge, to the Quezon Bridge...the P.O. would be off to the right, out of the photo...to the left, warehouses etc...the City Hall tower in background...and the "monument"...it's the smokestack atop the Insular Ice Plant...I have five or six photos and they all show the same thing. Magellan's Monument is along the south shore of the Pasig, but it's much closer to the Treasury Building, smaller in size, and white in color...not black. Just thought you'd like to have an answer for your mystery.


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/theater.jpg[/IMG]
The theatre is still there today, immediately opposite the Post Office, but is so isolated by the choked roads around it that it's all to easy to miss it's art deco magnificence. (Paul C Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/church1.jpg[/IMG]
Quiapo Church. Caption is invited. (Paul C Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/hotel45.JPG[/IMG]
Manila Hotel 1945. (Paul C Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/hotel41.JPG[/IMG]
Manila Hotel 1941. (Paul C Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/basin.jpg[/IMG]
The Basin. (Paul C Whitman photo )


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/high_angle_aerial_photo.jpg[/IMG]
On the left (South) bank of the Pasig River reading from the bottom: Insular Ice Plant (lower foreground), Santa Cruz Bridge (destroyed), Post Office and Jones Bridge. Tall prominent buildings in the lower right foreground is the Great Eastern Hotel. Just above it is Plaza Goiti. Santa Cruz Church (destroyed) is at the far corner of the Plaza. Behind this plaza is the Santa Cruz Plaza. At far left center, just beyond Jones Bridge, is the National City Bank of New York. Most of the North bank is known as the Escolta, or business district. The long building on the lower bank of the canal is the Philippine Trust Company. The photo was taken on 9 March 1945. (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/escolta_debris.jpg[/IMG]
The Escolta, and the debris amongst its damaged buildings. (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/bldgs_in_manila.jpg[/IMG]
Rizal Avenue, at one time the prosperous business district which was the hub of activity. The city's largest and most modern theater, the "Avenue"(still present beside the National Bookstore Avenida) still appears to be in good condition, but is gutted. (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/postoff.jpg[/IMG]
The Post Office (Paul C. Whitman Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/plaza_espana.jpg[/IMG]
Plaza de España, within Intramuros on 23 February 1945 (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/aerial_manila.jpg[/IMG]
What is now known as Luneta Park was, during the 1920's, a wide expanse of parkland at the edge of Intramuros (on the left midground). The Manila Hotel has it's own ocean frontage, and to the left foreground are the Maritime Piers. The Rizal monument is one of the few fixed points which hasn't changed in all the years. (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/bilibid_prison_1899.jpg[/IMG]
Bilibid Prison, 1899. (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/bomb_on_manila.jpg[/IMG]
On 22 November 1944, there was an air raid on Manila's docks. This 2000lb bomb partially conceals Luneta Park at the right foreground of the photo. Quezon Bridge, with its unusual T-shaped walkway to Provisor Island, still stands. Immediately to the left of the bottom of the bomb is the City Hall. (National Archives Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/trams.jpg[/IMG]
Pre-war, Manila had an electric trolley systems. (My father told me that Douglas MacArthur, in partnership with some highly placed friends, reputedly had a number of strategic business investments in Manila, of which this was one. I have no confirmation whatsoever of this.) The trolley cars were set aflame by the Japanese defenders, and used as an ambush site. (Paul C. Whitman Photo)


[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/flame_1.jpg[/IMG]
In one of the streets of Manila, its name lost to history, a scene is repeated showing the vicious fighting that occurred throughout the city. A flamethrower squad, amidst large numbers of shell casings littering the street, clears a high-rise building of Japanese troops. Kneeling down, the operator is covered by two other team members as he targets the front entrance of a high-rise building. The flamethrower is of the M2-2 backpack type. See below for further photographs



In the second and third photos, the occupants, caught by the stream, run out of the building.
[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/flame_2.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.***************/CorregidorResources/G-3_Ops_-_Manila/flame_3.jpg[/IMG]

[renell]

nice pics, though i think we've seen them before. but a long time before.

interesting, i haven't seen that island in the 6th photo before....

[renell]

nice pics, though i think we've seen them before. but a long time before.

interesting, i haven't seen that island in the 6th photo before....

[renell]

nice pics, though i think we've seen them before. but a long time before.

interesting, i haven't seen that island in the 6th photo before....

[pau_p1]

wow.. that was a great collection of pictures.. priceless indeed....

boy... Manila was indeed too much destroyed by WWII.. I'm lucky not to have witnessed this event.... and sadly all those architecture and heritage that was destroyed by the war...

[pau_p1]

wow.. that was a great collection of pictures.. priceless indeed....

boy... Manila was indeed too much destroyed by WWII.. I'm lucky not to have witnessed this event.... and sadly all those architecture and heritage that was destroyed by the war...

[pau_p1]

wow.. that was a great collection of pictures.. priceless indeed....

boy... Manila was indeed too much destroyed by WWII.. I'm lucky not to have witnessed this event.... and sadly all those architecture and heritage that was destroyed by the war...

[muzic_lover2981]

that was really cool. i mean the photo..thanks for sharing those..

[muzic_lover2981]

that was really cool. i mean the photo..thanks for sharing those..

[muzic_lover2981]

that was really cool. i mean the photo..thanks for sharing those..

[mhe-ann]

whow! great pics... @pau is right its priceless...

[mhe-ann]

whow! great pics... @pau is right its priceless...

[mhe-ann]

whow! great pics... @pau is right its priceless...

[mysaong03]

i dont really have a good memory but the last time i visited powerbooks in GB4, i came accross w/ a certain book titled, "Rape of Manila: The Warsaw of Asia" or something like that, & twas authored by half Fili/half something person, and i cud say its worth buying it (400+). u can see there tons of rare pics bout what 'really' happened to manila before, during & after the war, w/ matching tell-all stories from some survivors.
and hei, some pics posted above is also part of the book...

i remember reading one part there that says twas the americans who destroyed much of manila during the 'liberation' period, coz it served as their last resort to kick out the japs, & hei, ivto warn u some pics there are so damn gross, really....

bout the bridge mystery, im sure its the quezon bridge, the one connecting manila to quiapo, coz i was able to notice the 2 huge pillars on its left end (did u see them?), & they still do exist upto now, & i assume the curvey structure something on the right is the metropolitan theater, im really sure its the quezon bridge...u may also look at the first foto for your reference, (there u go, uv seen that factory w/ huge chimney? ryt), so there... but it makes me wonder the pillars on the opposite end resembles a 2 giant monuments, im not aware of that eversince.

there is one correction again, the bridge w/ a t-shaped walkway connecting to Isla Provisor is not quezon bridge, its the ayala bridge. it connects ayala blvd to san miguel district leading to malacanang.

[mysaong03]

i dont really have a good memory but the last time i visited powerbooks in GB4, i came accross w/ a certain book titled, "Rape of Manila: The Warsaw of Asia" or something like that, & twas authored by half Fili/half something person, and i cud say its worth buying it (400+). u can see there tons of rare pics bout what 'really' happened to manila before, during & after the war, w/ matching tell-all stories from some survivors.
and hei, some pics posted above is also part of the book...

i remember reading one part there that says twas the americans who destroyed much of manila during the 'liberation' period, coz it served as their last resort to kick out the japs, & hei, ivto warn u some pics there are so damn gross, really....

bout the bridge mystery, im sure its the quezon bridge, the one connecting manila to quiapo, coz i was able to notice the 2 huge pillars on its left end (did u see them?), & they still do exist upto now, & i assume the curvey structure something on the right is the metropolitan theater, im really sure its the quezon bridge...u may also look at the first foto for your reference, (there u go, uv seen that factory w/ huge chimney? ryt), so there... but it makes me wonder the pillars on the opposite end resembles a 2 giant monuments, im not aware of that eversince.

there is one correction again, the bridge w/ a t-shaped walkway connecting to Isla Provisor is not quezon bridge, its the ayala bridge. it connects ayala blvd to san miguel district leading to malacanang.

[mysaong03]

i dont really have a good memory but the last time i visited powerbooks in GB4, i came accross w/ a certain book titled, "Rape of Manila: The Warsaw of Asia" or something like that, & twas authored by half Fili/half something person, and i cud say its worth buying it (400+). u can see there tons of rare pics bout what 'really' happened to manila before, during & after the war, w/ matching tell-all stories from some survivors.
and hei, some pics posted above is also part of the book...

i remember reading one part there that says twas the americans who destroyed much of manila during the 'liberation' period, coz it served as their last resort to kick out the japs, & hei, ivto warn u some pics there are so damn gross, really....

bout the bridge mystery, im sure its the quezon bridge, the one connecting manila to quiapo, coz i was able to notice the 2 huge pillars on its left end (did u see them?), & they still do exist upto now, & i assume the curvey structure something on the right is the metropolitan theater, im really sure its the quezon bridge...u may also look at the first foto for your reference, (there u go, uv seen that factory w/ huge chimney? ryt), so there... but it makes me wonder the pillars on the opposite end resembles a 2 giant monuments, im not aware of that eversince.

there is one correction again, the bridge w/ a t-shaped walkway connecting to Isla Provisor is not quezon bridge, its the ayala bridge. it connects ayala blvd to san miguel district leading to malacanang.

[ryanr]

I've seen some of those pics, not all. Wow...as pau said priceless. Such devastation, in an already pretty developed city before the war.

[ryanr]

I've seen some of those pics, not all. Wow...as pau said priceless. Such devastation, in an already pretty developed city before the war.

[ryanr]

I've seen some of those pics, not all. Wow...as pau said priceless. Such devastation, in an already pretty developed city before the war.

[amras]

well, I'd say I'm very lucky that I can only see these scenes only in pictures. Imaginge living on those days when you can hear bombs exploding, guns firing, and tanks roaring. Imagine seeing all these destructions right on your very own eyes! Grabe, mababaliw siguro ako.

Though, nakakalungkot din isipin na as much as we'd gained something from the war, we had also lost a lot of precious gems that we can no longer recover.