| Original caption: “The Japanese find Corregidor Defenders Mostly Americans – Nipponese troops accompany prisoners to the concentration point.” While this photo is often labeled as a burial detail during the Bataan Death March, which took place over mostly level ground. In this view, a hill is clearly visible in the background of this photo. Men are emerging from dugouts cut into the hill. This is probably Malinta Hill, which was just east of the 92nd Garage, the area where 16,000 Prisoners of War were eventually gathered after the surrender of Corregidor. The Corregidor garrison dug many shelters in Malinta Hill because of the relentless Japanese bombing and shelling. They appear to be carrying bundles of their possessions, which are not large enough to be bodies. On May 23, 1942, the American Prisoners of War left the 92nd Garage Area. They marched along the South Shore Road for a mile past Malinta Hill into the Bottomside area. They then waited on the small pier extending into South Harbor to be transported to 3 Japanese ships in South Harbor. United States Navy Lieutenant Commander Alma E. Salm (June 16, 1895 – February 22, 1957) recalled the 1st few days of his incarceration as a Prisoner of War after the surrender of Corregidor on May 6, 1942: “The next morning, May 8, 1942, two days after the United States had surrendered Corregidor, the Japs began shouting and screaming at everyone in the entire area to immediately form into marching columns on the road. Those who had anticipated this move had already prepared small packs or barracks bags with a few clothes and other essentials, and carried them along.” “In a few moments, we were marching up the sloping road along the south side of Malinta Hill, eastward into the broiling sun, for a distance of about one mile (1.6 kilometers).” “It was an arduous journey for many who were half well and ailing principally from malaria, even at this early period. As the leading battalions disappeared from sight over the brow of an eastern ridge, it reminded one of lost souls vanishing into oblivion.” “Descending down the steep hills nearing the end of our journey, we passed a number of black and bloated bodies of our unburied dead lying on the dry dusty roads. They had fallen during the battle of Monkey Point two days before, and the Japs had not as yet permitted burial.” “Decomposition, which is rapid in the tropics, had already begun. This had brought swarms of big blue flies, which amassed over them, concentrating on their faces, which were exposed.” “Our destination was a small, almost sea-level area, about six hundred feet square, and flanked on the eastern side by two or three large, old galvanized iron buildings painted black. They had been perforated with hundreds of holes due to previous enemy bombings and strafing runs. There were a few bomb craters on the perimeter of this open space. This place was known as the United States Army’s Ninety-Second Garage. Steep hills rose up almost abruptly from three sides. The fourth side opened to the sea bay on the south, which was strewn with large rocks and boulders.” “For the next seventeen days, this tiny, packed square was to be the home of approximately nine thousand American uniformed fighting forces that included a few hundred civilians and about two thousand uniformed Filipino soldiers and civilians. This area was as hot as an oven. It was the hottest and driest time of the year, just before the rainy season.” “These galvanized buildings were heavily covered with dirt and filth. After setting up a First Aid Station and various work detail centers, little room was left for general occupancy in the north section, and the south was entirely occupied by the Filipinos, who were segregated into that division and the adjacent areas. Most of us settled down on the ground outside. There were no facilities whatsoever here.” “We were protected from the sun by small sections of canvas shelter halves, blankets, or any other covering we had the forethought to carry with us. We rigged these up on some small sticks we had gathered from the sparse brush nearby and what we could salvage from the general trash lying around.” “Under these small, inadequate shelters, we crowded together in an attempt to share what little protection they provided. Needless to say, having no pads or mattresses, we slept on the ground. Officers and enlisted men were branded with a number painted on the back of their shirts.” “One of the first work details assembled was sent out to bury those dead comrades whom we had passed on our march to camp.” “Due to the decomposed condition of the bodies, a wire was attached to a leg, and the corpses were dragged a short distance to a shallow grave for burial. One of the Army chaplains was present and conducted funeral services as the burials took place.” “We also buried all Jap dead, whom they did not burn. Returning from a food foraging expedition, I was among those who witnessed the burning of the bodies of six Jap officers. A large funeral pyre was built, and upon it were placed these corpses. I understood ashes were to be sent back to Japan to be placed in their respective shrines, a very common practice accorded to their soldier dead.” “In the early hours of the morning of May 23, 1942, the first torrential rainstorm of the season fell. Daylight found us huddled together, completely drenched as only a tropical deluge can saturate one.” “Dog tired from the lack of rest the previous night, nevertheless, we were enthused a little to learn that orders had been received to evacuate this concentration area.” “We retraced our steps to Bottomside. As we marched along — a grim, dejected lot — we passed within the shadow of the church. As a result of the constant bombing, practically all the surrounding buildings were reduced to rubble. However, the little stone chapel appeared largely undisturbed and stood tranquil amid the chaos and ruin. Through the partly demolished walls, one glimpsed the large, heavy-paged bible upon the pulpit, a comforting influence. After being herded together again for several hours under the ever-present blazing sun, we were marched in groups down to the small pier extending into South Harbor.” “In various small boats and launches, we arrived alongside three old and extremely filthy Japanese troopships. While on board, we endured the usual pastime — repeated searching of our persons by the Jap crews. Although my watch had been taken from me in round one, they never did find my meager supply of Filipino currency hidden under my cap insignia, guarded by the American eagle.” “The ship’s hold, into which we were jammed, was equipped with bunk tiers covered by vermin-infested straw matting upon which, undoubtedly, many times previously, had lain dirty Jap troops and coolies. We lay shoulder to shoulder. The air was hot, sick, and foul. There was no ventilation except for the small booby hatch through which we gained entrance. Literally every foot of space was utilized, and many were compelled to spread over the top hatches like a ‘starfish spread out over a clam,’ to use an ‘old salt’s‘ expression. Others crammed into the small weather deck spaces. Decks were bare, rusty metal.” “The following morning, Sunday, May 24, 1942, the three prisoner-of-war ships moved away from anchorage in South Harbor and slowly steamed through the channel heading for Manila, twenty-eight miles (forty-five kilometers) to the east. We passed the former Yangtze River American gunboat USS Guam and the American minesweeper USS Finch (AM-9), victims of Jap bombings, and half-submerged in the water on which Fort Hughes was located.” [Note: USS Guam (PG-43) was renamed USS Wake (PR-3) and captured in Shanghai; USS Mindanao (PR-8), USS Oahu (PR-6), and USS Luzon (PG-47), among other ships, were sunk off Corregidor.] “With the feel of a ship’s deck beneath my feet — even though the enemy’s — and the added “tonic” of a slight breeze prevailing from the South China Sea, my spirits were somewhat restored for the first time in many days.” This photo appeared in the Sunday Manila Tribune Pictorial Supplement on May 10, 1942, in a photo essay about the surrender of Corregidor. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1449.jpg |
| Image Size | 928.62 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2982 x 2115 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Air Force |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 7, 1942 |
| Location | Bottomside |
| City | Corregidor |
| State or Province | Luzon |
| Country | Philippines |
| Archive | National Museum of the United States Air Force |
| Record Number | 090803-F-1234S-029 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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