February 16, 1945. Manila. Physically and emotionally exhausted. That’s what the civilians who were caught between the fighting felt. It has been February 3 since the battle for the city’s liberation began. And yet, there was still no assurance if they would be safe. An explosion here, a sound of shelling there, a band of Japanese that might bayonet anyone they see—there was no time to get tired, and no time to grieve for loved ones lost. Roderick Hall, then 12 years old, had been staying at the McMicking-Hall residence at 740 Dakota Street (now Adriatico Street). Fire and smoke surround the area, and in that compound where more than a hundred fifty people gathered (most of whom were survivors of the St. Paul’s Convent massacre), no one knew how near the liberation forces were—composed of American forces and Filipino guerrillas.
Meanwhile in Intramuros, at 1:30 pm in the afternoon, the liberation forces through the U.S. XIV Corps sent a message that was broadcast in Japanese from the north bank of Pasig. All radio frequencies in the enemy lines and in Intramuros heard the message:
Your situation is hopeless—your defeat is inevitable. I offer you an honorable surrender. If you decide to accept, raise a large Filipino flag over the Red Cross flag now flying and send an unarmed emissary with a white flag to our lines. This must be done within four hours or I am coming in. In the event you do not accept my offer, I exhort you that, true to the spirit of BUSHIDO and the code of the SAMURAI, you permit all civilians to evacuate the Intramuros by the Victoria Gate without delay in order that no innocent blood be shed.
There were a few who laid down their arms, but generally there was no reaction from the Japanese. With their options very slim, U.S. General Oscar Griswold of the XIV Corps forwards the suggestion to General MacArthur that air strikes be made to quicken the end of the battle.
General MacArthur did not approve, as there were civilians in the area.
That afternoon, at the McMicking-Hall residence, there was a commotion among the refugees when some of them encountered a man looking for his family who claimed to have been with the Americans. The visitor took two men and the 12 year old Rod Hall to meet the American soldier. They were told, that they should cross the American lines and they’d be protected. Rod took his two younger brothers, Ian (11), Alaistair (9) and his sister Consuelo (7) and house staff, from the house and they followed the American soldier closely. At Taft Avenue, Rod Hall writes:
There were snipers everywhere, as we carried a few belongings and walked in single file among the ruined houses, keeping well hidden. We could do so as almost every building in a 300 yard radius from our house had been destroyed by fire or shelling. Suddenly a sniper shot rang out and a little boy about 15 feet ahead of me fell. We all stopped to look at him as the GI [American soldier] yelled for us to take cover. We crossed through the middle of several blocks, and were joined by other GIs showing us the way.
The next day, the boy and his siblings would be reunited with their father at the University of Santo Tomas. Rod Hall would later on learn that his loved ones who were taken days before–Mrs. Consuelo McMicking Hall (his mother), Ms. Helen McMicking (his aunt), Lieut. Alfred McMicking (his uncle), Ms. Marita Mena (family friend), and Mr. Carlos Perez Rubio (his aunt’s fiance) were all killed by the Imperial Japanese.
[*According to Richard Connaughton, the Hall siblings’ trudge to the American lines was on the 16th. In Rod Hall’s own account, it was on the 15th.]
Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the 1945 Battle of Manila, the gruelling battle for the liberation of the city that lasted from February 3 to March 3, 1945.
Photos:
(1) The McMicking Hall Residence before the battle of Manila. From Lou Gopal
(2) View of Intramuros across Pasig River, from BattleofManila.org.
33 Notes/ Hide
- maxifranz48 liked this
- cheekycroptop liked this
- queerhistorymajor reblogged this from indiohistorian
- gregoriodelpilar reblogged this from indiohistorian
- utot-atbp liked this
- creativelybored liked this
- terrebattu liked this
- manilagerilya reblogged this from indiohistorian
- poemsia reblogged this from gayvans
- poemsia liked this
- ziam-brahh liked this
- jamiesharkdododo liked this
- gayvans liked this
- vicente-enriquez reblogged this from bonifacios
- vicente-enriquez liked this
- yasu-gyaru liked this
- sorryforyourface liked this
- akosiroxy reblogged this from indiohistorian
- bonifacios reblogged this from indiohistorian
- matutoka reblogged this from indiohistorian
- slyrodriguez21bybentopeii liked this
- akosiroxy liked this