HA30M

CLARK FIELD, Dec. 8, 1941

by M/Sgt Anthony Holub, 169 E. Ave, Coronado, CA

We were changing engines on a plane and working on superchargers. We had already pulled out the old engine and the new engine was ready to be installed. I’d gone to the hanger for parts when the planes came over. We didn’t know just what to do. Some said it was the Navy, some said it was the Japs. I continued through the hanger and then heard the bombs. The boy walking with me seemed stunned by the bombs so I pushed him into the first slit trench we cane to. I ran to the plane to see whether or not the rest of the crew were OK and if they had gotten into trenches. They had all gone so I got into the radio compartment. I got a few good shots but the visibility was poor. Someone gave me credit for 2 Zeros, but I couldn’t be sure I had hit them. We then put out the grass fires to save our planes. I received the DSC [for what I did] during the raid. It was too far to the fox holes and didn’t even think of getting behind the drums we had placed near the airplane for just thus very purpose. There were a few shrapnel holes in the planes, but no damage to the plane I was in. We completed the engine change on this ship 2 days later at it pulled several missions.

On Dec 10 we were working on this same plane when the alarm went off. I had the crew all trained where to go, and the men took off for the trenches. Major Gibbs told me not to leave the plane where it was, but to taxi it over toward the railroad tracks. One of the men, Racchini, manned the radio guns. I couldn’t get #3 engine started , so gave the other two engines the gun and taxied it to the spot directed by Maj Gibbs. However it turned out to be a false alarm and there was no raid.

LOOSE TUG

M/Sgt Holub

I was helping M/Sgt Olson install bomb bay tanks, we’d finished and were going to tell the officer in charge of the ship -- when 3 planes came over. At that moment we were riding on a small tractor (tug). The plane came in so low that we headed for the first bunch of barrels we saw. The planes were flying at about 1500 ft. We stopped the tug near the barrels and no sooner hit the ground than the bombs started to drop. The first bomb hit very close to the tug, turning it completely around and starting it, causing the tug to run into the barrels behind which the men were taking cover.

THE MAYON

We went to Marvieles which was the Naval Quarantine Station, by truck and they had an alert there. Everyone took for the brush upon the alert.

Loaded on the Mayon, a 400 ton boat, at 9:30 pm at night with enough food for 10 days. There were around 700 men on board with accommodations for 300; 1 bag allowed each man. Food was very bad -- corn willy, slum, rice, badly prepared because of lack of facilities for cooking, etc. Sanitation bad, no space. All native boats like this one had bad conditions for anyone but first class passengers anyway. Had canopies up for shelter. Slept on deck, boxes, or anyplace we could find. When boat was bombed a general panic resulted and at least 75 men jumped overboard -- one Lt dying from concussion received in the water. Side of boat was caved in. Boat was lying at anchor -- Jap made about 5 passes at about an average of 2000 ft, and did very poor bombing, and there was no resistance whatsoever. Lifeboat facilities bad -- enough for about 1/4 of the personnel on board.

When the Mayon landed various squadrons dispersed to different camps. The 14th Sqd occupied “suicide road” so called because the camp was in an area about 400 or 500 yards long with no protection. Only a few coffee trees nearby which are very small at that place. Conditions poor there -- no drinking water, had to bath in creek, no place to hide the troops, no blankets, rained every night and got very cold during the night, and foggy in the morning. Japs would come by every morning but never bombed this particular area. Stayed there 2 weeks and moved to camp Kelley, splitting there with 1/2 going to Malabang where facilities were just as bad as suicide road. Made bunks by using sticks and bamboo -- laced them together and got bunks up off the ground. There was a Morro temple nearby, and we had instructions from the natives not to go near it or fool around it due to some superstition connected with it.