Oroville Mercury Register
April 20, 1942
Corregidor—Just Like Home To Oroville Man
By Wallace Kunkel
Corregidor’s mighty fortress at the mouth of Manila Bay
can hold out indefinitely against the Japanese if the defenders
have sufficient food, water and ammunition. That’s the opinion of
Patrolman Joe Slavicek, who was a gun pointer for three years at
Manila Bay forts while serving as a member of company B of the 59th
coast artillery from 1926 to 1929. Salvicek knows Corregidor as
some people know Oroville, and every bomb dropped on the isle is
like a missile plummeted on one’s home.
Just Like Home
“When I saw a picture the other day of the damage done
by Japanese bombs, it just took me,” Slavicek said. “there was topside
barracks, the very barracks in which I used to live, shattered from
a bomb concussion. Why that place was like home to me!” Slavicek
said the Japanese might try to rush the island in an “any cost”
move, but they will be mowed down by the island’s guns, Salvicek
believes. Paratroops, too, wouldn’t have any easy time. “I’d hate
to be one of them,” he said. They’d be pickings for our troops.”
Slavicek said one man on the island could get ten Japanese easily,
and unless units on the island were gassed out or put out of action
by a lucky hit, landing parties wouldn’t stand much chance.
Was Expert Gunner
Slavicek was five months at Ft. Hughes and other outposts
and the remainder of the time was at Ft. Mills on Corregidor Island.
He was gun pointer at one of the biggest guns on the island and
had the rank of sergeant. Before taking an army examination for
expert gunner he was in charge of five power plants on the island.
Even in 1926 the men on Corregidor believed some day the Japanese
would strike – and every man on Corregidor was trained to meet the
thrust when it came, Slavicek said. “The army knew that some time
it would happen,” he added. “Everything pointed to it.” The newspapers
in Manila also believed that Japanese would try to take the islands,
Slavicek pointed out. How well grounded where their fears is shown
by a clipping from the Manila Bulletin of Feb. 24. 1925, from Slavicek’s
scrapbook of pictures.
The article, written by Walter Robb, is given below. The headline
reads:
“Japan Makes Davao Stepping Stone To Expansion”
A 1925 Prediction
Davao, island of Mindanoa, P.I., Feb. 23—Japanese will produce 500,000
bales of hemp in Davo this year and about 120,000 bales from native
production.” Japanese farmers, avidly hungry for land, consort with
native women, whom they sometimes marry legally, and hold in the
names of these women and their relatives large areas of public land.
“The Philippine government knows this, but is unable to prevent
or frustrate it. This illustrates the weakness and venality that
impose no barriers to Japanese progress here and in future can impose
none. “From Davo, come the lucky hour, as it surely will come, Japanese
can penetrate all Borneo, lying in sight of the Philippines—the
world’s largest island save Australia alone”
Headlines of the day:
“Tokyo Chief Relieved of Command” “MacArthur Given Supreme Command,
Plans Strategy”“Bomb Greets First Meeting of Laval Cabinet”
“Tokyo Chief Relieved of Command”
“Japanese broadcast says 10 Medium Bombers Carried Out Raid”
Stu’s Notes: The Headlines tell a lot of what happened the day Joe
Slavicek told his story of course we know he guessed wrong and Corregidor
fell May 6 1942. But only after American and Filipinos fought hard
for 5 months under unbelievable conditions, out of food, water and
ammunition, as Joe said would be the only reason they would be overcome.
They fought to the bitter end and many wanted to fight on and some
did by escaping into the jungles, of course many that were taken
prisoner for the next 3 ½ years under the most brutal treatment,
like Bob Wolfersberger now of Oroville, blame General MacArthur
for the mistakes he made right after Pearl Harbor allowing the Japanese
to wreak havoc on our unprotected Army Air Force we had 8 hours
warning that the Japanese were coming and as bob say’s we did nothing
much to prepare. He has every right to say this as he suffered the
consequences. As we now know the 10 medium bombers were more than
that they were the now famous 16 Doolittle Raiders. The name Slavicek
rung that old bell in my head and checking Daryl’s web I found that
a Glen Leroy Slavicek was Killed in Korea, His Father’s name was
Joseph Slavicek. Sounds like the above Joe might have been his father
or uncle. We will try to find out. He gave so much to his country
and sadly, maybe a lot more.