Around 2 p.m., we suddenly heard guns in the direction of Molo – a dozen shots that moved from point to point, which made me wonder if the guerrillas had finally started using self-propelled guns. Running and stumbling like a rolling ball, an orderly from the Fujii unit soon arrived to report, ‘The enemy tanks are attacking the Molo position.’ The second orderly followed with the report, ‘A dozen enemy tanks are approaching and fiercely attacking from the direction of Molo. There are three or four tanks at the Molo Bridge. The landmines all ended up misfiring. Hurry up and send reinforcements!’ Damn, all my reliable landmines had misfired. I stomped my feet in frustration. Now there was no doubt about the landing of the US forces. First Lieutenant Ishikawa immediately sent the Machine-Gun Force and NCO Cadet Platoon to reinforce the Molo position.
T-Sgt. Santos A. Sandoval
The Blood and Mud in the Philippines, Section 8.1
Fortunately, by the time the reinforcements rushed to the scene, the enemy tanks had just withdrawn after rampaging around to their satisfaction. In this battle, First Lieutenant Sugahara fought against a tank at close quarters and was killed in action. A direct hit of the tank’s machine gun blasted off his upper body.
The Blood and Mud in the Philippines, Section 8.1
