remington 1903s on Bataan???

[Rick the Librarian]

If anybody would be interested in studying the subject of what supplies were sent to the Philippines up to the start of war and what was intended to be sent, I can't think of a better book to read than Glen Willeford's fantastic work, Racing the Sunrise: Reinforcing America's Pacific Outposts, 1941-1942. He has a list of ships' manifests and much other information.

Of specific interest to me was the fact that two infantry regiments were due to be sent to the Philippines - the 34th, which was to be used as "fillers" (replacements) for the other units of the Philippine Division, and the 161st, which was supposed to be an additional regimental combat team for the same unit. The 161st was a National Guard unit from my home state of Washington, in fact, before being called up, it had been HQed in my hometown of Spokane.

The two units got as far as the San Francisco docks before the move to the Philippines was canceled due to the outbreak of war. There would have been a lot of widows and orphans and my best friend when I was in elementary school might not have been born - his dad was with the 161st, which later was attached to the 25th Infantry Division. Ironically, both units made it to the Philippines -- in 1944-45, as part of the American forces liberating the islands.

Please pardon this interesting (to me, at least!) rabbit trail!!