Everywhere: People: Merlin Peck: Photos

Corregidor: Paradise Lost uploaded on 6 July 2008

With its lush green vegetation, beaches, and blue waters, Corregidor hints of a tropical paradise. A closer look reveals it's violent past.

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Mile-long barracks. uploaded on 6 July 2008

An extensive system of barracks, hospitals, and schools was home to thousands of officers and enlisted men on Corregidor in WWII. Some of these three-story buildings stretched nearly a mile and are known as the Mile Long Barracks.

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Icon of Corregidor's violent history. uploaded on 6 July 2008

Incessant bombing and shelling by the Japanese in early 1942 destroyed the concrete structures of the American base on Corregidor, leaving only shattered remains and exposed re-bar.

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General MacArthur's headquarters. uploaded on 6 July 2008

The commemorative plaque states this to be the first building bombed by the Japanese with a direct hit proving that their intelligence data gathering was first rate.

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Turret mounted disappearing gun. uploaded on 6 July 2008

This 12-inch behemoth was called disappearing due to its method of retracting when fired. Mounted on diesel powered turrets, the gun could rotate through 360 degrees and was capable of hitting a target at 17,000 yards.

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Muzzle view. uploaded on 6 July 2008

Many of the 12-inch artillery pieces on Corregidor were already old in 1942. Some were manufactured in the late 1800's and installed between 1910 and 1913. The stamping on the muzzle of this gun reads, "12 in. No 27 Ord. Dept U.S.A. Mod 1895. Watterville Arsenal 1899."

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Twelve-inch mortar. uploaded on 6 July 2008

This WWII American big-gun emplacement was one of a score of such batteries on Corregidor.

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Battery compound. uploaded on 6 July 2008

American batteries, big-gun emplacements, were extensive concrete facilities consisting of protective walls, housing for the crew, and storage for the shells and powder.

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Malinta Tunnel. uploaded on 6 July 2008

The infamous Malinta Tunnel served as a shelter for besieged American forces until their surrender in 1942. When MacArther re-took Corregidor in 1945, the tunnel was the last haven for Japanese troops whose final act was to set off a massive explosion killing themselves and scores of American soldiers at the same time.