Japanese mortar assault

Heroes Remember

Japanese mortar assault

Transcript

They used those knee mortars, grenade launchers or whatever they call ‘em. And I watched one hit. There was a window about so square, one of them hit one side and there was a bunch of plaster come in from that. And the next one hit the other side, and the third one came through the center. It came down and landed and dig a splinter out of the floor and went in against the wall, where I was sitting and didn't explode. I'm kinda glad of that. Anyhow, a bunch of fighting went on all day a little more or less with...and that night we got ready to move out. We moved out about midnight. I got a job as a guard on a kitchen that night. They'd cooked up all the chicken they had, I think. We had all fried chicken all over the damn place, so we had a good meal. And a chap came down a while later and he says, “I think you'd better wake up,” he said, “because they're in the third storey in the building.”

Description

Mr. Whitman describes the Japanese zeroing in on his sentry post in a hotel, with knee mortars. The last and closest is fortunately a dud. He is restationed near the kitchen, where he has an unexpected feed of freshly cooked chicken.

Allan Whitman

Allan Whitman was born in Bridgeville, Manitoba on February 21, 1921. His father ran a general store in which he also worked. Feeling it was his duty, Mr. Whitman enlisted with the Winnipeg Grenadiers in September, 1939 and trained at Minto and Tuxedo Barracks. In Hong Kong, he fought in D Company until his capture. Mr. Whitman became ill with dysentery, and later beri-beri, the debilitating effects of which kept him in hospital in Hong Kong until the war ended.

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