Bataan Barb

[Praefectus Praetorio]

Wow! Miss one day and there is so much to catch up on! Again, I'm impressed by the multiple rich descriptions, the numerous detailed and living characters, and weaving of several separate movements of groups all proceeding toward some yet invisible outcome. Fantastic writing, Barb.

“Are we there yet?” asked Barb, her tone ... bordering on a whine

Finally, a little of the true Barb shows through!

And I want to apologize for the complaining back on the trail as well.

Wait! That doesn't sound like the true Barb?

He wished them well.

Make up your mind Tanaka. Are you an Imperial Army officer or another of Barbara's many besotted male conquests?

A breakout attempt under cover of darkness and on more hospitable terrain might work,

OK. now the future is becoming less foggy.

Nothing vital injured. I’ll live. Another day or two and I will return to duty. Possibly even tomorrow.”

The man is an animal! Gotta respect his strength!

She couldn’t help but be amused by Nat’s trademark intensity, so apparent in the way she squinted and slightly cocked her head to one side to favor the one unbroken lens on her eyeglasses.

As am I. Nat is so cute! However, in Barb's stories, any other female who is a rival for Barb in the readers' attention is in grave danger. Don't kill her off too soon!

Lubao

Why do I keep hearing that name?

She and Barb were of course unarmed, but each bore a canvass rucksack that they had been issued on their backs, stuffed with makeshift bandages and a rather meager assortment of medical supplies.

Angels of Mercy!

The English Nurse First Lieutenant Barbara Ann Moore

Wait. I missed that Barb was English! How did a Limey become a Lieutenant in the US Army nurses?

Again, fine writing!

 

[Barbaria1]

Wait. I missed that Barb was English! How did a Limey become a Lieutenant in the US Army nurses?

Fossy was just feeling patriotic?

 

[Fossy]

Fossy was just feeling patriotic?

Indeed - don't know where that came from lol

Feel free to edit that bit Barb ...

 

[Loxuru]

There was also a “Type 95” ceremonial sword.

View attachment 970368

A tank, a scouting vehicle and a ceremonial sword? Interesting tactics to confuse your enemy!

US General : "Men! According to inercepted dispatches, the Japs intend to attack with their Type 95! It will be a piece of cake against swords!"
Outlook : "Sir! The Japs are coming...!"
US General : "Open fire when they draw their swords!"
Outlook : " ... with lots of tanks, Sir!"

 

[Barbaria1]

15. Bataan Peninsula, near Lubao, night of April 14-15, 1942

It was dusk when Lieutenant Whitaker and the remnants of the 45th trudged wearily into the confines of the POW compound situated just to the south of the town of Lubao. It had been a horrendous day. Heat, exhaustion, hunger and wounds had raised the drop-out rate among the POWs to new heights. So many had died, or been murdered, that the waterlogged ditches flanking either side of the road had literally been left, in places, completely clogged with floating corpses.

As Whitaker had anticipated, unlike in previous days, the column had paused to rest only rarely. And when it did, the Japanese guards seemed bent on using the moment to cull out the weak and faltering for mass executions, which were carried out with merciless abandon by bullets, bayonets, and beatings.



Lieutenant Heidegger’s assessment earlier in the day that some of the nurses were near the point of exhaustion had proved prescient. As the afternoon wore on several had to be supported by others in order to continue. Three had eventually perished at the hands of the Japanese, who seemed to take particular delight in stripping their female victims naked, and cruelly torturing them by assaulting their bodies and most private parts in all forms of unimaginable ways before administering the coup de grâce. Their horrifyingly grisly deaths had reduced the number of surviving nurses to a mere four.



Given the horrors of the day, it was not surprising then, that conversation within the compound that evening was animated by whispered discussions about the possibility of mounting a breakout.

As the ranking officer now among the Americans, even though he was but a mere lieutenant, Whitaker found himself constantly on the move, rallying everyone around a single plan, which was to make their move just before dawn against what he reckoned, after a hurried reconnaissance, to be the most vulnerable point ... the southwest corner of the compound. So chosen, because it appeared to be watched by a single guard and because it was nearest to a wooded tract that stretched back into the foothills, thereby offering cover for flight into the wilds of the interior.

Returning to the more exclusive company of Norm and Clem, Whitaker went further, committing the three of them to seeing that Nora Heidegger and the other three nurses made it out with them. Included in the planning, Nora even came up with the possibility that the she and her nurses might be able to assist by distracting the Japanese sentry, whom they recognized as the last of Kubo’s men and whom the nurses had succeeded in befriending, at least to a point, since Kubo’s disappearance.

**************

It was at about the same time that evening that the partisans reached what would become the jumping off point for their planned raid on the Lubao POW compound. It was there that Barb and Natalie were left behind to set up, as Alejandro instructed, a field aid station to treat any casualties. The site was well hidden in a narrow ravine under a thick forest canopy, and only approachable from either end.

“How distant are we from the POW compound?” Natalie wanted to know from Alejandro before he left.

“A kilometer or two.”

“How will we know if the raid is successful, and whether there are any casualties, and how many? There’s little we can do, you must surely know, with the few supplies we have!”

“You’ll be informed.”

“And what if the raid’s a failure?”

“You ask too many questions.”

***************

Frustrated, Kubo took a seat on the verge of the road while the driver of the lorry and his sidekick labored under the hood of the stalled vehicle. Dusk was falling and Lubao was still a good distance off. To add to his discontent, the wound in Kubo’s back was hurting and he could feel the dampness under the dressing spreading from beneath to wet his shirt. He contemplated walking the rest of the way, but refrained, knowing he might not be up to it.

As his mood darkened, Kubo took to alternately hurling insults at the lorry driver one minute and falling into sulky silence the next. But then, he heard a vehicle approaching. Scrambling to his feet and peering down the road, he identified it as a ‘Type 95’. And as it drew close, he stepped out on to the road and waved his arms to flag it down.

The vehicle slowed, drawing up to where Kubo stood and coming abreast of him. He stopped waving his arms and sprang forward to reach for the door handle. But just as he did, the officer riding in the rear seat looked him square in the face, frowned, and snapped an order to his driver ... who promptly stepped on the accelerator. The ‘Type 95’ shot forward, leaving Kubo in the driver’s mirror.

In the rear of the vehicle Tanaka settled back in his seat, and smiled.

************

By then darkness had set in, and Barb and Natalie had finished setting up their makeshift aid station, which consisted of little more than several mats on the ground fashioned of cut branches and fronds, alongside the contents of their haversacks neatly arranged on a fallen log, ready for immediate use. One of the partisans had remained behind with them. He was much older than the others, diminutive in stature, and too physically lame for the kind of stealthy movement required for the purpose of approaching a heavily guarded compound perimeter.

He spoke no English. Barb and Natalie communicated with him through gestures and facial expressions, and found him to be both cheerful and helpful. They dubbed him ‘Sam’ because it seemed to fit. And he grinned happily whenever they called him by that name. If anything bad happened, they both knew that they would have to rely on him and the antiquated-looking gun he always kept by his side to keep them safe.

***********

Back in the compound, Nora Heidegger and one of the other nurses approached the perimeter wire with the hopeful intention of laying the groundwork for an effort later that night to distract and neutralize the lone Japanese soldier assigned to watch the compound’s southwest corner. The demeanor of this soldier, the only one of Kubo’s detail to remain with the POWs after the sergeant’s departure three nights earlier with Barb and Natalie, had changed. Without Kubo around to constantly look over his shoulder, he had shown the nurses some kindness. And when off duty and under the cover of night, he had even sought them out to surreptitiously bring them extra food and drink. Moreover, the fact that he had shown clear signs of personal distress on the road whenever any of the nurses had been tortured and killed had not gone unnoticed.

Heidegger approached the wire where he was on duty with Second Lieutenant Bell at her side. Youthful and openly flirtatious by nature, petite, tawny-haired and green-eyed Shirley Bell had tried successfully on a couple of occasions to engage this soldier. She knew a few words of Japanese and seemed to have gained some rapport with him, as everyone noticed how he kept special track of her, and how he singled her out on occasions that brought them close together.

On spotting Nora and Shirley at the wire, he perked up and sidled over to near where they were standing. Shirley engaged him through the barrier, managing to convey to him the notion that he might want to join them there at the wire later that night, after the compound was asleep. He nodded vigorously, and pantomimed the act of drinking. To which, Shirley smiled and repeated the words ‘Hai’ and ‘saké’ several times, in addition to cocking her head to one side against an open hand to feign sleep while sweeping her other hand in the general direction of the camp ... a gesture designed to make certain that the timing of the intended rendezvous was clearly understood.



**************

From his nearby place of concealment, Alejandro observed the two American army nurses approach the wire and engage the lone Japanese soldier on guard there. The fact that only a single Japanese sentry was posted on that section of the perimeter boded well for Alejandro’s plan, which gave him a measure of satisfaction, although whatever it was that the two American nurses were up to perplexed him.

In any case, it was still hours before the plan went into effect, so he rolled over on his back to gaze through gaps in the forest canopy at the stars in the clear night sky.

Alejandro’s plan was simple. He eschewed complexity when it came to partisan operations. The plan called for two separate actions ... one that he would personally lead against the southwest corner of the compound, and a second diversionary action aimed at its distant northern side.

His part required that he, along with four other partisans, sneak up on and quietly do away with any soldiers stationed near the southwest corner, a task now looking simpler than anticipated given that there was only one soldier stationed there. His throat would be slit before he knew what happened, and then Alejandro and his four companions would move both quickly and silently to cut a sizable gap in the wire.

The second part called for a much larger partisan force to stage a noisy diversion along the northern perimeter designed to draw all the Japanese guards to that area. At that point, Alejandro and his men were to move into the compound and shepherd as many POWs as possible through the breach in the southwest corner. Once outside the POWs would be separated into five groups, each of which would be led away by two partisans, following predetermined and separate routes through the back country to a safe rendezvous in the mountains. Movement would need to be fast. Any POWs who proved unable to keep up would be left to their fate.

Alejandro would in the meantime remain behind to gather any walking wounded among the partisans and lead them back to the hidden aid station where Barb and Natalie had been left behind.

**********

Inside the compound, Whitaker watched as Nora and Shirley made their way back from the perimeter to rejoin the other two nurses. As they passed him by, Nora flashed him a thumbs up sign.

Whitaker smiled. The desperate plan that he had concocted might just work. Time would tell.

 

[Fossy]

15. Bataan Peninsula, near Lubao, night of April 14-15, 1942

It was dusk when Lieutenant Whitaker and the remnants of the 45th trudged wearily into the confines of the POW compound situated just to the south of the town of Lubao. It had been a horrendous day. Heat, exhaustion, hunger and wounds had raised the drop-out rate among the POWs to new heights. So many had died, or been murdered, that the waterlogged ditches flanking either side of the road had literally been left, in places, completely clogged with floating corpses.

As Whitaker had anticipated, unlike in previous days, the column had paused to rest only rarely. And when it did, the Japanese guards seemed bent on using the moment to cull out the weak and faltering for mass executions, which were carried out with merciless abandon by bullets, bayonets, and beatings.

Lieutenant Heidegger’s assessment earlier in the day that some of the nurses were near the point of exhaustion had proved prescient. As the afternoon wore on several had to be supported by others in order to continue. Three had eventually perished at the hands of the Japanese, who seemed to take particular delight in stripping their female victims naked, and cruelly torturing them by assaulting their bodies and most private parts in all forms of unimaginable ways before administering the coup de grâce. Their horrifyingly grisly deaths had reduced the number of surviving nurses to a mere four.

Given the horrors of the day, it was not surprising then, that conversation within the compound that evening was animated by whispered discussions about the possibility of mounting a breakout.

As the ranking officer now among the Americans, even though he was but a mere lieutenant, Whitaker found himself constantly on the move, rallying everyone around a single plan, which was to make their move just before dawn against what he reckoned, after a hurried reconnaissance, to be the most vulnerable point ... the southwest corner of the compound. So chosen, because it appeared to be watched by a single guard and because it was nearest to a wooded tract that stretched back into the foothills, thereby offering cover for flight into the wilds of the interior.

Returning to the more exclusive company of Norm and Clem, Whitaker went further, committing the three of them to seeing that Nora Heidegger and the other three nurses made it out with them. Included in the planning, Nora even came up with the possibility that the she and her nurses might be able to assist by distracting the Japanese sentry, whom they recognized as the last of Kubo’s men and whom the nurses had succeeded in befriending, at least to a point, since Kubo’s disappearance.

**************

It was at about the same time that evening that the partisans reached what would become the jumping off point for their planned raid on the Lubao POW compound. It was there that Barb and Natalie were left behind to set up, as Alejandro instructed, a field aid station to treat any casualties. The site was well hidden in a narrow ravine under a thick forest canopy, and only approachable from either end.

“How distant are we from the POW compound?” Natalie wanted to know from Alejandro before he left.

“A kilometer or two.”

“How will we know if the raid is successful, and whether there are any casualties, and how many? There’s little we can do, you must surely know, with the few supplies we have!”

“You’ll be informed.”

“And what if the raid’s a failure?”

“You ask too many questions.”

***************

Frustrated, Kubo took a seat on the verge of the road while the driver of the lorry and his sidekick labored under the hood of the stalled vehicle. Dusk was falling and Lubao was still a good distance off. To add to his discontent, the wound in Kubo’s back was hurting and he could feel the dampness under the dressing spreading from beneath to wet his shirt. He contemplated walking the rest of the way, but refrained, knowing he might not be up to it.

As his mood darkened, Kubo took to alternately hurling insults at the lorry driver one minute and falling into sulky silence the next. But then, he heard a vehicle approaching. Scrambling to his feet and peering down the road, he identified it as a ‘Type 95’. And as it drew close, he stepped out on to the road and waved his arms to flag it down.

The vehicle slowed, drawing up to where Kubo stood and coming abreast of him. He stopped waving his arms and sprang forward to reach for the door handle. But just as he did, the officer riding in the rear seat looked him square in the face, frowned, and snapped an order to his driver ... who promptly stepped on the accelerator. The ‘Type 95’ shot forward, leaving Kubo in the driver’s mirror.

In the rear of the vehicle Tanaka settled back in his seat, and smiled.

************

By then darkness had set in, and Barb and Natalie had finished setting up their makeshift aid station, which consisted of little more than several mats on the ground fashioned of cut branches and fronds, alongside the contents of their haversacks neatly arranged on a fallen log, ready for immediate use. One of the partisans had remained behind with them. He was much older than the others, diminutive in stature, and too physically lame for the kind of stealthy movement required for the purpose of approaching a heavily guarded compound perimeter.

He spoke no English. Barb and Natalie communicated with him through gestures and facial expressions, and found him to be both cheerful and helpful. They dubbed him ‘Sam’ because it seemed to fit. And he grinned happily whenever they called him by that name. If anything bad happened, they both knew that they would have to rely on him and the antiquated-looking gun he always kept by his side to keep them safe.

***********

Back in the compound, Nora Heidegger and one of the other nurses approached the perimeter wire with the hopeful intention of laying the groundwork for an effort later that night to distract and neutralize the lone Japanese soldier assigned to watch the compound’s southwest corner. The demeanor of this soldier, the only one of Kubo’s detail to remain with the POWs after the sergeant’s departure three nights earlier with Barb and Natalie, had changed. Without Kubo around to constantly look over his shoulder, he had shown the nurses some kindness. And when off duty and under the cover of night, he had even sought them out to surreptitiously bring them extra food and drink. Moreover, the fact that he had shown clear signs of personal distress on the road whenever any of the nurses had been tortured and killed had not gone unnoticed.

Heidegger approached the wire where he was on duty with Second Lieutenant Bell at her side. Youthful and openly flirtatious by nature, petite, tawny-haired and green-eyed Shirley Bell had tried successfully on a couple of occasions to engage this soldier. She knew a few words of Japanese and seemed to have gained some rapport with him, as everyone noticed how he kept special track of her, and how he singled her out on occasions that brought them close together.

On spotting Nora and Shirley at the wire, he perked up and sidled over to near where they were standing. Shirley engaged him through the barrier, managing to convey to him the notion that he might want to join them there at the wire later that night, after the compound was asleep. He nodded vigorously, and pantomimed the act of drinking. To which, Shirley smiled and repeated the words ‘Hai’ and ‘saké’ several times, in addition to cocking her head to one side against an open hand to feign sleep while sweeping her other hand in the general direction of the camp ... a gesture designed to make certain that the timing of the intended rendezvous was clearly understood.

**************

From his nearby place of concealment, Alejandro observed the two American army nurses approach the wire and engage the lone Japanese soldier on guard there. The fact that only a single Japanese sentry was posted on that section of the perimeter boded well for Alejandro’s plan, which gave him a measure of satisfaction, although whatever it was that the two American nurses were up to perplexed him.

In any case, it was still hours before the plan went into effect, so he rolled over on his back to gaze through gaps in the forest canopy at the stars in the clear night sky.

Alejandro’s plan was simple. He eschewed complexity when it came to partisan operations. The plan called for two separate actions ... one that he would personally lead against the southwest corner of the compound, and a second diversionary action aimed at its distant northern side.

His part required that he, along with four other partisans, sneak up on and quietly do away with any soldiers stationed near the southwest corner, a task now looking simpler than anticipated given that there was only one soldier stationed there. His throat would be slit before he knew what happened, and then Alejandro and his four companions would move both quickly and silently to cut a sizable gap in the wire.

The second part called for a much larger partisan force to stage a noisy diversion along the northern perimeter designed to draw all the Japanese guards to that area. At that point, Alejandro and his men were to move into the compound and shepherd as many POWs as possible through the breach in the southwest corner. Once outside the POWs would be separated into five groups, each of which would be led away by two partisans, following predetermined and separate routes through the back country to a safe rendezvous in the mountains. Movement would need to be fast. Any POWs who proved unable to keep up would be left to their fate.

Alejandro would in the meantime remain behind to gather any walking wounded among the partisans and lead them back to the hidden aid station where Barb and Natalie had been left behind.

**********

Inside the compound, Whitaker watched as Nora and Shirley made their way back from the perimeter to rejoin the other two nurses. As they passed him by, Nora flashed him a thumbs up sign.

Whitaker smiled. The desperate plan that he had concocted might just work. Time would tell.

The plot thickens and evolves - I can sense that the 'nice' Japanese soldier is not very long for this life ...

 

[Fossy]

The American Nurse, wearing nothing but a tattered and torn uniform remnant, approach the perimeter fence with the intention of engaging the guard on duty ...



This original photograph was stolen from the Japanese by the Philippines during Japan's three-year occupation in World War II. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corps) ASSOCIATED PRESS.

 

[Madiosi]

As Whitaker had anticipated, unlike in previous days, the column had paused to rest only rarely. And when it did, the Japanese guards seemed bent on using the moment to cull out the weak and faltering for mass executions, which were carried out with merciless abandon by bullets, bayonets, and beatings.

 

[Madiosi]

Their horrifyingly grisly deaths had reduced the number of surviving nurses to a mere four.

 

[twonines]

This is really good Barb, a patient build up, and many and various possible outcomes to follow.

 

[Praefectus Praetorio]

I'm sorry, Barb. I cannot praise this episode.

While it is as good as or superior to what has come before, I have run out of words to describe my admiration for your writing. And, as you and the others here know, I always seem to have an excess of words available.

So many had died, or been murdered, that the waterlogged ditches flanking either side of the road had literally been left, in places, completely clogged with floating corpses.

Shocking and very intense. Your spare description somehow magnifies the horror.

who seemed to take particular delight in stripping their female victims naked, and cruelly torturing them by assaulting their bodies and most private parts in all forms of unimaginable ways before administering the coup de grâce.

So evil and despicable!! Very difficult to read without very strong emotion.
BTW - is there somewhere I can go to get an extended description and maybe explicit photos - strictly for documentary purposes, you understand.

In the rear of the vehicle Tanaka settled back in his seat, and smiled.

I suspect many more smiled on reading that.

 

[Barbaria1]

I'm sorry, Barb. I cannot praise this episode.

While it is as good as or superior to what has come before, I have run out of words to describe my admiration for your writing.

You can always try harder ... I won’t mind

 

[Praefectus Praetorio]

You can always try harder ... I won’t mind

Ah! Good ol' Barbara. Never one to encourage or revel in praise!

 

[Loxuru]

Well, let's hope that Whitaker and the partisans don't spoil each other's plan.

 

[Barbaria1]

16. Bataan Peninsula, near Lubao, night of April 15, 1942

The time had come. Lieutenant Whitaker had flashed the ‘Go’ signal.

Sheltered from prying eyes behind Nora Heidegger’s back, Second Lieutenant Shirley Bell removed her blouse and brassiere. Putting the blouse back on, she purposely left most of the buttons undone. Then together, the two army nurses rose and quietly picked their way past the dark forms of POWs asleep on the ground until they reached the southwest corner of the compound where the agreed on illicit rendezvous with a Japanese guard was to take place.

***********

Nineteen-year-old Nitōhei (private) Hiroko Ota was there waiting for them. Tracking their approach in the silvery light of a full moon, he noted with excitement the billowing, half-open front of the smaller American nurse’s blouse ... an excitement that only grew as the two women drew close and the semi-crouched posture of the smaller one as she sneaked up to the barrier offered him a tantalizing glimpse of her pert little breasts.

Hiroko had been enamored of Shirley Bell since he first laid eyes on her the day Sergeant Kubo’s detail had been ordered to take charge of the American nurses. He liked the way she moved, her every facial expression, her petite size, her strangely enchanting green eyes, the tawny color of her hair, and the way in which her bobbed hair-do framed her face ... in short, he liked everything about her. At first he had tried to hide his infatuation with her from his comrades, and especially from Sergeant Kubo. To be attracted to a female enemy soldier for any purpose other than to humiliate and debase her was unthinkable. For a soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army, it was more than unthinkable ... it was a source of profound dishonor ... a betrayal of his family, country and Emperor. But try as he might, he could not escape the fact that he was totally captivated by her.

And, he mistook the risqué way in which the front of her blouse gaped open, and the wonders that it revealed, as a providential sign that his own amorous feelings were reciprocated. He had demonstrated, after all, since Kubo had vanished, his reverence for her in multiple subtle ways. Surely she had noticed.

Waving the bottle of saké he had procured for the occasion at the approaching nurses, he smiled broadly and stepped up to the wire.

************

From his nearby hiding place, Alejandro cursed to himself silently. What were those two American nurses doing there? It was nearly time for him to make his move. The entire plan depended on it, but the Japanese soldier who moments ago had been seated but a few steps away, within easy reach, was now over at the barrier fraternizing with a couple of dumb American nurses!

Instead of slitting the man’s throat, Alejandro found himself stymied. How could this have happened? There was precious little time remaining before the diversionary action on the far side of the compound was to begin. Yet, he dared not cause a scene that would attract attention to the critical southwest corner of the compound. He would have to to resign himself to reality. He simply had little choice but to wait for the diversion to begin, and then, belatedly, carry out the plan to eliminate the guard and cut a gap in the wire.

In his frustration, Alejandro's mind flashed back to Barb and Natalie and their untimely arrival at his home in Balanga. He couldn’t help but conclude that these American nurses were nothing but trouble.

************

From his vantage point, roughly twenty yards, from where Natalie and Shirley had begun flirtatiously sharing a bottle of saké with the lone Japanese perimeter guard, Whitaker smiled with satisfaction. It was just a matter of time before he, along with Norm and Clem, would take matters into their own hands. Glancing at Clem and ... in the Louisiana Cajun’s hand ... the crude makeshift knife fashioned from a Japanese ration tin, Whitaker reckoned that the Japanese soldier would soon meet a quick and hopefully soundless demise.

The plan was for the three of them to wait until the nurses had the poor fellow completely distracted. And Whitaker couldn’t help but to have noticed that Lieutenant Bell had gone above and beyond the call of duty by baring her tits as an added distraction. Norm and Clem had noticed as well, judging by the low whistle he heard escaping from the two of them.

As soon as the perimeter guard was dispatched, the plan was to tear down the wires as much as they could with bare hands wrapped in rags, throw the dead guard’s corpse over the downed wires to weigh them down, then hustle as many POWs through the gap as they possibly could before the breach was discovered.

***********

Meanwhile at the makeshift partisan aid station, hidden deep in a ravine located a couple of kilometers inland from the Lubao compound, Barb and Natalie lay side by side on the ground, trying to get some sleep.

“You awake?” whispered Natalie, raising herself on one elbow.

“No, I haven’t been able to ...”

“I’m worried. I had a premonition.”

“Come on Nat. A premonition? That’s not like you. I mean you’re the one who collects and believes in facts.”

“Well, think about it, Lieutenant. Here we are in this narrow ravine, accessible only at either end.”

“Yeah, hidden and defensible. That’s what Alejandro said, right?”

“Right, but let’s say that the raid is a failure. This ravine could well become a trap!”

“That’s why we’ve got Sam.”

“Well, my premonition tells me the worst is going to happen, and Sam is ... well, you know ...”

“I know. Try not to think about it, okay.”

***************

Tanaka rolled over on his back ... spent but satisfied.

The naked comfort girl, with whom he had just pleasured himself, stretched her limbs. Sitting up, she bent herself over him to plant little kisses on his chest ... working them slowly downward toward Tanaka’s groin, which she had begun stroking his limp member with her free hand.



His driver had driven him into Lubao a little before midnight after a brief stop at the POW compound south of the town to check in with the local commander there. Assured that the compound was secure and quiet, Tanaka had instructed that he be taken to the the town’s most impressive residence, the palatial two-story Spanish-styled home of a former colonial planter, which had been transformed into an officer’s billet. There he had secured a private room and had been offered the exclusive services of the attractive young comfort girl who was so busily working on restoring his spent ardor.

He stared at the ornately plastered ceiling of a room decorated to cater to the tastes of a now-vanquished Western colonial elite. He reflected on the differences between Asian and Western women, having known both in his lifetime. They each had their attractions, he mused, but in the final analysis he preferred ... as might be expected ... subservience over independence. He doubted any Western woman could outperform the comfort girl who was succeeding so expertly in her current task ... and wondered whether those Western colonials who may have occupied this very room and engaged in the same activity there as he was now, might have thought so too.

Rousing himself from his reverie, he ordered her to remove her mouth from his fully hardened member, and re-position herself on her hands and knees facing away from him so that he might mount her from behind. Raising himself to his knees behind her, he gripped her slender hips and slipped himself smoothly into the warm welcoming depths of her sex. After pausing to enjoy the pleasurable sensation of entry, he began to take her ... not in any rush ... but deliberately so, with long languid strokes as he bent over her to grasp and squeeze her dangling breasts.



**********

It was a good many hours past midnight when Kubo finally reached the Lubao POW compound. The breakdown that had delayed the lorry on which he had hitched a ride had been finally put right. But by the time he had reached his destination, the place had long been asleep. At the gate he sought out a guard and inquired where he might find any American nurses that might be held in the compound.

The guard nodded and pointed in the general direction of the southwest quadrant of the compound.

Kubo thanked him and asked where he might get some food.

**************

Hiroko was enjoying himself. Despite the language barrier, the two American nurses seemed to be genuinely pleased with his company. They smiled appreciatively at his comic antics, and seemed more than eager to share his bottle of saké, which was passed repeatedly back and forth through the wire. In fact, it was soon gone, but luckily he had had the foresight to bring a second one.

But in particular, he was taken with the way in which Shirley responded to him ... the way, for example, that she allowed her fingers to linger in touch with his each time the saké bottle was passed through the wire. And the way she didn’t shy away from his rather obvious fascination with the open front of her blouse.



So, it was that with almost childlike delight he responded to the moment when, after passing the bottle, Shirley took his hand, pulling it through the wire and placing it on her chest. The gesture drew him near to her both emotionally and physically. He was cherishing the moment.

But unbeknownst to him, that was the moment that Whitaker, who along with his men had been sneaking ever closer, ready to rush forward and grab him, chose to act.

It was also the moment that to everyone’s surprise ... save for Alejandro who looked on helplessly ... that a flare suddenly shot into the sky to burst above the compound’s northern perimeter fence, followed by the noisy chatter of small arms fire.

 

[Fossy]

16. Bataan Peninsula, near Lubao, night of April 15, 1942

The time had come. Lieutenant Whitaker had flashed the ‘Go’ signal.

Sheltered from prying eyes behind Nora Heidegger’s back, Second Lieutenant Shirley Bell removed her blouse and brassiere. Putting the blouse back on, she purposely left most of the buttons undone. Then together, the two army nurses rose and quietly picked their way past the dark forms of POWs asleep on the ground until they reached the southwest corner of the compound where the agreed on illicit rendezvous with a Japanese guard was to take place.

***********

Nineteen-year-old Nitōhei (private) Hiroko Ota was there waiting for them. Tracking their approach in the silvery light of a full moon, he noted with excitement the billowing, half-open front of the smaller American nurse’s blouse ... an excitement that only grew as the two women drew close and the semi-crouched posture of the smaller one as she sneaked up to the barrier offered him a tantalizing glimpse of her pert little breasts.

Hiroko had been enamored of Shirley Bell since he first laid eyes on her the day Sergeant Kubo’s detail had been ordered to take charge of the American nurses. He liked the way she moved, her every facial expression, her petite size, her strangely enchanting green eyes, the tawny color of her hair, and the way in which her bobbed hair-do framed her face ... in short, he liked everything about her. At first he had tried to hide his infatuation with her from his comrades, and especially from Sergeant Kubo. To be attracted to a female enemy soldier for any purpose other than to humiliate and debase her was unthinkable. For a soldier of the Japanese Imperial Army, it was more than unthinkable ... it was a source of profound dishonor ... a betrayal of his family, country and Emperor. But try as he might, he could not escape the fact that he was totally captivated by her.

And, he mistook the risqué way in which the front of her blouse gaped open, and the wonders that it revealed, as a providential sign that his own amorous feelings were reciprocated. He had demonstrated, after all, since Kubo had vanished, his reverence for her in multiple subtle ways. Surely she had noticed.

Waving the bottle of saké he had procured for the occasion at the approaching nurses, he smiled broadly and stepped up to the wire.

************

From his nearby hiding place, Alejandro cursed to himself silently. What were those two American nurses doing there? It was nearly time for him to make his move. The entire plan depended on it, but the Japanese soldier who moments ago had been seated but a few steps away, within easy reach, was now over at the barrier fraternizing with a couple of dumb American nurses!

Instead of slitting the man’s throat, Alejandro found himself stymied. How could this have happened? There was precious little time remaining before the diversionary action on the far side of the compound was to begin. Yet, he dared not cause a scene that would attract attention to the critical southwest corner of the compound. He would have to to resign himself to reality. He simply had little choice but to wait for the diversion to begin, and then, belatedly, carry out the plan to eliminate the guard and cut a gap in the wire.

In his frustration, Alejandro's mind flashed back to Barb and Natalie and their untimely arrival at his home in Balanga. He couldn’t help but conclude that these American nurses were nothing but trouble.

************

From his vantage point, roughly twenty yards, from where Natalie and Shirley had begun flirtatiously sharing a bottle of saké with the lone Japanese perimeter guard, Whitaker smiled with satisfaction. It was just a matter of time before he, along with Norm and Clem, would take matters into their own hands. Glancing at Clem and ... in the Louisiana Cajun’s hand ... the crude makeshift knife fashioned from a Japanese ration tin, Whitaker reckoned that the Japanese soldier would soon meet a quick and hopefully soundless demise.

The plan was for the three of them to wait until the nurses had the poor fellow completely distracted. And Whitaker couldn’t help but to have noticed that Lieutenant Bell had gone above and beyond the call of duty by baring her tits as an added distraction. Norm and Clem had noticed as well, judging by the low whistle he heard escaping from the two of them.

As soon as the perimeter guard was dispatched, the plan was to tear down the wires as much as they could with bare hands wrapped in rags, throw the dead guard’s corpse over the downed wires to weigh them down, then hustle as many POWs through the gap as they possibly could before the breach was discovered.

***********

Meanwhile at the makeshift partisan aid station, hidden deep in a ravine located a couple of kilometers inland from the Lubao compound, Barb and Natalie lay side by side on the ground, trying to get some sleep.

“You awake?” whispered Natalie, raising herself on one elbow.

“No, I haven’t been able to ...”

“I’m worried. I had a premonition.”

“Come on Nat. A premonition? That’s not like you. I mean you’re the one who collects and believes in facts.”

“Well, think about it, Lieutenant. Here we are in this narrow ravine, accessible only at either end.”

“Yeah, hidden and defensible. That’s what Alejandro said, right?”

“Right, but let’s say that the raid is a failure. This ravine could well become a trap!”

“That’s why we’ve got Sam.”

“Well, my premonition tells me the worst is going to happen, and Sam is ... well, you know ...”

“I know. Try not to think about it, okay.”

***************

Tanaka rolled over on his back ... spent but satisfied.

The naked comfort girl, with whom he had just pleasured himself, stretched her limbs. Sitting up, she bent herself over him to plant little kisses on his chest ... working them slowly downward toward Tanaka’s groin, which she had begun stroking his limp member with her free hand.

His driver had driven him into Lubao a little before midnight after a brief stop at the POW compound south of the town to check in with the local commander there. Assured that the compound was secure and quiet, Tanaka had instructed that he be taken to the the town’s most impressive residence, the palatial two-story Spanish-styled home of a former colonial planter, which had been transformed into an officer’s billet. There he had secured a private room and had been offered the exclusive services of the attractive young comfort girl who was so busily working on restoring his spent ardor.

He stared at the ornately plastered ceiling of a room decorated to cater to the tastes of a now-vanquished Western colonial elite. He reflected on the differences between Asian and Western women, having known both in his lifetime. They each had their attractions, he mused, but in the final analysis he preferred ... as might be expected ... subservience over independence. He doubted any Western woman could outperform the comfort girl who was succeeding so expertly in her current task ... and wondered whether those Western colonials who may have occupied this very room and engaged in the same activity there as he was now, might have thought so too.

Rousing himself from his reverie, he ordered her to remove her mouth from his fully hardened member, and re-position herself on her hands and knees facing away from him so that he might mount her from behind. Raising himself to his knees behind her, he gripped her slender hips and slipped himself smoothly into the warm welcoming depths of her sex. After pausing to enjoy the pleasurable sensation of entry, he began to take her ... not in any rush ... but deliberately so, with long languid strokes as he bent over her to grasp and squeeze her dangling breasts.

**********

It was a good many hours past midnight when Kubo finally reached the Lubao POW compound. The breakdown that had delayed the lorry on which he had hitched a ride had been finally put right. But by the time he had reached his destination, the place had long been asleep. At the gate he sought out a guard and inquired where he might find any American nurses that might be held in the compound.

The guard nodded and pointed in the general direction of the southwest quadrant of the compound.

Kubo thanked him and asked where he might get some food.

**************

Hiroko was enjoying himself. Despite the language barrier, the two American nurses seemed to be genuinely pleased with his company. They smiled appreciatively at his comic antics, and seemed more than eager to share his bottle of saké, which was passed repeatedly back and forth through the wire. In fact, it was soon gone, but luckily he had had the foresight to bring a second one.

But in particular, he was taken with the way in which Shirley responded to him ... the way, for example, that she allowed her fingers to linger in touch with his each time the saké bottle was passed through the wire. And the way she didn’t shy away from his rather obvious fascination with the open front of her blouse.

So, it was that with almost childlike delight he responded to the moment when, after passing the bottle, Shirley took his hand, pulling it through the wire and placing it on her chest. The gesture drew him near to her both emotionally and physically. He was cherishing the moment.

But unbeknownst to him, that was the moment that Whitaker, who along with his men had been sneaking ever closer, ready to rush forward and grab him, chose to act.

It was also the moment that to everyone’s surprise ... save for Alejandro who looked on helplessly ... that a flare suddenly shot into the sky to burst above the compound’s northern perimeter fence, followed by the noisy chatter of small arms fire.

The Partisans arrival, the nurses surreptitious rendezvous and the flare all at one critical juncture of a moment ... But ... what will the outcome be? Excellent piece Barb, looking forward very much to the next one.

 

[Fossy]

An American Nurse offers a tantalising glimpse of her naked breasts ...



This original photograph was stolen from the Japanese by the Philippines during Japan's three-year occupation in World War II. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corps) ASSOCIATED PRESS.

 

[Fossy]

Japanese Captain Tanaka visits the Comfort Station ...





These original photographs were stolen from the Japanese by the Philippines during Japan's three-year occupation in World War II. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corps) ASSOCIATED PRESS.

 

[Loxuru]

An episode building up suspense. It reads like watching a well-edited movie. Everybody has taken position, and now the action begins : to be continued!

 

[twonines]

Another episode well up to the high standard to which we have become accustomed, you are obviously building up to a dramatic conclusion.
It is unlikely that Lieutenant Moore will escape with half a dozen lashes and a part shift as a comfort girl !!