Selling is a 1944 magazine article about: MINDANAO Title: Mindanao, on the Road to Tokyo Author: Frederick Simpich Quoting the 1st page “Like a mammoth steppingstone on a watery path from New Guinea to Tokyo lies big, rich, relatively unexplored Mindanao, southernmost main island of the Philippine group. Its gold mines and vast primeval forests, its cattle ranges and as yet unharnessed waterfalls, make it resemble the empty but rich California of ninety-odd years ago. By last August, General MacArthur's ground forces had pushed their way to the Schouten Islands, 800mis southeast of this rich J*p-held island, and the American beach-head at Sansapor, at the tip of New Guinea, was about 700mis from the city of Davao. Aerial bombardment of J*p positions began August 7, 8, and 9, with 3 successive raids on Davao. Though still little known, pioneer planters have already proved this tropic region ideal for growing rubber, coconut, and quinine trees, and juicy pineapple crops. Long ago, from a Moro proa offshore, I saw the half-naked tinted hills of Surigao peninsula, now acclaimed by geologists as 1 of Asia's greatest iron ore deposits. Slightly larger than Indiana, Mindanao is 2nd in size only to Luzon. Among its colorful tribes are some 400,000 Moslem Moros, the only big Mohammedan colony ever under the American flag. With these fanatics the Spaniards had struggled for 300 yrs, till Admiral Dewey took Manila in 1898. Then American soldiers, with native scouts and constabulary they trained, for years carried on the Moro campaign. Finally, leaving them to their own customs and life under the Koran, we almost pacified the Moros, Emphasize almost! Negritos and other wild tribes still prowl the hills and jungles. Some hunt with spears, eat bats, and take fish by throwing intoxicating weeds into the pools. Here, too, are man-eating crocodiles, eagles that kill monkeys, lizards that fly. Battles occur between vicious wild boars and big pythons. Drama and tragedy swept Mindanao in the early summer of 1942 as J*ps sought to mop up the last of the Americans. Gen. William F. Sharp had surrendered on May 11. For General MacArthur, the late President Manuel Quez6n, President Sergio Osmena, and other dignitaries, Mindanao was the last jumping-off place for Australia. From Borneo came a few of our surviving bombers, to rain ruin and death on enemy ships and docks at Davao. Daringly, Lt. John D. Bulkeley's MTB's (Motor Torpedo Boats harassed J*p warcraft off Mindanao's coast or sneaked into Mindanao ports by dark of night, bringing fugitives for rendezvous with Australia-bound planes or submarines. One MTB was actually dismantled, hauled up to Lake Lanao, and rebuilt for use in a last desperate stab at the J*ps. Cruelty to American captives was unspeakable, as told in The Dyess Story . In Davao prison camp the J*ps concentrated a large number of Americans, and it was from here that the late Lt. Col. William E. Dyess, Lt. Comdr. Melvyn H. McCoy, and others escaped. Most vivid South Sea fiction tales are no more exciting than the bald history of Mindanao. Its Moro lands include the musically named islands of Basilan, Jolo, and Tawitawi, which string out toward Borneo. Pirates and pearls, slave girls and smugglers, tribal raids and war canoes loaded with spearmen carrying shields, and mortal hand-to-hand battles had made Mindanao known from Arabia to South China even before Columbus sailed west. Magellan got to the Philippines in 1521 and anchored at Limasawa, a small island northwest of Surigao. Here 2 kings of the north coast of Mindanao came out to visit him. This was before the great navigator went on to Cebu, and later to Mactan, where he was killed. After his death, his ships continued the voyage and touched at western Mindanao. They also sighted Jolo Island, but contrary winds prevented them from visiting it. Jolo is the old home of the Sultan of Sulu. Since the death of Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, in June, 1936, without an heir, the sultanate has been in dispute, and the title may…" 7” x 10”, 36 pages, 26 B&W & twelve color images These are pages from an actual 1944 magazine. No reprints or copies. 44K2 Please note the flat-rate shipping for my magazine articles. Please see my other auctions and store items for more old articles, advertising pages and non-fiction books. Click Here To Visit My eBay Store: busybeas books and adsThousands of advertisement pages and old articlesAnything I find that looks interesting! Please see my other auctions for more goodies, books and magazines. I’ll combine wins to save on postage. Thanks For Looking! Luke 12: 15 Note to CANADIAN purchasers: Since 2007 I've only been charging 5% GST on purchases. Thanks to a recent CRA audit I must change to the full GST/HST charge. Different provinces have different rates, though most are just 5%. My GST/HST number is 84416 2784 RT0001 Powered by eBay Turbo Lister
