April Fools

Finally, on April Fools' Eve, the assault came. Lieut. General Tomoyuki Yamashita had held back for weeks, planning, grouping his forces, flexing his muscles. For ten days he had bombarded both Bataan and Corregidor, as if those were things to be softened. The world, knowing an attack was coming, expected it to break Bataan.

The noise rose early on April Fools' Eve, with the full moon. It grew from a rattle to a roar, insistent, oncoming. It was mortar fire, machine-gun fire, rifle fire, dive-bombing, naval bombardment, all the powder in the powder box.

When April Fools' Day broke, the Americans and...

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