10 Feb – At 3d Shipping Headquarters. [Intramuros]
0130 – 2d Lt Ainouchi came from Detachment Headquarters and requested me to emplace one field gun; we decided to put the Observation Post on top of the building and emplaced the gun on the third floor.
0500 – 2d Lt Ainouchi and army personnel came from Detachment Headquarters and by using Chinese coolies carried the gun up to the second floor. Later, the Platoon Leader and 6 men came to help and, with their cooperation, we carried the gun up to the Northeast corner of the third floor. Finished about 0700.
0830 – Commenced firing. Target – Santo Tomas University. The aiming point is the uppermost right stone pillar on the Taiwan Transport Corporation Building. Distance – 3400 [Possibly meters]. 2d Lt AINOUCHI and I went up to the Observation Post. Commenced firing. First round burst 5 mils to the left of the building. Aimed to the right and fired two rounds. They hit to the right and at the base of the building. White smoke is seen. Thereafter we fired fifty to sixty rounds continuously; fell in the vicinity of the target. I believe that the mission has been accomplished. [Note 3.4 km from UST places this in the port area – maybe the Customs building]
1000 – Until 1000 the enemy did not fire. An enemy plane is flying over and appears that it is making an observation of our positions; at times it strafes.
About this time one enemy shell landed on the center of this tower, and shrapnel fell. Approximately one minute thereafter 2 more rounds landed. Our forces continued their fire.
Ten minutes after the first round, four rounds in succession fell (It appears that it is a Battery of 4 guns, and its position may be in the vicinity of San Lazaro Race Track, just as it was yesterday.) Four more rounds followed and hit the pillar. One of these fell in the vicinity of our position. Before the first enemy round landed, I encouraged the gunners, asked them to oil the muzzle of the gun, and went down to my quarters.
Rounds expended – 52
Firing time – 0830 to 1015
Target – Santo Tomas University.