Moliwan Maru-re Base

Three cramped tunnels, each around 80 meters long, run seaward through the headland at Moliwan at Shizitou (獅子頭) in Fangshan, Pingtung. They were cut by the 21st Sea Raiding Squadron (海上挺進第21戰隊) and its base battalion, who arrived on the last day of 1944 and were redeployed to Xizhi the following May. Taiwan was not invaded and the squadron saw no action.

The army had begun work on an attack boat of its own in mid-1944, independently of the navy and without suicide in mind: the plywood maru-re (マルレ), sometimes referred to as maru-ni, hung a 250 kilogram depth charge at the stern, to be released alongside an enemy hull before the pilot withdrew. Ramming proved a more robust tactic, and in August 1944 the two programs merged their boats into a single special attack program designated maru-hachi. Chen Xin’an (陳信安) identified this base in 2017 and considers the slate and cobblestone passages more likely to be personnel tunnels providing beach access rather than boat pens as the craft were wider than the entrances.

Additional facilities can be found in the underbrush at the opposite end of the bat-filled tunnels. A small plaque honoring the spirits of the deceased soldiers can be found at the nearby Ping’an Temple (平安宮).