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Post by Karl Welteke on Jan 28, 2012 17:02:48 GMT 8
A Memorial to the Great Raid and rescue of the Cabanatuan POWs from the Japanese In a nighttime raid, under the cover of darkness and a distraction by a P-61 Black widow, the American Raiders group surprised the Japanese forces in and around the camp. Hundreds of Japanese troops were killed in the 30-minute coordinated attack; the Americans suffered minimal casualties. The Rangers, Scouts, and guerrillas escorted the POWs back to American lines. The rescue allowed the prisoners to tell of the death march and prison camp atrocities, which sparked a new rush of resolve for the war against Japan. The Philippine blocking force at the Cabu Bridge done an super job in holding back Japanese forces. Here are 51 images with descriptions. app.photobucket.com/u/PI-Sailor/a/b7b06506-7aa5-49d0-b681-3fd3c6e8077a?field=TITLE&desc=ascNote to view the Photobucket album: When the album opens, click on the first picture or the one you would like to view, then click the icon “i” and that will open the title and description of the image or images. The pictures are no longer in the proper original order, because Photobucket made the image titles disappear, the album URLs went dead as the result of their constant reorganizations. Here are some sample images: Cabanatuan POW Rescue Memorial. Rescue Memorial Wall Cabu Bridge, POW Rescue Block by Guerillas. The Palayan Town Welcome Ark or Gate. Death Marker of Col. David R. Abundo.
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Post by okla on Jan 28, 2012 23:43:41 GMT 8
Hey Karl...Thanks a bunch for posting. Really good stuff as per usual. I was especially struck by the photo of the "simple little bridge". Viewing this site today, who would think that the key (in my humble) element of that exceptional rescue took place there. Do you know what type bridge (stone, wooden,etc) the original structure was. As I understand it, the Filipino troops "blew" it in the blocking action. Cheers.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jan 29, 2012 9:32:02 GMT 8
Okla I read it was a wooden bridge, that it didn’t blow all the way but tanks couldn’t cross. The Japanese tried to rush across but were cut down. I got the book and it really impressed me how much the Filipinos contributed to this operation.
Here is my 1st paragraph from a pbs presentation about the raid:
Juan Pajota and Filipino Contributions to the Raid
While Robert Prince was the brains and Henry Mucci the sheer force behind the Cabanatuan rescue mission, it was USAFFE guerrilla leader Captain Juan Pajota who added the finesse. Captain Pajota knew the land, had the trust of local villagers and commanded the local guerrilla forces. He prevailed upon villagers to muzzle their barking dogs the night of the raid; he came up with the clever idea of evacuating the weak and feeble prisoners on water buffalo carts; and he and his men held Japanese forces off at a bridge while the Rangers and POWs made their historic trek back to safety.
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Post by darthdract on Jan 29, 2012 15:48:27 GMT 8
is it true that the Flyover to distract the Japanese where Pajota's Idea?
--- auto correct made a mess sorry ---
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jan 30, 2012 15:05:44 GMT 8
Okla and All Here are the other paragraphs from a pbs presentation about the raid in regards to: Juan Pajota and Filipino Contributions to the Raid Resourceful, Organized, ImaginativeA local from Nueva Ecija, Pajota joined the USAFFE guerrillas during the retreat from Bataan. By all accounts he was a small but sure and steady man, a natural leader and a brilliant tactician. Robert Lapham, the American USAFFE guerrilla leader, called him "a very unflamboyant guy with a natural bent for leadership. He was resourceful, organized and extremely imaginative." His intimate knowledge of the terrain proved crucial the success of the raid. He had "eyes" and "hands" in every village. Ghost Soldiers author Hampton Sides writes: "He knew all the mayors of all the barrios. He was familiar with the realities on the ground, every quirk of the water buffalo paths, every river bend. Whatever men or arms might need to be mustered, Pajota had the political wherewithal to make it happen." Pajota's knowledge of the area -- as well as his tremendous confidence -- proved essential to the raid. "Suicide"Pajota had the one thing Mucci lacked: information. He had intelligence on the Japanese movements within and around the camp. At their first meeting, Mucci was impatient; his men were ready, he wanted to move. Pajota was unflappable. Learning that Mucci was determined to stage the raid that very evening, Pajota clearly and simply informed Mucci, "Sir, with all due respect, that is suicide." Pajota explained that the Japanese would have large numbers of troops and trucks on the roads that evening. At first, Mucci was undeterred. However, upon receiving similar intelligence from his own Alamo Scouts, Mucci was forced to concur with Pajota. He delayed the raid 24 hours. A Perfect PlanIn the planning stages, Pajota offered Mucci a novel tactical strategy -- one that would give the raid an element of surprise and cover at the same time. Pajota suggested using airplanes to fly over the camp and distract the Japanese guards moments before the raid. "Mucci instantly liked the sound of it," Sides writes. "The aircraft would just be up there, looping and droning and turning, flummoxing the guards, commanding attention." The plan worked to perfection. The planes provided cover for the Rangers as they made their way into position near the camp gates. A Brilliant SolutionThe biggest question in Mucci and Prince's plan to liberate Cabanatuan was how to carry the POWs to safety. Mucci and Prince were worried that transporting the nearly 500 POWs thirty miles across enemy lines was going to prove impossible. The men were weak, frail, disease-ridden; there was no way they would be able to walk the distance. Pajota had a brilliant plan -- water buffalo carts, driven by local villagers would be waiting at the Pampanga River, one mile from the camp. Mucci couldn't resist the idea. It was brilliant. And, it proved to be the POWs' salvation. Five to a cart, the men, exhausted and lame, rolled the thirty miles to safety. Heroic BattleWhile those carts rolled, Pajota and his team of guerrilla fighters held the Japanese at bay. It was an incredible battle. Squad after squad of Japanese fighters rushed the bridge in a suicidal frenzy. Pajota's men, equipped with American firepower, secure in their positions, resisted all attackers. Indispensible AllyThere is no doubt that the raid at Cabanatuan owes much of its success and a great deal of its color to Pajota's brilliance, as well as to the loyalty of the Filipino villagers and the bravery of Pajota's men. Like many of the Filipino guerrillas, Juan Pajota's life story is little-known. What we do know is that he was courageous, loyal, and very smart. After the war, Pajota moved to the U.S. He died of a heart attack in 1976 -- just days before becoming a U.S. citizen. This picture came from this web site: tonetcarlo.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/the-great-raid/The Cabu Bridge A mile east of the camp is an interesting place. A Filipino guerilla leader, Captain Juan Pajota, was tasked to hold the bridge at Cabu during the raid. Over 1,000 Japanese soldiers were across the Cabu river. If they rushed to reinforce the camp, they could easily overwhelm the 120-man US Ranger team there. Juan Pajota and a small band of men held the bridge over the Cabu River. Not one Japanese soldier got across, despite several massed charges across the bridge. The guerillas even destroyed some Japanese tanks. Pajota was a big success factor in the raid.
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Post by darthdract on Jan 30, 2012 16:19:41 GMT 8
I have no words to say Very inspiring thanks carl
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Post by okla on Jan 31, 2012 0:37:07 GMT 8
Hey Karl...I have read said book, but I will now put down my present tome and re-read the description of this unique, military operation. As I have repeately stated in the past the holding action and other assistance rendered by our Filipino allies was immeasurable. Not just at Cabanatuan, but thru the whole retaking of the PI, not to mention the assistance rendered during the occupation in prep for the return of the Americans. There is no wonder that the Regular US Army Filipino Scouts were, what I have long believed, possibly the best soldiers during the Pacific War and that includes the elite US elements, Rangers, USMC,etc. WIth modern weapons they were the equal to any troops on the planet. Witness what irregulars, such as were at the Cabanatuan operation, were capable of. I still get the "chills" when I read the book or view the PBS production of what these brave men, armed with modern equipment, accomplished when they got "their time at bat" against their hated oppressors. I will now waste no more time talking and will read again of this outstanding World War 2 miraculous undertaking. Cheers. Postscript....I am sure most of the Forum members have seen the newsreel showing the welcome the native people gave the liberators at Lingayen, wading into the surf to help push stranded Jeeps,etc onto dry land. Just another example of the loyalty of our Filipino pardners in our zeal to rid that country of the "Knights of Bushido".
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Post by darthdract on Feb 1, 2012 10:42:46 GMT 8
Does any of you have watch the movie.. The Great Raid?
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Post by okla on Feb 2, 2012 1:41:43 GMT 8
Hey Darth....I view it every time it appears on my local TV. Never tire of watching it. One thing that always catches my eye is the fact that one of the liberated POWs, shown in the procession (actual WW 2 newsreel segment) on the way back to American occupied territory seems to be wearing a steel helmet as was worn in 1942 fighting. I wonder how he still had one such helmet after so long behind the wire. My only conclusion is that one of the Filipino guerillas presented it to him or this is a Filipino guerilla. Any idea??. I always am ready, when reviewing this film, to catch a better, longer view, but it isn't on the screen long enough to get a good gander. It is puzzling though. Cheers.
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Post by darthdract on Feb 2, 2012 3:37:19 GMT 8
I got that film in my Hard Drive apparently got Deleted I will Download it again so I can check that. There is also an Interesting Film with the Tittle "AMIGO" by John Sayles it deals with the Story of an American battalion during the Fil American war in the 1900s. I also really dig this old war films like Midway and Tora Tora Tora.. I am looking for other Films regarding the Great Raid and offcourse Corregidor and the UST internment Camp
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