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Post by chadhill on Apr 3, 2012 12:31:33 GMT 8
Hey guys, I see how a P-61 could easily have been mistaken for a P-38. But, a copter is a copter. Here is Abraham's quote:
"The sound of a P-38 Airforce fighter bomber and a helicopter caused a silence to fall over the merry-makers. We watched with open mouths and pounding hearts as they circled over us. There was not a Japanese in sight. When the helicopter dropped low and the pilot waved he was greeted with wild roars of yellings, screams and cheers. He dropped lower and waved again. A message swirled down toward us, but was caught up in the force of the helicopter's gusts and carried beyond our reach."
I guess it's true that anybody's memory could have slipped over the years, but it's worth noting that Abraham was also a witness for the prosecution against Homma in the Manila war crimes trials. He had been asked to locate and disinter US and Philippine Scout war dead by MacArthur.
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Post by sherwino on Apr 3, 2012 15:13:37 GMT 8
In his 1971 book "Ghost of Bataan Speaks" (p. 132-133) he mentions that in January 1945 a US helicopter, with a P-38 flying CAP, flew over the camp and attempted to drop a pre-raid message to the POWs. However, the message was blown beyond the men's reach and was not recovered. Was that after the firefight? Because there were merry-makers already, the japs were also not in sight, they could have been wiped out already. The pre-raid message would be late.
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Post by chadhill on Apr 3, 2012 23:16:25 GMT 8
Hi sherwino, according to Abraham the POWs heard distant shelling from the direction of Lingayen Gulf. The Japanese made a "hasty departure" from the camp, whereupon the prisoners slaughtered three of their "Brahma bulls" (carabao?) and had themselves a feast. They found a radio and learned that US troops had landed on Luzon, causing a celebration in the camp. These were the "merry-makers" that Abraham referred to.
I have no books on the Cabanatuan raid and unfortunately have read little about it. However, some sources I checked on the 'net quote William Breur's book "The Great Raid on Cabanatuan" and Hampton Sides' book "Ghost Soldiers" as saying that the Japanese guards withdrew from the camp in early January and did not return until the middle of the month. The POWs had been warned against attempting to escape under penalty of death, and believing that their captors were nearby, no attempt was made. The POWs by this time were so sick and weak that many probably couldn't have escaped anyway.
If this information is correct, then I think it's possible that a US copter could have appeared over Cabanatuan sometime during the first half of January. Anybody...?
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Post by sherwino on Apr 4, 2012 7:49:58 GMT 8
Hello, chad.
Could be possible. So the chopper could have flew in the camp days before the raid. I also don't have any books about the raid. Some stories on the net provides only the events surrounding the raid. Another corroborating story or document about the chopper would be helpful. Maybe the chopper story was sidelined because of the mission failure and/or maybe because of the greater picture the actual raid possessed at that time.
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Post by dmether on Apr 4, 2012 10:38:45 GMT 8
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Post by chadhill on Apr 4, 2012 22:33:05 GMT 8
Good research and a very interesting article, dmether (I had never heard of Project Ivory Soap before). I've been unable to find another account that mentions a helicopter at Cabanatuan, or that copters were used in the PI before June 1945. While searching the 'net for this reply I learned that Abraham died March 22, 2012 at the age of 98 and was buried at Arlington. Here is a link to his obituary: sharonherald.com/obituaries/x1437237602/Abie-Abraham
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jan 2, 2021 13:01:04 GMT 8
Army Lt. Chester Britt had two friends who were rescued in the Great Raid. John Duresky sent me these two pictures: Z096. 1945 1 31 Max D Wait morning after the night time raid on Cabanatuan. Photo courtesy of the Army Lt Chester Britt research Team. Z097. 1941 Max Wait photo taken at Olongapo PI before Japan invaded. Photo courtesy of the Army Lt Chester Britt research Team. John Wrote this: Karl In your first Facebook page below, on Dec 28 Andy Lally wrote this with the photo of the men being liberated at Cabanatuan "....A good friend sent me this picture. I haven't seen it before. Cabanatuan Survivors after being rescued...." I think you'll like the attached you can post. Chester Britt had two friends who were rescued in that raid. 1LT Jules David Yates, a West Point classmate from 1940. Also, Max D Wait, a civilian from the Rock Island Arsenal who volunteered to work on the guns at Fort Wint. Max Wait was identified to us by his daughter, Mary Beth Wait. Both Yates and Wait came to the Philippines with Chester on the USAT Grant. Also, in the replies, Suzan Speropoulos says her dad went to Japan in December before the raid. Only ship I know that went in December was the Oryoku Maru. Wonder who her dad was? John Note from Karl: John Duresky is member of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team The people of the Army Lt. Chester K. Britt Research Team are: First are Dave Britt, LTC USAF (Ret), son of Chester K Britt, Vickie Graham CMSGT USAF (Ret), and John Duresky. They all graduated from Logan High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1967, and are doing it as a team. Chester Britt graduated from Logan in 1933 and his mother Grace in 1934. Dave wrote most of the manuscript, John editing what he wrote and doing most of the research, and Vickie is the final editor with about 20 years of professional writing in her resume, largely with Airman magazine. They are planning to write a book about Army Lt. Chester K. Britt soon!
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 12, 2023 14:28:00 GMT 8
I have done some repair work in this thread, replaced dead images, dead URLs and in one of my albums I was able to recover the titles and image description, so they are shown and the pictures are in the right order now, in this album only: -I visited in July 2008 and here are 47 images: app.photobucket.com/u/PI-Sailor/a/d2791bfa-166b-4cfc-9f2e-a50301f6a317?field=TITLE&desc=asc This is the 1st of 4 albums about this memorial. This camp is not only infamous for the inhumanities carried out by the Japanese captors, it also has become the hallmark of a daring rescue operation in 1945 carried out by US and Philippine Forces. Philippine Authorities and or Organizations have established a memorial to that rescue operation and it is located directly next to Cabanatuan American Memorial. It will be the subject in the 4th album. Here are 5 more sample images: 080731POWMemorial04 Left, one of the US Government employee caretakers, right my brother in law. We had to sign the log under his arm. -------------------- 080731POWMemorial01a The contribution from the Philippine Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Organization. It is located immediately at left when entering the gate of the original Memorial. ----------------------------------- 080731POWMemorial01b Close up of the contribution from the Philippine Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Organization in the last image. ---------------------------------------- 080731POWMemorial0 It escaped me but I am sure these concrete bases are from structures in this Japanese Prison camp of Allied Service Personnel. ----------------------------- 080731POWGrounds14 Right is the new rear perimeter fence and straight ahead is the white fenced original memorial area.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 16, 2023 14:32:44 GMT 8
Notice of Change: These 3 images from Chadhill have been replaced with unmarked copies in earlier pages!
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Post by Karl Welteke on Oct 16, 2023 17:20:31 GMT 8
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