Villa Verde Trail, Balete or Dalton Pass

[Karl Welteke]

Red Arrow High School in San Nicolas and town

Why did this school adopt this name? I sure would like to hear or read about it. I speculate- The 32nd Inf. Div was head quartered here in 1945, in their drive, piercing the Villa Verde Trail defenses and after their liberation of the Japanese occupation, the people of San Nicolas and the GIs of the 32nd Div developed a very close relationship.

Quote from Wikipedia: “The 32nd Inf. Div. was the first allied division to pierce the German Hindenburg Line of defense, and the 32nd then adopted its shoulder patch; a line shot through with a red arrow, to signify its tenacity in piercing the enemy line. It then became known as the Red Arrow Division”.

As I mentioned before, with Canadian George and his wife Marisa, we drove to San Nicolas, Pangasinan on 2016-11-30 to check out the new work that is going on. If you want to visit the Villa Verde Trail from Pangasinan, you have to start in San Nicolas. We met Mr. Rodel S. Mallillin, our contact and we looked around and took some pictures.

Mr. Rodel S. Mallillin (resident of San Nicolas, Pangasinan) reported in this forum and thread that the Villa Verde trail is being worked on with the goal to establish a two-lane road from Pangasinan to Nueva Viscaya. He further reported that the 32nd Div. Monument was damaged during the road construction.

14 images, numbered h01 to h14, from the Red Arrow High School and San Nicolas Town have been uploaded into this Flickr album, this is the URL:
www.flickr.com/photos/44567569@N00/albums/72157675844936502


In this entry, I only present 4 images:



V569. (H01). The main gate to the Red Arrow High School in San Nicolas and my friend Canadian George, we done some great walks together. The Red Arrow is the sleeve icon of the 32 Inf. Div. Why did this school adopt this name? I sure would like to hear or read about it. I speculate- The 32nd Div was head quartered here in 1945 in their drive, piercing the Villa Verde Trail defenses and after their liberation of the Japanese occupation the people of San Nicolas and the GIs of the 32nd Div. developed a very close relationship.



V570. (H05). Students of the Red Arrow High School in San Nicolas are working on Christmas decorations. They are very attractive students but when I asked them where the name of their school came from, they did not know. In my view that is sad. The Red Arrow is the sleeve icon of the 32 Inf. Div. Why did this school adopt this name? I sure would like to hear or read about it.



V571. (H09). The San Nicolas map, posted near the church is zoomed in and I marked it up with a few landmarks and it has the town’s statistics. If you want to visit the Villa Verde Trail from Pangasinan, you have to start in San Nicolas. You should be able to zoom in or download it in a big size.



V572. (H11). The San Nicolas Plaza and Christmas decorations are displayed. If you want to visit the Villa Verde Trail from Pangasinan, you have to start in San Nicolas.

[Karl Welteke]

San Roque Dam side trip, new infrastructure project

As I mentioned before, with Canadian George and his wife Marisa, we drove to San Nicolas, Pangasinan on 2016-11-30 to check out the new work at the Villa Verde Trail that is going on. If you want to visit the Villa Verde Trail from Pangasinan, you have to start in San Nicolas. We met Mr. Rodel S. Mallillin, our contact and we had some time, and so we made a side trip to San Roque Dam. We discovered that another infrastructure project is going on between the San Roque Dam and San Nicolas. We could not tell whether it was for a road or an irrigation Canal.

Mr. Rodel S. Mallillin (resident of San Nicolas, Pangasinan) reported in this forum and thread that the Villa Verde trail is being worked on with the goal to establish a two-lane road from Pangasinan to Nueva Viscaya. He further reported that the 32nd Div. Monument was damaged during the road construction.

Here is my summery of my observation about the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road. It is about 20 km from the new bridge over the Cabalisian River to Malica Village and the Salacsac Passes, on top of the Villa Verde Trail. The road may be finished in 2019 if the money keeps coming and they keep working. The bridge will be finished, I am sure. The first 3 km has made good progress but is not hard topped yet. The next 7 km are only traced by machinery. At the next 10 km nothing has been done but the road is practically finished from Santa Fe, Nueva Viscaya to the top (in other words the other side/end, Nueva Vizcaya side). We tried to walk further, next day, passed the end of the tracing, the 10km point and found it too risky and too hard and gave up. There may be other foot trails because we were told that a person was walking to Malica, just one day earlier.

14 images, numbered j01 to j14, about our side trip to the San Roque Dam have been uploaded into this Flickr album, this is the URL:
www.flickr.com/photos/44567569@N00/albums/72157675844936502


This is the last entry of our trip to the Villa Verde Trail, Pangasinan side. In this entry, I only present 6 images:




V573. (Jo1). We are at an intersection at the San Nicolas Square and we followed this sign to the San Roque Dam.



V574. (Jo2). This Google Earth shows our driving GPS track, the infrastructure work going on (we thought it was a road job), the landmarks for these 14 images, numbered j01 to j14.



V575. (J04). Right out of San Nicolas we crossed this one lane bridge over the Ambayoan River (Ambayabang is the name on the WWII map). We are looking up-river, and get an idea what the 32nd Inf. Div. had to face, get across that strongly defended Caraballo Mountains Spur.



V576. (J07). We followed the road from San Nicolas, asked for directions when needed, entered the San Roque Dame Security area (with the gate’s permission, crossed a bridge and continued to the main gate of the San Roque Dame area.From the main gate we are looking back in the direction of the San Roque Dam. They gave us a number to call to get permission to visit the dam proper, but that was not on our schedule. In the www you can communicate with them.



V577. (J10). On our way back we came across this plaque and it tells me that the San Roque Dam was built with international help and that a Japanese entity is running the affair. Now I remember the shade at the Red Arrow School, that a Japanese Engineer had donated.



V578. (J14). As a farm boy, irrigation interests me, after all, my food is coming from all this effort. This is the closet we came to the irrigation basin and dam. But I read this project is irrigating large tracks of land in Pangasinan.

[cbuehler]

Very interesting to see how even once remote areas with great historical interest in the PI are changing. I am not at all surprised that the kids are unaware of the 32nd Div. and its connection to the school. Frankly, I would be surprised if they did. WW2 and it's connections are now long ago and what remains is fading fast.
The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) of the 32nd dates to WW1 and is now worn by the 32nd Brigade, Wisconson National Guard, the former Division having been deactivated way back in 1967.


CB

[Deleted]

Oct 26, 2014 10:28:59 GMT 8 Karl Welteke said:

SALACSAC PASS JAPANESE MONUMENT ON THE VILLA VERDE TRAIL

-The Monument says this:
Erected in Memory of those soldiers of the Philippines, Japan and the United States of America who sacrificed their lives here during WWII.
Between February and June 1945 4600 Japanese died and 3200 Americans died or were wounded and many Filipino inhabitants died in the vicinity of this pass.

-A good reference of the battle to clear the Villa Verde Trail is Chapter 26 of the US Army publication: “Triumph in the Philippines” by Robert Ross Smith. Here is the URL:
www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Triumph/USA-P-Triumph-26.html

At the end of this chapter it says this:

The three infantry regiments of the 32d Division had suffered the following battle casualties during their operations to clear the Villa Verde Trail and adjacent terrain.




Z803.

In addition, another 6,000 or so of the 32d Division were evacuated from the front lines either permanently or for varying periods of time because of sickness and disease of all types, mainly respiratory infections, skin troubles, intestinal afflictions, and combat fatigue and associated psychoneurotic upsets.

-On my 3rd day I finally reached the Salacsac Passes. After I looked around and got orientated and had visited the WWII tank on the Villa Verde Trail I looked for the Japanese Memorial. I took these pictures. That completed my exploration of the Villa Verde Trail for this year, I Shall Return.



Y379. After I seen the tank, got my bearings I marched off to the Japanese Monument, this was the wrong way and had to go back to the Malico entrance and there was an unmarked trail to the Japanese Monument.



Y380. After I seen the tank, got my bearings I marched off to the Japanese Monument, this was the wrong way and the people in those houses set me straight.



Y381. My GPS Track to the Japanese Monument in Malico Village at the Salacsac Passes, I marked several locations on Google Earth.



Y382. The track to the Japanese Monument starts at the formal entrance (not in the picture) to Malico Village and it is getting in bad shape. In this picture we are looking west.



Y383. I am just under the north side of the Japanese Monument in Malico Village at the Salacsac Passes, a bloody WWII Battle Field.



Y384. The track to the Japanese Monument in Malico Village at the Salacsac Passes enters the site from the NW corner. The low areas at left and ahead are the Sta. Fe and Imugan River Valleys.



Y385. This information panel in Japanese is facing the north, Mt. Imugan and is showing its age, this monument is now 38 years old.



Y386. In the www I found a clearer copy of the Japanese information panel on the Salacsac Japanese Monument on a Japanese internet site.



Y387. This panel is on the west side and is in Filipino but it is hard to read. This is the Japanese Monument at the Salacsac Passes Battle area, in Malico Village which is part of Pangasinan but is now reached thru Nueva Viscaya.



Y387a. This is a larger copy and perhaps a Filipino would be able to decipher it, translate it and share it with us.



Y388. Now I am looking at the Japanese Monument from the SE corner, right at north is Mt. Imugan, left are Hills 518 & 519 at west.



Y389. SALACSAC PASS
Erected in Memory of those soldiers of the Philippines, Japan and the United States of America who sacrificed their lives here during WWII.
Between February and June 1945 4600 Japanese died and 3200 Americans died or were wounded and many Filipino inhabitants died in the vicinity of this pass.



Y390. This east panel says on its left side in English: -Erected on May 20 1978 By Salacsac Association of Japan People of Malico Supported by U.S. 32nd Division Veteran Assn.



Y391. This picture comes from a Japanese source and is much clearer than the last image.



Y392. In this picture we are looking east from the Japanese Salacsac Pass Monument and we notice that the chain of hills that divide the Salacsac Passes area into a north and south section continue a little further to the east.



Y393. This is a full view of the Caraballo Mountains Spur North peaks and we are looking from the Japanese Monument at Malico Village and looking mostly to the south.



Y394. In this picture from the Japanese Salacsac Passes Monument we are looking towards South by SW.



Y395. Now we are looking west from the Japanese Salacsac Passes Monument and the picture is well marked for you to understand the geography.



Y396. I love this picture of the Malico village west end. This picture is also shot from the Japanese Salacsac Passes Monument.



Y397. We are looking north from the Japanese Salacsac Passes Monument. The problem with that mountain was that the Japanese enemy could see everything the Allied Forces were doing and he could shoot at everything from there.



Y398. Now I am already 1 km out of Malico Village and the pictures is marked up for you to understand the geography.



Y399. This picture is shot from the same spot as the last picture but more to the right. That little river comes from the right, the Caraballo Mountain Spur at south. No rocks to step on so I gallop thru it and the shoes do not get too wet.



Y400. The last picture, still at the same spot as the last 2 pictures and the mark-ups on the picture tell the rest of the story.



Z770. I showed this picture before; it is on a plywood sign at the beginning of the Villa Verde Trail in Santa Fee, the upper end of the trail. Or I could say it is located at the beginning of the road to Imugan Village and Malico Village where the Salacsac Passes are. The reason I show this picture again because the heroic pose of those Japanese struck me. I’m sure the Japanese soldiers like to see themselves like that as they make their last stand and prepare to fall.



Z761. This picture I showed also before; it is the older of two 32nd Div. Memorial Markers in San Nicolas, the beginning of the Villa Verde Trail. The newer one is in the town plaza. This older one is half buried at the actual beginning of the Villa Verde Trail.

SUGGESTION!!!
I would like to suggest to whomever to move this older one to the actual Salacsac Passes area and place it on one of the adjacent hills next to the where the Japanese Monument is. This area was the actual battle field of the Villa Verde Trail Battle and here is where most of dying and sacrifices occurred.

These same pictures in this segment, except they are much larger, are also in this, my, Photobucket account album:
tinyurl.com/o43m2hz

hi karl i'm aaron i enjoy reading this
forum and i have learned alot by the way y387 is just the filipino translation of y389.

[Karl Welteke]

Balete Pass OR Dalton Pass revisited 2017-03-19

Balete Pass or Dalton Pass is one of my favorite WWII historical sites. Breaking thru here by the 25th Div. and along the Villa Verde Trail by the 32nd Div. was some of the hardest fighting in the Philippines. Both side suffered many casualties and it is only right that places of remembrance have been established for us to visit and remember. 2017-03-19 my friend Klaus and I visited this shrine and I established this album with 29 images. This is the URL:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Manila%20Bay%20Forts-Other/Balete%20Pass%20and%20Villa%20Verde%20Trail/Balete%20Pass%202017-03-19%20revisited?sort=9&page=1

In this forum presentation I uploaded 12 images but they are much smaller:




V827_1. (-01). This is the Balete or Dalton Pass Complex, I looking down from the 2nd level to the ground level. Recently that monument has been renovated and that wall at right has been added.



V828_1. (-03). This is the Balete or Dalton Pass Complex; I am looking now up to the 2nd level from the ground level. Recently that wall was added; that is my friend Klaus walking down, I am showing him the Philippines.



V829. (-06). This is the Balete or Dalton Pass Complex; this is the plaque, that states directly and bluntly what happened here in WWII.



V830. (-07). This is the Balete or Dalton Pass Complex; the plaque, that states directly and bluntly what happened here in WWII is attached to this marker.



V831.(-11). This is one of three images from the top of the Dalton Pass Complex offering a vista from the pass, we are looking down onto the actual pass, and it is also the boundary of Nueva Vizcaya and Nueva Ecija.



V832.(-12). This is one of three images from the top of the Dalton Pass Complex offering a vista from the pass; we are looking down onto Highway No. 5 coming up from Nueva Ecija. The 25th Div. had to fight their way up this way.





V833. (-13). This is one of 5 images showing the top level of the Dalton Pass Complex, one has to pay a small fee here but many facilities are available.



V834.(-17). This is one of 5 images showing the top level of the Dalton Pass Complex, one has to pay a small fee here but many facilities are available. This is the service road to the top; you can park one level down from here.



V835. (18). This is one of 5 images showing the new Zipline Facility on the top level of the Dalton Pass Complex. It has been added since my last visit in 2014.



V836. (19). This is one of 5 images showing the new Zipline Facility on the top level of the Dalton Pass Complex. It has been added since my last visit in 2014.



V837. (25). This is the 3rd level up in the Dalton Pass Complex and houses the Japanese WWII Monuments, remembering the fallen in this very bloody battle.



V838. (26). This is the 3rd level up in the Dalton Pass Complex and houses the Japanese WWII Monuments, remembering the fallen in this very bloody battle.



V839. (28). This is the 2nd level up in the Dalton Pass Complex and houses the Chinese Oversea Militia WWII Monument, remembering the fallen in this very bloody battle.



V840.(29). This is the Rerez Park on the road from the Dalton Pass down to Santa Fee, it is part of DPWH. It houses a Japanese WWII gun.

[Karl Welteke]

US tank on the Villa Verde Trail; 2017-03-19 revisited

On the 19th March 2017 my friend Klaus and I were visiting the Cordilleras and stopped in Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya, to look at the US tank, stranded on the Villa Verde Trail in WWII. We also wanted to check on the progress of the new Pangasinan – Nueva Vizcaya Road being built. This album is about tank revisited only and 19 images have been uploaded in this album with 3 maps:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Manila%20Bay%20Forts-Other/Balete%20Pass%20and%20Villa%20Verde%20Trail/US%20tank%202017-03-19%20revisited?sort=9&page=1

In this forum presentation I show 9images but they are smaller:



V841. (-02). We stepped off to the right and see the road zig-zag down past the ridge where the WWII US tank remains. We have this great vista open to the west and I marked in some of the important landmarks.


V842. (-09). We stepped off to the right and see the road zig-zag down past the ridge where the WWII US tank remains. Today is Sunday and the WWII tank on the Villa Verde Trail has some local visitors. We are at the entrance of the road down to the WWII US tank, it is Sunday and you cannot beat these smiles.



V843. (-13). We are at the entrance of the road down to the WWII US tank, I thought the Villa Verde trail is going down this ridge, and I was wrong; the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road is going past here. Is there any more doubt as to where we are; the distance is about 300 meters.



V844. (-14). We are walking down the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road which follows the old Villa Verde Trail. This is the road down to the WWII US tank and the tank is in sight.



V845. (-16). We are walking down the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Road which follows the old Villa Verde Trail. This is the US tank on the Villa Verde Trail. Some dirt has been removed from the tank since my last visit. This is the only image of the tank in this album, search for more in this thread.



V846.(-17). These young men are taking a break on this Sunday near the WWII tank on the Villa Verde Trail; the female friends are guarding their bikes up a way from here. They are local men from Malico.



V847. (-19). This is one of three terrain maps of the area of the Villa Verde Trail. It was terrible hard battlefield for the 32nd Division in the struggle to defeat the Japanese invader and liberate the Philippines. I marked in the landmarks for your orientation if you like to understand the geography of this battle field.



V848. (-20). This is one of three terrain maps of the area of the Villa Verde Trail. It was terrible hard battlefield for the 32nd Division in the struggle to defeat the Japanese invader and liberate the Philippines. I marked in the landmarks for your orientation if you like to understand the geography of this battle field.



V849. (-20). This is one of three terrain maps of the area of the Villa Verde Trail. It was terrible hard battlefield for the 32nd Division in the struggle to defeat the Japanese invader and liberate the Philippines. I marked in the landmarks for your orientation if you like to understand the geography of this battle field.

[cbuehler]

Fantastic presentation again! They sure stripped that old M4 of everything they could remove without heavy equipment or tools. I wonder if any markings or data plates remain that might help trace it to the unit that it belonged to.

CB

[Karl Welteke]

Villa Verde new road, Salacsac Passes end, progress report.

It will be now the new Pangasinan-Nueva Vizcaya Highway; the Villa Verde Trail is now being rebuilt as a modern highway connecting the two provinces.

This is an important infrastructure project but this place was a BIG AND BLOODY BATTLEFIELD; hence my interest!



V829. 7403 dead Japanese counted and 2365 25th Div killed and wounded says this monument at the Balete or Dalton Pass. This was the cost of breaking thru this pass alone.



V850. SALACSAC PASS, 4600 Japanese died and 3200 Americans died or were wounded and many Filipino inhabitants died in the vicinity of this pass between Feb. to June 1945. This was the cost of breaking thru the Villa Verde Trail!

This Japanese monument at Malico Village, at the Salacsac Passes says the above and was erected in memory of those soldiers of the Philippines, Japan and the United States of America who sacrificed their lives here during WWII.



V851. This is big picture, Gen. Yamashita retreated to the Cordilleras and blocked the access thru Baguio, the Villa Verde Trail and the Balete or Dalton Pass. The 25th Div. broke thru the Balete Pass, the 33rd Div task was Baguio and the 32nd Div broke thru via the Villa Verde Trail.



V852. The Villa Verde Trail from Malico, at the Salacsac Passes down to Santa Fe is 98% finished as a two-lane concrete highway. So it is easy now to drive up the Salacsac Passes or Malico by vehicle or even a trice. This was accomplished in the last few years.



V853. We are just above the Imugan Village on the Villa Verde Trail which crosses the Caraballo Mountain Spur. The Caraballo Mountains connect the Cordilleras with Sierra Madre Mountains.



V854. We have left Malico and are heading down to Imugan Village and Santa Fe. I consider this area the east Salacsac Pass. The Salacsac Passes area is a large low area between Mt. Imugan, in the north and the peaks of the Caraballo Mountain Spur, in the south. The area is like a plateau with rolling hills with a slight down slope to the east. This section of the Villa Verde Trail, about ½ km east from the Malico entrance and about 300 meter long is not paved yet.



V855.This Garmin terrain map documents the walk my friend and I did on the 19th of March. This work started at Malico and is going to meet up the road work that is coming up from San Nicolas in Pangasinan. But I don’t dare estimate when that is going to happen.



V856. We drove just a little past the end of the new concrete, parked here and started walking.



V857. The new Villa Verde Trail continues and then zig-zags down on the ridge where the US tank is still remains. I always believed the Villa Verde Trail is going down that ridge where the tank is but that is not so. After a zig-zag down, in continues along the west slope of the Caraballo Mountain Spur.



V858. As the new Villa Verde Trail continues down toward the ridge line with the US tank, at right, we always have this deep ravine.



V859. We are standing along the Villa Verde Trail and see that road passes the access point to the US tank on the trail.



V860. The new Villa Verde Trail got across the ridge line where the WWII US tank remains and continues south and down along the west slopes of the Caraballo Mountain Spur.



V861. As we followed the new Villa Verde Trail we came this heavy road construction machinery. Today was Sunday, no work was going on.



V862. Explosives apparently were used where ever necessary.



V863.Here is an example where the contractors, first went one way but then changed plans.



V864. At this point, I quit and turned back; that drop off was too steep or me.



V865. The far wooded ridge at left is where the new Villa Verde Trail from San Nicolas comes up but the grassy ridge line in front of it prevents us to see the trail.
But we can see the trace of the new Villa Verde Trail continuing to the west. One day they will meet and they will complete this project. The 2nd deep ravine is between the photographer and the hill with the traced road.

[victor]

Great documentation of your explorations.

[Karl Welteke]

Yamashita Ridge/Mt. Imugan West Slope

A friend and I visited the Salacsac Passes of the Villa Verde Trail on the 1st Feb. 2017. We confirm that the authorities have finished the new Nueva Viscaya Road to Pangasinan from Santa Fe to the Malico Village and thru the Salacsac Passes, but only about 1 km. Work is continuing though. We also walked towards Santa Rosa Village on the ridge line, the 126th Regiment attacked and advanced up on into Malico.

This visit was in Feb. 2017 and I already posted pictures of a later visit in March 2017. But it is better to post late than never. This visit was a very short one and it was raining to boot. This visit was for the purpose to look at the west slopes, west ridge where the 126th Regiment attacked. This area is now called Santa Rosa Village and is a known mountaineer target these days.

Here are some points that fascinate me about this area:

It is slightly higher that Baguio.

It is more impressive because very few people visit here.

It has Grand Vistas.

The pine forest is bigger and better than in Baguio.

The road from Santa Fe to Yamashita Ridge is drivable.

It is a great site to explore a beautiful mountain village and meet the people.

It has a Japanese Monument.

Malico Village belongs to San Nicolas, Pangasinan but if the people want to the town hall, they have to drive about 100 km thru Nueva Vizcaya, then Nueva Viscaya before they reach San Nicolas, hence the road construction.


The monument says: 4,600 Japanese died, 3200 total American casualties at these passes

An American history book says, 6,000 men of the 32nd Div. had to be replaced during the battle of Villa Verde because of sickness or fatigue.

46 images with descriptions were uploaded into this Photobucket album:

s74.photobucket.com/user/PI-Sailor/library/Manila%20Bay%20Forts-Other/Balete%20Pass%20and%20Villa%20Verde%20Trail/Feb%202017%20Visit%20to%20Salacsac%20Passes?sort=9&page=1


In this belated forum presentation I uploaded 12 images but they are smaller than in the album:





Za147. Entrance to Malico Village.

1st Feb 2017, Malico Village (Barangay), Salacsac Passes area, this is the entrance to the Malico Village. The Yamashita Ridge is the slopes in the back. Left it goes to the schools and Santa Roas; right goes the Malico Village proper.






Za148. Salacsac Passes, Malico Village map

The Malico Village (Barangay), the Salacsac Passes, the new Nueva Vizcaya to Pangasinan Road along the track of the old Villa Verde Trail area zoomed in with Google Earth. I marked it with relevant geographic points in the album plus it shows our GPS track.






Za149. Salacsac Passes WWII Battle Map.

This is the WWII Salacsac Passes area map on the Villa Verde trail is from the Army Publication Triumph in the Philippines.






Za150. Nueva Vizcaya to Pangasinan Road is progressing!

What a surprise: the new Nueva Vizcaya to Pangasinan Road along the track of the old Villa Verde Trail is progressing; I indicated some landmarks for your orientation. I shot this image on our walk to Santa Rosa






Za151. New Nueva Vizcaya to Pangasinan Road along the track of the old Villa Verde Trail

What a surprise: the new Nueva Vizcaya to Pangasinan Road along the track of the old Villa Verde Trail is progressing; this section is about 1 km from the entrance to Malico Village and on the down slope towards Pangasinan.






Za152. Brgy. Malico Schools.

We just went thru the entrance Gate of Malico Village (Barangay), turned left or west and we are looking at the Elementary School, the High School and Barangay Hall. And this is the direction to Santa Rosa on the ridge line, the 126th Regiment attacked and advanced up on into Malico.






Za153. Entrance Gate to Sitio Sta. Rosa.

Then we decided to follow the road to the Santa Rosa village, located on the Mt. Imugan ridge the 126th Regiment used to penetrate the Japanese defenses of the Salacsac Passes. Odd, if not funny, this Sitio (small village) belongs to another province.






Za154. New Nueva Vizcaya to Pangasinan Road along the track of the old Villa Verde Trail

From the slopes of Mt. Imugan, where the 126th Reg. attacked we see the Villa Verde Trail being changed to a two lane highway from Malico to Pangasinan






Za155. Malico Village (Barangay), Salacsac Passes

From the trail to Santa Rosa, where the 126th Reg. attacked, we are looking east over the Salacsac Passes and the area of the Malico Village (Barangay). On the peak right of center is the Japanese Monument.






Za156. Santa Rosa Trail, Caraballo Mountains.

I am on the Santa Rosa Trail, which the 126th Regiment (32nd Div) used to penetrate the Japanese defenses of the Salacsac Passes. Rain started but I was prepared.






Za157. Santa Rosa Trail, Caraballo Mountains.

As I returned on the Santa Rosa Trail, which the 126th Regiment (32nd Div) used to penetrate the Japanese defenses of the Salacsac Passes. I came across these school children returning home from Malico Village.





Za158. Caraballo-Mountains, Culvert-work.

As I returned on the Santa Rosa Trail, back to Malico Village, which the 126th Regiment (32nd Div) used to penetrate the Japanese defenses of the Salacsac Passes. I came across this work detail handling culvert rings.