Difference between revisions 119849491 and 119849492 on dewiki

{{Coord|15|30|34|N|121|02|40|E|region:PH_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict
|conflict=Raid at Cabanatuan
|image=[[File:POWs celebrate.jpg|300px|alt=A couple hundred men are all facing the camera, smiling and cheering. Many have their hands raised. The men are wearing uniforms, t-shirts, and shorts. Huts and trees can be seen in the background.]]
|caption=Former Cabanatuan POWs in celebration, January 30, 1945
|partof=World War II, [[Pacific War|Pacific theater]]
|date=January 30, 1945
|place=[[Cabanatuan City]], [[Nueva Ecija]], [[, Philippines]]
|result=Decisive [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] victory
|combatant1={{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[United States]] <br /> {{flagicon|Philippines|1919}} [[Commonwealth of the Philippines|Philippine Commonwealth]]
|combatant2={{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} [[Empire of Japan]]
|commander1={{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Henry Mucci]]<br />{{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Robert Prince (Captain)|Robert Prince]]<br />{{flagicon|Philippines|1919}} [[Juan Pajota]]<br />{{flagicon|Philippines|1919}} [[Eduardo Joson]]
|commander2={{flagicon|Japan}} [[Tomoyuki Yamashita]]
|strength1=133&nbsp;U.S. Rangers 6th Battalion and [[Alamo Scouts]]<br />250&nbsp;Filipino guerrillas
|strength2=est. 220&nbsp;Japanese guards and soldiers<br />est. 1,000&nbsp;Japanese near the camp
|casualties1='''United States:'''<br />2&nbsp;killed<br />4&nbsp;wounded<br />1&nbsp;prisoner died <br />'''Philippine Commonwealth:'''<br />20&nbsp;wounded
|casualties2=530–1,000&nbsp;killed
}}
{{Campaignbox Philippines}}
The '''Raid at Cabanatuan''' was a rescue of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] (POWs) and civilians from a Japanese camp near [[Cabanatuan City]], in the [[Commonwealth of the Philippines|Philippines]]Philippines. On January&nbsp;30, 1945, during World War II, [[United States Army Rangers]], [[Alamo Scouts]], and [[Filipino people|Filipino]] [[guerrilla warfare|guerrillas]] liberated more than 500 from the [[POW camp]].

(contracted; show full)ficers, on the orders of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], left the American forces, promising to return with reinforcements. The 72,000&nbsp;American and Filipino soldiers, fighting with outdated weapons, lacking supplies, and stricken with disease and malnourishment, eventually surrendered to the Japanese on April 9, 1942.<ref name="Breuer 31">{{harvnb|Breuer|1994|p=31}}</ref>

The Japanese had initially planned for only 10,000&ndash;25,000&nbsp;American and Filipino 
[[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] (POWs). Although they had organized two&nbsp;hospitals, ample food, and guards for this estimate, they were overwhelmed with over 72,000&nbsp;prisoners.<ref name="Breuer 31">{{harvnb|Breuer|1994|p=31}}</ref><ref name="McRaven 245">{{harvnb|McRaven|1995|p=245}}</ref> By the end of the 60-mile (97-km) march, only 52,000&nbsp;prisoners (approximately 9,200&nbsp;American and 42,800&nbsp;Filipino) reached [[Camp O'Donnell]], with an estimated (contracted; show full)spital.<ref name="Carson 79">{{harvnb|Carson|1997|p=37}}</ref> Nicknamed the "Zero Ward", the hospital housed the sickliest prisoners as they waited to die from diseases such as [[dysentery]] and [[malaria]].<ref name="Wodnik 39">{{harvnb|Wodnik|2003|p=39}}</ref><ref name="Carson 62">{{harvnb|Carson|1997|p=62}}</ref> Eight-foot (2.4-m) high [[barbed wire]] fences surrounded the camp, in addition to multiple [[Bunker#Pillbox|pillbox
e bunkers]] and four-story guard towers.<ref name="Rottman 26">{{harvnb|Rottman|2009|p=26}}</ref><ref name="McRaven 248">{{harvnb|McRaven|1995|p=248}}</ref><ref name="King 61">{{harvnb|King|1985|p=61}}</ref>

(contracted; show full)

[[File:Henry mucci.jpg|upright|thumb|left|alt=A standing man is smiling and staring off to his left. He has a smoke pipe in his mouth and is wearing a military uniform and hat.|Lt. Col. Henry Mucci]]
White gathered [[Lieutenant Colonel|Lt. Col.]] [[Henry Mucci]], leader of the [[6th Ranger Battalion]], and three lieutenants from the [[Alamo Scouts]]&
nmdash;the special [[reconnaissance]] unit attached to his Sixth Army&nmdash;for a briefing on the mission to raid Cabanatuan and rescue the POWs.<ref name="Breuer 1489"/> The group developed a plan to rescue the prisoners. Fourteen Scouts, made up of two teams, would leave 24&nbsp;hours ahead of the main force, to survey the camp.<ref name="Rottman 19">{{harvnb|Rottman|2009|p=19}}</ref> The main force would consist of 90&nbsp;Rangers from C Company and 30 from F Company who would march 30&nbsp;miles behind Japanese lines, surro(contracted; show full)

== Behind enemy lines ==
[[File:RangersGuerillasBehindEnemyLinesRaidCabanatuanJan301945.ogv|alt=Video of American soldiers and Filipino guerrillas walking in a line through water carrying guns.|thumb|right|
The Rangers had to cross assorted terrain, Scouts, and guerrillas trekked through diverse terrain and crossed several rivers on their way to the prison camp, including several rivers]]
Shortly after 05:00 on January 28, Mucci and a reinforced company of 121&nbsp;Rangers<ref name="Sides 645"/><ref name="Breuer 153">{{harvnb|Breuer|1994|p=153}}</ref><ref name="Rottman 22">{{harvnb|Rottman|2009|p=22}}</ref> under [[Robert Prince (Captain)|Capt. Robert Prince]] drove {{convert|60|mi|km|abbr=off}} to Guimba, before slipping through Japanese lines at just after 14:00.<ref name="Breuer 158"/><ref name="Bre(contracted; show full)accomplished in 30&nbsp;minutes or less. Once Prince had ensured that all of the POWs were safely out of the camp, he would fire a red flare, indicating that all troops should fall back to a meetup at Pampanga River {{convert|1.5|mi|km|abbr=off}} north of the camp where 150&nbsp;guerrillas would be ready with carabao-pulled carts to transport the POWs.<ref name="Breuer 164"/> This group would help to load the POWs and escort them back to American lines.
[[File:Capt. Fisher.jpg|left|
350px|thumb|alt=Black-and-white image of two men in military attire walking next to each other and smiling. Several other men can be seen in the background.|Captains Jimmy Fisher and Robert Prince and several Filipino guerrillas a few hours before the start of the raid]]

(contracted; show full)elling of the atrocities of the Bataan Death March or the conditions in the camp.<ref name="Sides 234">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=234}}</ref> With the limited Japanese guard, a small group of prisoners had already decided that they would make an escape attempt at about 20:00.<ref name="Breuer 166">{{harvnb|Breuer|1994|p=166}}</ref><ref name="Sides 268">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=268}}</ref>

== Prisoner rescue ==
[[File:P61.black.widow.arp.750pix.jpg|
350px|thumb|alt=Color image of a two-seater airplane in flight|A P-61 Black Widow, similar to the one that distracted Japanese guards as American forces crawled towards the camp]]
(contracted; show full)llage of Balincari.<ref name="Sides 285">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=285}}</ref> Scout Alfred Alfonso had a shrapnel wound to his abdomen.<ref name="Breuer 1823">{{harvnb|Breuer|1994|p=182–183}}</ref><ref name="Sides 284">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=284}}</ref> Scout Lt. Tom Rounsaville and Ranger Pvt. 1st Class Jack Peters were also wounded by the barrage.<ref name="Breuer 1823"/>

[[File:Raid at Cabanatuan (2D action).svg|thumb|right|3
050px|alt=Overhead map of the layout of the prisoner camp. Arrows indicate the directions the American soldiers attacked the camp, and a legend at the right indicates the types of buildings located in the camp|Illustration of the layout of the camp and the positions of the attacking American forces]] 
(contracted; show full)

In addition to the tired former prisoners and civilians, the majority of the Rangers had only slept for five to six hours over the past three days. The soldiers frequently had hallucinations or fell asleep as they marched. [[Benzedrine]] was distributed by the medics to keep the Rangers active during the long march. One Ranger commented on the effect of the drug: "It felt like your eyes were popped open. You couldn't have closed them if you wanted to. One pill was all I ever took&
nmdash;it was all I ever needed."<ref name="Sides 3067">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=306–307}}</ref>

P-61 Black Widows again helped the group by patrolling the path they took on its way back to American lines. At 21:00, one of the aircraft destroyed five Japanese trucks and a tank located on a road {{convert|14|mi|km|abbr=off}} from Plateros that the group would later travel on.<ref name="Breuer 18890"/> The group was also met by hovering P-51 Mustangs that guarded them as(contracted; show full)Filipino Communist guerrillas who hated both the Americans and the Japanese. They were also rivals to Pajota's men. One of Pajota's lieutenants conferred with the Hukbalahap and returned to tell Mucci that they were not allowed to pass through the village. Angered by the message, Mucci sent the lieutenant back to insist that pursuing Japanese forces would be coming. The lieutenant came back and told Mucci that only Americans could pass, and Pajota's men had to stay. Both the Rangers and guer
rillas were finally allowed through after an agitated Mucci told the lieutenant that he would call in an artillery barrage and level the whole village. In fact, Mucci's radio was not working at that point.<ref name="Sides 314">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=314}}</ref>

(contracted; show full)|-
| Canadian civilian||1
|-
| Filipino civilian||1
|-
| Total||522
|}
The raid was considered successful&
nmdash;489 POWs were liberated, along with 33 civilians. The total included 492&nbsp;Americans, 23&nbsp;British (including Edwin Rose), three&nbsp;Dutch, two&nbsp;Norwegians, one&nbsp;Canadian, and one&nbsp;Filipino.<ref name="Rottman 61"/> The rescue allowed the prisoners to tell of the Bataan and Corregidor atrocities, which sparked a new wave of resolve for the war against Japan.<ref name="Zedrick 199">{{harvnb|Zedrick|1995|p=199}}</ref><ref (contracted; show full);{{harvnb|Alexander|2009|p=253}}</ref> The other Ranger killed during the raid was Cpl. Roy Sweezy, who was struck in the back by two rounds from friendly fire. Both Cpt. Fisher and Cpl. Sweezy are buried at Manila National Cemetery. Twenty of Pajota's guerrillas were injured, as were two&nbsp;Scouts and two&nbsp;Rangers.<ref name="Sides 326">{{harvnb|Sides|2001|p=326}}</ref><ref name="Zedrick 199"/>
[[File:AlamoScoutsRaidCabanatuanFeb1945.jpg|thumb|
lefright|alt=Black-and-white image of ten men in two rows, the top row standing and the bottom row crouching, are all facing the camera. They are wearing military attire and are holding rifles.|Alamo Scouts after the raid]]

(contracted; show full)#x27;[[Ghost Soldiers]]'', the 2005 [[John Dahl]] film ''[[The Great Raid]]'' focused on the raid intertwined with a love story.  Prince served as a consultant on the film, and believed it depicted the raid accurately.<ref name="SeattlePiRP"/><ref name="SeatNative"/> [[Marty Katz]] conveyed his interest in producing the film: "This [rescue] was a massive operation that had very little chance of success. It's like a Hollywood movie&
nmdash;it couldn't really happen, but it did. That was why we were attracted to the material."<ref name="DailyMost"/>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=20em|refs=
(contracted; show full)
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons cat|Raid at Cabanatuan}}
* [http://www.abmc.gov/memorials/memorials/cb.php Cabanatuan American Memorial]
* [http://www.alamoscouts.org Alamo Scouts Website]
* [http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=cabanatuan+%28POW+OR+POWs+OR+survivor+OR+survivors%29+source%3ALIFE ''LIFE''{{'}}s unpublished photos of the aftermath of the raid]
* [http://www.us-japandialogueonpows.org/index.htm U.S.&
nmdash;Japanese Dialogue on POWs]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabanatuan, Raid at}}
{{good article}}
[[Category:Conflicts in 1945]]
[[Category:1945 in the Philippines]]
[[Category:World War II operations and battles of the Southeast Asia Theatre]]
[[Category:Military history of the Philippines during World War II]]
[[Category:Nueva Ecija]]
[[Category:United States Army Rangers]]
[[Category:Japanese prisoner of war and internment camps]]
[[Category:Bataan Death March]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving Japan]]
[[Category:Battles of World War II involving the United States]]

[[es:El gran rescate]]
[[fr:Raid de Cabanatuan]]
[[ru:Рейд на Кабанатуан]]
[[vi:Cuộc đột kích Cabanatuan]]
[[zh:卡巴那图营救]]