Invasion,Conquest,Occupation of the Philippines

[Panzermacher]

Thought I'd fire off a thread about the Japanese Invasion, Conquest and Occupation of the Philippine Islands. I have In-Laws who directly affected by this. My Father-in-law was a 15 year old shoe-shine spy for the Philippine Guerrillas and he has told me some VERY interesting stories before he passed away. His future wife's father was a Captain in the Resistance, and they both risked certain death resisting the Japanese.

He initial said the Japanese had come to his village as liberators, and friends, but it didn't take long til they changed and became "Occupiers" with only resources in mind. (And it didn't take long for the Filipino people to start up resistance!)
Where they were, on the Island of Catanduanes, off Luzon's South Eastern coast, news travelled slow...so my father-in -law and everyone there only heard scattered word of the American/Filipino defeats in other parts of the country, but the Japanese army was swift to take over!

My father -in-law took a job in the Japanese barracks as a shoe/boot shine. He also worked for the resistance and passed news and vital information on to the local resistance fighters. I cannot begin to think waht would have happened to him , had he been caught....but he got away with it for 3 years!

[lufttiger]

Jeez PM i didn't know that. Incredible story!

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by Panzermacher

I cannot begin to think waht would have happened to him , had he been caught....

A slow, very painful death most likely. The Japanese did not tolerate resistance or resistors.

[cyberia]

I remember you telling me that story. Good to see it here.

To your father-in-law, prosit!

[Panzermacher]

I have other stories to add he told me as this thread takes off (I hope)

[Panzermacher]

One story My Compadre related to me was of the Guerrillas downing of 3 Japanese aircraft. He bragged that they NEVER fired a shot to do this feat. At first I was dubious, but as he related the tale...it was short of Incredible! The local Resistance people lived in the shadow of the Mayon Volcano. The locals understood the wind shears and currents that surround the Volcano. They soon realized that if they started fires on the volcano, Japanese planes would show up to look and see if it was Resistance groups hiding there. The Resistance understood if they built fires in certain spots, wind shear would drive the plane into the volcano side. They did this one day and got 3 Japanese planes to come and look, one at a time. And as each plane got to the wind shear spot, it would crash. And without firing a shot the resistance downed 3 planes!

[razorboy]

That is cool PM, great stories.
Thanks

[Jim O]

Never underestimate home field advantage.

[Panzermacher]

Having had the chance to visit the Philippines, I took my own walking tours around some of the early battle sites. A buddy and I hiked the jungle to find a piece of the "Zambales Line" in Bataan. We managed to find a wrecked small Japanese Tankette and some rotted web gear and bits of rusted metal. The jungle makes quick work of any battlefield debris.
Then as an Honor to those who HAD to make the March, we hiked about 5 to 6 miles of the Bataan Death March Route. That was a touching experience...especially when we considered what the guys who were forced to make this march endured. Thirst, heat, starvation, sickness, beatings, Death. And we met many interesting Local People along the way.
One older man pointed out a grave he maintained along the March Route. He told us it was of a young Blonde-headed American with blue eyes. He fell out of the march due to sickness, and was promptly killed by the guards. The man knew this, because as a boy he witnessed it happen...basically in his front yard.
The man's father took the young man's effects as soon as the Japanese guards left and buried the man right there. Risking Japanese wrath, the family put up a white cross and honored the dead man during the whole occupation. And as far as I know...the grave is still maintained to this day, by a lonely, muddy roadside somewhere in Bataan.
I saw the young man's effects. He was from the state of Iowa. His first name was Joseph. His last name had been destroyed by bloodstains on the paper I saw..along with age, hometown, family and unit.

[Panzermacher]

I have talked about the man...now I should post a pic.....in the first pic...he is the Man standing to the extreme right, in the tank top T-shirt. He passed away last year.

Second pic is of the Mayon Volcano...just over the plane engine, and yes...it was smoking when we flew over! This was the place where the Resistance downed 3 planes.

Third pic is a Typical rural Filipino home...it would have looked very much the same back in the 40's (Some things are just timeless!)

Last pic is what any seabourne invader would see at low tide, coming in at a resort beach (Ok I put that one in just to show the beauty of the area!)
All pics are from a 2001 trip we made home to Catanduanes.


Now according to my Compadre...the Japanese barracks was just done the road from him in the village. They occupied the Schoolhouse and he worked out of there shining shoes....Actually just around the point from the Last (beach) picture is where the Japanese landing barges landed. They sent in a company sized unit to occupy the area.