(First of two parts)
Manila—Not known to many, the Battle at Bessang Pass that lasted for almost six for months in 1945 was the biggest victory scored by Filipino guerrillas against the mighty Japanese Imperial Forces in World War II.
Yet it is not given prominence in terms of national day celebration each and every Filipino should be proud of.
Bessang Pass is a mountain fortress more than 5,000 feet high in Ilocos Sur. It was occupied by Japanese forces during the Pacific War.
For over three years starting in 1942, Filipino and American guerrillas tried to recapture the mountain fortress to no avail every time they approached Bessang Pass. The Japanese fired their heavy artillery, forcing them to retreat.
The Filipino guerrillas were known for their bravery in combat—but they lacked in firepower.
This was addressed only when the US submarine USS Gar secretly landed in La Union in November 1945 and unloaded thousands of high-powered weapons for the Filipino guerrillas.
In January 1945, the Filipino guerrillas started their offensive to retake Bessang Pass, but it took them almost six months to capture the vital mountain fortress on June 14, 1945 following the fierce gun battle with the guerrillas defeating the Japanese.
Articles were written about the Bessang Pass victory but it was only in 2009 that a detailed account of the epic battle was written. This was when interviewed, one–on-one, some of the guerrilla survivors at that time through the efforts of retired Army Lt. Gen. Nesty G. Carolina, administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), who helped in contacting the living survivors for interview.
Following are the stories of the Filipino guerrillas extracted from the book Victory at Bessang Pass published by Art Angel Printshop Quests, Inc. written by his writer.
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In the twilight years of his life at 92, former Philippine Constabulary Brig. Gen. Emilio Narcise, the intrepid underground leader who led a 100-man guerilla fighter group in the final assault of Bessang Pass, the last stronghold of the Japanese in northern Luzon in the waning months of World War II, recalled vividly the adrenaline rush of pride for love of country when he planted a flag at the peak of the historic mountain when guerilla forces captured it on June 14, 1945 after a long and fierce gun battle.
The epic battle was dubbed as the biggest victory scored by the guerillas against the Japanese Imperial Army during the entire war. The Filipino victory at Bessang Pass hastened the surrender of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the commander of the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines, on Sept. 2, 1945. Yamashita was known as the “Tiger of Malaya” for his brilliance in military tactics and strategy that enabled Japan to conquer many countries in Asia during the Pacific War.
The Japanese’s crushing defeat at Bessang Pass came exactly 170 days after Japan suffered its biggest debacle in the war during the battle at Leyte Gulf known as the world’s greatest naval warfare in history on Oct. 23-26, 1945.
The victory at Bessang Pass was a culmination of a long struggle by Filipino and Americans forces who suffered a humiliating defeat in the hands of the Japanese in Bataan and Corregidor on April 9, 1942 and May 6, 1942, respectively, and the infamous “Death March” that followed from the Bataan Peninsula to Capas, Tarlac in Central Luzon where thousands of Filipino and American prisoners of war (POW) died along the way, either due to extreme hunger, dehydration, dysentery, diarrhea and other diseases. But many suffered the fate of being shot or bayoneted because they could no longer walk due to exhaustion.
When Japanese forces occupied northern Luzon early in the war, they made Bessang Pass into a jungle fortress because of its strategic location and natural obstacles surrounding the mountain. Besides, Bessang Pass is also the gateway to the Cordillera mountain ranges where gold, timber and other natural resources abound. It has also a short cut route to Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines. Bessang Pass is part of the town of Cervantes in the province of Ilocos Sur some 250 kilometers north of Manila.
Following the fall of Bataan, it was the obsession of the Filipino and American guerilla forces to retake the country, including Bessang Pass. They had made several attempts for over three years but to no avail. Many of those who attempted to penetrate the highly guarded mountain fortress did not return alive. Japanese sentries posted at strategic advance posts spotted the guerillas and cut them down several kilometers away. Artillery and mortar bombardment were the nemesis of the guerillas. It was like a chasm of great divide that resistance fighters crossing a demarcation line was courting disaster. But despite the series of debacles this did not stop them from trying again and again to attack Bessang Pass. It was their sheer raw courage that pushed them to meet head-on the insurmountable odds to the point of sacrificing their lives for the sake of freedom and democracy to prosper for the unborn Filipinos.
For over three long years tactical planning continued without let-up. While they have the manpower, they miserably lacked the necessary logistics, particularly guns and bullets. While many parts of the country were liberated from the clutches of the Japanese invaders, the enemy was still active in northern Luzon where Gen. Yamashita and thousands of his troops were making a last stand in many areas, particularly at Kiangan and Bessang Pass. It was in Kiangan where Gen. Yamashita held his ground. Japanese resistance was strong.
But in late November 1944, the USS Gan 206, a US submarine carrying cache of firearms and ammunition for the resistance movement, sneaked into the waters of China Sea off the coast of f La Union and successfully delivered the war materiel. The unloading of weapons was a shot in the arm for the struggling guerillas. Hopes were high that at last the long wait was over. Jubilant filled the air in many guerilla camps as they looked forward to D-Day.
By early January of 1945, the guerillas started their offensive against Japanese patrols and garrisons in the Ilocos region. For five months a series of battles occurred in these areas with the guerillas gaining the upper hand. The series of pockets of victories of the guerillas gave them more courage to pursue their mission.
The units involved in the military operation to retake Bessang Pass were the famed 121st Infantry of the 3rd Regiment of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines-Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL), the First Battalion of the 123rd Infantry, the 15th Infantry, the 66th Infantry, the Provisional Battalion, the 122nd Field Artillery Battalion and the First Field Artillery Battalion. All these forces belonged to USAFIP-NL under the command of Col. Russel W. Volchmann, who was responsible to a large extent for the organization of Filipino and American forces in the Philippines to conduct guerilla warfare against the well-armed Japanese Imperial Army.
But the advance attacking force was the unit of Capt. Narcise, company commander of Company “L” composed of 100 men. Its mother unit was the 121st Infantry of the 3rd Regiment of USAFIP. “It was a battle I will never forget the rest of my life,” Gen. Narcise said as he recounted the bravery displayed by Filipino guerillas in the final assault of Bessang Pass 65 years ago.
The guerillas had to contend with three artillery pieces of the Japanese. Each had a range of over 20 kilometers. The ear-splitting sound of the howitzers alone was more than scary enough. A direct hit would blow up a man to pieces. This is how deadly these 105mm cannons are. But the guerillas had a mission—capture Bessang Pass at all costs. Thorough tactical planning was on the work. Intelligence was given emphasis as it spells victory or defeat. The final assault on Bessang Pass was carried for two weeks from June 1 to 14, 1945. The guerillas had to fight their way before reaching their final objectives.
The Filipino guerillas gave it all as the Japanese resistance had considerably weakened following sustained attacks by the guerillas, day in and day out with air and artillery fire support from the Americans. It was the first time the guerilla movement had experienced of such massive air cover in the history of the war. It was a close quarter fierce combat, making it the most brutal fight in living memory in northern Luzon if not the whole country during the three-year guerilla warfare.
Capt. Narcise had with him 100 resistance fighters that made the final assault on Bessang Pass in Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, where the Japanese had established their last line of defense after they suffered defeat after defeat, particularly in the battle of Leyte Gulf.
(Continued tomorrow)
Mr. Cal is the author of the book “Battle of Bessang Pass.”
