The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Rescue at Cabanatuan (1/30/1945) - Aug. 10th, 2005

Leavenworth Papers No. 11, Rangers: Selected Combat Operations in World War II | Dr. Michael J. King, U.S Army Command and General Staff College.

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

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Rescue at Cabanatuan
General Background

The rescue of 511 American and Allied prisoners from a Japanese POW compound near Cabanatuan in the Philippines by elements of the 6th Ranger Battalion, reinforced by Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrillas, was the most complex operation that Rangers conducted during World War II. It was also one of the most successful.

The 6th Ranger Battalion had its roots in the 98th Field Artillery Battalion. The 98th was activated at Ft. Lewis, Washington, in January 1941, and subsequently served in New Guinea. In April 1944, it was at Port Moresby as part of Sixth Army. Unknown to the 98th's men, events had already transpired that would lead to the unit's redesignation and reorganization.

In late 1943, Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, who had recently become commanding general of Sixth Army, created an elite force that he named the Alamo Scouts. The scouts were loosely patterned after the Navy's frogmen and conducted reconnaissance and other special missions behind enemy lines in teams usually composed of one officer and six enlisted men. They were extremely successful and within nine months won nineteen Silver Stars, eighteen Bronze Stars, and four Soldier's Medals without suffering any losses. Krueger was so favorably impressed with the scouts' effectiveness that he decided to create a bigger force to do on a large scale what the scouts had done on a small one. The new unit would be created from the 98th Field Artillery Battalions.

Krueger selected Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci, an aggressive 1936 West Point graduate, to lead the soon­to­be­formed battalion. Mucci arrived in Port Moresby to assume command of the 98th in April 1944, and on 25 September, the unit was redesignated the 6th Ranger Infantry Battalion. In the interim, Mucci put the men through a strenuous training program very similar to that which Darby's Rangers had undergone. He also encouraged all men who did not want to be Rangers to transfer to other units so the battalion would be manned exclusively by volunteers.

The 6th Ranger Battalion was introduced to combat in the Philippines, where it successfully conducted several important operations. It landed on the islands of Dinagat, Guiuan, and Homonhan on 17 October 1944, three days before the main American invasion, and destroyed radio facilities and other Japanese positions guarding the entrance to Leyte Gulf Some minor security missions followed and on 10 January 1945, the day after Sixth Army landed on Luzon, the Rangers also landed, but only to spend most of the next two weeks as Krueger's headquarters guard.



Initial Japanese resistance on Luzon was relatively weak, and Sixth Army made very good headway during its drive eastward from Lingayen Gulf. Major General Oscar W. Griswold's XIV Corps, which included the 37th and 40th Infantry Divisions and formed Sixth Army's right, drove toward Tarlac, Clark Field, and San Fernando. Major General Innis P. Swift's I Corps, which included the 6th and 43d Infantry Divisions and formed Sixth Army's left, pushed northward into the mountains toward Baguio. After being reinforced by the 25th Infantry Division, I Corps continued to drive eastward through the Cabaruan Hills toward San Jose.

At about daybreak on 26 January, advance reconnaissance units of the 6th Infantry Division occupied Guimba and, within hours, established outposts nine miles farther to the east along the Licab River. They also took La Paz, farther to the south, thus establishing a solid front that was more than eighteen miles wide and had Licab at its center.

Cabanatuan

As Sixth Army entered central Luzon, Krueger began planning the liberation of American and Allied prisoners held in a compound at Pangatian, five miles east of Cabanatuan. Krueger had first learned of the existence of the camp when he landed on Lingayen Gulf and was met by a number of American officers who had remained in the Philippines since 1942 leading Filipino guerrillas against the Japanese. Army Major Robert Lapham, who had been conducting guerrilla operations in the northern part of Nueva Ecija province where the compound was located, was one of these officers. As Sixth Army entered Nueva Ecija province, Filipino runners constantly kept him informed of the situation at the camp.


General Krueger inspects Alamo Scouts

The compound would present an extremely difficult challenge to any prospective liberator. In addition to being behind enemy lines, it was in the mainstream of Japanese troop movements. Because of the rapid advance of American forces from the southwest, the Japanese were withdrawing toward the north and east along the Cabanatuan City­Baloc­San Jose and Cabanatuan City­Cabu­Rizal highways. They moved at night to avoid being seen by American aircraft and rested during the day in concealed areas and transit camps. The POW compound at Pangatian did double duty as a transit camp. Furthermore, Japanese tanks used the roads in the Pangatian area regularly, and there had been reports of dense Japanese troop concentrations in nearby Cabanatuan City and Cabu.

The Japanese had already evacuated many of the prisoners, and Sixth Army headquarters feared that they might move the remainder to the northeast or kill them to prevent their liberation. If these possibilities were to be averted, the Americans would first have to take the compound by surprise before their own main forces arrived in the area and then evacuate the prisoners to friendly lines before the Japanese could react. Krueger assigned this difficult mission to the 6th Ranger Battalion on the recommendation of his G2, Colonel Horton White.

The force Mucci assembled for the operation consisted of himself; Company C, commanded by Captain Robert W. Prince; 2d Platoon, Company F. commanded by First Lieutenant John F. Murphy; two teams of Alamo Scouts; and four combat photographers from the 832d Signal Service Battalion. The Alamo Scouts would be an especially valuable asset, for both teams had worked together in freeing thirty­two Javanese civilians held by the Japanese at Moari, New Guinea, in October 1944. The mission had been a complete success; the prisoners were freed, the Japanese guards were annihilated, and no Scouts were lost. The total strength of Mucci's force was 8 officers and 120 enlisted men.


Ltc Henry Mucci, commanding officer of the 6th Ranger Bn (left), Captain Robert Prince, assault commander of the Ranger raid on Cabanatuan (right)

Map and ground reconnaissance would be important during both the planning and execution phases of the operation. Mucci's men used aerial photographs in their planning, and every officer and enlisted man familiarized himself with the routes, rendezvous points, and the location of the objective. The Air Corps would provide air cover and send information gained during reconnaissance to Sixth Army. Army would then send the intelligence it developed to a forward base at Guimba, from which it would be relayed to the Rangers, who would carry an SCR 694 radio for the primary purpose of receiving it.

The Alamo Scouts would also play a key role in the surveillance of the objective. Both scout teams would leave the Rangers' base camp at Calasiao on the afternoon of 27 January, march to a guerrilla headquarters at Guimba where they would be joined by native guides, and then go to Platero three miles north of the objective. They would contact local guerrillas there and keep the compound under surveillance to determine the number of Japanese troops, who the guards were, and what the guards' routines were. The scouts would then furnish that information to the Rangers when the latter arrived in the area.

The Rangers would move to Guimba, about seventy­five miles east of base camp, on 28 January and pick up an eighty­man guerrilla force and native guides at a nearby guerrilla camp. They would then march on a route chosen by local civilians and rendezvous with the Alamo Scouts and a second eighty­man guerrilla force at Balincarin, about five miles northeast of the objective, on 29 January. They would complete their plans there and, unless the situation had changed, conduct the operation that night.

Following Mucci's instructions, the Rangers wore soft caps and fatigue uniforms with no insignias or badges of rank. Riflemen carried their choice of M­1 rifle or M­1 carbine; the weapons sections carried Browning automatic rifles, and most noncommissioned officers carried a Thompson submachine gun and a .45­caliber pistol. Mucci was armed with only a .45caliber pistol, but most officers carried rifles in addition to their pistols.


A patrol of Company F. 6th Ranger Battalion, investigating a native hut on Dinagat Island in the Philippines (U.S. Army photograph)

Each medic was armed with a pistol and either a rifle or a carbine. Each man carried a trench knife and at least two bandoleers of ammunition and two hand or rifle grenades.

With its preliminary planning complete, Mucci's force left base camp by truck convoy at 0500 on 28 January, halted at Guimba, and left with native guides at 1400 to march to a guerrilla camp near Lobong about five miles to the southeast. Guerrilla Captain Eduardo Joson, who had worked with Major Lapham before the American return to the Philippines, joined the Rangers there with eighty men. Although the civilian population was overwhelmingly friendly toward Americans, Joson feared the possibility of a clash with Communist Huk guerrillas operating in the area and took necessary precautions. He left twenty armed men to guard the camp at Lobong and sent most of his guerrillas far out to Mucci's flanks to prevent the column from being ambushed. The force then marched east.

Except for the area east of Lobong, which was heavily forested, much of the march was through open grasslands and rice paddies. The force crossed into enemy territory about a mile south of Baloc after dark, forded the Talavera River at midnight, crossed the Rizal highway at 0400 the following morning, and arrived at Balincarin at 0600. The Rangers' detailed planning, thorough map reconnaissance, and guerrilla support proved effective; in spite of the frequent lack of concealment and the sighting of Japanese tanks on major roads, the force completed the fourteen­mile march from Lobong without incident.


Lt. Col. Henry Mucci, commander of the 6th Ranger Battalion confers with his personnel officer, Capt. Vaughn Moss (U.S. Army photograph).

At Balincarin, the Rangers met Lieutenants Thomas Rounsaville and William Nellist of the Alamo Scouts and learned that the scouts were still gathering information the Rangers would need for their final plans. They were soon joined by guerrilla Captain Juan Pajota, who had worked with Major Lapham and was the guerrilla area commander at Cabu, and his force of approximately 90 armed and 160 unarmed men.

Rounsaville, Nellist, and Pajota all told of large numbers of Japanese troops in the area. The highway in front of the camp had been heavily traveled by withdrawing Japanese during the previous twenty­four hours and two to three hundred enemy were bivouacked on Cabu Creek, a mile north of the compound. Pajota's men also reported that at least one Japanese division was at Cabanatuan City less than four miles to the south. The number of Japanese in the area convinced Mucci that a delay in the operation would be prudent, and he decided to postpone the raid for twenty-four hours.

Although the available information did not permit Mucci to complete his plan, the Rangers and guerrillas did what they could with the information they had to assure the success of the mission. Prince and Pajota arranged to have the guerrillas provide all­around security, assemble a carabao­cart train large enough to carry 200 liberated POWs, and prepare food for 650 men along the return route. The guerrillas instructed the civilians north of the Cabanatuan City­Cabu highway to remain in the area but to detain outsiders who might enter it until after the prisoners were freed. The guerrillas also told them to pen all chickens and tie and muzzle all dogs 80 the animals would remain silent while Mucci's column passed through the area. Civilians in the vicinity of the objective were told to leave for the sake of their safety but to do so gradually in order not to alert the Japanese.


Cabanatuan Operation: routes to and from the objective, January 1945.

Mucci's force, flanked by Joson's and Pajeta's guerrillas, left Balincarin for Platero about two and one­half miles to the south shortly after 1600. When it was about halfway to Platero, the force was joined by Alamo Scouts who updated Mucci's knowledge of the situation. The scouts verified what Rounsaville, Nellist, and Pajota had already stated but added that a new Japanese force of about division strength was heading toward Bongabon from the southwest. The news that even more Japanese were in the area confirmed the wisdom of Mucci's decision to delay the operation.

The Rangers entered Platero at dusk and were met by the town's inhabitants, who greeted them with a choral welcome and a sumptuous meal. While most of the column was resting, planning and reconnaissance continued. Mucci's officers and noncommissioned officers worked with Filipinos to convert a one­story wooden building into an emergency hospital while the Alamo Scouts and guerrillas completed their reconnaissance, verified maps and aerial photographs, and selected provisional firing positions.

The new information they gained was highly detailed and made precise final planning possible. They determined that the stockade was on the south side of the Cabanatuan City­Cabu highway, measured 600 by 800 yards, and was enclosed by three barbed wire fences about four feet apart and six to eight feet high. Other less formidable barbed wire fences divided the camp into several compartments. The main entrance was barred by an eight­foot­high gate secured with a heavy lock and was guarded by one sentry who stood in a well­protected shelter. There were also three occupied twelve­foot­high guard towers and one pillbox that was occupied by four heavily armed men. One building inside the compound was believed to contain four tanks and two trucks.


Chowline at Cabanatuan
Men line up to receive their rations of rice and soup. If they are lucky, there will be fishheads in the soup. Sometimes they are given green fish that is rotten. Once in a while the soup contains kelp.

Although only seventy three Japanese were on guard at the stockade, about one hundred and fifty additional troops had entered the compound at 1100, apparently to rest. The large Japanese force that had been at the stockade the day before had left early on the morning of the 30th, and traffic on the nearby highway was light. The nearest outside threat to the success of the mission was a force of about eight hundred Japanese with tanks and trucks at Cabu. The prisoners were housed in buildings in the northwest corner of the compound, and activity in the camp appeared to be normal.

With the reconnaissance complete and conditions favorable, Mucci confirmed his decision to attack at dusk. The men were thoroughly briefed, and each man was assigned a mission and instructed on his responsibilities. Mucci considered surprise essential and told his men to make every effort to gain it. The plan was logical and provided for the methodical accomplishment of the mission.

Captain Jason's guerrillas were to establish a roadblock on the main highway and 800 yards southwest of the compound to stop any Japanese who might come out of Cabanatuan City. A six­man bazooka team under Staff Sergeant James O. White of 2d Platoon, Company F. would give the guerrillas antitank protection. Captain Pajota's guerrillas were to establish a roadblock at the highway bridge over Cabu Creek 300 yards northeast of the compound and stop any Japanese who might come out of Cabu. The guerrillas were also to cut the phone lines linking the camp to the outside just prior to the attack.

[SAMWolf]

On Pajota's recommendation, an American airplane would buzz the compound just prior to the attack. The guerrillas had noted that the camp guards kept their eyes skyward when American aircraft were in the area, and Pajota believed that a well­timed overflight would distract Japanese from the Rangers as they crept forward.

The 2d Platoon, Company F, was to eliminate the guards at the rear entrance of the stockade and prevent Japanese from moving into the area of the compound occupied by the prisoners. Six men from the platoon were also detailed to destroy the pillbox at the northeast corner of the stockade.


American POWs sit outside one of the barracks at Cabanatuan.

The 1st Platoon, Company C, led by First Lieutenant William J. O'Connell, was to force the front gate of the compound open and kill Japanese in several known locations. In particular, 1st Section, led by Staff Sergeant Preston N. Jensen, was to attack across the highway, kill the guards at the gate and in nearby guardhouses, and gain entrance to the compound. The 2d Section, led by Sergeant Homer E. Britzius, was to cross the highway to the right of 1st Section and support 1st Section's action by firing at enemy positions through the fence. Weapons Section, led by Staff Sergeant Manton P. Stewart, was to follow 1st Section through the gate and then move to the right of 1st Section and advance to destroy with bazooka fire the building housing the tanks and trucks. The 2d Section wee to lift its fire as Weapons Section went in, and then pass through the gate and move to the right edge of the stockade to prevent Japanese from escaping.

The 2d Platoon, Company C, led by First Lieutenant Melville H. Schmidt, was to follow 1st Platoon into the compound, open the prisoners' section of the camp, and begin evacuating them while providing its own close fire support. In particular, 1st Section, led by Staff Sergeant Clifton Harris, was to enter the compound after 1st Platoon, force the entrance to the prisoners' enclosure, and fire on the pillbox under attack by 2d Platoon, Company F. The 2d Section, led by Staff Sergeant William R. Butler, was to follow let Section in and then go to the right flank of the prisoners' enclosure to prevent Japanese from entering it. Weapons Section, led by Staff Sergeant August T. Stern, Jr., was to remain in reserve at the beginning of the attack and then direct the prisoners through the main gate and start them on the march north.

When all prisoners were clear of the compound and on their way to friendly lines, Captain Prince was to signal the Rangers to withdraw by firing a red flare from the rear of the column. When the column was at least a mile from the camp, Prince would signal the guerrillas manning the roadblocks to withdraw by firing a second flare. After withdrawing, the guerrillas would provide rear and flank security for the column.


Another picture of American POWs sitting outside of their baracks at Cabanatuan.

The Alamo Scouts kept the stockade under continuous surveillance immediately prior to the attack. Civilian runners maintained communication between the scouts and the main body at Platero and carried periodic intelligence reports to Mucci, who was thus kept informed of the situation at the objective.

Mucci, his Rangers, and their Filipino and American attachments left Platero for the objective at 1700 on 30 January. The entire force under Mucci's command numbered nearly 375. Only a radio crew, which was to maintain communication between the Rangers and higher headquarters, had been left behind in Platero where several armed villagers provided security. Unknown to Mucci, Pajota had already sent an additional 400 guerrillas ahead. Pajota had not told the Americans about these men or about their four water­cooled .30­caliber machine guns because he wanted to use them as he thought best without having to discuss the matter with Mucci. Half the men, Squadrons 200 and 202, were to form a reserve near Joson's roadblock. The other half, Squadrons 201A and 204, were to position themselves near Manacnac on the enemy side of Cabu Creek. This latter group was to attack the Japanese from behind if they threatened to cross the Cabu before the Rangers had completed their mission.

On the first leg of its march to the objective, the column advanced along a well­concealed, narrow dirt trail that cut through tall grass and bamboo. After marching a half mile, the force reached the Pampanga River and split into three elements. Pajota and Joson led their men across the river and headed toward their blocking positions, while Mucci led the main body across the river and toward the compound. Although Mucci's aerial photograph showed only short grass, rice paddies, and shallow ponds covering the two miles between the river and the objective, high grass covered almost half the distance and gave the Rangers concealment to within about a mile of the compound. It was 1800 and twilight when Mucci's force reached the far side of the grassy area. Stretching before them to the south for more than a mile lay a treeless, shrub-less plain of rice paddies and ponds. Only a single nipa hut a mile ahead broke the flatness of the horizon.


Alamo Scouts

The 2d Platoon, Company F, which was to kill the guards at the rear of the stockade, split off from the main body and headed east under its platoon leader, First Lieutenant John F. Murphy. After marching about a half mile, it dropped down into a stream bed that it would follow to the east fence of the compound.

The 1st and 2d Platoons of Company C, led by Company Commander Prince, continued forward another 500 yards before they saw the stockade's guard towers on the horizon. Assuming that if they could see the Japanese, the Japanese could see them, the Rangers dropped to the ground and began crawling toward the compound. It was a mile away, and the Rangers would have to crawl for seventy­five minutes to reach it.

While the Rangers were closing on the objective, the guerrillas were preparing their roadblocks. Pajota's force, strengthened by the men and machine guns he had not told Mucci about, covered the highway, the bridge over Cabu Creek, and other likely river­crossing sites. The extra men proved useful for it was the dry season, the creek was low, and the Japanese would probably be able to cross the Cabu in many places. Happily for Pajota, the Japanese had not posted guards at the Cabu, and the Filipinos were able to prepare their positions in relative security. Some of the guerrillas crossed to the far side of the creek to lie in ambush while others planted a time bomb under the far end of the bridge. The time bomb, which was one of several delivered by an American submarine, was set to detonate between 1940 and 1950 hours. Mucci had scheduled the attack on the compound to begin shortly after 1930, and Pajota set the bomb with the hope of destroying Japanese who might try to cross the bridge to aid the compound's garrison.



At 1840, three­quarters of an hour before the attack was to begin, a single P61 Black Widow from the 547th Night Fighter Squadron approached the objective area as planned. It flew over the bridge and prison compound twice at an altitude of 200 feet, scaring and distracting the Japanese before it left to search for enemy troops who might be on the roads leading to the compound.

Twenty­five minutes after the P61 left, Prince, the 1st and 2d Platoons of Company C, the combat photographers, medics, several guerrillas, and Alamo Scouts completed their mile­long crawl and arrived at a drainage ditch across the highway from the main gate of the stockade. There, they were in position to attack.

While Prince's element waited in its assault positions, First Lieutenant John F. Murphy and 2d Platoon, Company F. crept under the highway through a large culvert and advanced toward the back of the compound through a five­foot­deep ditch that ran parallel to and fifty yards outside the compound's east fence. As the Rangers passed the guard tower at the northeast corner of the compound, a sentry in the tower raised his rifle and looked toward the ditch as though alerted to the Americans' presence but soon lowered his weapon, apparently convinced that nothing was there. The Rangers then continued forward undetected, positioning men opposite the guard towers and pillboxes they were to bring under fire. Murphy and the last Rangers to go into position arrived near the rear gate at 1925.



Because Murphy's element had the greatest distance to go to reach its assault positions and would arrive there after the rest of the force was in place, Mucci chose him to give the signal to begin the attack. Murphy's Rangers were in position and ready to attack at 1930, but Murphy wanted to be certain that they were completely prepared and their positions were secure. He thus sent several men to retrace the route the platoon had followed while getting in place, inspect the squad positions, and check nearby buildings to ensure that they were not occupied. These precautions delayed the attack fifteen minutes, but Murphy would be sure that his men were ready.

The moonlight was bright, and the Rangers were able to select their targets while waiting for Murphy's signal. Some aimed at the red glow of cigarettes they saw in the shadows, while others aimed at men relaxing in their underwear inside still­lit barracks. The 150 enemy who were passing the night in the compound and were supposed to leave the following morning were a headquarters unit. The seventy­three guards were a polyglot assortment of Japanese, Koreans, and Formosans. They were not a match for the well­trained and highly motivated Rangers.

At 1945, Murphy aimed his M­1 rifle at an open window in the nearest barrack and fired. His shot was the signal to begin the attack. Superior leadership, training, combat intelligence, and planning prevailed in the brief encounter that followed.



When Murphy gave the signal to start the attack, Company F began throwing hand grenades and firing carbines, rifles, automatic weapons, and rifle grenades into the compound from outside the east fence. The Rangers concentrated their fire on pillboxes, guard towers, and Japanese who were unfortunate enough to be exposed.

Company C, which had been in position opposite the front of the compound, also began firing on Murphy's signal. The men gave special attention to a waist­high concrete shelter and guard tower at the main entrance and to a nearby guard shack. A lone enemy soldier who was standing guard in the shelter when the attack began became the initial target of much of the company, and Staff Sergeant James V. Mellican saw the upper half of the man disintegrate in the Rangers' concentrated fire. All guard towers, guard shacks, and pillboxes were neutralized within thirty seconds after Murphy fired the first shot.

The Rangers then stormed the compound. Staff Sergeant Theodore R. Richardson of Company C charged across the highway to the compound's main gate and shattered the lock with a shot from his .45­caliber pistol. Two Japanese who tried to prevent the Americans from entering were killed by Richardson and Private First Class Leland A. Provencher.



With the gate open, Staff Sergeant Preston N. Jensen and 1st Section, 1st Platoon, rushed into the camp. To Jensen's right, Sergeant Homer E. Britzius and 2d Section dashed across the highway and gave 1st Section covering fire through the fence. Staff Sergeant Manton P. Stewart's Weapon Section followed 1st Section through the gate and ran 300 yards to the central part of the camp where it destroyed two trucks and a corrugated-metal tank shed with bazooka fire. The assault was proceeding as planned and no American casualties had yet been suffered.

While the Rangers were attacking the compound, Pajota was fighting his own battle at the bridge. When the Filipinos heard Company F's opening shots, they began firing on a Japanese battalion in bivouac less than 300 yards beyond Cabu Creek. The stunned Japanese counterattacked the Filipinos repeatedly in piecemeal fashion, suffering heavy casualties, but were unable to gain ground. Pajota's time bomb blew a gap in the bridge, and his four machine guns killed many Japanese who tried to jump to the Filipino's side of the bridge or cross the creek where it was shallow. Bazookamen with Pajota also put two Japanese tanks and one truck out of action.

Several minutes after the raid began, Private First Class Leland A. Provencher of 1st Platoon, Company C, liberated the first POW. He was an American generator operator who was temporarily away from his fellow captives. The rest of the prisoners would be freed by 2d Platoon, Company C, led by First Lieutenant Melville Schmidt.



The 2d Platoon, Company C, performed its mission smoothly and as planned. The platoon's 2d Section, led by Staff Sergeant William Butler, charged up the compound's central road and joined 1st Platoon in firing to the right and rear into the Japanese­occupied southwest area of the stockade. The 1st Section, led by Staff Sergeant Clifton Harris, stopped short of 2d Section and turned left to the prisoners' area of the compound, which it entered after shooting the gate's lock off.

What little enemy resistance still remained twelve minutes after the attack began dwindled to a few scattered shots, and the Rangers began leading the first POWs from the compound. Unfortunately, during this phase of the operation, the Rangers suffered their first casualties when a Japanese light mortar fired three rounds toward the front gate and wounded six men. Alamo Scout Rounsaville and battalion surgeon Captain James C. Fisher were among the casualties. Fisher would die before he reached friendly lines.

The Japanese continued to attack Pajota's positions during the evacuation of the compound but remained unable to gain ground or inflict casualties on the Filipinos. Joson's roadblock, in contrast, was not attacked. Any likelihood that it would be attacked ended shortly after 2000 when one of the P61s assigned to provide air cover for the operation strafed and destroyed a Japanese convoy that was heading from San Jose toward Cabanatuan City and the roadblock.


Cabanatuan Operation: Actions at the Objective, January 1945.

At 2015, a half hour into the raid, Prince completed his second search of the POW's area of the compound to ensure that no prisoners were being left behind. When he was satisfied that the area was cleared, he fired one red flare into the sky to begin the withdrawal. Unknown to Prince or anyone else, however, one dysentery­weakened British civilian prisoner had hidden in the latrine at the sound of the first shots and never came out. He would be discovered near the camp after midnight by Filipino guerrillas and rescued. Tragically, one POW had died of an apparent heart attack while being helped out of the compound.

Six men from Company F were the last Americans to withdraw from the objective, and as they did so, the Japanese brought them under fire. The six were trotting along the outside of the compound fence toward the highway when they began receiving scattered rifle shots. Some of the Rangers fired back, while others dashed through the moonlight toward the drainage ditch they had come through during their approach. When Corporal Roy Sweezy turned to fire his M­1 at the Japanese, he was shot through the chest with an automatic weapon and died several minutes later. He and the fatally wounded Captain Fisher were the only Rangers to die in the operation.



Most of the Rangers and liberated POWs were at or approaching the Pampanga River by 2030, forty­five minutes after the raid began. All men except those who were at the roadblocks or on other security missions were across the river by 2045, and Prince fired the flare to signal Joson and Pajota to withdraw. Joson withdrew immediately, sending half his men to provide security around Platero, the first barrio Mucci's column would pass through on its march to friendly lines. The other half of Joson's men would provide flank security for the column when it left Platero. Pajota was unable to withdraw when Prince gave the signal because his men were still battling the Japanese on Cabu Creek. Pajota's fight continued until shortly after 2200 when the exhausted Japanese ended their attack. His guerrillas had virtually destroyed a Japanese battalion without suffering any fatalities or serious wounds. They then withdrew by marching around the battlefield in a southeasterly direction and established themselves as a rear guard on the Pampanga to protect Mucci's column from pursuit.

[SAMWolf]

As successful as the infiltration and raid had been, the Rangers' mission would not be fully accomplished until they safely brought the liberated POWs to friendly lines. All means were taken to assure their safe deliverance. carabao carts that had been requisitioned from local civilians were awaiting the POWs on the south bank of the Pampanga River. The column's first stop was in Platero, where it reorganized and ate. There, guerrilla doctor Carlos Layug treated the sick and wounded. Food and water were provided by local people, and the hospitality and concern the Filipinos displayed in Platero would be shown again by other civilians in other barrios during the remainder of the return march. Those ex­POWs who were able to walk went under Ranger escort to Balincarin as soon as they could be assembled. The first of them left Platero at 2100.



When the column reached Balincarin, it received more food and water from local people, as well as fifteen carabao carts to add to the twenty­five it already had. Captain Fisher was left in Balincarin with thirteen Alamo Scouts and Rangers and some guerrillas, and a light aircraft was requested to evacuate them. The aircraft would never arrive, and Fisher would die about the time the main column reached friendly lines.

The column left for the next barrio, Matoas Na Kahey, at midnight and arrived there at 0200 the following morning, 31 January. The civilians at Matoas Na Kahey gave additional food and water to the column and provided it with eleven more carabao carts. When the column left at 0230, it had fifty­one carts and was a mile and a half long.

The most dangerous leg of the return march lay slightly beyond Matoas Na Kahey where the column would cross the Rizal highway. The risk of crossing an insecure highway in enemy territory with a long, slow column of weakened ex­POWs was compounded by the fact that difficult terrain on the opposite side of the highway would not permit the column to cross directly over. Instead, it would have to enter the highway and march one mile south before crossing. Because of the length of the column, as much as two­thirds of it would be on the highway during the movement.



Discovery by the Japanese would be disastrous. It could not be avoided if the column was on the road at an inopportune time, but discovery could be prevented through proper security. This was provided by First Lieutenant William J. O'Connell's 1st Platoon, Company C. One section of the platoon, armed with a bazooka and antitank grenades, established a roadblock 400 yards northeast of where the column was to enter the road. A second section established another roadblock 3,000 yards to the south. Luckily, no Japanese used the road during the crossing. The column took an hour to clear the highway and did so by 0430 without being discovered. The men halted in a small barrio at 0530 and resumed their march toward friendly lines after a short rest.

The Rangers had been unable to make radio contact with the forward base at Guimba since before the raid began and had not yet informed Sixth Army of their success. They made several more attempts to contact Guimba at about dawn but failed, and at 0800, they arrived at the small town of Sibul. Local people once again provided the column with food and water and with an additional twenty carabao carts. While the column was resting, the base at Guimba succeeded in establishing radio contact. Mucci requested that trucks and ambulances be prepared to meet the column, which resumed its march shortly after 0900.

At about 1100, Technician 5 Patrick Marquis, who was on the point and several hundred yards in advance of the column, was halted by a Sixth Army reconnaissance patrol. The trucks and ambulances Mucci had asked for were only a short distance to the patrol's rear, and an hour later, the former POWs were at the 92d Evacuation Hospital in Guimba. With that, the Rangers' mission was accomplished.

Commentary

The Cabanatuan prison camp raid was an overwhelming tactical success. At a cost of two Rangers killed, the 6th Ranger Battalion (­), reinforced by Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrillas, liberated 511 American and Allied POWs and killed or wounded an estimated 523 Japanese. Their success was both recognized and rewarded. General Douglas A. MacArthur, who said that the raid was "magnificent and reflect[ed] extraordinary credit to all concerned," awarded the Distinguished Service Cross to Mucci, the Silver Star to all American officers, and the Bronze Star to all American enlisted men who participated in the operation. All Filipino officers and enlisted men were awarded the Bronze Star.


Pat L. Parker, left, and Hank Cowan, right, relax after being rescued from Cabanatuan Prison Camp by Col. Mucci's 6th Army Rangers on 30 Jan. 1945. Their faces still reflect the horrors of the Japanese Holocaust.

The operation was immediately singled out for special comment in the Sixth Army weekly G2 report, which described it as "an almost perfect example of prior reconnaissance and planning..." It was further held up as demonstrating "what patrols can accomplish in enemy territory by following the basic principles of scouting and patrolling, ‘sneaking and peeping,’ [the] use of concealment, reconnaissance of routes from photographs and maps prior to the actual operation, ...and the coordination of all arms in the accomplishment of a mission."

All of the principles and techniques that the weekly G2 report pointed out were important because they contributed to the Rangers' undetected approach to the objective, their gaining complete surprise over the Japanese, the smooth assault on the compound, and their successful liberation of the prisoners. Of equal, if not greater, importance was the one indispensable element that the report did not mention – an aggressively friendly civilian population. The Filipinos conducted reconnaissance, surveillance, and security missions in support of the operation, chose the routes to and from the objective, fought Japanese in the objective area, provided transportation to friendly lines for the sick and wounded, and provided food and water for all. The success of the mission would have been unlikely without Filipino friendship and support, and impossible had the Filipinos sympathized with the Japanese.

Subsequent Developments



The 6th Ranger Battalion did not take part in major combat operations after Cabanatuan. Their activities in the Philippines were limited to providing security for Sixth Army headquarters, conducting reconnaissance patrols, searching for Japanese stragglers, and eliminating small pockets of enemy resistance. In one such encounter, the Rangers annihilated seventeen saber­bearing Japanese officers who had taken shelter in a bunker to avoid Filipino guerrillas. The battalion's records show only one Ranger killed in action, one dead of wounds, and three wounded in all of the operations that followed Cabanatuan. None of these losses were suffered in the incident involving the Japanese officers.

Additional Sources:

www.arcent.army.mil
www.army.mil
www.interet-general.info
www.history.noaa.gov
www.pbs.org
www.history.navy.mil
www.pbs.org
www.rangerfamily.org
www.cs.amedd.army.mil
www.cnac.org

[SAMWolf]

General Walter Krueger
(1881 - 1967)



Walter Krueger was born January 26, 1881, in Flatow, West Prussia, which is now Zlotow, Poland. His family came to the United States when he was eight years old. He enlisted for service in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and served in Cuba before enlisting as a private in the regulars in 1899.

While serving in the Philippines in 1901 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 30th Infantry. He graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1906 and the Staff College in 1907.

He participated in the Mexican Punitive Expedition in 1916 and went to France in 1918 to serve as assistant chief of staff of the 26th Division and the 84th Division before becoming chief of Staff of the Tank Corps. He was promoted to the temporary rank of colonel while serving in occupation duty as assistant chief of staff of the VI and IV Corps.

Following a stint at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, he commanded the 55th Infantry at Camp Funston, Kansas, before attending the Army War College and graduating in 1921. He remained there as an instructor until assigned to the War Plans Division of the General Staff from 1922 to 1925. In 1926 he graduated from the Naval War College and taught there from 1928 to 1932.



For two years he commanded the 6th Infantry at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, until returning to the War Plans Division in 1934 and becoming its Chief in 1936.

In June 1938 Brigadier General Krueger became commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade at Fort George Meade, Maryland, and in February 1939 he was promoted to major general in command of the 2nd Division at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

In October 1940 he took command of the VIII Corps and in May of 1941 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant general in command of the Third Army and Southern Defense Command.

LTG Krueger took command of the Sixth Army in January of 1943 in Australia, and remained with the Sixth throughout its combat periods of World War II. He command and directed 21 successful amphibious operations in the Southwest Pacific. These operations included Kiriwina and Woodlark Islands, New Britain, the Admiralty Islands, Biak Island, new Guinea, Morotai, Leyte and Mindoro, the Philippines and Luzon. In September 1945 the Sixth Army assumed occupation duties on Honshu, Japan.

General Krueger was one of the Army's most accomplished strategists and tacticians. His outstanding leadership contributed materially to the successful outcome of World War II. General MacArthur said of him, "He was swift and sure in attack, tenacious and determined in defense; modest and restrained in victory; I don't know what he would have been in defeat because he was never defeated. No Army in military history ever had a greater leader than General Krueger."

He retired as a four-star general in July 1946 and made his home in San Antonio, Texas. He died on August 20, 1967.

[SAMWolf]

Showcasing America's finest, and those who betray them!

Please click on the banner above and check out this newly created (and still under construction) website created by FReeper Coop!

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Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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We here at Blue Stars For A Safe Return are working hard to honor all of our military, past and present, and their families. Inlcuding the veterans, and POW/MIA's. I feel that not enough is done to recognize the past efforts of the veterans, and remember those who have never been found.

I realized that our Veterans have no "official" seal, so we created one as part of that recognition. To see what it looks like and the Star that we have dedicated to you, the Veteran, please check out our site.

Veterans Wall of Honor

Blue Stars for a Safe Return

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

---

LINK TO FOXHOLE THREADS INDEXED by PAR35

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



Good Wednesday Morning Everyone.

If you want to be added to our ping list, let us know.

[steveegg]

Thanks. If the upcoming movie is even half as good as this presentation, ... (of course, it probably won't be, but lies, damnable lies, and propaganda is what Hollywood has descended to).

[U S Army EOD]

I noted while reading your excellent article that there were four camera men assigned to the unit. Are you sure this was an Army unit and not an USMC unit?

[Professional Engineer]

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-Gram.

He's baaaaack...

[alfa6]

Black Widow Bump for the Wednesday Foxhole

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[Iris7]

An excellent story, makes me happy. Such skill. Their skill exceeded even their courage, and their courage lacked nothing whatever.

Notice Colonel (Colonel is as a Colonel does) Pejota's ambush of an Imperial Army battalion, a fine, clean job. Sweet. Used where appropriate, and correctly, the 1917 watercooled Browning is an excellent weapon.

General Krueger has my admiration. General MacArthur's words contain no exaggeration. Thanks for putting him in the thread, SAM.

Captain Mucci made that battalion. Training, doctrine, combat leadership, the works.

My biggest soft spot is for Captain Roger Prince.

MAJOR ROBERT W. PRINCE

Major Robert W. Prince is inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for extraordinary valor and heroic service to the nation as a Ranger leader. His battalion commander, LTC Henry A. Mucci, chose then Captain Prince to command Company C, 6th Ranger Battalion. As company commander he participated in numerous combat operations in the Pacific Theater, from Hollandia to Leyte. He also participated in the occupation of Japan immediately following the end of hostilities in the Pacific. He was given the task of planning and execution the daring Prisoner of War raid at Cabanatuan in the Philippines from January 28-31, 1945. This particular raid is recognized as a virtually flawless special operation, and is highly regarded as the most successful raid of its kind during World War II. Overall control of the operation was given to LTC Mucci, but CPT Prince was solely responsible the conduct of Company C and a Platoon from Company F. Captain Prince infiltrated his element via foot movement 29-miles behind enemy lines. He culminated this arduous journey by having his Rangers low crawl the last mile to the enemy compound, during hours of limited visibility, achieving tactical surprise, his men quickly overwhelmed the numerically superior force in the large garrison and freed over 500 American and Allied Prisoners. The Rangers then led or carried the emaciated men 30 miles back to friendly lines. The 6th Battalion sustained 2 KIA and ten WIA. Enemy losses were 200 KIA. Captain Prince was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. He was promoted to Major in August 1945. Major Prince’s selfless service and dedication to duty are in the highest traditions of Ranger leadership and exemplify our motto, ”Rangers Lead the Way."

[Iris7]

Father in law was a US Army Infantry Lieutenant. He worked in the Philippines from the Leyte landing until the Surrender. Ran a platoon most of the time.

His outfit worked some with Philippine Scouts on the cleanup of diehards. Generally set up a water cooled, couple rifle grenades, then run over and give them a present, usually WP, napalm, and high explosive. Japanese generally had log and dirt bunkers. Filipinos did the reconnaissance. Those lads killed Japanese with glee.

Should have had a good mortar outfit on call, but no radios in those days.

[Iris7]

As you know, I have great affection and respect for the Corps.

However, the US Army 32nd Division did just as important work on New Guinea as the Corps did on Guadalcanal. The 32nd started way sooner, in a worse climate (sound impossible?) and stayed longer. I think their work was more important work, certainly harder, longer, with worse food, and and with lots more casualties than what the Marines did on Guadalcanal.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[GailA]

Good morning ALL, promises to be hot and dry here.

[The Mayor]

August 10, 2005

Walking Away

Read:
Exodus 33:12-23

My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. —Exodus 33:14

Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 17-20

After winning a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, wrestler Rulon Gardner took off his shoes, placed them in the center of the mat, and walked away in tears. Through that symbolic act, Gardner announced his retirement from the sport which had defined his life for many years.

Times of walking away come to all of us, and they can be emotionally wrenching. A loved one "walks away" in death. A child moves away from home. We leave a job or a community and it feels as if we've left everything behind. But when we know the Lord, we never have to walk into an unknown future alone.

It's worth pausing to reflect on how much the children of Israel walked away from when Moses led them out of Egypt. They left the heavy burden of slavery, but they also left everything stable and predictable they had ever known. Later, when the Lord told Moses, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14), Moses replied, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here" (v.15).

During our most difficult times, our stability comes from the presence and peace of God. Because He goes with us, we can walk into the future with confidence. —David McCasland

I never walk alone, Christ walks beside me,
He is the dearest Friend I've ever known;
With such a Friend to comfort and to guide me,
I never, no, I never walk alone. —Ackley
© 1952, The Rodeheaver Company

Every loss leaves a space that only God's presence can fill.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Does God Keep His Promises?

[tomkow6]

Good Morning, Mayor!

[The Mayor]

Good Morning Tom!

Yes it did! Thanks..

[U S Army EOD]

When I was stationed at Radford Army Ammunition Plant, Radford, VA in 1974, we had several people working at the plant who were with I believe the 32nd Division. They were in the infantry on New Guinea.

While I was still in Vietnam, I was making plans to go visit my wife's family in New Zealand. I went to get my shots and the medic got a big smile on his face because he was able to give me shots for things he had never given shots before. I was sick for a week but I knew my wife would have to take the same shots. When I got back to the States, I took her to Fort Gordon to get her shots up dated and they told her she only needed a booster for tetnus. I explained to the people at Fort Gordon about all the shots that I had and felt she should suffer also. They checked the list and then explained to me I had gotten shots for New Guinea not New Zealand and that I also needed a booster for tetnus.

While I was at Radford, we had some Japanese from the Japanese Self Defense Force visit. You could almost feel the hatred toward them from these three guys working there who had been on New Guinea. Of all the places to fight during WWII, New Guinea must have been the worse.

The camera thing is an old joke about each USMC squad being assigned one cameraman and one reporter and getting all the glory.

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on August 10:
1810 Camilio Benso di Cavour Italy, PM
1814 John Clifford Pemberton (d.1881), Lt Gen Confederate Army
1865 Alexander Glazunov St Petersburg Russia, composer (Chopiniana)
1874 Herbert Clark Hoover West Branch, Iowa, (R) 31st Pres (1929-1933)
1874 James (Tod) Sloan jockey, created monkey crouch riding style
1889 Irene Steer England, 4 X 100m relay swimmers (Olympic-gold-1912)
1893 Douglas Stuart Moore Cutchogue NY, composer (Good Night Harvard)
1893 Viscount Dunrossil Scotland, Gov Gen of Australia (1959-61)
1899 Jack Haley Boston Mass, actor (Ford Star Revue)
1900 Arthur Porritt NZ, 100m sprinter (Olympic-bronze-1924)
1900 Norma Shearer Canada, actress (Divorcee, Idiot's Delight)

1909 Leo Fender, inventor of the first mass-produced electric guitar.

1909 Mohammed V King of Morocco (1953, 1955-61)
1910 Angus Campbell US, psychologist (Elections & Political Order)
1913 Noah Beery Jr NYC, actor (Rockford Files, Quest, Doc Elliot)
1913 Steven Nagy bowler, 1st to bowl 300 on TV (1954)
1914 Jeff Corey NYC, actor (Getting Straight, Superman & Mole Men)
1920 Red Holzman NBA coach (NY Knickerbockers)
1923 Rhonda Fleming Hollywood Calif, actress (Spellbound)
1924 Martha Hyer actress (Day of the Wolves, Night of the Grizzly)
1928 Eddie Fisher Phila Pa, singer (Oh My Papa, Lady of Spain)
1928 Jimmy Dean Tx, actor/singer/sausage maker (Jimmy Dean Show, Diamonds are Forever, Big Bad John)
1933 Bill Nieder shot putter, (Olympic-gold-1960)
1933 Rocky Colavito Bronx, baseball player (Hit 4 HRs in a game)
1939 Kate O'Mara Leicaster England, actress (Caress Morell-Dynasty)
1940 Bobby Hatfield Wisc, rocker (Righteous Bros-Unchained Melody)
1941 Anita Lonsbrough England, 200m backstroke swimmer (Oly-gold-1960)
1942 Betsy Johnson fashion designer (1971 Winnie Award)
1943 Ronnie Spector [Veronica Bennett], NYC, singer (Be My Baby)
1947 Ian Anderson Scotland, rocker (Jethro Tull-Bungle in the Jungle)
1948 Pal Gerevich Hungary, fencer (Olympic-bronze-1972, 80)
1948 Patti Austin singer (The Real Me)
1952 Ashley Putnam NYC, soprano (NY City Opera 1978)
1959 Mark Price bass/vocals (All About Eve, Tin Huey-Contents Dislodged)
1959 Rosanna Arquette NYC, actress (Desperately Seeking Susan)
1961 Beatrice Alda daughter of Alan Alda, actress (Lisa-Four Seasons)
1961 John Farriss rocker (Inxs-Kiss the Dirt)
1962 Dan Donovan rocker (Bad)

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Deaths which occurred on August 10:
0030 BC Cleopatra VII, Ptolemae queen, beloved by Caesar, dies (made an asp of herself)
0794 Fastrada, 3rd wife of French king Charlemagne, dies at 30
1867 Ira Frederick Aldridge US Negro tragedian, dies (birth date unkn)
1930 William H Taft, US president (1909-13), dies
1945 Robert Goddard father of American rocketry, dies
1962 Ted Husing sportscaster (Monday Night Fights), dies at 60
1963 Estes Kefauver (D-Sen-Tn), dies at 60
1974 Pedro Regas actor (Pat Paulsen's Comedy Hour), dies at 92
1976 Ray "Crash" Corrigan cowboy (Crash Corrigan's Ranch), dies at 74
1977 Vince Barnett actor (Star is Born, Human Jungle), dies at 75
1979 Dick Foran actor (OK Crackerby), dies at 69
1985 Kenny Backer comedian, dies of a heart attack at 72
1987 Clara Peller actress (Where's the Beef), dies at 86
1988 Adela Rogers St John journalist (Free Soul, Honeycomb), dies at 94
1988 Arias Arnulfo 3 time president of Panama, dies at 86
1997 Peter Braestrup, (age 68) founder of the Wilson Quarterly

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Take A Moment To Remember
GWOT Casualties

Iraq
10-Aug-2003 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Staff Sergeant David S. Perry Ba’qubah - Diyala Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack


Afghanistan
A GOOD DAY

http://icasualties.org/oif/
Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White
//////////
Go here and I'll stop nagging.
http://www.taps.org/
(subtle hint SEND MONEY)

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On this day...
0070 "2nd Temple" of Jerusalem is set aflame
0654 St Eugene I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
0955 Otto organizes his nobles and defeats the invading Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld in Germany.
1500 Diego Diaz discovers Madagascar (right where God left it)
1519 Magellan's 5 ship set sail to circumnavigate the Earth
1557 French troops are defeated by Emmanuel Philibert's Spanish army at St. Quentin, France.
1582 Russia ends its 25-year war with Poland. Russia and Poland conclude the Peace of Jam-Zapolski under which Russia lost access to the Baltic and surrendered Livonia and Estonia to Poland.
1680 Pueblo Indians rebel against Spaniads
1743 Earliest recorded prize fighting rules formulated
1790 Robert Gray's Columbia, completes 1st American around world voyage
1792 Mobs in Paris attack the palace of Louis XVI
1809 Ecuador declares independence from Spain (National Day)

1813 British shell St. Michaels, Md., on the Chesapeake Bay. Residents hoist lanterns to treetops and masts and caused the British canons to overshoot their mark. One house was hit by a cannonball on the roof and the ball rolled across the attic and down the staircase frightening Mrs. Merchant as she carried her infant daughter downstairs.

1821 Missouri admitted as 24th US state
1827 Race riots in Cincinnati (1,000 blacks leave for Canada)
1831 Former slave Nat Turner led violent insurrection against slavery
1831 William Driver of Salem, Massachusetts, is the first to use the term "Old Glory" in connection with the American flag, when he gives that name to a large flag aboard his ship, the Charles Daggett.
1833 Chicago incorporates as a village of about 200
1835 Mob of whites & oxen pulled black school to a swamp out of Canaan NH
1846 Congress charters the "nation's attic," the Smithsonian Institution
1856 Hurricane washes away 2-300 revelers at Last Island, Louisiana
1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri
1864 John Bell Hood sends his cavalry north of Atlanta to cut off Union General William Sherman's supply lines.
1866 Transatlantic cable laid - Former Pres Buchanan communicates over it to Queen Victoria ("Hey Vicky, how ya doin? Pat here, listen how about dinner and a movie?")
1885 Leo Daft opens America's 1st coml operated electric streetcar (Balt)
1887 Excursion train crashes killing 101. (Chatsworth, Illinois)
1888 NY Giant pitcher Tim Keefe sets a 19 game win streak record
1889 Dan Rylands patents the screw cap
1893 Chinese deported from SF under Exclusion Act
1900 1st Davis Cup Tennis Tournament (Mass) US beats England
1901 Chic White Sox Frank Isbell strands record 11 teammate base runners
1904 Japanese fleet defeat Russians off Port Arthur
1907 Prince Scipone Borchesi wins Peking to Paris, 7,500 mile auto rally
1911 Parliament Act reduces power of House of Lords
1913 2nd Balkan War ends, Treaty of Bucharest, Bulgaria loses
1919 Ukranian National Army massacres 25 Jews in Podolia Ukrane
1921 FDR stricken with polio at summer home on Canadian Is of Campobello
1938 119ø F, Pendleton, Oregon (state record)
1942 Gen. Bernard Law Montgomery became commandant British 8th leader in N. Africa
1943 Germans lynch Allied pilots, Hitler watches
1944 Boston Brave Red Barrett throws only 58 pitches to beat Reds 2-0
1944 American forces recapture Guam
1944 Race riots in Athens Alabama
1945 Japan announces willingness to surrender to Allies provided the status of Emperor Hirohito remained unchanged
1948 ABC enters network TV at 7 PM (WJZ, NY)
1948 Allen Funt's "Candid Camera" TV debut on ABC
1949 Natl Military Establishment renamed Dept of Defense
1954 Sir Gordon Richards retires as a jockey with record 4,870 wins
1960 Discoverer 13 launched into orbit; returned 1st object from space
1961 England applies for membership in the European Common Market
1965 Joe Engle in X-15 reaches 82 km
1966 1st lunar orbiter launched by US
1966 Daylight meteor seen from Utah to Canada. Only known case of a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere & leaving it again
1975 David Frost purchases exclusive rights to interview Nixon
1977 Phillies & Expos play a doubleheader that ends at 3:23 AM
1977 Postal employee David Berkowitz arrested in Yonkers, NY, accused of being "Son of Sam" the 44 caliber killer
1980 Allen, the most powerful hurricane in Caribbean hits Brownsville, Tx
1980 Jack Nicklaus wins PGA Championship for 5th time
1981 Coca-Cola Bottling Co agrees to pump $34 million into black business
1981 Pete Rose tops Stan Musial's NL record 3,630 hits
1981 The Richard Nixon Museum in San Clemente closes
1984 Mary Decker trips on heel of Zola Budd during 3,000m Olympic run
1985 Michael Jackson buys ATV Music (every Beatle songs) for $47 million
1985 Uno Lindstron of Sweden, juggles a soccer ball 13.11 miles (SOMEONE needs a life....really bad.)
1986 Billy Martin day, Yanks retire #1
1987 Flight Readiness Firing of Discovery's main engines is successful
1988 President Reagan signed a measure providing $20,000 payments to Japanese-Americans who were interned during World War II.
1988 UN estimates Asia's population hit 3 billion
1990 US's Magellan spacecraft lands on Venus
1990 Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry convicted of a single misdemeanor drug charge and acquitted on another; the judge declared a mistrial on 12 other counts
1991 NFL sportscaster Paul Maquire suffers a heart attack at 53
1995 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols charged with 11 counts in the Oklahoma City bombing. McVeigh was later convicted of murder and is on federal death row; Nichols was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter
2000 Reform Party’s convention opens in Long Beach, Ca., amid a struggle for control between delegates supporting Pat Buchanan and party leaders. $12.5 million in federal matching funds was at stake. The Federal Election Commission awarded the campaign money to Buchanan in Sept
2003 Atlanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal turns the 12th unassisted triple play in major league history against the St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis beat Atlanta 3-2

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Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Ecuador : Independence Day (1809)
Missouri : Admission Day (1821)
Zambia : Youth Day - - - - - (Monday)
Don't Wait...Celebrate Week (Day 3)
National Lazy Day
Daughter's Day
Foot Health Month

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Religious Observances
Ang, RC, Luth : Feast of St Laurence, deacon/martyr at Rome

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Religious History
1742 English revivalist George Whitefield observed in a letter: 'It is a very uncommon thing to be rooted and grounded in the love of Jesus. I find persons may have the idea, but are far from having the real substance.'
1760 Philip Embury (1728-1773) arrived in New York the first Methodist clergyman to come over from England.in America.
1841 Birth of Mary A. Lathbury, American Sunday School leader and poet. Daughter of a Methodist preacher, two of Lathbury's poems later became popular hymns: "Break Thou the Bread of Life" and "Day is Dying in the West."
1855 Birth of Frederick J. Foakes-Jackson, Anglican theologian. His numerous publications centered around church history. His best-remembered work is "The Beginnings of Christianity, Part I: The Acts of the Apostles" (5 volumes, 1919-33).
1948 English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter: 'We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good; if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

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MAD FISH DISEASE COMING TO U.S.
-- and millions are at risk of infection!

By NICK JEFFREYS

TOKYO -- A new health threat is sweeping the Land of the Rising Sun and headed to America.

"We're calling it Mad Fish Disease," said Dr. Shinobu Hashimoto of Tokyo's Institute for Infectious Diseases. "When a person is exposed to the XK2 Virus through tainted seafood, his biological system undergoes a metamorphosis. He will go to any lengths to get wet."

According to Hashimoto, there are reports of fully clothed MFD sufferers leaping into public fountains, restaurant diners pouring glasses of water over their own heads, and car accidents caused by drivers speeding to the coastline.

A small-town doctor in a remote village reported the first case of MFD.

"The physician had no idea what he was dealing with," said Hashimoto. "I flew to the location and the patient, Takashi Shimura, was mad with the urge to get wet. The poor fellow tried to squeeze into his office water cooler, soak his feet in the sink of the rest room and sponge himself at his desk. At home, he sleeps outside in his children's plastic pool.

"The patient was terrified by his overwhelming need but he could not stop. I examined him and isolated the virus. After questioning him about his eating habits and examining his left- overs, we found the virus in a fish cake he had eaten two nights before."

Ascertaining that the virus was alkaloid based -- distantly related to nicotine and present in deep-sea tobacco weed ingested by the fish -- Dr. Hashimoto sent Shimura to a substance abuse center. After completing the 12-week program, the patient was clean.

"We have put out media warnings to advise people to stop eating fish from this region until we can develop an antitoxin -- or at least a patch," said Hashimoto.

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Thought for the day :
"All men are equal before fish."
Herbert Hoover