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The Amazing Cabanatuan POW Camp Rescue

On January 30, 1945, members of the U.S.following day. The soldiers retreated into
Military special forces and Filipinothe local village, where they were greeted
guerrilla warriors pulled off the mostwith  joy  by  the  Filipinos.
stunning and successful prison camp bust in
recorded history. These brave soldiersThe next day, all was ready for the attack.
rescued over 500 POWs and dealt a heavy blowThe soldiers waited until evening, at which
to the Japanese army left in the Philippines.time they crept up to right outside the walls
If that weren't enough, they did it with onlyof the prison compound. At 1945, or 7:45 PM,
two  casualties!the Rangers and Alamo scouts opened up on the
camp with all of the small arms they had -
The soldiers involved in the Cabanatuanrifles, carbines, hand grenades, Thompson
operation came from several separatesub-machine guns, and Browning Automatic
locations  and  groups.Rifles. A few seconds later, they charged
into the camp and a bazooka gunner destroyed
The first group was the Alamo Scouts. Thisthe  tanks  and  trucks  in  the  camp.
was a group of highly trained, highly capable
special forces, who were expert atIn less than a minute, the Japanese
reconnaissance and scouting work. At thisresistance was effectively destroyed. The
point in the war, the Alamo Scouts had anonly serious casualties were one man dead and
impressive record of tough assignments thatanother mortally wounded. The Rangers now
they had successfully accomplished - and theybegan to evacuate the POWS, who were
had never lost a man. There were 13 Alamogenerally confused and surprised by their
Scouts  involved  in  the  operation.sudden  turn  of  events.
The second group of soldiers involved in theWhile the Rangers and Alamo Scouts were thus
Cabanatuan raid were U.S. Army Rangers. Theengaged, the Filipino guerrillas were far
Rangers were a newly created group of specialfrom idle. They had set up a road block at
forces, created by Gen. Walter Krueger forthe bridge just a little ways up the main
behind lines operations, hit and runroad from the camp. As soon as the Rangers
operations, and pretty much any operationattacked the camp, the guerrillas blew up the
that required a larger force of special opsbridge over the river and began firing on the
soldiers. The Rangers were the bulk of thebattalion of Japanese soldiers on the other
U.S.  forces.side of the river. The guerrillas attack was
highly effective - they had setup their
The third group of soldiers that participatedmachine guns, soldiers, and bazookas to give
in the raid were Filipino guerrillas, mainlythem a powerful interlocking field of fire
under the command of Juan Capt. Pajota. Theover the river. Wave after wave of Japanese
Filipino guerrillas had been fighting asoldiers charged, only to be mowed down by
highly effective under cover war against thethe guns of the Filipinos. When was all said
Japanese for years, but now they came outand done, the guerrillas had killed or
from cover to help the invading Americanswounded somewhere between 500 and 1,000
retake the islands. Hundreds of theseJapanese soldiers, without losing a single
guerrillas  participated  in  this operation.man  themselves!
The Alamo Scouts went in first, and spentAfter they finished destroying the Japanese
hours and hours night and day scouting outunit, the guerrillas fell back and provided a
the area. When the Rangers and guerrillascover for the retreating group of Rangers,
arrived, the news was not good - a large bodyPOWs, and Alamo Scouts. The entire company
of Japanese soldiers were traveling along thereached the advancing 6th Army without
highway right next to the POW camp. Col.mishap, ending what remains to this day the
Mucci, the brilliant commander of themost successful prison camp break in history.
Rangers, postponed the raid until the



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