The Blood and Mud in the Philippines: Anti-Guerrilla Warfare on Panay Island
Continuation of Chapter 9
The US attack intensified when the position was exposed. At first, the barrage of mortar fire was preventing the soldiers of the Mizutani force from emerging from their trenches. Then, the American soldiers started climbing up the slope towards them. Because we were running out of ammunition, the Mizutani force did not retaliate even with a single bullet. The US soldiers came as close as a hundred meters from their position when, following the signal to ‘Fire!’, the Japanese soldiers began firing all at once. They were just sporadically firing their rifles, but the US soldiers ran back for their lives. Thus, the attack ended for the day.
The next morning, the Americans once again started shelling with mortars. This time, however, the shells had fuses that went off instantly. They largely left the trenches undamaged, producing holes on the ground only about 40 to 50 centimeters deep. The Mizutani force hid lying flat in the trenches during the shelling and observed this style of the enemy attack. When the firing ended, they ran up to their positions and waited for the Americans to approach. Soon, around two companies of US soldiers started to climb up the slope shooting their light machine-guns and carbines. We could distinguish each of their faces. They also looked tired from the tropical heat and steep mountains but continued to climb with determination. When they neared about a hundred meters, the Mizutani force started firing. The Americans retreated, stumbling down the hill, thus ending the morning attack. As expected, after lunch, the US forces started again and repeated the process.
Eventually, we saw a crowd of American soldiers on the plateau about 500 meters ahead. Through binoculars, we could see them looking at us in a relaxed mood – smoking, chewing gum.
We had withheld the use of heavy machine guns and mortars. However, since there was abundant game before us, it was silly not to take action. What is more, it was not good for our morale. Upon discussion, Colonel Tozuka, 1st Lieutenant Ishikawa and I decided to try shooting into the enemy with heavy machine guns and mortars.
Early the next morning, we set as many heavy machine guns as we had – which were just four or five – in the positions of the Yoshioka, Mukaibara, and Mizutani forces that aimed at the plateau from three directions. The Japanese soldiers awaited the arrival of the enemy with anticipation. Suddenly, the US soldiers showed up and swelled into a crowd, smoking and walking around. With the order, ‘Fire!’ several shells exploded on the slope behind the plateau. At the same time machine guns from three directions were fired simultaneously – ‘Dah-da-da-da-da!’ Instantly, the US soldiers scattered like spiders. Some of them fell down on our side of the slope and fled. Cries of joy resounded from our positions. However, the incident was short-lived. The American soldiers retreated quickly and disappeared in a flash.
From the excellent retreat of the US soldiers, it was obvious they were experienced veterans of battles. Now that we had shown them all we had, we worried about their reaction. However, it was clear that the encounter also caused them some casualties. Their retreat stopped the attack for the day and they did not appear on the plateau on the next day.
By that time, each of the Japanese forces was lacking in salt and meat. We ditched foraging parties to steal food from the houses abandoned by the villagers. The imperial army had become thieves and bandits.
In order to cultivate rice, I organized an agricultural work group to plant rice and cuttings of kamote-kahoy root using the primitive tools the local residents had left behind.
9.2 A Raiding Unit
The radio reported that the attack on Japan was drawing near. Far away from us, large ships passed more frequently going to and coming from the harbor in Iloilo City. The US forces once again started to attack the Mizutani force. They learned their lesson and their shells and bullets hit with more precision. An observation plane also flew by to confirm the hits.
We kept passive while the US forces led the war. Not content to wait o, for the one-sided attack, however, some forces volunteered to storm the enemy at night. The unit commander ordered the Yoshioka force to do this since it had a lot of combat experience. For this purpose, 2nd Lieutenant Okuda volunteered to be the commander of the Raiding Unit.
On the night of the raid, at around 2 a.m., we heard fierce shooting towards the American position that lasted for some time before the stillness returned. In the morning, Captain Yoshioka came out smiling broadly with several US ration tins. They had also captured batteries for the wireless radio and transceiver or walkie-talkie.
Towards the end of July, American radio broadcasts reported the complete occupation of Okinawa. In preparation for the landing on Japan, B29s also dropped tons of bombs on Japan itself.
After that, the US forces continued attacks, in the same style. The Japanese tried another night attack with two raiding units but did not succeed this time.
About 500 men of the Saitô machine-gun force – the Noda unit of the 1st company Company of the Tanabe unit, the Ika Hôjin Company, and the Fukutome unit of the 1st Company who joined the others in the mountains – kept moving in the mountains west of Janiuay and Lambunao. They built a position at the foot of Mt. Singit, 11 kilometers west of Lambunao. Only the guerrillas attacked this Japanese position, and there were no major encounters here like those at Bocari. (Next, Chapter 10)
