“Whenever American planes flew near the camp, the Japanese became upset and nervous, keeping their eyes on the sky for several minutes after the planes had passed by.”—CPT Juan Pajota, Philippine guerrilla commander
These were the words of Pajota, who, along with American regular army forces, the Alamo Scouts, and Filipino guerrillas, watched the nervousness of the Japanese enemy. Preparing to overwhelm them with force, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci was on the cusp of achieving his orders that took his soldiers secretly deep into enemy territory, near the brink of being detected, and toward freeing their comrades who were close to being executed by the Japanese.
Three years before the World War 2 attack, the emperor’s forces threatened the supply lines to Australia and New Zealand. While the war started disastrously, General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz hit the enemy hard through “island hopping” and the naval advancement that made the Japanese feel the consistent sting of defeat.
Mucci constantly handled the threat of Japanese soldiers taking reprisals against the American prisoners and the reinforcements they could quickly gain. Another major issue was the need for local Filipino guerrillas and civilians to help pull wagons of sickened soldiers who were unable to march back to American lines. From the intelligence received by Capt. Robert Price, he emphasized that “the main thing is to get the prisoners moving. Herd them, shove them, carry them, I don’t care. But we have to get them back to the Pampanga River.”
The American leadership and the Rangers who were tasked with this mission were on the cusp of demonstrating the resolve of this nation to never forget soldiers who were either evading the enemy or taken by them in battle.
Prince had to prevent Japanese forces from utilizing the Cabanatuan-Cabu Road to shift potential reinforcements against the Rangers’ primary operation of penetrating the camp. The Filipinos planted fifty landmines that hampered the ability of the Japanese to move toward Cabanatuan. Prince told the Filipinos that once two flares were fired into the night sky, the raid was completed, and they would support the American forces covering the freed prisoners as they pushed toward the Pampanga River.
There were fears that Japanese armor in Cabanatuan would overwhelm American forces, but Mucci directed a six-man bazooka team to attack from the south and west of the camp to hit their movements. One squad was held in reserve with Mucci, who was situated between Cabanatuan and Cabu to watch and quickly give orders to deter the Japanese. Mucci made it clear that his men’s mission would not change—they were to overwhelm the Japanese, telling his men, “Remember, all of the prisoners go. No one is left behind.”
On January 30 at 7:45 p.m., Mucci directed his soldiers to carry out the final plans in securing the armed release of American soldiers who had “anguished” at this horrific, enemy-held camp. Prince planned the attack in three different movements, with the Filipino and American scouts covering the left and right parts of the assault, and the Rangers fighting in the middle. From the American flight that provided a diversion and scared the Japanese soldiers, the Rangers low-crawled during the day to reach the wire and eventually strike the enemy. Mucci’s men were not detected as they watched the Japanese carry out guard duty on the ground and in the lookout towers.
Starting nearly on time, the Japanese were surprised, as they were quickly shot by American forces, with guard towers hit first while other fortifications were decimated through bazooka fire and grenades. The main gate and the guardhouse were overrun, and as the intensity of the fighting increased, many of the prisoners realized that they were near liberation. Quickly, they saw Midwestern and Western farm and cattle hands who were determined to carry out the orders of Mucci and Prince. At the start of this battle, one prisoner recalled, “This Ranger hit the padlock on the front gate with his carbine, dropped the clip, picked it up, and shot the guard.”
The Rangers intently moved through the compound to destroy all resistance and to contact the prisoners to free them. Progress was quickly made, limiting Japanese retaliation from the American bazooka team that destroyed four Japanese tanks and two trucks. Always seeking the prisoners, the Rangers constantly ordered them to the front of the camp, as one vividly observed, “I thought they were guerrillas at first, then some big Texan came to me and said, ‘Head for the main gate.’” The wire was cut to make it easier to move through the different parts of the camp and to create multiple exit points to safely move the prisoners of war out. While the prisoners were in poor physical shape, many were ecstatic to finally be free of Japanese captivity and the constant threats to their lives. There were even British prisoners of war who were unwilling to spend any more time under Japanese control. Prince’s plans and Mucci’s assertiveness in successfully carrying out these difficult plans were fully realized as the reserves were used to guide the prisoners away from the camp.
Within the thirty planned minutes, Prince searched for additional prisoners, directed his men to keep moving the last ones out of Cabanatuan, and fired two flares to notify friendly American and Filipino forces that the mission was completed. Although there were many weak prisoners, Mucci remembered one of the Americans responding that he did not need assistance, stating, “I made the Death March from Bataan, so I can certainly make this one!” While these men were free, they worried about being recaptured or killed by the Japanese. When they heard aircraft flying overhead, they were immediately overjoyed to learn that American P-51 Mustangs held complete control of the skies. Mucci continually walked among the Rangers and freed Americans to keep them moving toward friendly lines.
General Douglas MacArthur was elated to see many of these soldiers whom he had not seen since he was ordered to leave the Philippines. Visiting with these former prisoners, one told MacArthur, “General, please let me go back to Corregidor with you. I’d like to lead a platoon ashore.” An emotional MacArthur informed the soldier, “We are going back all right—and we’ll take you with us.” While Mucci received much appreciation, he told his superiors that this mission would never have succeeded without the help of the Alamo Scouts and the Filipino guerrillas.
A month before President Franklin D. Roosevelt died, he met with members of the 6th Rangers, who could not believe how aged the leader appeared. After receiving praise, Prince summed it up best: “People everywhere try to thank us. I think the thanks should go the other way. I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life that I had a chance to do something in this war that was not destructive. Nothing for me can ever compare with the satisfaction I got from helping to free our prisoners.”