Los Banos part – 1

Los Banos University

“I doubt that any airborne unit in the world will ever be able to rival the Los Baños prison raid.  It is the textbook airborne operation for all ages and all armies.”

____ General Colin Powell, US Army, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 25 February 1993

 

G-2 Henry Muller was required to collect any and all intelligence that he could, from anywhere he could find it – that was his job.  A grower from Mindanao who had recently traveled south from Manila told him how awful the prisoners of Los Baños were doing.  This was the first Muller had heard of the camp.  It turned out Gen. Swing, commander of the 11th Airborne Division also had not been told about it.  They presumed that being it was outside the area of their orders from MacArthur to be the reason of this lack of info.  But Muller could not forget what the grower had said, “They are in pitiful shape.  They’re dying.”  He had to find out all he could about that camp.

map, Los Banos

23 February 1945 demonstrated the result of teamwork between General Swing and his troops, the Filipino guerrillas and the intelligence supplied by an escapee of the internment camp of Los Baños, Peter Miles. The man’s photographic memory gave a detailed layout of the prison and the exact sites of the guards and armaments. Mr. Miles had memorized the strict regimental daily routines of the Japanese and the specific times when the guards changed shifts and had their exercise periods, which would put them a safe distance away from their weapons.

Dry riverbed route to Los Banos

Los Banos camp was originally the University of the Philippines Agricultural School. It was situated forty miles southeast of Manila and on this date in history was 26 miles behind enemy lines. This operation needed a multi-pronged attack using each principle of war to the maximum.  Above photo shows actual path taken to sneak to the camp.)

The guerrillas provided intel and also guided Lt. Skau’s reconnaissance platoon into position under the cover of darkness. The army did help supply them with radios, ammunition and food, but the loosely organized groups also later stole the 11th’s supplies, calling it a justified gift.

By this time, Everett “Smitty” Smith was an NCO and when I’d asked him many years ago if he was part of the Los Baños Raid, he said, “No, I was occupied somewhere else.  I didn’t have any contact with them until after they were brought out.” As best as I can find in my research, he was busy with the rest of the 187th near the 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion that was commanded by Captain Flanagan. (The captain would later become Lt. General E.M. Flanagan, author of many WWII historical books, including, “The Los Baños Raid: The 11th Airborne Jumps at Dawn“) Although Smitty wasn’t at this dramatic feat of the 11th Airborne Division, It is an operation that anyone associated with the division remains proud of to this day.

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Military Humor – 

Sounds like the 11th A/B

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Farewell Salutes – 

David Bailey Jr. (100) – Sacramento, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO

Unice E. Baker – Jesup, GA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 188/11th Airborne Division

Ty Casey – brn: SK; USMC

Jean Daily – Dallas, TX; US Army WAC; WWII, 45th Air Squadron, nurse

Jack Hoover – Mt. Calm, TX; US Army, WWII, ETO, 36th Infantry Division

Lydia Maile (102) – Worchester, MA; Civilian, WWII, munitions production

Emmy Lou Papagni (100) – Fresno, CA; Womens USMC, WWII

Arthur Rivkin – Minneapolis, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-24 co-pilot, 8th Air Force

William Slane Sr. – Schenectady, NY; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT

John W. Welch – LaCrosse, WI; US Army, HQ Co/11th Airborne Division

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