Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
Lipa Railway Station, May 1945 showing damage, looking south from Lipa Cathedral The 11th Airborne continued their patrols, moping up details and training at Lipa. General Swing had another jump school built that created 1,000 newly qualified paratroopers. Plus, the entertainer, Joe E. Brown came to visit. The new glider…
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
The reduction of Mount Macolod 2 April, the 187th attacked and cleared the area to the base of the mountain, but were unable to hold the ridges. One pocket of the enemy were dug in between the two southern ridges and small Japanese patrols were strewn along the highway near…
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
Mt. Macolod, Luzon US Army still fighting Yamashita’s formidable soldiers… When General Swing, Commander of the 11th Airborne Division, moved into the stripped-down Manila Hotel Annex, General Krueger began to visit him every other day. His competitive nature tried to get Swing to back-off from pushing into Manila first by…
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
Los Banos depicted by: Mariusz Kozik First Lt. John Ringler was in charge of those troopers who would drop 900 yards from the camp. They made their jump at approx. 500 feet instead of the usual 700-1,000′ since the drop zone was so small and the men would have less…
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
? The importance of Manila cannot be stressed enough. The natural harbor has served as a strategically situated port for commerce and trade for centuries. Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay are connected by the Pasig River. As the 11th Airborne? was switched back to the 6th Army, General Swing…
Originally posted on Pacific Paratrooper:
Entering Manila The 6th and 8th Armies on Luzon were repeatedly in close and brutal combat with the Japanese. By dawn on 4 February the paratroopers ran into increasingly heavy and harassing fire from Japanese riflemen and machine gunners. At the Paranaque River, just south of the Manila city limits, the…
In June 1940, with World War II on the horizon, the U.S. Army solicited bids from 135 automakers for a 1/4 ton “light reconnaissance vehicle” tailored to Army specifications. Only three companies responded — Bantam, Willys, and Ford — but, within a year’s time they collectively produced the template for the vehicle known worldwide as … More Happy National Jeep Day, Angels!
With the war going on in Ukraine, I thought of the war in the Philippines when I was a baby. War is a terrible thing, and in memory of my parent’s 79th wedding anniversary, I’m reposting this story of how Dad’s decision saved our lives from the massacre. Otherwise, my three brothers and I won’t … More A tribute to my parents on their 79th wedding anniversary if they are here today
IF I WERE THE NEXT PRESIDENT (Part 15 and last of a series) By BEN R. PUNONGBAYAN Founder, Buklod National Political Party We need the right leader to make the many programs articulated in this Commentary Series happen. Unfortunately, we cannot find that person from the present cohort of political leaders. These present leaders are … More So, what now?
Filipinos have a unique way of welcoming the New Year. Many of these superstitions have been passed down through generations, and they become part of the Filipino customs and traditions in the belief of ushering in a prosperous New Year. To prepare for New Year’s Eve, Filipinos spend the last days of the … More How Filipinos Welcome the New Year
Subli 