Their shining bolos began to turn red. I
estimated that Col. Volckmann's northern Luzon guerrillas accomplished
the purposes of practically a front line division."
(Still nine months later, these same guerrillas helped Col. Volckmann
at Kiangan-both defeat and capture Japan's distinguished General
Tomoyuki Yamashita, the "Tiger of Malaya." The Tiger was quite amazed
and chagrined to find his veteran troops both surrounded and beaten by
guerrillas in the northern Mountain Province.
On September 2, 1945, General Yamashita surrendered to Col. Volckmann
at Kianhgan. The following day, Sept. 3rd, he surrendered to General
Wainwright at the High Commissioner's mansion at Camp John Hay, ending
World War II in the Philippine Islands. Yamashita was then taken to
Bilibid Prison
in Manila to await war crime trials.
In December, 1941, some of the newly recruited Filipino soldiers
'"broke and ran" for the mountains when the big guns were fired from
the cruisers and destroyers in Lingayen Bay, but in 1945, these same
Filipinos were ideally suited for guerrilla warfare; they thoroughly
enjoyed twisting the "Tail of the Tiger.
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