Victory in Northern Luzon

By Cesar P. Pobre

The book narrates the exploits of the Philippine Resistance Movement in Northern Luzon against the Japanese invaders after the fall of Bataan in 1942. The plot is specifically focused on the following episodes that spanned from 1942 to 1945:

The Emergence of Resistance Movement;
The Organization of a Unified Regional Command: The United States Armed Forces in the Philippines, Northern Luzon (USAFIP, NL); and
Triumph in Northern Luzon and Defeat of the Japanese Armed Forces in the Philippines.

After the fall of Bataan, numerous guerrilla outfits refused to surrender despite the call for ceasefire of General Jonathan Wainwright to all Filipino and American defenders. Instead, they strengthened their organization and intensified the resistance activities against the Japanese forces occupying Northern Luzon. Among others, some notable personalities that influenced the emergence of the resistance movement in Northern Luzon include:

Roque Ablan - Commonwealth Governor of Ilocos Norte
Marcelo Adduru – Commonwealth Governor of Cagayan
Captain Guillermo Nakar - A graduate of Philippine Constabulary Academy Class 1932
Walter Cushing - American miner of Rainbow Mines in Baay, Abra
LT COL John P Horan - Commander of Camp John Hay, in Baguio
LT COL Martin Moses - Officer of 12th Infantry Regiment, 11th Division, Philippine Army

It also presents a plethora of individual heroic feats and sacrifices of common Filipinos that in one way or the other propelled the cause of the underground movement. On the other hand, it also recounts the dark moments of the resistance movement when all the major resistance groups were annihilated by the all-out offensive of a much superior and better equipped Japanese forces. In spite of this most trying circumstance, the movement adamantly persisted to rise up from the ashes by reorganizing itself clandestinely into the following units under one Unified Regional Command USAFIP, NL of COL RUSSEL W VOLCKMANN (USMA CL1934):

The 66th Infantry Regiment
The 121st Infantry Regiment
The 15th Infantry Regiment
The 11th Infantry Regiment
The 14th Infantry Regiment

(Note: It is worth mentioning that aside from few American officers, the above regiments were composed of purely Filipino recruits)

The book is highlighted by the Resistance Movement’s offensive against the Japanese Forces that presents a picture of a sweet, defining, and vengeful moment for the unreasonably oppressed Filipinos after several years of tyranny under the Japanese rule. Several classic battles, operations and campaigns were described to include the Battle of Bessang Pass, the Rescue of the First Family (President Osmeña’s Family), the Battle of Tangadan, the Battle of San Fernando, the Battles of Cervantes, the Bauko-Sabangan Campaign, the Lepanto-Mankayan Operation and many other skirmishes.

The book is finally punctuated by the Loo Valley-Tocucan Operation, which was the last defensive line of the Japanese stronghold, leading to the eventual capture of General Tomoyuki Yamashita (Tiger of the Malaya) in Asin Valley, Kiangan, Ifugao on 31 August 1945.

(Note: While it was the guerrilla patrol of LT MACARIO ALBARADILLO from the Combat Company of 14th Infantry who had first barged into the Headquarters of GEN YAMASHITA, he was immediately ordered to vacate the area and to move to Bagabag Nueva Viscaya. Hence, it was the Americans who received YAMASHITA and transported the latter to Bagabag airstrip. Apparently, the scheme was a precautionary measure of the Americans to prevent the Filipinos from harming the surrendering Japanese General. )

Book Summary

The Freedom Fighters of Northern Luzon

By Cesar P. Pobre with Phillip Kimpo Jr.

Generally, this book has similar content with the first book, “Victory in Northern Luzon”; however, the two (2) books differ in emphasis. This book emphasises more on the exploits of the five (5) Infantry Regiments (66th, 121st, 15th, 11th and 14th) in the final phase of the assault against the Japanese in 1944-1945; while the first book gives equal stress on the emergence of the Resistance Movement and the painful development of the five (5) different Infantry Regiments where stories of individual heroics and sacrifices of some notable personalities are narrated.

Those preliminary narration of heroic stories in the first book are just summarized into one Chapter (The Ember Yet Smolder) in this book giving a short appetizer before presenting the offensive that led to the fall of the Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita.