Chapter 28 Do the guerrillas have heavy artillery?
() In January 1910, the Port of Legazpi, 550 kilometers away from Manila, was attacked. At that time, two American destroyers and a cruiser anchored in the Port of Legazpi were bombed from the bottom of the water.
There was a sudden explosion in the middle of the night. The explosion was so violent that the two destroyers were blown up and capsized in the port. The 5,000-ton cruiser finally sank on the berth due to too much water.
Around the same time, a U.S. military camp on the outskirts of Legazpi was also attacked by unknown armed forces. In this attack, the U.S. military suffered heavy casualties. Not only was the military camp occupied, but also more than 100 soldiers and officers.
He was beaten to death. There have been guerrilla attacks on military camps in various places before.
However, the U.S. military with superior equipment was basically repelled, and there were not many U.S. military casualties. However, the reason why so many U.S. troops were killed this time, according to the reports of U.S. soldiers who escaped from the military camp, was that this time
The guerrillas used large-caliber heavy artillery, at least 8 inches or more.
After listening to the reports of these surviving soldiers, the American major responsible for this generation's defense mission almost didn't arrest these soldiers on the spot. It was 8 inches or more! This kind of heavy cannon was not seen in the Philippines, not even by the major in the United States.
, let alone 8 inches, even a 5-inch caliber is considered an incredible large-caliber heavy artillery in the US Army. Even if it is equipped with the US military in the Philippines, it will not be equipped because of this
The road conditions here are so bad that it is difficult to move the cannons here. They can only be used for big city defense. But Manila is on the seaside, and there are cannons on the navy's warships for defense. By the way, there are warships on them.
artillery, but the major thought about the location of the camp that was attacked and eliminated the question of warships. The camp was dozens of kilometers away from the sea, and the cannons were not that far away. Moreover, the guerrillas did not have warships.
However, the major did not make any subjective mistakes. Although he did not believe the descriptions of the surviving soldiers, he still came to the attacked camp to check it out. Then, in his reporting document, he also proposed that the guerrillas
Equipped with a weapon similar to an 8-inch cannon, it was extremely powerful. Most of the soldiers in the camp were not killed by shrapnel, but by shock. Because the caliber was too large, lying on the ground increased the burden on the internal organs.
Many soldiers' internal organs were shattered.
What caused the commander to temporarily change his view and admit that the guerrillas had heavy artillery? It was nothing else but the huge craters left in the camps where the US military was attacked. These craters were about the size of half a basketball court, but they were not deep.
It is very shallow, only more than 1 meter deep. This makes it very difficult for the U.S. Army major to make a detailed estimate. He can only make a rough judgment. The judgment is basically consistent with what the surviving soldiers said, that is, it can cause these craters.
It needs at least an 8-inch heavy gun.
But where did these Philippine guerrillas get the 8-inch heavy artillery? This made it very troublesome for the US military commanders and staff to get the news. Considering the road conditions here in the Philippines, let alone the 8-inch heavy artillery, which weighs more than ten tons.
, even the 5-inch cannon, which weighs several tons, cannot pass, but there are no traces of heavy artillery near the attacked camp.
Just when the American commanders and staff were puzzled, another American camp was attacked, this time more simply. The entire camp was attacked by large-caliber artillery shells in the middle of the night, and the four barracks were basically flattened.
Only a few of the more than 100 American troops ran out, and they were all shot to death outside the camp. The next day, local residents who heard the noise came over to take a look and found that the camp was full of dead people, which alarmed the people in nearby towns.
of the U.S. military.
What was attacked this time was a military camp near Tagaytay in southwestern Luzon, which is only 60 kilometers away from Manila. The biggest feature of the place is that it is close to a very short volcanic crater, and this crater is more than 200 meters above sea level.
, is a big lake, Taal Lake.
In two consecutive days, more than 200 U.S. troops were killed, and two camps were destroyed. The Captinan organization, which had just been suppressed, also began to revive again through these two attacks. In the following days,
There were also several attacks on the US military in various parts of Luzon Island, but none of them caused major casualties.
The sudden attack on the US military shocked and angered the then Governor of the Philippines, William Cameron Forbes. In the past few years, the activities of the Philippine resistance organizations had significantly decreased, and more and more local people
chose to cooperate with the Americans, but these sudden attacks not only caused a lot of casualties to the American troops, but also caused the locals who were interested in cooperating with the Americans to immediately change their attitude and continue to wait and see.
It was a huge blow to him as the governor.
In order to remedy this unfavorable situation, Governor Forbes tasked Colonel Danzig, the commander-in-chief of the local American garrison, to effectively suppress these hateful guerrillas in a short period of time, and at the appropriate time, seize several of their leaders and hang them.
at the gate of Manila to warn local residents.
Colonel Danzig was originally worried about the attack on the camp. What he worried about was not the attack on the camp, but the large-caliber heavy artillery that came and went without a trace. If the guerrillas used this kind of heavy artillery to bombard the city of Manila, then the United States would be in trouble in the Philippines.
several years
All efforts will be in vain, and the entire Philippines will fall into a situation of war. The attack order issued by the Governor also makes the colonel very embarrassed. The guerrillas are roaming in the rain forest. Where can the colonel find their main force for a decisive battle?
.
As soon as he dozed off, someone sent him a pillow. Just when Colonel Danzig was worried about finding the main force of the guerrillas, his men found out a very important news through a local timber merchant. Several important people in Captinan
The leaders will gather at a plantation in Liang City, western Luzon Island, in the next few days.
After Colonel Danzig received this information and received the confirmation from the timber merchant, he immediately led 600 US soldiers in person and summoned 2,000 US troops stationed in western Luzon. Late one night a few days later, they surrounded the city.
plantation, and started a fierce battle with the guerrillas in the plantation. After attacking in the middle of the night, the U.S. military
With artillery bombardment, they defeated the guerrillas in the plantation, killing and injuring more than 200 people. Not only did they capture the five Caputinan leaders who attended the meeting, they also seized a batch of smuggled weapons and ammunition. Subsequently,
The five Caputinan chiefs were brought back to Manila for trial, and a few days later they were hanged on the city gates of Manila.
After this plantation raid, Luzon Island became much calmer, and the attack on the US military station never happened again. Governor Forbes and Colonel Danzig also believed that this attack dealt a heavy blow to the effective strength of the Philippine Du Li organization.
At least for two years, they will not have any more large-scale armed operations.
