Investigating History:
THE LIBERATION OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA; 28-JAN-1945 – AN ACCOUNT OF LIBERATION 1945.
With the landing of General Douglas MacArthur’s Sixth Army in Lingayen on January 9, 2025, towns and cities were liberated especially those located on strategic places like along the railroad and vehicular road from Lingayen, to the south and into Manila. After Tarlac Province was liberated by both Filipino (USAFFE and HUKBALAHAP) forces and Sixth United States Army (particularly the 40th and 37th Division, XIV Corps), it was inevitable that the next advance would be the province of Pampanga, where the main road to Manila as well as the railroad line traversed.
Pampanga, in spite of the presence of USAFFE guerrilla forces like the Luzon Guerrilla Forces under Colonel Gyles Merrill and East Central Luzon Guerrilla Area (ECLGA) commanded by Major Edwin Ramsey, it was, however, the HUKBALAHAP that was the dominant resistance forces in the province.
Prior the arrival of the American 37th Division coming down the Route 3 (current MacArthur Highway) from the north, most of the towns of Pampanga were already liberated by the HUKBALAHAP forces operating locally. Central and north Pampanga was under the command sphere of the HUKBALAHAP Regional Command No. 3 led by Colonel Eusebio Aquino, with the two regiments; the General Antonio Luna (under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Pablo Aquino) and General Makabulos (commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Sagkal). Under these regiments were numerous squadrons operating in the locality, like in Angeles, where the Squadron 49 commanded by Captain Faustino Del Mundo, liberated the town prior the entry of the 37th Division in late January 1945.
Since the main Japanese forces moved to Clark-Bamban area starting late December 1944, there were only skeletal forces or small garrison troops that were left and that the HUKBALAHAP regiments and their squadrons were able to conduct combat operations and liberated these towns.
Based on the official reports of the HUKBALAHAP Regional Command No. 3 under Colonel Eusebio Aquino, Magalang was liberated on January 21, 1945 but only temporarily, when the 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Division, along with the elements of the 637th Tank Destroyer Battalion moved into Magalang from Concepcion, Tarlac and a heavy fighting ensued against the Japanese Yanagimoto Shitai armored tank company.
On January 23, the HUKBALAHAP forces liberated Angeles, with the Squadron 49 commanded by Captain Del Mundo. When the contingents of the American forces under the 2nd Battalion, 145th Infantry Regiment, 37th Division reached Angeles on January 28, 1945, it was reported that the town was already under the hands of the local Filipino guerrillas. A parade was held at the center of Angeles by the local HUKBALAHAP unit and was witnessed by the Americans and Spencer Davis, an Associated Press war correspondent.
San Fernando, the capital of the province, was already in the hands of the HUKBALAHAP with the Makabulos Regiment participating in the Liberation on January 28, 1945. When the elements of the 148th Infantry Regiment, 37th Division, on their drive to the south, reached San Fernando after Angeles, it was too, found in the hands of the local Filipino guerrillas of the HUKBALAHAP regiment.
A photograph was taken by the U.S. Army Signal Corps on the famous Liberation period at San Fernando, in front of the Pampanga Capitol on January 30, 1945. This is an iconic image of the Liberation of Pampanga that should be given importance. In the photograph, the soldiers of the Makabulos Regiment are on the steps of the provincial capitol building, with the American flag on the left and the Filipino flag on the right of the entrance of the building.
Carl Mydans, a famous WWII photographer stationed in the Philippines, captured numerous scenes of the war as the Americans advance from the north, at Cabanatuan in the aftermath of the Raid at Cabanatuan, Camp O’Donnell, Bamban, Clark Field, and then at San Fernando, where a number of photographs were taken showing Filipino HUKBALAHAP troops in parade along the main road, with Filipino and American flags.
To give a perspective of the town of San Fernando, two photographs are provided taken in December 15, 1944 during fighter sweeps on military targets in the town, particularly the train station. These two photographs were taken by Grumman F6F Hellcat from the U.S.S. Hancock that conducted the air raids over San Fernando.
In commemorating the 80th Anniversary of Liberation Day 1945, we must also take into account the Filipino perspective of the war, and Liberation was done also by our Filipino soldiers and patriots who did their share in fighting for freedom.
Sharing these photos of Liberation in San Fernando is a tribute to these unsung heroes of WWII.
Rhonie Cauguiran Dela Cruz
Bamban WWII Museum / Bamban Historical Society
Sources:
-HUKBALAHAP – Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon, File No. 118-1, Folder No. 1, . Philippine Archives Collection.
-After Action Report 637th Tank Destroyer Bn Luzon Campaign, 22 November 1944 to 30 June 1945. Intelligence Division S-2, (Headquarters 637th Tank Destroyer Bn, San Francisco California, 1946).
-Map Supplement to After Action Report M-1 Operation XIV Corps.
– “Angeles City on Luzon Now in Yank Hands”, Longview Daily News, January 28, 1945.
Photographs:
(1) The Provincial Capitol of Pampanga, January 30, 1945. US National Archives NARA.
(2) Filipino soldiers and guerrillas in parade at San Fernando, Pampanga, probably early February 1945. Carl Mydans photo.
(3) Photograph taken at San Fernando on February 14, 1945, probably from the collection of Carl Mydans, with caption, “Filipino Jubilant as Americans Arrive.”.
(4) Similar photograph (number 3) of the parade at San Fernando, from the Carl Mydans collection.
(5) Aerial photo of San Fernando showing PASUDECO, capitol building and train station, December 15, 1944, from USS Hancock.
(6) Another aerial photo showing the close view of the train station and the capitol building at San Fernando, December 15, 1944; USS Hancock.
