The Rescue

Steven Trent Smith

Description

Praise for The Rescue

"Steven Trent Smith grapples boldly with several big subjects: the Japanese occupation of the Philippines; the capture of Japan's 'Z Plan' (the decisive-battle strategy for destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet); the rescue by submarine of forty Americans stranded in the Philippines; the climactic Battle of the Philippine Sea. Meticulously researched and well written, The Rescue ties these elements together into an epic that is emotionally engaging from start to rousing finish."
-Martin Russ, author of Breakout and The Last Parallel

"Smith's thoroughly researched, detailed account of the brave American and Filipino guerrillas on Negros Island in the Philippines will do much to introduce readers to this little known aspect of World War II in the Pacific. . . . This is a fascinating story well told."
-Elizabeth Norman, author of the award-winning We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese

"The Rescue is a delightful journey with the gallant few who resisted the Japanese occupation of the Philippines and who shaped the larger events wh ich led to victory in the Pacific. Smith's brilliant research and unique storytelling make this account a must for all who enjoy history and a grand adventure."
-Peter Huchthausen, author of October Fury

"With a photojournalist's eye for action and detail, Steven Trent Smith's The Rescue is a remarkable achievement. The incredible mission to save forty Americans stranded in the Philippines reads more like a work of fiction. . . . A must-read for all those interested in one of the great secret submarine operations of World War II and all action adventure fans alike!"
-Richard P. Henrick, author of Crimson Tide and Nightwatch
Maps.

Author's Note.

Prologue.

Special Mission.

The Missionaries.

Separation.

The Sugar Families.

The Prisoners of War.

Independence Day.

Planter, Soldier, Oilman, Spy.

The Samurai's Story.

The Seventh Son.

Terms of Exchange.

Converging Paths.

The Rescue.

Precious Cargo.

Freedom.

The Admirals.

Decisive Battle.

Epilogue.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Segunda Guerra Mundial
• Japanese occupation of the Philippines
• The Rescue
• Military
• World War II
• Philippines
• History
• Seconde Guerre mondiale

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470356890
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A True Story of Courage and Survival in World War II
S TEVEN T RENT S MITH

John Wiley Sons, Inc.
New York Chichester Weinheim Brisbane Singapore Toronto
To Geoffrey and Martha, for their encouragement and support, and Al Dempster, for his unstinting assistance
_____________________________
Copyright 2001 by Steven Trent Smith. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Published simultaneously in Canada
Design and production by Navta Associates, Inc.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, [phone], fax [phone], email: [e-mail].
This title is also available in print as ISBN 0-471-41291-0.
For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.Wiley.com .
C ONTENTS
Maps
Author s Note
Prologue
1 Special Mission
2 The Missionaries
3 Separation
4 The Sugar Families
5 The Prisoners of War
6 Independence Day
7 Planter, Soldier, Oilman, Spy
8 The Samurai s Story
9 The Seventh Son
10 Terms of Exchange
11 Converging Paths
12 The Rescue
13 Precious Cargo
14 Freedom
15 The Admirals
16 Decisive Battle
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Pacific Ocean area in 1944. Source: U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, Campaigns of the Pacific , 1946.

The Philippines in 1944. Source: United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific: The Fall of the Philippines , 1985.

Negros Island. Source: Guerrilla map drawn by Colonel Abcede s engineers in 1943.
AUTHOR S NOTE
I have been in the thrall of the Pacific for as long as I can remember. Its sway over me is inexplicable. Growing up near San Francisco, a visit to The City always meant a stop at the Golden Gate Bridge to watch the ships coming and going. I still recall the thrill of seeing a giant aircraft carrier glide beneath the span. My mother often read to me about the Pacific: about tramp steamers plying their trade, about divers seeking rare black pearls, about China Clippers on the sea and in the air. I spent hours curled up beneath the tall windows of the Redwood City Library, poring through dog-eared National Geographics , looking for pictures, stories, anything about the Pacific. I longed to travel to the fabled places on those pages: Hawaii and Hong Kong; Palau and Pohnpei; Auckland, Adelaide, Manila, and Nadi. After working as a photojournalist for a quarter of a century I can say with immense satisfaction that I did visit all those places, and each lived up to my imaginative expectations.
The roots of The Rescue lie in this love for the Pacific, which was manifested as a lifelong interest in all things Pacifica and especially in World War II as it was fought in that gargantuan arena. And they lie, too, in a more recent curiosity spawned by a computer game, a simulation of submarine warfare given to me by my son Geoffrey. That sparked an interest in reading every book I could find about the U.S. Navy s submarine campaign. That led, in turn, to a realization that no one had written a thorough history of the nearly three hundred special missions conducted by U.S. submarines during the war. Here was a worthy project, to write a scholarly study of those patrols. After a few months of research, however, I kept coming back to the story of the USS Crevalle s rescue mission of forty Americans stranded in the Philippines. It beckoned seductively, tugged at me vigorously. Further delving revealed that her mission in May 1944 was twofold, that she also picked up captured Japanese war plans. The discovery in the National Archives of reports concerning some of those forty passengers clinched the project, for it gave me a solid basis upon which to begin writing not just about the events but, more important, about the people.
In the ensuing months I was able to track down the fates of all but one of the rescued Americans. Crevalle s chief yeoman, Al Dempster, put me in touch with the former refugees he had located. And over the course of a year my own researches turned up others. For months there was no news about the Macasa and Jaboneta families, or of Miss Modesta Hughes. I had a standard question for everyone I spoke with: Do you know . . .? And always the answer was No. But one day somebody finally said, Maybe. Dorothy Dowlen said I should call Donald Bell. He led me to Constantino Bernardez, who pointed to Christian Malahay, who led to Carmen Park, who led to Nana Aicodan, who had a number for Ricardo Macasa in Arizona. When I finally reached Dick, he was thrilled to hear about my interest in his family and their tale of escape. He in turn pointed me toward Ernie Jaboneta, who wrote casually in a letter, By the way, I recently met another Crevalle passenger. She lives right here in San Francisco and her name is Modesta Hughes. What a thrill to find the elusive Miss Hughes. I have interviewed most of those still living, tapping fading memories of a great adventure more than a half century ago. I especially want to thank Earl Ossorio, Russ Snell, Howard Chrisco, the Real family, Joan and Jean Fleischer, Rodger Winn, Dean Lindholm, Ernie Jaboneta, and Dick Macasa for putting up with my frequent calls for still more information. Dempster also put me in touch with his Crevalle crewmates. Their stories about that harrowing mission enhance the narrative. Many others gave generously of their time-people often peripheral to the story, but whose recollections nevertheless helped fill it out.
Archival sources included the obvious: the National Archives, the Naval Historical Center, the Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, and the MacArthur Memorial (archivist James W. Zobel was especially helpful). But the more obscure archives, such as the American Historical Collection in Manila and that of the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia (just seventeen blocks from my house), turned out to possess materials that could only be described as treasures .
I owe special thanks to my agent, Rita Rosenkranz, for her patience and perseverance; and to Stephen S. Power at John Wiley Sons, Inc., for his enthusiasm, wit, and ability to smooth out the rough bits. And the output was read, over and over again, by Martha, whose comments were always incisive. To her goes my gratitude and my love.
The following conventions are used in this book: Japanese personal names are written in the word order preferred in Japan, with the family name first; geographic place-names follow 1944 usage; times are local (unless otherwise noted).
While there have been published accounts of the rescue and of the secret papers, this is the first time the two tales have been linked. I have sought to recreate the events depicted as accurately and vividly as possible. Every incident portrayed is a matter of record. Where personal stories conflict, I have made an educated guess about which might have been the most likely version- not always choosing the most dramatic. Some quotations have been shortened for clarity (particularly radio messages and decrypts). The subspeak quotes are derived from ships logs and war patrol reports. The narrative dialogue comes from interviews or from published and unpublished sources, including letters and diaries. I am deeply indebted to Viola Winn, Paul Lindholm, and Manuel Segura. Without their rich personal accounts of events, my story would not have been complete.
Prologue
Clouds shrouded mount mandalagan as dawn broke above Negros. To the west, along the coast, the remaining residents of Bacolod woke to an uneasy silence. White flags hung limply from houses and shops. The American flag was absent altogether. Those few who ventured into the streets were greeted by a calm punctuated only by the occasional burst of an exploding shell. Four miles to the north they could see black smoke towering above the gasoline tanks at Banago Wharf. And halfway across Guimaras Strait they could see four ships steaming slowly toward the shore. One was obviously a warship, the others apparently transports. It seemed prudent to return home to await developments. It was Thursday, 21 May 1942. The Japanese had finally come calling.
For five months, since the second Monday in December, the Japanese had waged war in the Philippines. They quickly took Manila and northern Luzon, Davao and southern Mindanao. Afterward their tentacles spread slowly, patiently awaiting surrender. American and Filipino defenders had fought bravely throughout the winter. But mounting losses, dwindling supplies, and sickness had reduced their numbers, their effectiveness, and their ability to hold their ground. On 11 March General Douglas MacArthur fled the islands on orders from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, promising he would return. With no reinforcements on the way, defeat was inevitable.
Bataan Peninsula on Manila Bay was overrun on 9 April 1942. A hundred thousand defenders fell into enemy hands. Many died on the Death March to prison camps in central Luzon. The Japanese then turned their attention to the reduction of Corregidor, the island fortress at the very mouth of the bay. For nearly four weeks incessant shelling made the island a living hell. Finally, mercifully, the siege ended on 6 May when MacArthur s successor, General Jonathan Wainwright, unconditionally surrendered the remaining eleven thousand American and Filipino troops on the island and throughout the rest o