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8 Epic Battles in History Where Filipinos Kicked Ass

By FilipiKnow |

13k

Centuries of infighting and struggling against

foreign oppression have forged Filipinos into one
of the toughest and bravest races in the world.
Our history alone is filled with the exploits of
courageous Filipino fighters such as Lapu-Lapu
and Gregorio del Pilar.

Also Read: The Last Words of Gregorio del

Pilar

And if that isnt enough to convince you that

Filipinos are badass, here are some battles that
prove just how rabidly fierce Pinoys are when it comes to fighting. Leonidas would have
been proud of us.

1. Battle of Yuldong (April 22 23, 1951)

The Philippine 10th Battalion Combat Team counter-attacking at Yultong on 23 April 1951.
Source: theunknowngazette.blogspot.com

One of the most epic Filipino military victories involved the Battle of Yuldong (formerly
spelled Yultong). During that engagement, the 10th Battalion Combat Team (BCT) found
themselves cut off from the outside world after their UN allies were forced to retreat by
hordes of Chinese and North Korean soldiers. As part of their First Spring Offensive, the
enemy had massed about 400,000 troops against the UN forces.

After their allies retreated in disarray, the Filipinosnumbering a mere 900 found
themselves surrounded on all sides by 40,000 enemy soldiers. Yet they stood their ground
and repulsed wave after wave of enemy assaults which continued well throughout the night.

When the smoke cleared, 15 Filipinos were killed, dozens were wounded, and 14 were
missing in action. However, the BCT killed more than 500 Chinese soldiers while inflicting a
huge number of casualties on their side. UN commanders were even surprised to learn later
that the Filipinos refused to retreat and instead kept on fighting. Their gallant actions
blunted the Chinese offensive and prevented what would have been a total defeat for the
UN forces.

For their bravery, the 10th BCT became known as the Fighting Filipinos.

2. The Rizal Day Battle for Combat Outpost No. 8 (June 17 21, 1952)

Men of the 19th BCT observe the God-forsaken hills on which so much Filipino blood was shed
by the 20th BCT, 19th BCT and 14th BCT. Source: peftok.blogspot.com

Another shining moment for the Filipino forces in the Korean War came during the
aforementioned battle. In this engagement, members of the 19th Battalion Combat Team
known as the Bloodhounds fought a gory four-day battle with Chinese forces who were
attempting to overrun their positions in Combat Outpost No. 8, a tactically important
segment which comprised Hill 191 (also known as Arsenal Hill) and Hill Eerie.

The area had earlier been taken in a brave assault by the Filipinos led by former President
Fidel V. Ramos who was a lieutenant at that time. The Chinese first opened up their assault
with a withering artillery barrage which the Filipinos endured and answered with their own.
Thousands of Chinese soldiers then rushed in on the Filipino positions in attempt to overrun
them. They were battered by the Filipinos, who in several instances even fought hand-to-
hand combat with the enemy.

The Filipinos fierce resistance forced the Chinese to call off the attack. In the aftermath, the
Chinese lost two tanks and more than 500 soldiers. The 19th BCT meanwhile, suffered
approximately less than two dozen dead and wounded. The victorious Filipinos, celebrating
their triumphant win against all odds, raised their flag on Hill 191 in full view of the Chinese.

3. Battle of Pulang Lupa (September 13, 1900)

 April 17, 1901: Abad surrenders in Marinduque. In photo above, Colonel Maximo Abad, chief
of Filipino forces in the island province of Marinduque, is being accompanied to Boac by
Colonel Harry Hill Bandholtz of the Philippine Constabulary. Source:
philippineamericanwar.webs.com

Against the backdrop of the Philippine-American War, this battle would be one of the
biggest victories for Filipino forces in Marinduque.

The leader of the Filipinos, the elusive Lt. Col. Maximo Abad, set up a perfect trap that led to
the capture of an entire American detachment headed by Capt. Devereux Shields. Expertly
arranging his forces, Abad succeeded in forcing the Americans to take shelter in a small rice
field. The cornered Americans could not retreat as their escape route had been blocked by
guerrilla forces as pre-planned by Abad.

Seeing that there was no other choice, heavily-wounded Shields raised the white flag of
surrender. All in, the Filipinos captured more than 50 Americans including their captain. The
defeat sent shockwaves all the way to the US, most notably because Abad had just
effectively defeated one-third of the American garrison in the province.
4. The Red Sea Incident (November 29 30, 1574)

Limahongs invasion of Manila. Illustration by Norie Millare.

Little is known of Don Galo, other than that of his heroic role against the notorious Chinese
pirate Limahong who tried to invade Manila. As a prelude, he attempted to establish a
stronghold in Paraaque first under the belief that the locals there would provide no
resistance. He was proven wrong as the defenders from the Brgy. Sta. Monica led by Galo
provided stiff resistance against the invaders. So much blood was spilled that the battle
became known as the Red Sea Incident.

Also Read: The Real-Life Fairy Tale That Changed Philippine History Forever

Finally, Spanish soldiers arrived to help the Filipinos repulse Limahong from the area. In
gratitude, the Spaniards later awarded Galo with the title of Don while the residents of
Brgy. Sta. Monica replaced their barangays name with his own. After the battle, an
infuriated Limahong was said to have executed his scouts for lying to him about Paraaque
being defenseless.

5. Negros Revolution (November 3 6, 1898)

General Aniceto Lacson depicted wielding a figthing bolo. General Aniceto Lacsons
monument was erected in Talisay City, Negros Occidental. Source:
modifiedmartialarts.blogspot.com

According to Sun Tzus Art of War, supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemys
resistance without fighting. Negrense revolutionaries must have taken those words to
heart when they made the Spanish virtually surrender without a fight save for a few
skirmishes during the Revolution.
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Led by Generals Aniceto Lacson from the north and Juan Araneta from the south, the
revolutionaries marched towards the islands capital of Bacolod City where the Spanish had
ensconced themselves in. The rebels made fake cannons out of rolled bamboo mats which
they painted black and fashioned rifles out of palm fronds. Needless to say, the ruse worked
magnificently.

The Spanish Governor Isidro de Castro, seeing the rebels fully-armed while holed up with his
soldiers inside the citys cathedral, decided to give up without a fight. On the same day, he
signed a declaration of surrender, ending Spanish rule on the island and ushering in the
Republic of Negros.

6. Raid at Cabanatuan (January 30, 1945)

 Real Footage taking after the raid at C

Known as the Great Raid and already depicted in several films, this operation would be known as one of
the most successful rescue operations ever conducted by US Rangers during World War II. Of course, they
could not have pulled it off without the assistance of Filipino guerrillas under Captain Juan Pajota.

A native of Nueva Ecija, Pajota joined the USAFFE forces and later became the leader of a
guerrilla unit when the Japanese overran the Philippines. At the time of the operation, the
Americans were worried that the Japanese would massacre the 500-plus POWS being
detained in the concentration camp in Cabanatuan. They devised a daring behind-the-lines
rescue mission to save the operation.

Pajota provided the Americans with valuable surveillance information and arranged for
carabao-drawn carts to carry the prisoners whom he knew were too weak to walk back to
friendly lines. He also suggested a planwhich was approvedthat an American plane
would first fly over the camp to distract the Japanese before they attacked.

During the operation itself, Pajota and approximately 200 of his guerrillas held off more
than a thousand Japanese soldiers who were attempting to cross the bridge that led to the
camp to reinforce their comrades. In the aftermath, the Filipinos wiped out the Japanese
without incurring a single death. For his leading role in the successful rescue, Pajota was
awarded a Bronze Star by the grateful Americans.

7. Battle of Bataan (January 7 April 9, 1942)

 Japanese soldiers guard American and Filipino prisoners of war after the conclusion of the
Battle of Bataan. Via Wikimedia Commons.

To write this battle off as a defeat against the Japanese would be to understate the valiant
sacrifice made by tens of thousands of Filipinos who fought alongside the Americans.
Although it was a losing effort from the start, the USAFFE put up stiff resistance that
baffled the invaders and essentially disrupted their timetable for the conquest of Asia and
Australia.

Also Read: Ann Agnes Bernatitus a.k.a. Angel of Bataan

The Japanese, made overconfident by their easy conquests of other places such as Hong
Kong and Singapore, found out the hard way that the defenders would not go down without
a fight. The forces fighting in Bataan became known throughout the world as the Battling
Bastards of Bataan because of their dogged determination to fight the enemy.

Of note under the Bataan campaign is the Battle of the Pockets and Points where USAFFE
forces killed at least 2,000 Japanese soldiers after they had attempted to breach the
defensive lines. The debacle forced General Masaharu Homma to withdraw and wait for
reinforcements. After the Philippine campaign, he was later recalled back to Tokyo, his
career in ruins. The Japanese had expected to conquer the Philippines in six weeks. They did
it in six months.

8. Battle of Imus (September 1 3, 1896)

An 1899 picture of the dismantled Bridge of Isabel II in Imus, Cavite in the Philippines. The
northern span of the bridge was ordered struck down by revolutionary leader Emilio
Aguinaldo for the imminent conflict on September 3,1896 with the incoming Spanish soldiers
from Manila. In this picture taken by the Americans, a temporary span made of bamboo was
constructed to connect the bridge. Via Wikimedia Commons.

For all the controversies surrounding Emilio Aguinaldo, one thing that cant be disputed is
his military prowess. And according to historian Nick Joaquin, the Revolution would have
essentially died out if Aguinaldo didnt win the Battle of Imus (and his other battles) against
the Spanish.

During this three-day battle, the fate of the Revolution hung on whether Aguinaldo and his
men would win or lose. After taking the town of Imus in a hard-fought fight with the
Spanish, Aguinaldo expertly laid a trap for the 500 incoming Spanish soldiers led by General
Ernest de Aguirre at the Bridge of Isabel II above Imus River. The Spanish needed to cross
the bridge which led all the way to the town. Aguinaldo destroyed one section of the bridge,
concealed it, and then hid his men in strategic areas all over the river bank.

The plan worked: the arriving soldiers did not see the destroyed section of the bridge until
the last moment, at which point Aguinaldo ordered his men to open fire and attack the
Spanish. He also closed off any means of escape when he deftly led his men across the
shoulder-deep river towards the rear of the Spanish.

After the battle, the victorious revolutionaries retrieved 70 rifles and other much-needed
military equipment. Aguinaldo, on the other hand, picked up the saber left by General de
Aguirre in his haste to escape. It later became his personal sword.

About the Author: When he isnt deploring the sad state of Philippine politics, Marc
V. likes to skulk around the Internet for new bits of information which he can weave
into a somewhat-average list you might still enjoy.

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References

Army Troopers News Online, (2014). Army remembers 63rd year of the Battle of Yuldong.
[online] Available at: http://goo.gl/7ytRPD [Accessed 19 Sep. 2014].

Doll, J. (2008). The Battling Bastards of Bataan. 1st ed.

Joaquin, N. (1977). A Question of Heroes. 1st ed. Filipinas Foundation, Inc.

North, O. (2004). War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific. 1st ed. Regnery Publishing.

Paraaque City Official Website, (2014). Barangay Don Galo. [online] Available at:
http://goo.gl/l3NJzv [Accessed 20 Sep. 2014].

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), (n.d.). People & Events: Juan Pajota and Filipino
Contributions to the Raid. [online] Available at: http://goo.gl/z9TNpb [Accessed 20 Sep.
2014].

Somera, V. (2010). Brown American. 1st ed. Xlibris Corporation.

The Kahimyang Project, (2012). Today in Philippine History, November 7, 1898, the Republic
of Negros was founded. [online] Available at: http://goo.gl/ro6pa4 [Accessed 20 Sep. 2014].

Tucker, S. (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A

Political, Social, and Military History [3 volumes]. 1st ed. ABC-CLIO, p.303.

UlongBeach.com, (n.d.). The Battle of Pulang Lupa September 13, 1900. [online] Available
at: http://goo.gl/yxM9TY [Accessed 19 Sep. 2014].

Villasanta, A. (2009). 19th Battalion Combat Team (Motorized). [online] The Philippine
Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK): 1950-1955. Available at: http://goo.gl/uwk6UQ
[Accessed 19 Sep. 2014].

Villasanta, A. (2012). Filipino soldiers story of Korean War: Valor redux. [online]
INQUIRER.net. Available at: http://goo.gl/uwSRgc [Accessed 19 Sep. 2014].

Young, D. (2009). The Battle of Bataan: A Complete History. 2nd ed. McFarland.
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