The Great Raid: A Dangerous, Successful WWII Rescue Mission

The American raid on Japanese forces to save hundreds of POWs captured in the Philippines was one of the greatest rescue missions of World War II.

The Philippine government issued a stamp upon the 75th anniversary of the Bataan Death March. Public Domain

At first, the mission to save fellow American soldiers trapped in a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camp in the Philippines seemed impossible to the group of the assigned Army Rangers. The odds of a successful mission were stacked against them: They were outnumbered more than two to one, had little time to prepare, and zero time to conduct military exercises. But in the end, they prevailed and rescued over 500 prisoners.

A Deadly March

In April 1942, a few months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Army invaded the Philippines and forced Gen. Douglas MacArthur to flee. The defeat left over 70,000 U.S. and Philippine soldiers aligned with U.S. interests with no choice other than to surrender.

Once the Japanese arrived, they led the prisoners on a 60-mile trek—the Bataan Death March. During the grueling trip, American and Philippine prisoners were starved, beaten, and even executed if, exhausted, they stopped walking. Estimates say 5,000 to 18,000 Filipinos and 500 to 650 Americans died.

This 1942 Japanese picture shows American POWs carrying their fallen comrades. Public Domain

The approximately 9,200 American and 42,800 Filipino survivors were diseased, malnourished, and beaten. After the march, the prisoners were sent to slave labor camps across Japanese territories, with many in the Philippines.

After nearly two years, Gen. MacArthur made true on his promise and returned to the Philippines in late 1944.

Knowing that U.S. troops were ready to take the Philippines back, the Japanese Army ordered all prisoners to be executed to prevent them from being rescued and returning to the battlefield. At a prison camp in Palawan, Japanese soldiers ruthlessly killed 139 POWs on Dec. 14, 1944. There were 11 survivors.

Upon hearing the news of the Palawan massacre, American military leaders knew they needed to rescue their men. They set their eyes on a prison camp near the city of Cabanatuan, where over 500 prisoners who were not sent to Japanese labor camps were held.

A Daring Mission

Lt. Col. Henry Mucci, the commander of the 6th Ranger Battalion, took his team of 124 Army Rangers along with 13 highly trained Alamo Scouts and around 300 Philippine Guerrillas to complete the task. With around 48 hours to prepare, Mucci drafted a plan and led his troops over 30 miles behind enemy lines.

Lt. Col. Henry Mucci led an elite group of soldiers to rescue the POWs in a camp near Cabanatuan. Public Domain

Once the troops got close to the prison camp, they realized that they would be exposed to enemy fire for the final few hundred feet of their raid. Thinking quickly, Philippine Guerilla Capt. Juan Pajota came up with the idea of using a plane as a distraction.

Mucci liked the plan and quickly scheduled the help from a P-61 Black Widow airplane from the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF). The plane piloted by Capt. Kenneth Schreiber and 1st Lt. Bonnie Rucks maneuvered around the sky to distract the Japanese soldiers by flying low over hills and shutting the engines off and on to mimic a crash. The plane also performed acrobatic moves. While the Japanese soldiers watched the plane, the U.S. Army Rangers belly-crawled to their targets.

Once in position, the Rangers opened fire on the Japanese guards, quickly neutralizing the threat. The prisoners, though, were in such bad health that they were timid. Many didn’t comprehend that they were being rescued. Some even believed it was a savage prank by the Japanese.

The men rescued from the POW camp near Cabanatuan cheer in a photograph. Public Domain

The Rangers had to assist the over 500 POWs back across American lines using oxen and carts to carry the severely wounded. During the entire mission, only two American soldiers died. The rescue mission was so successful that the military used it as a guideline to carry out other prison camp raids in the future.

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