LUZON

THE 1^ST BATTALION DRIVE ASTRIDE HIGHWAY #5

15 – 27 MAY 1945

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From Balete Pass to Santa Fe, Highway #5 follows the line of least resistance – which means hat a hundred yard stretch selected at random is almost as likely to lead east, west, or even south, as it is to lead north toward Santa Fe. On the photo maps, it looks rather like a string which has been dropped from above, and fallen into fantastic loops and curves and zigzags, almost but not quite crossing each other. The most noticeable idiosyncrasy of the highway lies just south of Santa Fe, where it runs east, then northwest, then east again to form a rough "Z" with arms five hundred yards in length.

The watershed system through which the highway passes consists of deep, narrow ravines descending generally north. The country is further cut up by very irregular tributary draws and gulches, which are liable to wander aimlessly about before debouching into the main ravines.

The back bone of the enemy’s southern defense of the Cagayen Valley had actually been broken in the fighting south of Balete Pass. Throughout the area between the Pass and Santa Fe he had countless prepared positions, but not sufficient men to knit them into a tight defensive set-up.

It is impossible to narrate except in the most general way the operations of the 1^st Battalion during their advance from Balete Pass to Santa Fe. At least ninety percent of the activity was patrolling. A detailed report of patrolling activity would require volumes and would become so complex as to be meaningless. The difficulties of narration are enhanced by the fact that there is no terrain feature in this area outstanding enough to have a name. Highway #5 itself is outstanding enough, but can seldom be used for a point of reference, since a unit in notice anywhere in its immediate vicinity might easily be moving from, moving toward, and moving parallel to it at the same time.

The plan was simply to move northward on both sides of the highway, sweeping the entire battalion zone with combat patrols, and destroying the enemy and his installations whenever encountered. Artillery was utilized to the full. When an enemy position was spotted, either by foot patrols or by artillery reconnaissance planes, heavy fire would be laid on it, after which a strong combat patrol would advance into the area and mop up the remaining opposition.

On the morning of 15 May, A Company jumped off from the battalion assembly area at Balete Pass, driving down a ravine west of the highway. On the 15^th and 16^th, the company advanced nine hundred yards without meeting any organized resistance. Numerous caves were sealed, but only eight Japs were encountered. B Company moved out on the morning of the 16^th, following a course angling slightly westward from A Company’s route. Their mission was to patrol extensively toward the highway, seeking out and destroying all enemy in the zone, and then secure an enemy position about eight hundred yards north of Balete Pass, near where Highway #5 curved north after having run east-west for about four hundred yards. The company reached the area of their objective on the evening of the 16^th. Advancing down a ravine toward the highway, they received heavy small arms and machine gun fire from their front, and withdrew to allow mortar and artillery fire on the area. On the morning of the 17^th they moved forward to clear the area, and found that the Japs had evacuated the night before. On the previous day, a patrol had reported another Jap concentration about two hundred yards to the northwest which the artillery also pounded during the night. At 0930 on the 17^th, after a short mortar preparation, B Company jumped off to seize this position. Throughout the 17^th and 18^th they mopped up in the ravine, gradually moving northward. The strongpoint had not been abandoned by the Japs, but it was evident that some key positions had been knocked out by the shelling, for the cave wee not ale to protect each other. The demolition squads could do almost anything but walk straight up in front of the caves. Fire was received from some caves, but all of those were approached from above and sealed. Ten Japs were killed in spider holes.

On the 17^th, meanwhile, A Company crossed Highway #5 at the eastern end of the east-west stretch nine hundred yards north of Balete Pass, and turned west to clear a large ravine which ran parallel to the highway. One bazooka ammunition dump exploded, and the entire side of the hill caved in.

Turning north, A Company advanced another two hundred yards, still parallel to Highway #5, and on the 18^th was as far north on the east of the highway as B Company was on the west.

On the 16^th, C Company began an advance down Highway #5, investigating and clearing out ravines running down toward the highway from the east. On the morning of the 17^th, after an artillery and mortar preparation, they attacked a ravine northeast of Highway #5, about one hundred yards east of the point on the highway which A Company had crossed on the 17^th. After mopping up this ravine and bagging ten Japs, C Company cut northeast across-country, and on the 18^th was as far north as A and B Companies. On the 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st, all three companies advanced roughly in line, with B Company sweeping Highway #5 and the battalion zone to its left, A Company mopping up the draws and ravines running into Highway #5 from the east, and Company C cleaning up in the battalion zone to the east, and maintaining contact by patrol with elements of the 2d Battalion, which were then advancing north as the regiment’s right flank. On the afternoon of the 20^th, B Company, advancing north up a ravine, destroying pillboxes and caves, observed one Jap enter a cave. A grenade was thrown into the cave, setting off an explosion on the high ground directly above the patrol. B Company suffered twenty three casualties, and two 65^th Engineer Battalion men, who were accompanying the patrol, were killed.

On the afternoon of the 22^nd, B Company, advancing to cross a ravine about three hundred yards south of the "Z" in Highway #5, was met by heavy small arms fire, and mortar fire from two 90mm mortars. A Company, which was flanking the area, attempted to move into the ravine from the top, but was unable to do so. After an artillery preparation, B Company tried to move forward late in the afternoon but was met by a volume of fire as heavy as before.

Two tanks were brought forward, to deliver direct fire on the position from a high point on Highway #5. After a heavy preparation, A Company jumped off on 23 May to drive down the draw from the west, but wee stopped near the upper end by mortar, rifle, and machine gun fire. On the 24^th, despite the use of a flame thrower tank, no progress could be made down the ravine, which was very deep and filled with boulders.

During the afternoon of the 24^th, B Company moved around to the north of the ravine. On thee 25^th, A Company attacked, this time from the south across the ravine’s southern ridge. This attack as also driven back. At 1030 on the 25^th, A Company jumped off from the highway to drive up the ravine, while B Company worked down. Both companies worked deep into the draw, and at 0830 on the 26^th jumped off again, employing a T-32 pack 37mm gun to help close the caves. At 1230, the ravine was cleared, and Highway #5 was declared open as far north as the ravine, though not swept for mines.

The knocking out of this strongpoint on the 26^th eliminated the last Jap defense of Santa Fe. On the 25^th and 26^th c Company had patrolled to the town (which consisted of a few huts and a fork in the highway). During the morning of 27 June (May), B and C Companies completed the occupation of the town, and at 1130, when the road was cleared of mines, Santa Fe was declared fallen. The 25^th Division mission in the Caraballo Mountains was accomplished: Highway #5 was open from San Jose to Santa Fe.

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