LUZON

KAPINTALAN

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On 28 March, the regiment received a change of orders. We were to maintain contact with the enemy in our present zone of advance until 31 March, and thereafter block the east approaches of the Putlan River Valley with one battalion less one company. Starting on 29 March, we were to relieve the 27^th Infantry’s 1^st Battalion in its zone one company at a time, then to attack north astride Highway #5 in zone and by a series of close-in envelopment’s, clear the highway. On battalion plus one company went into Division reserve. In case time hung heavy on our hands, we were to be prepared to assist the 27^th and 161^st Infantry Regiments in their zones immediately on call.

On the 29^th and 30^th, the 2d Battalion moved to the Putlan River Valley and went into Division reserve. The 1^st Battalion, less B and C Companies, moved to the 64^th Field Artillery area to provide local security. B Company went into Division CP as Guard, and C Company remained on the trail at the head of the Roller Coaster Road to block any Jap advance down the road. By the 30^th, the 3d Battalion had completed relief of the 1^st Battalion, 27^th infantry in our new Regimental zone on Highway #5 near Kapintalan.

Shortly after dusk on the 30^th, a large Japanese force attacked C Company from all sides. The attack continued fiercely throughout the night. At dawn the company began to withdraw to the bulldozer road, and immediately came under attack by about one hundred fifty Japs in three groups. A Company moved out from the Battalion perimeter around the 64^th Field Artillery Battalion’s position to go to their aid. But the Japs had thrown three separate road blocks across the approaches to the Roller Coaster Road and no connection could be made. Battalion Headquarters Company, "Smoot’s Galoot’s" (The Company of Guerillas attached to the regiment, and commanded by Captain Robert Smoot), and finally F Company of the 2d battalion were brought into the struggle to break the road block. At 1900, the last of the blocks was reduced, and C and A Companies made contact. About fifty five Japs were killed during the fight, at a cost of one officer and six of our men killed, four wounded, and one officer missing in action.

The enemy had strong prepared positions in the Kapintalan area, astride all approaches to Balete Pass. We did not know too much about enemy strength in this sector, but their extremely aggressive attitude, suggested that their positions were strongly garrisoned. Approaches to the enemy positions were generally along narrow ridges, usually less then fifty yards wide, and all movement was canalized along the crests. Thus, a few well placed pillboxes defended by auto weapons could hold up the advance of a much larger force. The enemy strongpoints were placed in depth along these narrow ridges. Attempts to go around the flanks were futile simply because the flanks could not be found. Every enemy strongpoint was protected by another just behind it. The only method was to select a line of advance. And push straight ahead, reducing one position after another.

The plan for securing the Kapintalan area appeared intricate but it was actually extremely simple and flexible. Nine prominences in the pillbox-and –cave-infested area east of Highway #5 were marked as the objective. As nearly as possible they were selected to form a square, with rows of three, running east-west and columns of three running north-south. On the overlays, they looked rather like the marks the players make in a tic-tac-toe game. That advantage of the plan was that, after the southernmost row of the objectives were gained, a variety of choices lay before us: if it were feasible we could move up the outer columns of the square to surround the area, or we could occupy all three objectives in each row before moving further north.

Objective number 1, on the southeast corner of the square, was a bare topped ridge known as the "Fishhook" because of its appearance on our photo-maps.

L Company, attacking north-northeast toward this terrain feature on the morning of 2 April, overran a large Jap outpost and advance four hundred yards, receiving only small arms and mortar fire. K Company moved up behind them and occupied the old L Company positions. The next day, both companies sent out patrols to determine the extent of the enemy lines. K Company ran into an east-west line of resistance two hundred yards to their front and suffered two wounded. We were running into thickly wooded terrain which drastically limited visibility. And heavy rains were bogging down the already slow advance.

On 5 April L Company patrols ran into resistance only ten yards from their own lines. Severe casualties were inflicted on the enemy, and the company advanced about one hundred seventy five yards during the day. K Company swung to the northwest with the purpose of coming into line on L Company’s right flank. With the aid of Cannon Company, several pillboxes and caves were knocked out. By dark, the company was about two hundred yards southwest of L Company, and still in contact with the enemy. I Company followed behind K Company as it swung to the right, then cut north so as to come up on the line in the center.

On the 6^th and 7^th all three companies continues maneuvering into line. They were running into pillbox after pillbox, cleverly camouflaged in the dense undergrowth. When one was located, and our men began to move in on it, two or three others would open up. M-4 tanks, T-32 37mm guns, bazookas, flame-throwers, and white phosphorous grenades were employed against them, and on the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th, a total of thirty three pillboxes and caves were knocked out.

Heavy rains enhanced the difficulty of the task, but on 8 April the battalion was at last lined up from left to right; K, I, and L. There was a small ditch running toward a piece of high ground on the Fishhook called "Pillbox Hill", from which machine gun fire had been encountered previously. Company K was given the task of occupying it. The company pushed up the ditch, using tanks and T-32’s to knock out pillboxes, and flame throwers on individual holes. The objective was reached with only seven Japs accounted for; they had apparently evacuated the night before.

On 9 April, after an artillery preparation of approximately two thousand rounds, I and L Companies pushed straight forward five hundred yards and acquired the remainder of the Fishhook against slight resistance. Tanks and pack 37mm guns proved invaluable in accomplishing the mission. In this terrain, the T-32 s often more effective than the tanks in knocking out pillboxes, for they could be brought very close to the target before opening fire.

From the 10^th to the 12^th, the 3d Battalion remained in position on the Fishhook, sending patrols in all directions to find and destroy Jap stragglers and snipers in the area. On the 12^th they were relieved by the 2d Battalion, and moved to the Division Rest Area at Puncan.

The rest Camp at Puncan had been opened on 6 April in accordance with a Division plan to give combat troops a two-week period of rest and relaxation. One battalion from each regiment was to go in a rest camp; on 5 April, the Division had been continually in contact with the enemy for a period of seventy eight days. In addition to the nerve-tension inevitable during combat, the men were weary to the bone from constant marches and counter-marches over some of the roughest terrain on Luzon. The 2d Battalion, for instance, had ridden only four miles during all its maneuverings between the beachhead at Lingayen Gulf and the Putlan River Valley.

The 1^st Battalion was the first to benefit from the plan, moving into the camp on the 6^th of April. On the 12^th, they moved to the Putlan River Valley and relieved the 2d Battalion, which in turn relieved the 3d Battalion at the Fishhook near Kapintalan.

Upon relieving the 3d Battalion on 12 April, the 2d Battalion continued the mission of seizing and securing Kapintalan. The 13^th was spent reconnoitering enemy dispositions. At 0845 on the 14^th, E Company jumped off from the Fishhook and advanced northward into a deep draw toward the high ground which was there objective. Early in the afternoon they reached the end of the draw, and spent the rest of the afternoon searching for a route to their objective. At nightfall, no opposition had been encountered. Company F, meanwhile, had moved east from Scar Hill and occupied the positions formerly held by E Company on the Fishhook.

At 1245 on the 15^th, E Company reached its first objective without opposition. G Company meanwhile, was attempting to reach the crest of a ridge near E Company’s objective. At 1300, three caves and four pillboxes were spotted on the route of advance. T-32 37mm guns were employed against them, but they proved to have been abandoned, and the company continued its march. On the morning of 16 April, they passed through E Company’s positions and continued to higher ground to the north, where they encountered Japs in well prepared positions. An artillery concentration was placed on the area, and G Company pushed on. In the preliminary skirmish which occurred this day, the company killed two Japs and had one of their men killed. Pushing forward the next morning they encountered several more pillboxes and killed twenty-one Japs. At 1030, F Company passed through G Company’s lines and kept going until, in mid-afternoon, they were stopped by heavy and continuous 47mm, mortar, and machine gun and rifle fire from a deep wooded draw in their line of advance. Since it was too late to attack, they withdrew one hundred yards and dug in for the night.

At 1130 the next day, E Company passed through G Company’s lines and after an artillery preparation pushed into the draw from which the enemy had stopped the F Company drive the day before. By nightfall they had reduced the enemy strongpoint and reached the high ground at the head of the draw, and on the morning of the 19^th the company had moved out down the ridge toward Highway #5. They advanced slowly during the day, meeting little opposition, but encountering numerous deserted caves and emplacements. The slow advance was due to the fact that each cave had to be investigated and destroyed, to prevent the Japs infiltrating back and reoccupying them – which may have been their intention. On the morning of the 20^th, the forward elements of E Company reached Kapintalan Bridge on Highway #5, and, finding a large pillbox under the bridge, destroyed it, killing seven Japs.

From the 21^st to the 23^rd, the 2d Battalion patrolled extensively to the northeast, and swept the draws and ravines around Kapintalan, sealing caves and destroying emplacements and other Jap installations, including one large bamboo barracks. On the evening of the 21^st, two Japs were observed going into a cave at the turn of the highway above Kapintalan Bridge. Only one came out. The next morning, G Company sealed the cave with demolitions. It was opened again at 1400 and yielded eighteen suffocated Japs, a brand new 47mm anti-tank gun, four Enfield rifles, two 1903 US army rifles, an M-1, a Jap .25 caliber rifle, and a light machine gun.

Reconnaissance patrols to the west of Highway #5 had disclosed the presence of a concentration of Jap positions which the 2d Battalion, totally committed to their present zone of advance, were not able to handle. On the morning of the 17^th, therefor, Company C was attached to the battalion with the mission of advancing and destroying the enemy in this area. By nightfall they had advanced five hundred yards from the jump off point, entered a deep ravine in which they encountered opposition from two enemy pillboxes, and destroyed them.

On the morning of 18 April the remainder of the 1^st Battalion, leaving only D Company to guard the eastern approaches to the Putlan River Valley, moved up near C Company’s location east of Highway #5 and south of the 2d Battalion’s positions, with the mission of clearing the area of enemy pillboxes and caves. Company C, meanwhile, continued to move southwest down the deep wooded ravine they had entered the day before, reducing several enemy emplacements. At noon, Company B jumped off to catch up with company C. By 500, C Company had advanced another four hundred yards, and B Company held ground to their north. During the day, seven caves were sealed and a machine gun emplacement destroyed.

The next day the two companies, continuing side by side down the draw, destroyed eighteen caves, six pillboxes, and encountered a number of spider holes. In addition, they knocked out a 70mm gun. Progress was slow down this draw not due to enemy action so much as the thick jungle growth, and the necessity of eliminating every cave or pillbox discovered. At the end of the day, the forward elements of B Company were six hundred yards south-southeast of Kapintalan Bridge; an advance of six hundred yards during the day.

On the 20^th, forward elements of both companies reached the highway, B company encountered no resistance; C Company engaged in two firefights, both times with small suicide groups which delayed the advance only temporarily. The battalion spent the 21^st mopping up in the area they had taken. Six more caves were destroyed and twenty-one Japs killed; this the last enemy resistance in the ravine. By nightfall on the 21^st, Highway #5 was cleared of the enemy as far north as Kapintalan Bridge.

D Company, relieved in the Putlan River Valley by the 25^th Reconnaissance Troop, rejoined the battalion on the 22^nd. Although the road was clear as far as Kapintalan, many bypassed Jap positions remained in the draws and ravines east of Highway #5, and it was not until the 28^th that the job was completed.

Back to History Index   The Drive Northeast From Kapintalan