The Great Raid

Bataan Death March

During World War II, the Pacific Theater threw up a gauntlet of seemingly insurmountable challenges to the Allies. One of them was the Japanese prison camp near Cabanatuan City, where hundreds of American and Filipinos were incarcerated after the brutal Bataan Death March. 

Conditions inside the camp were dire, and as the war dragged on and the Japanese army began to execute prisoners in other camps, those who remained feared they, too, would be killed.

Then, the Sixth Army staged a rescue operation that was almost suicidal in scope. With the aid of Filipino guerrillas, Army Rangers managed to get 35 miles behind Japanese lines, only to learn that scouts hadn’t been able to search the camp itself because of heavy Japanese activity in the area.

The locale was crawling with enemy forces, but Rangers managed to sneak into the camp on January 30, 1945, overwhelm the guards and move the prisoners—many of whom were so sick or suspicious they wouldn’t come out.

In all, 510 prisoners were released with just two Army casualties.

Today, the daring rescue mission is known as “The Great Raid” and is celebrated as one of the bravest of all time.