Dressed as Filipino peasants, the two American Scouts slipped into an abandoned hut about 300 yards from their objective. It was 11:30 AM, January 30, 1945, and time was of the essence. Lt. William Nellis and Private Rufo Vaquila were two of 14 Alamo Scouts who had penetrated Japanese lines just three days earlier.
They then trekked 30 miles through back country to avoid observation, before taking-up a position of surveillance. Their objective was a Japanese prisoner of war camp, now clearly visible below them, located near the Filipino town of Cabanatuan, where it was believed some 500 American prisoners had been held in wretched conditions for years.
On October 20, 1944 General Douglas MacArthur had landed his forces on the island of Leyte, vowing to retake the Philippine Islands. Now, as his forces drove north, the Japanese were fleeing before MacArthur’s advance, and the Americans had good reason to fear the Japanese would slaughter all of the POWs still under their control before withdrawing, which – given the tactical situation – could be at any moment.
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