The Shocking Discovery
As the American forces advanced down the Central Plains of the Philippines during the Luzon Campaign in 1945, the Army engineers encountered a startling discovery – the enemy had repurposed 1,349 aerial bombs as land mines. These bombs, ranging from 30-pound fragmentation bombs to 150-kilogram Japanese Army and Navy bombs, had been planted throughout the Clark Field and Fort Stotsenberg areas.
The engineers found that the bombs were placed point-up, with the nose fuse approximately flush with the ground level. Locating the minefields was relatively straightforward, as the shipping boxes used to transport the bombs were scattered around the mined areas.
Careful Removal
Removing the bombs proved to be a delicate task, but the engineers were aided by the fact that the bomb plugs were left nearby, allowing them to be used in the disarming process. The 30-kilogram and 50-kilogram bombs were equipped with plungers and tail fuses, but in only one instance were the charges detonated during the removal efforts.
Lack of Proper Planning
The engineers noted that the enemy’s use of these improvised mines indicated a lack of proper planning and a deficiency in qualified demolition personnel. This was evident in the poor execution of the demolitions, as demonstrated by the bridge on Route 3 at San Isidro between Moncado and Paniqui. Here, the timber trestle bents were well-charged to demolish all five spans, but only one set of charges detonated, destroying one span and damaging two others.
Coordinating the Effort
To ensure the timely and effective removal of these mines, the Army engineers implemented comprehensive plans for obtaining and transmitting reconnaissance data from the units in the field. This included the use of cub planes to gather information on bridge and stream crossings that were still within the enemy’s lines.
Clearing the Way for Advancement
The discovery and removal of these improvised mines was a crucial step in clearing the way for the American forces to continue their rapid advance down the Central Plains. The engineers’ meticulous efforts in locating and disarming the bombs allowed the combat troops to move forward without the threat of these deadly obstacles.
Conclusion
The Army engineers’ discovery of 1,349 aerial bombs repurposed as land mines in the Clark Field and Fort Stotsenberg areas was a startling revelation during the Luzon Campaign. The engineers’ careful and coordinated efforts to remove these improvised explosives played a vital role in enabling the American forces to maintain their swift advance through the Central Plains. This remarkable find underscores the ingenuity and adaptability of the enemy, as well as the critical importance of the engineers’ work in supporting the overall military operation.
