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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-22/japanese-officers-of-yamasita.avif" alt="High ranking japanese officers on General Tomoyuki Yamashita's staff, following their surrender in Northern Luzon" loading="lazy" />
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(High ranking Japanese officers on General Tomoyuki Yamashita's staff, following their surrender in Northern Luzon)
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<p>
Bessang Pass was a stronghold of the Japanese Imperial Forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita, known as the "Tiger of Malaya". It was part of the "Triangular Defense" of General Yamashita in the north, namely the Balete Pass, Villaverde Trail and Bessang Pass, guarding the Ifugao-Benguet-Vizcaya borders.
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<h4>
The Setting
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<p>
In February 1945, the Japanese Imperial Forces remained occupiers of the Philippines. However, the Filipino freedom fighters of the Ilocos, the Cordilleras, and the Cagayan Valley, organized into the division-size "United States Armed Forces in the Philippines, Northern Luzon" (USAFIP-NL), were in the midst of liberating most of Northern Luzon. Despite the organization's name, the USAFIP-NL was almost purely composed of Filipinos but commanded by American Col. Russell W. Volckmann.
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The Battle of Bessang Pass during the World War II