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    Damortis La Union Province | Luzon Philippines
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U.S. Army 158th RCT
January 13, 945

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Carl R. Thien
January 1945

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Justin Taylan 2005
Location
Lat 16° 14' 32N Long 120° 24' 32E  Damortis is a barrio of San Fernando located at an elevation of 134' / 40m above sea level in La Union Province in the Ilocos Region (Region I) of northern Luzon in the Philippines. Borders Lingayen Gulf to the west. To the east is Amlang. The Damortis-Rosario Road (junction of Route 3 and Route 11) connects Damotoris eastward to Rosario. Beyond to the south is San Fabian.

Wartime History
On December 22, 1941 at dawn the Japanese Army began landing north of Damortis and occupy the area then advance eastward to Rosario. Ashore, five U.S. Army M3 Stuarts led by Lt. Ben R. Morin engaged Type 95 Ha Go Light Tanks from the Japanese Army, 4th Tank Regiment. During the combat, Morin maneuvered off road but suffered a direct hit and caught fire with the entire crew captured by the Japanese. The other four M3 Stuarts were also hit but able to withdraw. During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese built a memorial marker at Damortis.

During 1944, anticipating an American amphibious landing at Lingayen Gulf, the Japanese dug caves and tunnels in the Damortis area. By January 1945 defended by the Imperial Japanese Army, 58th Independent Mixed Brigade (58th IMB) with roughly 6,000 soldiers in the Damortis-Rosario area. When pounded by pre-invasion bombardment, the Japanese abandoned their coastal defenses and moved further inland.

After the January 9, 1945 American landing at Lingayen Gulf, Damortis was one of the first objectives of the U.S. Army in the zone assigned to the 43rd Division. Advancing eastward, they were engaged by Japanese at Damortis. On January 12, 1945 late in the day, the U.S. Army 158th Regimental Combat Team (158th RCT) "Bushmasters" was released from army reserve to corps and moved elements to Rabon and Bani and patrols as far as Damortis and finds it virtually deserted. On January 13, 1945 they occupy Damortis without opposition. On January 17, 1945 the 158th takes a ridge about 1,000 yards northeast of Damortis.

Glenn Shankle 158th RCT adds:
"What I do remember vividly was being shelled at Damortis by large US naval guns that the Japanese had captured in their invasion. The big guns were concealed in caves in the mountains, mounted on railroad tracks. They only fired the guns at night so that they were hard to pinpoint. The 147 artillery set up surveyers instruments to spot the flashes after dark. They then could zero in on the big gun positions to keep them inside the caves until the 158 could organizes assaults. The third battalion (my unit) was dug in right in town. That first night, as we were being shelled, those big guns prevented any thought of sleep or rest. One big shell was a dud, and the next morning there was a ditch plowed by the dud with the unexploded shell at the lower end of the ditch. I went over to have a look, and stamped on the side were the words 'Made in Pittsburg, USA'."

Japanese Memorial Marker "Kenju No He"
This concrete marker at the road junction at Damortis was built by the Japanese, and reads: "Kenju No He" (Dead Soldiers for Country Monument). Japanese Memorial Marker: Then & Now. Demolished after the war in the 1950s by 'treasure hunters' sanctioned by the town Mayor, hoping to find "Yamashita's Gold". They found nothing inside other than concrete and rebar. Today, only its shattered base remains. Yet, a false belief this marker has to do with treasure lingers in the minds of some locals.

References
U.S. Army in World War II Triumph in the Philippines Chapter VI Expanding the Hold page 104
U.S. Army in World War II Triumph in the Philippines Chapter VIII Redeployment and Tactical Plans pages 139, 140, 143, 144
U.S. Army in World War II Triumph in the Philippines Chapter IX Securing the Sixth Army's Base Area page 147, 148, 150, 152-153, 154, footnote 9
U.S. Army in World War II Triumph in the Philippines Chapter XI Protecting XIV Corps' Rear and Flanks page 193
Reports of General MacArthur Chapter IX The Mindoro and Luzon Operations pages 261, 270
(Page 261) "Damortis was entered on the 13th."
The Ordnance Department: On Beachhead and Battlefront: Chapter XXI The Philippines: Luzon pages 416, 419, 425
The Bushmasters: Arizona's Fighting Guardsmen by Joe Patrick
"Among the first dangers the Bushmasters encountered was a 320mm howitzer with a 16-foot barrel that the Japanese had mounted on railroad tracks, firing on the beachhead from a dug-in position between the towns of Damortis and Rosario. The big gun was so well camouflaged that aircraft could not find it.
The 158th pushed inland to take Routes 3 and 11 near the Damortis-Rosario road. At 3:15 p.m. on January 12, an American patrol entered the town of Damortis and captured four enemy fieldpieces and 150 tons of ammunition."

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Last Updated
January 15, 2025

 

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