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| Location Lat 14° 10' 44N Long 121° 14' 31E Los Baños is located at an elevation of 170' / 51m above sea level in Laguna Province in southwest of Luzon in the Philippines. Borders Laguna de Bay to the north. Officially known as the Municipality of Los Baños. Also spelled Los Banos. Los Baños Camp Prewar UP College of Agriculture and UP College of Forestry. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, used as an internment camp for civilians and Prisoners Of War (POW). In May 1943, the first group of 800 prisoners arrived and began building a camp at this location with thatched huts surrounded by barbed wire and guards under the command of commandant Major Tanaka later replaced by Major Urabe. During December 1943, joined by 200 civilians from University of Santo Tomas. In April 1944, joined by 500 more internees. In July 1944 the commandant became Major T. Iwanaka who delegated day to day operations to his subordinate, Warrant Officer Sadaaki Konishi. In December 1944 another 150 internees arrived. The camp included Americans, British, Australians, Dutch, Norwegians, Poles, Italians, and Canadians. They included eleven U.S. Navy nurses under the command of Chief Nurse Laura M. Cobb and some military personnel, the rest were civilians including businessmen, teachers, bankers, and missionaries who were in the Philippines when the Pacific War began. While incarcerated, the POWs had formed an Executive Committee to deal with the guards but as time passed, supplies and food were scarce by early 1945. On February 3, 1945 the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division under Major general Joseph Swing was tasked with a rescue mission liberate the internees at the Los Baños camp, then 20 mile behind the Japanese lines but were committed to battle in southern Manila and unable to perform the mission until later in the month. On February 23, 1945 at 7:00am the rescue mission began with the jump phase of the assault conducted by Company B, 1st Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment under 1st Lt. John Ringler would parachute into the camp supported by Headquarters Company Light Machine Gun Platoon under 2nd Lt. Walter Hettinger. Meanwhile, the 188th Glider Infantry Regiment under Colonel Robert Soule would defend the highway from counterattack, supported by Filipino guerrillas. To rescue the internees, LVTs crossed Laguna de Bay to rescue everyone while the diversionary attack was underway on Highway 1 and crossed the San Juan River advancing near Lechería Hills then made a defensive withdrawal back across the San Juan River. In total, the Americans lost three killed including two 188th Glider Infantry Regiment soldiers: John T. Doiron and Vernal Ray McMurtrey killed at Lecheria Hills. Plus two others wounded. The Filipino guerrillas suffered two Hunter guerrillas killed: Pfc. Atanacio Castillo and Pfc. Anselmo Soler plus four wounded. Today, University of the Philippines Los Baños. References The Los Banos Prison Camp Raid (2010) Contribute
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