Japanese surrender

It is probably just coincidental but then who knows how Divine Will works and how the Blessed Mother intercedes for us?

World War II in the Pacific began on December 7, 1941 with the bombing of Hawaii. It is the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception but December 8 in the Philippines. Japan surrendered on August 14, 1945, the eve of the feast the Assumption of Mary and we learned of it on August 15, her feast day.

Who, indeed, can fathom God’s plans and how He responds to our prayers? For truly the civilians and the guerrillas in the mountains prayed hard for an end to their miserable lives in the mountains. They were deprived of so many things, even the most basic such as soap, salt and matches. Rice was a luxury, corn a joy and cassava was a delight.

Colonel Joe S. Lawrie, the commander of American and Filipino guerrilla forces in Negros, received the radio message that Japan had surrendered and that the official signing of the act of surrender would be held on September 2. The Southern Island Command to which Negros was attached was designated to accept the surrender of all Japanese forces on land, sea or air before and after that date.

The instruction to Laurie was detailed, from the classification of prisoners to their medical care. This detailed instruction was intended to “prevent misinterpretation” but I think it was also intended to prevent the Filipinos from inflicting harm on the Japanese. There were many scores to settle and the victims of Japanese atrocities have plenty of ways to make the Japanese pay for their misery and their losses in property and lives of loved ones.

This became clear in the instruction later issued by Lawrie. Only one Filipino, Colonel Placido Ausejo, commander of the 53rd Infantry, Philippine Army, was included in the American staff to accept the surrender. No Filipino guerrilla or civilian was allowed in the area. The choice of Sta. Rosa, Murcia also precluded any Filipino from attempting to join. The place was difficult to reach although it was plain terrain.

In fact, to insure that no unauthorized person approached the surrender site, a machine gun was installed at its approach and total secrecy was kept so nobody would even know of the surrender. It was already known that the Japanese would surrender but when and where was classified “Top Secret”.

Lawrie sent a small plane that dropped leaflets informing General Takaeshi Kono, the Japanese commander for Negros and Panay that Japan had surrendered and that Kono should send a representative to Bacolod to discuss the procedure for the surrender. He also sent out broadcasts and radio messages.

Kono’s representative arrived in Bacolod on the 22nd, an officer and four enlisted men to arrange for a meeting between the chiefs of staff of the two forces. Lawrie wrote a very cordial letter to Kono with instructions on how Kono’s chief of staff will proceed to Bacolod. He also informed Kono that an American officer will escort Kono’s representative to an area close to Kono’s headquarters and then escort the representative to Bacolod to insure the Japanese safe conduct.

On the 25th Kono’s chief of staff, Colonel Hidemi Watanabe arrived in Bacolod. After the discussion of the arrangements Watanabe drafted a letter to the other Japanese field commanders with instructions on how to proceed with the surrender. The letter was reproduced and dropped by an L-5 plane in areas that the Japanese had pinpointed as the bivouac area of their troops.

A letter similar letter was also dropped in the hinterlands of Panay to Colonel Tozuka who commanded the hold-out troops there. Most of the Japanese in Panay had been trapped by the speed of the American advance in that island that few were able to flee inland.

On August 28 the US command issued instructions to its field units on the surrender procedure and what to expect in their areas and how to handle the prisoners. The surrender was set for three in the afternoon of August 30 in Santa Rosa, Murcia.

Lawrie wanted the surrender rites as dramatic and gentlemanly as possible. He instructed that an honor guard of 50 men will attend the rites. They should wear leather jump boots (they were paratroopers) rather than leggings, webbing steel helmets and khaki rather than combat uniforms and individual weapons.

At the appointed hour, Kono and staff arrived in single file from the jungle. He faced Lawrie, his staff behind him and turned over his sword to Lawrie as did his staff officers to their US counterparts. Then Kono collapsed.*

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