THE ROAD TO BANAUE: Why Stop and Visit BALETE (DALTON) PASS
The road from Manila to Banaue or Cagayan Valley will definitely pass Balete (Dalton) Pass.
Balete Pass is described as "a zigzag road and mountain pass that joins the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya, in Central Luzon, Philippines." (Wikipedia)
|
You can see the zigzag pass in this panoramic view taken from the viewdeck of the Balete Pass Tourism Complex.
|
|
This is the arch that marks the boundary of Nueva Ecija and Nueva Vizcaya |
|
This is the arch seen from the Balete Pass view deck |
|
See the boundary arch at the left side of the photo The right side of the arch is Nueva Ecija |
|
See the boundary arch at the right side of the photo. The left side of the arch is Nueva Vizcaya. |
If you happen to pass by Balete (Dalton) Pass like we did during our Banaue-Sagada trip I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you make a stop at the Balete Pass Tourism Complex.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE AT THE BALETE (Dalton) PASS COMPLEX:
A VIEW DECK WITH A 180 DEGREE VIEW OF BALETE PASS:
Only by seeing Balete pass from this viewdeck on top of the Caraballo mountain will you be able to appreciate:
1. the importance of this Pass during the Japanese Occupation in World War II in securing the final defeat and surrender of General Yamashita and his troops and the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation.
- Balete pass is the only access to the fertile farmlands of the Cagayan Valley region, which is the source of food supply of General Yamashita's army who fled from Manila after General MacArthur landed in the Philippines.
2. the immensity of lives lost by the 25th Division of Sixth Army of together with the Philippine guerilla and around 47 plus Chinese in this Battle.
- You can see from the view deck the difficulty of conquering this pass. Anyone who attempts to pass by this road will be shot at. The Japanese are positioned in both sides of the mountain.
|
This marker shows:
1. those who participated in the Battle of Balete Pass
2. why Balete Pass is called Dalton Pass
|
|
This marker shows details on Chinese participation in the Battle of Balete Pass |
IF YOU WISH TO READ MORE ON THE EVENTS THE LED TO THE BATTLE OF BALETE (Dalton) PASS, THERE ARE MORE DETAILS BELOW:
The Battle of Balete (Dalton) Pass is part of the Luzon campaign of General Douglas MacArthur, known as the Battle of Luzon, which eventually led to the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation.
TIMELINE LEADING TO THE BATTLE OF LUZON
and the LIBERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES:
1941:
December 8, 1941:
Japan invades the Philippines, 10 hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor
1944:
June 6, 1944:
D-Day or Normandy landings
October 5, 1944:
General Tomoyuki Yamashita arrives in the Philippines and stayed in Manila
October 20, 1944:
General Douglas MacArthur returns to the Philippines and lands in Leyte with the Sixth Army led General Walter Krueger
December 25, 1944:
Success of Leyte campaign
December-January, 1944:
Most of the Japanese army units pulled out of the city.
1945
Early January, 1945:
General Yamashita flees from Manila to Baguio.
January 6, 1945:
The Sixth Army with General Krueger sails from Leyte to Lingayen Gulf.
January 9, 1945:
The Sixth Army with General Krueger lands on Lingayen Gulf
February 1, 1945:
The Sixth Army left Lingayen for Manila along Highway 5
February 3 - March 3 1945:
The Battle of Manila
The Battle of Manila Scrapbook
February 21, 1945:
The 25th Division and the 32nd Division of the Sixth Army began their attacks and heads towards Santa Fe and Balete Pass.
The 25th Division headed for Highway 5 and the 32nd Division headed for Villa Verde Trail
April 17, 1945:
Yamashita flees Baguio for Bambang.
May 13, 1945:
The 25th division seizes Balete pass after two months of intense fighting.
May 20, 1945:
Yamashita flees Bambang and transfers his command post to Kiangan
May 27, 1945:
The 25th Division captures Santa Fe town
September 2, 1945:
Yamashita surrenders in Kiangan
WHY IS THE BATTLE OF BALETE PASS SO IMPORTANT?
(Source: page 84 of the book "We Shall Return! MacArthur's Commanders and the Defeat of Japan, 1942-1945 edited by William M. Leary
General Walter Krueger "identified the Cagayan Valley, a rich farmland extending 200 miles from Bambang to Aparri, on the north coast, as the key to Yamashita's defenses. Seizing this valley would deprive the Japanese of vital food supplies and cut communication with enemy forces to the west. Yamashita's destruction would then be inevitable.
"While the 33rd Division contained the Japanese at Baguio and Colonel Volckmann's guerillas harassed the enemy, at Bontoc, the 25th and the 32nd Division launched a converging attack on the Balete Pass and Santa Fe area, south of Bambang and gateway to Cagayan Valley. Plans called for the 25th Division, commanded by Major General Charles L. Mullin, Jr. to drive north on Highway 5 and clear Balete Pass, while the 32nd Division headed by Major General Willam H. Gill, attacked from the west along the Villa Verde Trail toward Santa fem three miles north of Balete Pass."
...
"Pressure on the Villa Verde Trail facilitated the task of the 25th Division, but progress still came slowly along highway 5. The enemy resisted bitterly, and Japanese positions had to be reduced one by one. Short of artillery ammunition, Krueger found that 90-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, for which there was an abundant supply of high-velocity ammunition, had a devastating effect on Japanese strong points, especially in caves. On May 13, after two months of fierce fighting, the division finally broke through Balete Pass. It captured Santa Fe on May 27, then drove westward to link up with the 32nd Division at Imugan.
The strategy of the Allies in seizing Balete pass was two-pronged:
1. Through Highway 5, south of Balete Pass: executed by the 25th Division
2. Through Villa Verde Trail, northwest of Balete Pass: executed by the 32nd Division
- Villa Verde Trail is a mountain trail in the Caraballo Mountains, starting from Santa Maria Pangasinan until the junction of Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya
|
Sketch of the Villa Verde Trail, drawn by CPT Joseph E. Ash, FA liaison with 2D Bn., 127TH Inf. CPT Ash was a Wisconsin National Guard officer; he was a 1LT in HQ Btry., 2D Bn., 120TH FA Regt. in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, when the 32DDiv. mobilized on 15 Oct. ’40.
|
RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON THE BATTLE OF BALETE PASS
|
United States Army in World War II. The War in the Pacific. Triumph in the Philippines by Robert Ross Smith
Sold here
Detailed account of the Battle at Balete Pass:
Bambang Front II - The 25th Division on Route 5
page 512
|
|
We Shall Return!: MacArthur's Commanders and the Defeat of Japan, 1942-1945 edited by William M. Leary Sold here
For the account of the Battle of Luzon and Balete Pass from the point of view of General Walter Krueger:
|
RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON THE BATTLE OF LUZON
|
United States Army in World War II. The War in the Pacific. Triumph in the Philippines by Robert Ross Smith
Sold here
Detailed account of the Battle at Villa Verde Trail:
Bambang Front I - The Villa Verde Trail
page 491
Detailed account of the Battle of Balete Pass:
Bambang Front II - The 25th Division on Route 5
page 512
|
|
Reports of General MacArthur
JAPANESE OPERATIONS IN THE
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AREA
Volume II - Part II
COMPILED FROM JAPANESE DEMOBILIZATION BUREAUX RECORDS
Sold here
For Japanese point of view and tactics on the Battle of Luzon:
CHAPTER XV
BATTLE ON LUZON
Launching of the American Invasion
|
|
We Shall Return!: MacArthur's Commanders and the Defeat of Japan, 1942-1945 edited by William M. Leary Sold here
For the account of the Battle of Luzon and Balete Pass from the point of view of General Walter Krueger:
|