Vicente Lim
First Filipino West Point Graduate
(1888 - 1944)
Filipino Brigadier General Vicente Podico Lim was a hero of World War II. Lim was the first Filipino to graduate from the 1914 class of the US Military Academy at West Point. He was an officer in the Philippine Scouts, a now-defunct native Filipino branch of the US Army, before the Philippine Army was formed. Lim commanded the 41st Division of the Philippine Army (USAFFE) during the Battle of Bataan. He supported the Filipino resistance movement after the Philippines fell until his apprehension and execution.
Lim was one of the seven Boy Scouts of the Philippines Charter Members. Along with two other Filipino heroes who fought and lost their lives against the Japanese during World War II, he is honored on the 1,000 peso banknote of the Philippines.
Early Years and Education
Vicente P. Lim, the third of Jose Ayala Lim Yaoco and Antonia Podico's four children, was born on February 24, 1888, in the town of Calamba in La Laguna (now Laguna). His mother, Antonia Podico, was a Mestiza de Sangley (Chinese mestiza), and his father, a Chinese Filipino, was a full-blooded Sangley (Chinese migrant) who braided his hair in a queue. Vicente's mother was left to raise him and his three siblings with the money from a small business after Jose Lim passed away when Vicente was just nine years old. Like many Chinese Filipinos, Vicente and the other Lim children—Joaquin, Olympia, and Basilisa—grew up identifying as Filipino.
One of Jose Lim and Antonia Podico-Lim's friends was José Rizal's family, who would go on to become the national hero of the Philippines. Similar to the Rizal family, the Lim family leased land from the Dominican Order, including sugar land in Barrio Barandal and rice holdings in the Calamba barrios of Lecheria and Real. Many tenants were evicted from their properties in 1891 as a result of ongoing disagreements over terms and rental prices between the tenants and the Spanish administrators of the Dominican estate. The families of Lim and Rizal were among the victims.
Vicente finished his elementary education in Tanauan, Batangas.
Philippine-American War
The fourteen-year-old Vicente's sense of nationality and patriotism initially emerged during the Philippine–American War. He allegedly organized a group of kids his own age to serve as messengers for General Miguel Malvar's guerilla forces in the Calamba region.
Philippine Normal School
Vicente finished the teacher training program at the Philippine Normal School and further his education at Liceo de Manila in the years after the Philippine–American War. After that, he spent a year teaching in a public school in Santa Cruz, Manila. He returned to Philippine Normal after deciding to continue his education. Vicente excelled academically, receiving high grades in math and other disciplines. He excelled in both academics and athletics. Vicente was pushed to take the entrance exams for the United States Military Academy at West Point by a supervisory teacher who was impressed by his brilliance and athletic prowess. Vicente's 99% in mathematics earned him the desired scholarship, despite the fact that he only finished second on these Philippine Bureau of Civil Service tests. Vicente was the first Filipino to arrive at West Point in 1910.
Education at West Point, the US Military Academy (1910–1914)
A Birthdate that Complies Better with Academy Rules
According to Army records, he was born on April 5, 1888. Lim was technically unable to enroll in the United States Military Academy because he was already past his 22nd birthday when he reported on March 1, 1910. Lim would have been able to report to the school in March 1909 after passing the qualifying exams at West Point in 1908, but it's possible that the time it needed to ship the necessary paperwork back and forth across the Pacific was just too great. To "engage in the time-honored practice of adopting a birth date in compliance to Academy regulations" was the result.
Cannibal Lim
Lim was not the first foreign cadet to attend West Point, but he was the first Filipino to report. However, international cadets were still a rare sight at that time. Lim was barely able to communicate in English when he came to the United States. His skin tone was darker than that of his American peers, who believed that the Philippine Islands were home to barbarians and were generally unaware of the country. Vicente was dubbed "Cannibal" for these reasons (and possibly because of the racial stereotypes that persisted at the time).
Cadet Life
There was little motivation for the first Filipino cadets to perform well academically when they arrived at West Point. In contrast to the regular privilege for top-ranking graduates, which was the choice of career path (engineers, coast artillery, cavalry, and infantry, in order of usual preference), Filipino graduates of the academy were limited to joining the Philippine Scouts (then exclusively organized as an infantry unit) upon graduation. Lim, however, was keen to demonstrate that he was equally capable as any of his peers. "Cannibal" Lim worked hard to overcome his shortcomings, whether they were verbal or otherwise, and succeeded. After surviving his military engineering classes and succeeding in chemistry and mathematics, he quickly gained the admiration of his peers. Vicente was particularly well-liked because, as a second language learner, he assisted the class "goats" in their Spanish lessons. He was selected for the academy's Broadsword Squad because of his exceptional fencing skills. He received a badge as a Sharpshooter for his ability to handle infantry weapons and his skill on the firing range. The academy motto of "Duty, Honor, and Country" was engrained in Vicente's very soul as a result of the demanding training at West Point. In the end, this became his main source of inspiration.
Combating Racial Discrimination
Vicente P. Lim was regarded by his peers as someone who was extremely proud of his nation and its citizens. Any negative comments made about him or Filipinos would not be tolerated by him. Later in his career, Lim frequently reacted to racial provocations in a personal or even physical manner, setting the stage for his fight for equitable treatment of Filipinos in the Army. He frequently got into trouble at the academy because of these episodes. Until the final days before Lim's graduation from West Point, it persisted. In order to attend Lim's graduation ceremonies, Manuel L. Quezon, who would go on to become the president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, traveled to West Point as the Philippines' Resident Commissioner to the United States at the time. The low-class Filipino cadets present greeted Quezon as he arrived, and Quezon asked them where Lim was. Because "a professor said a derogatory remark concerning Asians and Lim defended us," one of the cadets accused Lim of "walking the area," which is a traditional form of punishment at West Point. Quezon said, "Lim is impetuous, but he certainly did the right thing."
The First Filipino West Point Graduate
On June 12, 1914, Vicente P. Lim, who had endured all the hardships of West Point for four years, graduated 77th out of 107 students from the United States Military Academy. Considering that the class of 1914 began with 133 cadets, graduating was an accomplishment in and of itself. In a class that initially included a cadet from Ecuador and one from Cuba, Lim was the only foreign cadet to graduate that year.
Early Career in the Military
The Start of World War I and Lim's First Tasks
Vicente Lim was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Philippine Scouts after completing the United States Military Academy. The young Lieutenant was dispatched to Europe to observe and research the army setup before he returned to the Philippines. Lim was stranded in Berlin during the start of World War I. Lim had to use the Trans-Siberian Railway to return to the Philippines, and he described the journey as "quite an adventurous time making his way across Siberia."
After returning to the Philippines, Lim was assigned to a Scout post in Fort San Pedro, Iloilo, Western Visayas, for his first deployment. Later, Lim was given responsibility for the island stronghold of Corregidor.
Lim started teaching at the Philippine Constabulary's Academy for Officers in Baguio City in 1916. Later, the academy changed its name to the Philippine Constabulary Academy, which finally became the Philippine Military Academy as it is today. Lim oversaw Equitation and Athletics in addition to teaching courses in Military Art, Military Law, and Topography. Vicente would meet and start dating Pilar Hidalgo, his future wife, while she was spending the summer at Holy Family College in Baguio. Pilar was the first female Cum Laude graduate of the University of the Philippines and had distinguished herself as one of the nation's first female mathematicians. (Pilar would go on to become a well-known civic leader and one of the most ardent supporters of women's suffrage; she was a co-founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines and, following the passing of Carmen de Luna, she became the third president of Centro Escolar University, guiding the institution through the post-World War II reconstruction and normalization of school operations.)
Vicente and Pilar maintained their courtship after meeting again in April 1917. The Militia Act, which was passed on March 17, 1917, asked for the creation of three brigades in order to mobilize a Filipino division for battle in Europe. The United States renounced its neutrality and declared its entry into World War I on the sixth of the same month. In the end, the physical mobilization of these Filipino forces would be delayed until October 1918 due to a number of political factors. A month later, the First World War came to an end without any of these soldiers being sent overseas. However, Lim was compelled to push for a speedy engagement and an early wedding due to the uncertainties created by the circumstances at the time. On August 12, 1917, a military wedding took place in Quiapo Church. Lim was deployed to Zamboanga, and shortly after the wedding, he and his bride left for Jolo.
Initial Conflict with General Douglas MacArthur and Additional Issues
Lim never shied away from voicing his disapproval of the unfair treatment and racial prejudice against Filipino officers, just as he had done during his time at West Point. Lim spoke of the "insults and petty harassment he had suffered because of his color" to Manuel L. Quezon as early as 1914. As a captain assigned to the 45th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Scouts at Fort McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio) in 1922, Lim refused to move to Corregidor "when it became apparent that the reason for the order was to free living quarters at the Fort for incoming American officers." General Douglas MacArthur, the Scout Brigade's commanding general at McKinley, gave in and permitted Lim to stay at his post. Lim would continue to disagree with the army leadership on similar matters.
Lim was academically and emotionally occupied with the mission of guaranteeing that Filipino officers in the American Army received equal treatment with regard to pay, benefits, promotions, and respect. Lim was so fervent about this that there is a story about how he disciplined a lower-ranking American soldier for not saluting him. In order to make his point, Major Lim then instructed the American to face a hat stand that held his Major's cap and to salute it constantly until he was told to cease.
Although Lim was primarily outspoken about discrimination in the Army, he was also outspoken about the significance of upholding a particular standard among its officer corps. He was not afraid to criticize his fellow Philippine Scout officers, including some who were Americans, for being "unfit" to serve. "I have many friends in the Scouts, but I can honestly state that as a whole they are the greatest handicap for the government... the great majority of them are even disgusted with themselves," Lim wrote in 1927 to Major John Sullivan, the Bureau of Insular Affairs Chief's assistant to General Frank McIntyre.
Lim firmly believed that the caliber of a military organization's officer corps determined its strength. Later in his career, when the Philippine Army was just getting started, he would continue to support this cause.
Additional Military Training
Filipino officers were finally able to be assigned to other military institutions in the United States for additional military training after the National Defense Act of 1920 was passed. Vicente Lim joined the US Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1926. Akira Nara, who would go on to lead the Japanese 65th Brigade, one of the Japanese Army's invading units during the Battle of Bataan, was a classmate of Lim's at Benning. Lieutenant General Nara gained notoriety for ordering the massacre of more than 350 members of the 91st Division, Philippine Army (USAFFE). After completing his training at Benning, Lim was transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to attend the United States Army Command and General Staff College (USACGSC) for additional coursework.
Lim resumed his prolonged stay in the United States in 1928 and was later posted to the Army War College in Washington, D.C. In April 1929, then-Major Lim produced a thesis titled "The Philippine Islands - A Military Asset" as part of his training. It was hailed as a "study of exceptional merit made at The Army War College" by Major General William D. Connor, the War College's Commandant. After stating that the document was "of interest to that Division," General Connor would forward it to the War Plans Division of the War Department General Staff for review. In the end, the paper would correctly forecast how Japan would execute its ultimate 1941–1942 campaign against American and Filipino soldiers in the Philippines.
These advanced classes sharpened Lim's military intelligence and expanded his understanding of military science. Since Lim was the only Filipino to have attended the Army War College and the USACGSC at the start of World War II, this same education and training would prove important. As a result, he was the only Filipino general who was technically capable of leading a division.
Colegio de San Juan de Letran
After returning to the Philippines in 1929, Lim improved the caliber of the training program at Colegio de San Juan de Letran by becoming the professor of military science and tactics (PMS&T).
Leaving the US Army
The Philippines made the penultimate step toward self-rule after more than 350 years of foreign domination and over 40 years after the initial declaration of Philippine independence at Kawit, Cavite. The Commonwealth of the Philippines was founded on November 15, 1935. The National Defense Act, sometimes known as the Commonwealth Act, was the first act of the Commonwealth Government. No. 1 (passed on December 21, 1935) created the Army of the Philippines, a force entirely distinct from the US Army, and outlined the nation's National Defense Policy.
Lim was an obvious choice to assist in the development of a national defense system for the Philippines because of his West Point education and his completion of command and general staff programs in the US. Lim was forced to choose between joining the young Philippine Army, giving up his tenure, and receiving lower pay, or remaining in the US Army as a lieutenant colonel and serving out the necessary time for a full pension. In the end, Lim chose to do the latter, and on June 30, 1936, he retired from the US Army. After enlisting in the Philippine Army, he was promoted to brigadier general right away.
Boy Scouts
In accordance with Commonwealth Act No. 111, which was approved by President Manuel Quezon, Lim, Col. Josephus Stevenot, Senator Manuel Camus, General Carlos Romulo, Executive Secretary Jorge Vargas, Don Gabriel Daza, and Arsenio Luiz formally founded the BSP on October 31, 1936.
Lim's birthday is celebrated by the Philippine Boy Scouts as "Vicente Lim Day (1888)" on April 5th, according to U.S. army records.
The Philippine Army's formation
Lim was named head of the Philippine Army's Central General Staff's War Plans Division.
"Some of you who are on the inside of the War Department might have read my strategic reconnaissance of every corner of this country that we have the manpower to defend our vital areas and God has given us the advantage of our natural terrain features to effectively give a nice showing against any first class power," he wrote in a letter he wrote after being initially assigned to the War Plans Division. "But because of our lack of finance we are struggling hard economically to solve this problem."
Lim was appointed the Army of the Philippines' Deputy Chief of Staff on April 4, 1939.
Vicente disagreed with MacArthur and other high-ranking officials on the tactics being used to strengthen the nation's security, just as he did on the subject of discrimination against Filipino soldiers in the US Army. He thought it was being constructed too quickly and lacked a firm base. The majority of the recruits and officers were ill-prepared and half-baked. This was in addition to the widespread corruption at the very center of the Army's structure. The National Defense Act of 1935 renamed the Brigadier General Vicente Lim Philippine Constabulary—then the nation's national police force—to serve as the core of the new Philippine Army as a more practical and affordable means of expanding the army. Vicente believed that this was a basic error. Vicente thought that in order for the Army to have its own distinct customs, philosophy, and esprit de corps, it should be constructed from the ground up. Additionally, this was done to make sure that the new Army wouldn't inherit any of the PC's "rotten eggs" or defective systems. Vicente frequently threatened to leave the Army because he was disgusted with the organization and felt "surrounded by crooks," with "no power nor influence to eliminate them."
World War II and the Battle of Bataan
The Philippine Army's 41st Infantry Division's creation and mobilization as part of the USAFFE
Even as Adolf Hitler's U-boats threatened commerce shipping in the Atlantic Ocean and Japanese forces continued to fight war on the Chinese mainland, the United States had meticulously upheld its neutrality until December 1941. America supported the war operations of China, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom against the Axis Powers by delivering weapons, supplies, and equipment under the Lend-Lease program, even while it refrained from openly warring with any state. However, the failure of all diplomatic attempts to stop Japanese aggression in the Far East, the worsening of negotiations with Japan, and the increased tensions around the world made it obvious that the United States' involvement would eventually involve more than just providing material aid to its allies. The US's interests in the Philippine Islands and the rest of the Pacific were undoubtedly in direct danger due to the Japanese occupation of naval and air bases in Formosa and southern Indochina in July 1941, as well as the Philippines' increasingly vulnerable location between Japan and the resource-rich Dutch East Indies.
American military leaders were more optimistic about the viability of defending the Philippines against a Japanese invasion as early as 1906, when the "Europe First" strategy was implemented in response to the reality of fighting a two-front war and the need to defeat Nazi Germany first while waging a holding action against Japan in the Pacific. In an attempt to safeguard American interests in the Islands and the Far East, materials were also deployed to the Philippines.
The Philippine Army became a part of the USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East) once it was established on July 27, 1941. In order to take command of the 41st Infantry Division during this transition, Lim resigned his position as Deputy Chief of Staff.
An important phase in its preparations was the full mobilization of the Philippine Army by September 1, 1941.
President Manuel Quezon ordered the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) to assume command of the Philippine Army and Philippine Constabulary in August 1941 as the possibility of war grew more imminent. Despite the issues facing the Philippine Army, Vicente recognized that the more pressing danger was the limited time to organize a robust defense force for the nation. Vicente was aware that giving up his post as Deputy Chief of Staff, the Army's second-highest ranking, and taking up a field command would better serve his nation in the event of a Japanese invasion. In the end, he was assigned to command the 41st Infantry Division (PA). Rizal, Cavite, Quezon, Marinduque, and his native province of Laguna were among the recruits. Nearly every man was incredibly inexperienced and untrained in battle. In the end, he was assigned to command the 41st Infantry Division (PA). Rizal, Cavite, Quezon, Marinduque, and his native province of Laguna were among the recruits. Nearly every man was incredibly inexperienced and untrained in battle.
The 41st Division's main cantonment area was established along the Tagaytay ridge; the division's camp is now generally marked by the 41st Division, PA, USAFFE Shrine in Tagaytay.
The Chain of Command's Structure
In keeping with his long-held conviction that the men who command a military force are its greatest asset, General Lim carefully considered the organization of the 41st Division's officers. In order to arrange his men "according to the best principles of command" and in a manner that he believed would best help the 41st Division become an efficient combat force, he took the time to get to know them—their personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and habits. General Lim selected the commanders he believed to be the best in the Army. When Lim believed a commander lacked certain necessary skills or attributes, he placed the top Executive Officers beneath them. In order to provide balance, he placed subordinates who he knew were better communicators to officers he knew were hardworking and effective in the field but yet lacked tact. Additionally, General Lim made sure to select the Division's most capable Quartermasters, which would be crucial in the impending conflict.
The Start of the Conflict and the Retreat to Bataan
To fight the threat that would befall the Philippine Islands, the troops of the fledgling Philippine Army would rely solely on the scant training—or, in many cases, no training at all—that they received between September 1941 and December 1941. Only over two-thirds of the 41st Division had been called into active duty as of December 1, 1941. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor just a few days later on December 7, 1941 (December 8, 1941 in Asian time zones). Japanese forces also began attacking the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Thailand, and the British-ruled territories of Hong Kong and Malaya within hours of one another.
Building Defenses along the Coast of Batangas
Unlike the original War Plan Orange 3, which planned for a quick withdrawal to the Bataan Peninsula, General Douglas MacArthur's initial strategy for defending the Philippines was to halt the Japanese at the beaches at all costs. He separated his command into the Visayan-Mindanao Force, the South Luzon Force, and the North Luzon Force.
The relatively smaller South Luzon Force, commanded by Brig. Gen. George M. Parker Jr., included two divisions, including the 41st Infantry Division under Brig. Gen. Vicente Lim and the 51st Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. The beaches east and south of Manila were to be protected by the South Luzon Force. The 41st Division was responsible for the coastline of Nasugbu, Batangas, and its goal was to prevent hostile landings and secure the airfields in its region. General Lim's division pressed in there. The division established well-planned and well-organized defenses. But in the end, all troops were told to start withdrawing to Bataan, thus the men were forced to leave the sector.
Turtles periodically activated makeshift warning devices in the dark, prompting soldiers along the line to fire at what they believed to be Japanese infiltrators, so at least some of the anxious 41st soldiers were reassured that their guns were effective.
Withdrawal to Bataan
American and Filipino forces were mostly taken by surprise, even though there was only a ten-hour gap between the news of the Pearl Harbor bombing and the initial Japanese strikes on the Philippines. Japanese air strikes destroyed numerous airfields and naval bases in a matter of hours. The majority of the American aircraft that survived the first Japanese attacks were transferred south to Mindanao, on their way to Australia, while several valuable aircraft had been captured on the ground. The first Japanese attack ultimately overpowered the US and Philippine Army formations intended to limit hostile Japanese landings at the beaches.
It quickly became clear that the best course of action for American and Filipino forces was to withdraw to Bataan (as specified in War Plan Orange 3) and prevent the Japanese from using Manila Bay. USAFFE headquarters informed all unit commanders that "WPO-3 is in effect" on December 24, 1941. The pullback to the Bataan Peninsula started at this point.
General Lim's 41st Division was ordered to leave their positions along the Batangas coast and move to Bataan on Christmas Eve, just like all other units. Nearly every unit of the USAFFE that left the beaches had to make a combat withdrawal. However, General Lim's division was lucky to avoid encountering any hostile forces throughout its withdrawal from the Batangas coast to Bataan (via Manila). As a result, the Division arrived in Bataan undamaged.
Purchasing Supplies
The defenders faced the regrettable fact that many of their essential supplies could not be delivered to the peninsula in time due to the USAFFE's hasty withdrawal to Bataan. Thus, the few supplies that all of the American and Filipino defenders used during the valiant struggle are always mentioned in historical accounts of the Battle of Bataan.
Luckily for the men of the 41st Division, things were a little better for them, at least in the early stages of the conflict. Brigadier General Vicente Lim was characterized as a leader who was "very particular about the Division's status on supplies and food" in a 1978 report by Col. Juanito R. Rimando. The first step in making sure his men were well-fed was selecting "the best Quartermaster" available, as General Lim put it. Before the war started, General Lim appointed Juan O. Chioco as the Division Quartermaster, with Ernesto D. Rufino, an equally capable Executive Officer, serving as his assistant.
Following their Commanding General's example, Chioco and Rufino took the initiative to obtain supplies, even if it meant relying less on the Division's "normal sources of supply." Rumor had it that on December 28, 1941, the USAFFE had built a depot in Angeles City, and Army units were allowed to take whatever supplies they could carry and needed. Chioco promptly gave Rufino the order to take 22 vehicles in order to collect desperately needed supplies. The following day, Rufino came back with the trucks, carrying a lot of supplies, food, clothes, and other equipment. The Balanga Sugar Central was where the supplies were kept. When an American inspector from higher headquarters visited the quartermaster headquarters of the 41st Division a few days later, he was taken aback by the Division's vast supply. The inspector "accused Captain Chioco of hoarding while other units lacked these. He threatened to file court-martial charges against Chioco," seeming horrified by what he found. General Lim was consulted by the American officer. According to Rimando, "The American inspector left a more subdued individual." The officer had anticipated that General Lim would support him, but instead the General "bawled him out like hell and said... that he's got no business interfering with the affairs of the Division, much more so on... the way the supplies under question were procured."
Memoirs by other soldiers of the 41st Division, like Captain Jose M. Zuño, attest to the division's comparatively superior supply position. Without a doubt, all of these contributed to the 41st Infantry Division being one of the most successful combat units during the Battle of Bataan. Zuño wrote on December 29, 1941, "BGen Vicente Lim, 41st Div Commanding Gen distributed bacon and Lucky Strikes cigarettes as Christmas presents, to the officers and men of the division."
The Abucay Defense
According to the Philippine Army Bulletin of April 1947, "General Lim's 41st Division made possible the Battle of Abucay, which I believe is the most decisive battle of Bataan." Contact at Abucay occurred around 8 January 1942, and the Japanese used massed artillery and aggressive infantry action to hit the 41st Division. The Japanese attempted to breach the 41st Division line for the next 18 days, but were unsuccessful, and Abucay was abandoned on 25 January when Jap breakthroughs in Moron and Natib rendered the area untenable. In order to give MacArthur forty valuable days to prepare Australia as an operational base, the Japanese began to withdraw from Bataan after Abucay and renewed their offensive in April. If one element can be considered to have played a major role in the creation of Bataan, it would be Abucay. In addition, General Lim's 41st Division is arguably the unit that made Abucay feasible.
Another incentive for those members of the Regiment fighting for their country was the absolute knowledge they were to maintain at all costs. It was not necessary to inspire the Filipino soldier to fight. For their assistance to the Philippine Scouts' 57th Infantry Regiment, they were the only Philippine Army unit to receive the Presidential Unit Citation.
The 41st Infantry Regiment suffered 696 losses during the fierce combat along the Abucay front in 1821.
500 casualties were hospitalized due to malaria every day, and by March, the number had increased to nearly 1,000. "Probably because of the very heavy casualties that they had suffered in the actions along the Mt. Natib-Abucay line, the Japanese were slow to follow up the advantage gained by the Corps withdrawal." "Considering the lack of training in almost all of the Philippine Army units, their combat efficiency was much higher than expected."
Abucay prevented Bataan from losing too soon by refusing to give up even a single inch of territory.
During the campaign, the Japanese encountered the strongest military opposition in Bataan. The 41st Division bravely fought under intense enemy fire for more than three months, refusing to concede any ground. Although it was tasked with protecting the largest area of the main combat position, it successfully repulsed Japanese infantry and heavy armored attacks. Every Japanese attack was met with high fatalities as the 41st's untried troops continually refused to give the superior enemy forces any ground. The Japanese actually started avoiding the sector that the 41st defended as a result of the frequent beatings they suffered from the unit. Their fellow defenders respected and commended General Lim and the other members of the 41st Infantry Division for this. "Everyone here is praising your courage and your ability. You are THE one Filipino General who has caught the imagination of everyone. The General (MacArthur) speaks highly of you all the time... The General has spoken to the President (Quezon) about your courage and he has praised you time and again," Carlos P. Romulo wrote in a letter to General Lim during the siege. The president once stated to me: "I have always said that fellow Lim is the only General we have in our army with cojones, and he is showing it now." Romulo subsequently wrote, "General Lim is the embodiment of the Philippine Army in Bataan: ragged, starved, sick unto death, beaten back hour after hour --- but invincible!"
The Orion-Bagac Line
The American and Filipino defenders of Bataan quickly withdrew to the island's second (and final) defense line, the Orion-Bagac line, after being driven from their positions along the Mauban-Abucay line. The Orion-Bagac line, which ran through the center of the Bataan Peninsula, was shorter and more continuous than the Mauban-Abucay position. Here, the 41st Division under General Lim was tasked with defending the line's center, which stretched from Mt. Samat to the Pantingan River to the west.
The Conflict over Trail 2
All USAFFE units had successfully withdrawn to the Orion-Bagac line by January 26, 1942. Conversely, the Japanese forces pushed forward with minimal rest, anxious to bring the conflict to a swift end. Regretfully, there was still a lot of uncertainty over the ultimate fate of several units along the front for the USAFFE personnel. Some individual unit commanders were not informed in a timely manner of the various modifications made to initial plans and assignments by USAFFE Command during the evacuation from the Mauban-Abucay line. Consequently, numerous crucial openings along the line remained undefended. One such opening was along Trail 2 and close to the Capot neighborhood (now known as Barangay General Vicente Lim), a crucial north-south route that provided the Japanese with the simplest path of advance (apart from Bataan's East Road) south to Limay, one of the Japanese attack's targets.
The gap was identified shortly before the Japanese launched their next attack by General Clifford Bluemel, the sector commander for the area surrounding Trail 2 and one of those who was not adequately informed of the shifts of units along the front line. A variety of forces, under the command of General Lim's 41st Division's 41st Infantry Regiment (which had already received a Presidential Unit Citation for its conduct in Abucay), were dispatched to fill up the gaps in order to address the hazardous situation. After marching to the sector for 24 hours, the 41st Infantry joined elements from the 31st and 51st Divisions on the night of January 27th, just in time to help repel the Japanese offensive that was already under way. By the 29th, additional Japanese soldiers had crossed the Pilar River and were moving toward a bamboo grove that was only 75 yards from the USAFFE's main defense line.
Close quarters combat resulted in a fierce and brutal struggle. As they did along the Abucay Line, General Lim's men resisted every Japanese attack. The 41st Infantry's Company K engaged the enemy at bayonet point. Within 150 yards of the main line of resistance, over a hundred dead Japanese were discovered the following morning. The bodies of some of the Filipinos, who had only minor injuries, were discovered a few yards from their foxholes. The Japanese had failed in their attempt to breach the USAFFE barrier.
On the evening of January 31, the Japanese launched another onslaught despite suffering significant casualties. Although artillery and aerial bombardments preceded their attack, the Japanese were once more irritated when their intended infantry advance was stopped by efficient machine gun fire.
The 31st Engineer Battalion of the Philippine Army was dispatched on February 2nd to firmly remove the last of the Japanese soldiers from the bamboo thicket. The Engineers encountered strong opposition shortly after they launched their attack, which caused it to stall. The 41st's men were called upon once more and dispatched to assist in the assault. After that, the Filipinos kept moving forward until they eventually arrived to the thicket at dusk. When they launched their attack again the following morning, they discovered that they had essentially eliminated the threat to Trail 2 by removing all surviving Japanese from the area.
One of the best events in Philippine Army history is still the battle for Trail 2.
Lull in combat and the suggestion of a counteroffensive
The Japanese exceeded their initial projection that they could secure the Philippines in 50 days by February 1942. In order to recuperate and reorganize, General Homma, the Japanese forces' commander, ordered the offensive operations to be halted. The battle on Bataan consequently ceased until the middle of March 1942.
General Vicente Lim realized that a Japanese soldier would not cease attacking until he was either killed or completely incapacitated. He therefore suggested to the high command that USAFFE soldiers launch a counterattack on San Fernando, Pampanga, during the lull. In addition to regaining terrain and their prior defensive positions, General Lim believed that a counterattack to the north would allow the USAFFE to obtain much-needed food supplies. Additionally, he thought it would provide the American and Filipino troops a much-needed morale boost. Regretfully, there was no counterattack. The extent to which such a counterattack would have been successful (and how much it would have altered the long-term trajectory of events) will never be known, but the post-war statements of Japanese Generals Homma and Takaji Wachi indicate that there was a good probability of victory. Its 16th Division and 65th Brigade were so "demoralized and badly mangled" by the Japanese invasion that at the time, only two battalions could be deemed "effective."
"To inspire and to lead"
The competence of the 41st Division's command contributed as much to its combat effectiveness as the valor and perseverance of its combatants. The 41st Division was one of the most distinguished units in the Battle of Bataan, in part because of Brig. Gen. Vicente Lim's skill and ability to get the most out of his soldiers. "General Lim knew his military science. General Lim had an uncanny faculty of predicting events. General Lim was an excellent judge of men," reads an excerpt from the memorial essay written by his West Point classmates, which best captures how General Lim led men in battle. In war, he was a father to his men, despite his image as a tough and outspoken man in peacetime. He was approachable and offered advice when asked. In turn, an article by Life Magazine reporter Melville Jacoby on March 16, 1942, provides testimony to how General Lim's soldiers reacted to his leadership: "One Filipino general is a West Pointer – the first from the Philippines to graduate – swarthy, barking General Vicente Lim, whose soldiers say if they don't jump at his command he'll kick them in the tail." He made his subordinates fight by giving them the impression that the outcome of the battle depended on their individual efforts. Lim was very happy the other day when 200 of his men volunteered for a patrol operation when he only needed 50.
Although General Vicente Lim received a lot of accolades for his leadership and the performance of his Division, he sincerely wanted to ensure that credit was distributed appropriately. General Lim wrote to his wife in his final known letter from Bataan: "With all this talk I sincerely give the credit to my officers and enlisted men. They are the ones who did it all. Mine is only to inspire and to lead them. When history is written I will give them all the credit. Their satisfaction is mine to share."
The Fall of Bataan
The beleaguered defenders of Bataan were simply in no condition or position to effectively withstand the enemy's last-ditch effort to defeat them after nearly four months of fighting the Japanese, the weather, hunger, and disease, and with their fates already decided by the Allied leaders' decision to defeat Hitler's Germany first. Good Friday, April 3, 1942, marked the start of the last Japanese onslaught for Bataan. The region that General Lim's 41st Division covered, the core of the main line of resistance, was the target of the main offensive. An severe and prolonged artillery and aerial bombardment preceded the attack. The Division's capacity to defend the line was successfully exhausted by the bombardment's ferocity and the deployment of incendiaries. General Lim concluded the battle was over by April 7, 1942. On April 9, 1942, all American and Filipino forces on Bataan were ordered to surrender. One of Lim's final official actions was to commend his division, saying, "Your courageous and tenacious defense of your line for the last five days against tremendous odds and continuous bombing and shelling by the enemy merits my highest praise and commendation. I am proud to lead such a group of men." Bataan was down.
The Bataan Death March and Imprisonment at Camp O'Donnell
Following Bataan's capitulation, the Japanese Command expected to take about 25,000 prisoners of war (POWs), but they discovered that they lacked the logistics necessary to move the 12,000 Americans and almost 65,000 Filipinos who had surrendered. Not understanding that the defenders who had resisted them so resolutely for almost three months had only been getting by on half rations or less, the Japanese had also expected that the surrendering soldiers would have their own rations. The outcome was nothing short of catastrophic. A 65-mile (105-kilometer) forced march from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, was required of the Filipino and American prisoners, who were already tired, ill, and malnourished. Along the way, thousands perished. However, this "march of death" was not solely caused by fatigue and malnutrition. Their Japanese captors, who had all received training in Bushido, the Samurai martial code from the Middle Ages, taught the prisoners that being taken prisoner was far worse than dying, and tortured them to unspeakable brutalities. As a result, all inmates were viewed as inferior and deserving of no respect. Stragglers were shot, bayoneted, or beaten. The same thing happened to those who tried to flee or stopped to collect water. Many others who were too ill to march were buried alive. They were also beaten or killed, including the brave Filipino civilians who were found giving food or drink to the passing columns.
After making it through the march to San Fernando, those who survived were herded like livestock and crammed onto boxcars, where thousands more perished from suffocation due to the close quarters. There was just no space for the dead to fall, according to many stories, therefore they were kept standing. The prisoners had to march the final eight miles to Camp O'Donnell after the trains brought them to Capas, Tarlac. The iconic "Bataan Death March" would later be the name given to this entire catastrophe. According to some estimates, the march claimed the lives of up to 20,000 soldiers. One of the survivors was General Lim.
The nine-day Death March survivors were unaware that their ordeal was far from ended. Camp O'Donnell, a former Philippine Army camp, was built to house just 10,000 men. Thousands more died as a result of packing the camp with five times that number. The mortality toll was influenced by a number of factors, including inadequate food and water supplies, a lack of medical facilities, poor hygiene, and the Japanese guards' ongoing brutality.
Guerrilla Warfare and Underground Resistance
Many surviving American prisoners of war were put on "hell ships" to perform forced hard labor in places like Japan, Manchuria, Korea, and Taiwan until the end of the war, as if the agony of the Bataan Death March and the appalling conditions at Camp O'Donnell weren't enough. Those that were too frail were imprisoned in different prisoner-of-war camps located around the Philippines. The Filipino prisoners of war who survived O'Donnell were lucky because the Japanese eventually granted them parole and released them. Everyone was forced to sign a pledge promising not to participate in any opposition activities. Many, however, joined the underground and other guerrilla groups and continued to fight the Japanese.
After being freed, General Lim moved to Manila to reside with the Clemente Hidalgos, his brother-in-law's family. President José P. Laurel was in charge of the puppet administration that the Japanese had put in place by this point. To lead the puppet Philippine Constabulary, Lim was given feelers. He got himself imprisoned at the Philippine General Hospital's Institute of Cancer building because he was adamant about having nothing to do with the Japanese-run government. Lim was declared "sick" with the help of his physicians, which provided him with a convenient justification to decline the appointments that were extended to him. He reportedly told a furious level officer from the Philippines that he would rather die at the hands of the Japanese than be shot by an assassin.
Lim made the most of his stay at the PGH to recover. He received food and other assistance from friends, so he was reasonably well-off. Lim used the money from the sale of his Mangco Dry Dock stock to support himself while he was in the hospital. Using these same finances, he persisted in fighting the Japanese, personally funding a number of guerrilla operations throughout the provinces. Lim oversaw all of these operations from the PGH and required his operatives to submit weekly reports on the disposition, movements, and military installations of Japanese troops. The success of American and Filipino military efforts to free the Philippines in the latter part of 1944 to 1945 was significantly aided by this information, as well as that supplied by numerous other courageous Filipino insurgents.
General Lim's involvement in the underground and guerrilla operations inevitably made him a target of the Japanese Military Police.
Capture and Death
In order to assist General MacArthur in organizing the re-capture of the Philippines, General Lim was directed to travel to Australia in June 1944. Additionally, he was informed that Kempeitai may take him up at any moment. It was decided to attempt to flee the Philippines. The boat General Lim and his friends were traveling in was flagged down off the coast of Batangas as they were en route to Negros Island to meet a submarine that would transport them to Australia. When two firearms were discovered in the boat's hold, the Japanese searched it and took Lim and his friends into custody. Before being returned to Manila, they were held as captives and initially investigated at Calapan, Mindoro.
For the length of the inquiry and questioning, Lim and his friends were detained in Fort Santiago. Lim was allegedly tortured there. General Lim developed a skin issue as a result of the unclean conditions in which prisoners were housed. In spite of this, several inmates have told anecdotes about how General Lim lifted their spirits and urged them to hold onto hope.
Lim was ultimately given the death penalty as a result of the findings of the Fort Santiago investigation. He was moved to the former Bilibid Prison and then to the Kempeitai headquarters at Far Eastern University. After being transferred to Bilibid, he was never heard from again. In 1944, General Lim was declared "missing" in the records.
Richard Sakakida, who had actually seen General Lim die, was not contacted by the Lim family until 1994, a full 50 years later. Sakakida, a Nisei, was a United States Army intelligence agent stationed in the Philippines at the onset of World War II. He told the family that General Lim, together with some 50 or so rebels, were carried to the Chinese Cemetery where a large trench had been built. They were all forced to kneel before being decapitated. After that, their remains were covered and dumped into the ditch.
The body of General Lim was never located.
Memorials, Homages, Honors, and Legacy
Legacy
The extraordinary military career of Brigadier General Vicente Lim included two World Wars and nearly 35 years of service. As the first Filipino to graduate from West Point (and other general staff schools), a founding member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and a pivotal player in the development of a fledgling country's military, he was a trailblazer throughout his career. He proceeded to "inspire and to lead" during the guerilla fight and the valiant stand at Bataan. He is now regarded as the epitome of a professional soldier, upholding "Duty, Honor, and Country" to the end and never compromising his morals.
Medals for Exceptional Military Service and Valor
After his death, the US Army awarded Lim the Legion of Merit for his "exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements" and for his many years of distinguished military service. The Purple Heart, which is given for "being wounded or killed in any action against an enemy of the United States or as a result of an act of any such enemy or opposing armed forces," was granted to Lim by the United States after his death.
The Philippine government gave General Lim the Distinguished Conduct Star and the Distinguished Service Star, the country's second and third highest military honors, in appreciation of his valor and gallantry during the Battle of Bataan. He was also given a posthumous honorary rank of Lieutenant General.
Memorials and Monuments
Along with José Abad Santos and Josefa Llanes Escoda, General Lim's image is included on the Philippine 1,000 Peso bill in honor of his contributions to the Filipino people. Additionally, Lim can be found on postage stamps (worth ₱3.20) that were introduced on August 22, 1982. To honor the esteemed commanding general of the 41st Infantry Division, the previous Camp Paciano Rizal in Calamba, Laguna was renamed Camp General Vicente P. Lim in September 1951. Before World War II broke out in the Philippines, the 41st Field Artillery Regiment of the 41st Division was mobilized at the Camp's location. The Philippine National Police Academy and the PNP's INP Training Command headquarters were formerly located in the Camp. The headquarters of Police Regional Office 4A (PRO 4A) CALABARZON, which is currently located in Camp Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim, is responsible for the five provinces of Region IV A: Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.
"We are born to live a life which is valuable only if we live it unselfishly, not for our own gratification, nor for that of our family - but for our country." According to Vicente Lim on his speech to the University of the Philippines ROTC graduates, dated March 20, 1941, "There is nothing more beautiful than to live and die for the defense of one's country against a common enemy. There is nothing meaner and more vile than to yield to that enemy without fighting to the last ditch." There is a statue of Lim on Roxas Boulevard across from the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
In the town center of Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, there are six busts of different Philippine national heroes, including one of Brigadier General Vicente P. Lim.
In the General's honor, the Philippine Military Academy's headquarters building is called Lim Hall.
Lim is the namesake of several Philippine schools, including the General Vicente Lim Elementary School in Tondo, Manila.
Barangay General Lim is the new name for the former Barangay Kaput/Capot in Orion, Bataan. This location was part of the Battle of Trail 2, one of the more significant engagements of the Battle of Bataan.
General Vicente Lim is the namesake of numerous streets in the Philippines.
Customs and yearly events honoring General Vicente Lim
General Lim's birthday is February 24.
General Vicente Lim's birth anniversary is celebrated with a variety of ceremonies. Ceremonies are held in the ancestral lot where General Lim was raised in Calamba (hosted and organized by the Masonic Lodge of Calamba - Dr. Jose P. Rizal Lodge No. 270), in front of General Lim's statue along Roxas Boulevard (hosted by the City of Manila), and at Camp Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim (hosted by the PNP-PRO4).
Distribution of Rank Insignias at the Philippine Military Academy
The stars on a general's shoulder boards or helmet make it easy to identify them from officers of lower rank. In contrast, a bar is the rank insignia of a Lieutenant in the United States Army. Upon graduating from West Point, General Lim allegedly told his wife Pilar that he found greater value and memorability in earning his lieutenant's bar than in earning his first general star. This straightforward admission served as the foundation for a rich custom that has persisted for almost 50 years.
Other Personal Details
General Lim was characterized as "rough and cheerful" and "had a sense of humor" by his fellow West Point classmates. In addition, they said that although Lim had a "reputation... of being rough and outspoken," he "had human weakness" and "had a kind heart under this rough exterior, and was very considerate of others in the smallest details." He also fully absorbed the spirit of West Point and was always proud that he was a graduate. When General Lim heard that his wife would be delivering a message by radio in Bataan, he "ran to our radio tent and tears welled from his eyes as he heard his wife's voice and a message from his daughter."
A close friend of Lim's, Colonel Isagani V "(General Lim's) most cherished thoughts were centered in the welfare of the war veterans and their widows. He had planned for the establishment of memorial homes or hospitals for the veterans and their widows and had pledged to devote the remaining years of his life to this cause."
Lim was a "born gambler" who loved playing mahjong and was an excellent bridge player.
According to his correspondence, Lim engaged in a variety of mining and oil endeavors as well as stock market trading to supplement his income.
It was well known that Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim was a Mason.
Vicente H. Lim, Jr. (1923–2012), his son, subsequently received his West Point diploma in June 1944, which coincided with his father's capture.
Notable Quotes
Concerning his fellow soldiers
I truly give my officers and enlisted men the credit for all of this discourse. All of it was done by them. My role is limited to motivating and guiding them. I'll give them full credit when history is written. I can share in their satisfaction.
— On February 20, 1942, Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim wrote to his wife from the front lines of Bataan.
Serving and defending one's nation
I believe that the satisfaction of a well-executed service is greater than any financial reward. You may refer to this as the gratification you receive for serving your own people and nation. The most crucial thing, though, is to leave a legacy that my descendants can be proud of.
— In a 1938 letter to one of his sons, Brigadier General Vicente Lim
I firmly believe that the desire of the populace to defend the nation will be 90% more important to the effectiveness of national defense than the weapons or the training of our physically fit warriors.
— In a 1940 letter to his sons, Brigadier General Vicente Lim
There are numerous services you can provide to your nation. I want you to understand that death should be nothing if it is required to fulfill your goal of preserving your own and your nation's dignity.
— In a 1941 letter to his sons, Brigadier General Vicente Lim
We were created to live a life that is only worthwhile if we live it selflessly, not for our own or our families' sakes but rather for the benefit of our nation. Men should be afraid of failure and dishonor rather than death. Living and dying to protect one's nation from a shared foe is the most beautiful thing in the world. Giving down to that enemy without a last-ditch battle is the cruelest and most heinous thing you can do.
- Brigadier General Vicente Lim on a March 1941 commencement speech to the University of the Philippines' ROTC graduates.
On beliefs, convictions, and decency
If you follow the straight route in life, which is honesty and integrity, you will succeed even if you do not get wealthy. You will also be happier and more satisfied.
- A letter written by Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim to one of his sons in 1939
Without grinding their teeth and choosing the riskiest route to achieve a goal, no great man will ever be successful in life.
- In 1939, Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim wrote to Roberto, one of his sons.-
Take it on the chin if you're wrong. Throughout your life, those things will occur frequently. Eat it. Possess the moral fortitude to get the most out of it.
Vicente P. Lim, Brig. Gen., wrote to his sons in 1939.
Be mindful of your words, and if you do say something, follow through on it.
The 1940 letter from Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim to his sons
In order to have a successful life, dignity is crucial. If your dignity can be preserved or restored, give your life. All Filipinos should adopt that mindset.
The 1941 letter from Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim to his sons
On the value of preparation
The mother of invention is need. The father of preparation is danger.
- The 1941 letter from Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim to his sons
A poor plan is better than a fantastic, ill-prepared plan that is executed haphazardly, so I hope you will keep in mind that no matter how tiny your goal is, you should plan it out in advance, think it through, and set aside a specific amount of time to prepare your plans.
The 1941 letter from Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim to his sons
On patriotism, democracy and nation building
The principal defect of our national defense is not the training nor the lack of finances, but the great and dangerous defect of democracy which has been implanted into the minds of the Filipino people. We have a nationally wrong conception of democracy. Our democracy in the Philippines is unilateral. It is only for the benefit, for the freedom, for the rights, comfort and happiness of each individual member of the nation. That is the common belief, and I venture to say that 99.9% of our people believe in that kind of democracy. They do not know their obligations, their duties and the sacrifices that they should give to the state which is the relative counterpart of the amount of personal democracy he should indulge. The two ought to be equal.
— Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1940
We must demonstrate to other countries that we are making every effort to create a nation that is not just powerful militarily but also unbeatable morally if we hope to earn their respect. The essential qualities of any nation that deserves to endure are an unwavering determination to defend "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" at all costs and an unrelenting resolve to battle.
— Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim, in a commencement address to the ROTC graduates of the University of the Philippines, March 1941
Since patriotism is a moral trait that everyone should possess, a civilian working to further national security is every bit as much of a soldier as a guy in uniform, if not more so.
— Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim, in a commencement address to the ROTC graduates of the University of the Philippines, March 1941
Others
But you must maintain your sense of humor, which is another important component of your success. Your sense of humor is the antidote to the disasters you will occasionally encounter, no matter how minor or major. It will be the start of your demise if you fail because you take things too seriously and lack a sense of fun.
— Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1939
The old Filipino system is my biggest concern with this Army. For a guy of integrity, that is actually the reason I am unhappy. Every time I witness an officer or reserve being given greater privileges than his brother officer because to his personal or political influence, I am angry. I just can't get over how annoying that is.
— Brig. Gen. Vicente P. Lim, in a letter to his sons, 1940
In Film
Maximiano Romualdez Janairo, Jr. (USMA class of 1954) plays Vicente P. Lim in the John Ford film The Long Gray Line, released in 1955. The fact that he is shown graduating with the United States Military Academy Class of 1915 (rather than 1914) is referred to as "the class the stars fell on" in that scene, possibly as a reference to the notable cadets of the era who went on to have exceptional military careers and were made famous by their valiant service and wartime exploits.
Source:
American War Memorials Overseas Inc. -https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=30931
The Kahimyang Project -https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/955/today-in-philippine-history-february-24-1888-general-vicente-lim-was-born-in-calamba-laguna
Sagasphere Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/61555798857708/posts/the-untold-story-of-vicente-limin-the-history-of-the-philippines-there-are-heroe/122253600908193295/
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