Macario Peralta, Hero of the Phillippines

Macario "Mac" Peralta, Hero of the Philippines

Meet my grand uncle, Lieutennant Colonel Macario Peralta, known affectionately as "the other Mac". This man played a decisive role both for the US and the Philippines in the Pacific World War II. He was the key organizer of the USAFFE (US Armed Forces of the Far East) rebel resistance under General MacArthur, whom prepared the way to land American forces in the Phillippines.

The Phillippines was cruicial to the eventual defeat of Japan. The Japanese realized this, and had constructed a bold master plan to lure the American fleets into a trap near the Sibuyan Sea. This became the famous Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest Naval Air engagement in history (more than a big family argument). (Note: George Lucas drew much inspiration for his Star Wars Death Star Battle sequence from historic footage of the Battle of Leyte Gulf).
(film in pre-production).
This plan nearly succeeded in destroying the Americans off the coasts of Leyte. What ultimately foiled them was the presence of a well-developed, competent rebel force on the Visayan islands, particularly the one established on Panay by Lt. Colonel Macario Peralta. Without the efforts of these rebels, the US Pacific Fleet would have almost certainly been surprised, and would have suffered another disaster of Pearl Harbor proportions. Army Photo of Phillippine-American officers.

The problem was that every time the USAFFE would make a move or broadcast an encrypted intelligence signal, Filipno civilians would be summarily massacred by Japanese Occupational forces. Stories such as the bayonetting of pregnant women and bleeding to death of teenagers were rampant. A balance between his "lay low" policy, requiring heroic disciplining of entire populations and secret submarine rendevouz's, and finding ways to get the "stolen plans" to MacArthur's forces, without jeopardizing more civilians, is the untold story only briefly covered here.

Japanese battleships and carrier escorts were travelling stealthily down the Suriago and San Bernadino strait, seeking to intercept the flotilla of American Landing Forces approaching Leyte. Leyte is an area in the southern-most parts of the Visayan islands. Leyte was the optimal choice for the Americans for the following reasons. The rebellion was strongest in the mountainous Visayas. This is in contrast to the northern Luzon mainland, where Manila and Corregidor is, which was relatively flat and open, with enemy air bases, where the Japanese occupants were strongest. The Visayan islands were thus the most difficult to defend from a Japanese perspective.

Rebel forces there had already cleared way for several spots of unopposed landings. The only opposition then could come from the Japanese fleet, whose location was not readily discernible given the technology of the time. However, such a fleet would be forced to navigate through the hazardous Suriago straits, where it would be more vulnerable to spotting by the rebel-controlled Visayas and fishermen. Upon post-analyses, no better spot could have been chosen than Leyte. General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz thus planned their major landings there.

The largest, most formidable battleship of the Pacific, the Japanese 'Yamato' got within 40 miles of the American fleet when Peralta's scouts spotted it (see the sinking of the Mushashi, the Battle of Leyte Gulf). Without adequate warning, this ship would have likely come within 25-mile firing range of MacArthur's landing force of 100,000 soldiers. One hour more, and the American flotilla would likely have been dead ducks headed for murky bottom.

Importantly, the scouts would have had no way to relay this information to Peralta, then to Pacific Command had there not been an underground "government" support system established in the Phillippines. This was won at a great cost in human lives beforehand. Civilians--men, pregnant women and children--were regularly bayonetted in retaliation each time the rebel forces made a move. (See Army Photo, remains of Filipino victims of Japanese atrocities). This required a "strong man" with a macro-organizational mind, supplied fortunately by this young Colonel Peralta.

Any radio transcription without encryption would have given the location away of Phillippine-American rebels hidden in the Visayan hills. An ambitious "lay low" policy applied uniformly throughout the islands, allowed the application of surgical strikes and supplies confiscation against a superior occupying force. This allowed the establishment of vital radio encryption equipment and power sources, to enable MacArthur to gain a strategic picture of the Phillippine isles. Such is the story behind this single transmission which in all likelihood, saved the American Pacific fleet.

Almost immediately, US Air Bases and carriers sent out aircraft to intercept the Japanese task force. Admiral Bull Halsey, who had been baited to the NorthEast by Admiral Kurita's decoy fleet, had left MacArthur's entire landing force without air cover. This timely warning allowed him to come about and immediately launch airplanes, almost at maximum fuel range, to intercept the main Japanese force to the south. What then ensued was the largest Naval battle in history, Leyte Gulf, around which the final outcome of the entire Pacific War revolved. The battle involved some 282 ships and hundreds of aircraft. In a twist of Fate and fortunate timing, Halsey's aviators crippled the Yamato and turned back the main Japanese fleet, preventing it from sinking the US Naval Task Force with MacArthur on board. Direct credit for the cruicial warning broadcasts goes to Macario Peralta and his rebel forces on Panay island.

Significantly, Mac Peralta provided MacArthur with the information and strategic picture to return to the Philippines. While the Japanese were conducting their "Death March" on Bataan, and while Major General Wainwright (see Army photo, Wainwright on left, with MacArthur) ordered a general surrender of all Filipino-American troops after his defeat at Corregidor, Col. Peralta disobeyed that order, citing the overriding authority of MacArthur, and organized a military resistance and underground civilian government from the hills. A Lawyer by training this colorful 28-year old officer of the USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East) weaved together a highly competent infrastructure, using secret government officials (puppet governors for the Japanese Occupation) to finance and help the rebels. He introduced strict military hierarchy, Chain of Command, and an Army signals corps able to transmit encrypted messages across the Pacific to MacArthur's base in Australia.

There were, however, mortal power struggles questioning who will preside over this chain of command. Other Colonels were claiming to be Generals, and one civilian governor Confessor had leveled increasingly alarming accusations against Col. Peralta. There was much bickering amongst officers of the rebellion, some of it at gunpoint, and a few resulting in Army executions. Another American Officer from the North, Lt. Col. Wendell W. Fertig also claimed leadership, proclaiming himself a General. MacArthur shouldered this man aside, addressing Fertig as "Lt. Colonel", and Peralta as "Colonel".

It is interesting to note that US Army accounts unjustly give little significance to Peralta and his forces, as seen in the highly inaccurate Chapter 4 on Special Operations in the Pacific. A generally negative bais towards Filipino-Americans is reflected in this and many other US-authored history books, similar to the way these demeaning photos of "Filipino Guerillas" do not convey the real story. The photos show Americans as the larger-than-life "benevolent leaders", and fail to favorably portray the real leaders and creative forces of the rebellion, like the native Col. Peralta. In a famous telegram to my uncle, MacArthur set the record straight in the famous "Mac to Mac" radiogram pictured at right, "FOR PERALTA, YOUR ACTION IN REORGANIZING THE PHILIPPINE ARMY UNITS IS DESERVING OF THE HIGHEST COMMENDATION AND HAS AROUSED HIGH ENTHUSIASM AMONG ALL OF US HERE. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO EXERCISE THE COMMAND...."

The two Macs never met until after the Leyte landing over 2 years later. MacArthur heard about Peralta through confirmed intelligence reports, and my uncle's own encrypted attempts at overseas contact. One of the sources of confirmation was Captain Jesus A. Villamor (for which the famed Villamor Air Base in Manila is named). Villamor was a Filipino ace who had somehow managed to shoot down several Japanese aircraft in hostile territory by himself, in an inferior P-26, against superior numbers. Much verification and re-verification had to be performed before the two could be sure they were authentically talking to each other. The story includes arranging Top Secret rendezvous points with American submarines, to insert (and retrieve) American agents with the proper encryption keys, supplies, ammo, etc. The USS Narwhal (photo), famous sub, was used often.

In one instance, a Japanese outpost had spotted the submarine unloading in plain sight, but couldn't do a thing. Peralta's special forces had pinned them down, denying radio & wire communications and reinforcements.

My Auntie Nati, wife of General Peralta. The dress she is wearing is traditional Philippine, borrowing much elements from Spain, with special fabrics made for the humid heat of the Philippines.

Col. Peralta receiving the US Army's Distinguished Service Cross. Lieutenant General Eichelberger is congratulating, Major General Ralph Brush, 40th Infantry Division Commander (in combat uniform) looking on. In the US, this medal is second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor. One of his nicknames was the "Chocolate Colonel", from being browned by the sun year-round.

My Aunt on horseback, her toddler son to her left. Being the known wife of the "Scourge of Japan" Mac Peralta, she was a hunted woman. Weak Filipino townsfolk would snitch her whereabouts to the Japanese officers, who would barge on the front door while she snuck out carrying her son through the back. On one instance, a Japanese Zero Airplane found her on horseback, and strafed her below. Bullets all around her, she zigzagged into a field, where she fell off and nearly broke her back, but she lost the pilot.

Macario Peralta at age 32, Brigadier General, then later Secretary of Defense of the Philippines