PHOTO: US Army Moving in to Liberate Santo Tomas, Batangas March 1945

Beginning March 1945, the United States Army commenced an operation to liberate the province of Batangas from Japanese control, this after the Philippine capital of Manila had been secured. US Army strategic planners thought out a two-pronged or “pincer” movement to envelop the province.

One arm of the pincer moved out from Nasugbu into Balayan, Calaca, Lemery, Bauan, Batangas, Cuenca and other towns along the way. The other swept into Tagaytay, down into Talisay, Tanauan and Santo Tomas. The pincer was planned to close at the then-town of Lipa.

Image credit: United States National Archives. US troops moving into Santo Tomas, Batangas March 1945.

In the picture above, US Army troops are shown moving by foot along the road to attack and liberate the town of Santo Tomas in Batangas. The picture has been taken from the United States National Archives, where it has been captioned as:

“Troops and vehicles of the 7^th and 8^th Cavalry Regiment, 1^st Cavalry Division, move along highway #1 in Batangas Province south of Manila, P.I. to attack and liberate the town of Santo Tomas, Laguna [erroneous] Province. 3/4/45”

The photo has been reduced from the original to 2000 x 1488 pixels in consideration of readers who have slower Internet connections. It has also been processed using graphics editing software to improve overall quality.

To read more about the liberation of Batangas, please read:

“How Batangas was Liberated by Allied Forces from the Japanese in 1945”

Notes and references:
Image taken from the United States National Archives.