Battlefield Dug Fixed bail Helmet: The Philippines

[JFP54]

This dug swivel-bail helmet looks great on my desk. It's color and dug condition reminds me of those ancient Greek helmets (minus the snakes and palmette) on display in museums.

 

I acquired it from a guy who made frequent business trips to Asia in the 1990s. In his spare time he would tour battlefields in Burma and in the Philippines - something I wished I could have done.

 

In a letter, he told me how he found it. I have not included his name at his request, but he was a former Navy Operations Specialist 1975-79 and has an interest in militaria.

 

The Philippines: February 1993

 

I have visited several battle sites over the years but this one in the Philippines was extraordinary. I hired a guide for my visit who eventually told me about a battle site that had just been uncovered. He said that crews clearing the jungle from an old road that had not been in use for thirty years or more had accidentally stumbled upon the remains of several Japanese soldiers close to their worksite and in nearby caves.

 

The Philippine government at the time had an agreement with Japan to return any soldiers’ remains. The impression I got from my guide was that significant amounts of money would be exchanged (under the table) for the remains.

 

My guide agreed to take me to the site, following what seemed to me to be the longest and most convoluted route possible. Our car hit every bump in the road heading out of Magalang City towards Mount Arat. Once the driver felt I was disoriented enough to never find the location on my own, we stopped and exited the car at an Aeta mountain village.

 

The Aeta are indigenous people in northern Luzon and still live primitive lives in the mountains. Their appearance and stature is very similar to the natives of New Guinea. A very friendly people but extremely fierce to their enemies. I was allowed to have a look around their village once my guide convinced them (with Pesos) that I was not their enemy. Right away I noticed that they were using Japanese helmets as cooking pots and used brooms with spent mortar shell casings as handles.

 

Two of the Aeta men came along as “guards” to be sure we were safe but in was perhaps more likely that were there to be sure we did not take anything from the site. The Jeep engine strained as we drove up the steep, rough road to the top of the grade where the road abruptly leveled off. We were now in a narrow gap with cliffs on either side. I could see caves and thought to myself that this was a perfect spot to ambush vehicles coming up the road.

 

I jumped out to check out the caves. There were obvious signs of battle; lots of bullet holes, shell fragments, and even an unexploded bazooka shell stuck into the side of the cliff near one of the cave openings. I wanted to go inside but was told that the cave had not yet been cleared of snakes. From there I started hiking.

 

The jungle was dense and the air was cool, it being February at 2000 feet above sea level. However, it would have been a miserable place to be during the monsoon season which would have made the road nearly impossible to drive on. After an hour or so we came to a clearing where there was a stream and more cliffs. The Aeta guide pointed out several caves high up on the face of the cliff. From his account there were still many bodies in those caves; some with self-inflicted wounds to the head.

I walked down to the stream and it was quite a beautiful spot. It was hard to imagine that a desperate battle had been fought there. Japanese soldiers retreated into the mountainous north of Manila in early 1945, and most never came out alive. They were hunted by local tribes, Philippine guerrillas, and by U.S. troops. None of whom were in the mood to show mercy.

 

Continuing up the river with my guide, we came across the M1 helmet half buried in the sand. It looked like an oddly colored rock that made a hollow sound when I tapped it with my hand. I pulled the helmet out of the ground without much effort. It had a large dent, possibly from a rifle butt or flying piece of debris. Further digging around the helmet revealed a belt buckle, shirt buttons and several shell casings. Perhaps a soldier met his fate that day on this spot. Because it was a U.S. helmet and I was a U.S. citizen and a veteran, the Aeta guide let me take it from the site (after paying a bribe of 1000 pesos).

 

A year later I returned to the Philippines and went back to see my guide. He was eager to show me what they had removed; antiaircraft guns, machine guns salvaged from downed Japanese planes, helmets and bayonets. Additionally, two Japanese tanks had been removed from the area but had been cut up and turned in for scrap by the locals. I was told that most of the artifacts were going back to Japan along with the remains of Japanese soldiers.

 

 

[USMarineCorps]

Love the story and helmet. Great acquisition to your collection!

[DogTCollect]

Nice helmet wish i was that guy on the moment.

[TheMariner]

Wow that story takes that helmet to a whole new level! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us! Cool piece of history for sure!

[Ronny67]

Wow that is really cool. 1000 PH Pesos equel around $20 USD in today's market, so your buddy did very good.

 

There is something about battlefields that makes your skin tingle. The description of the battlefield is incredible.

 

Does not surprise me that the folks who live in poverty there use the debris of war to put food on the table...

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

I'd make lots of friends, and offer to replace their helmet pots with real cooking pots.

[patches]

Helmet may have been worn by a Soldier of the 37th Inf Div.

 

The Buckeyes fought in the Magalang area.

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=BSrFX51AGPMC&pg=PA180&lpg=PA180&dq=us+army+ww2+magalang&source=bl&ots=jeGZkgWi3e&sig=pfTJcgO-SyNZDwh7AKYL5RwqvKk&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGzLe8_JfPAhWH0YMKHb5zCH4Q6AEIKzAF#v=onepage&q=us%20army%20ww2%20magalang&f=false

[mikie]

Great helmet and story. But two Japanese tanks cut up for scrap? Oh NO!!!

Mikie