The 164th Regiment Series Boxset

by Chris Glatte

  Felipe shook his head. “No. That was a delaying force.” He pointed into the jungle. “They’re somewhere up ahead. We plan on pushing forward first thing in the morning. The news that Major Cruz is alive will energize the men. We were all worried.”

  Sam slept better having the safety of his comrades around him. He woke early and stoked the small cooking fire. They ate K-rats the GIs had given them. They weren’t as good as the mashed potatoes in the mess hall, but the K-rats tasted good. He didn’t understand why the GIs complained about them so bitterly. To him, opening a bag filled with delicious food you barely had to prepare, was magical.

  Without orders, the camp was struck and the men formed up. The Japanese had left an obvious path up the mountain. Sam wondered if his brother, Berto was leading them, and if so where he was leading them. As far as he knew, this was new territory. They’d never explored this raw jungle with their father. If he was leading them, he thought he must be leading them blind.

  They moved carefully. The Japanese knew they were being followed and could easily spring another ambush. Felipe sent three point men, two to the flanks and one up front. They moved slowly, but steadily. Mid-morning the skies opened up and a deluge of rain turned the ground to liquid mud.

  They were used to the torrential downpours but most lived in Cebu City and could find cover beneath their roofs. Being out in the elements was new to some of them. They were forced to stop. They hunkered beneath what little cover the overhanging trees could provide. Sam shivered and tried to keep his carbine dry by stuffing it under his shirt, but it was a useless gesture.

  The rain finally stopped, but the ground was a soupy mess. They moved out and their progress was slow. Sam was concentrating on the next muddy step when he noticed the man in front stop and kneel. Sam pulled his carbine off his shoulder and kneeled. He searched the surrounding jungle, but only saw dripping wet leaves. The rain made the plants seem to glow vibrant green.

  The point man made his way back, slipping and sliding down the slope. He went to Felipe and reported. Felipe relayed the message. Keeping his voice low, “There’s a plateau ahead. Could be Japs.” He looked at the point man. “Move up and have a look.” The swarthy Filipino nodded and moved back the way he’d come. Felipe used a hand signal, and the men spread out.

  Sam stayed crouched and moved off to the right. He found a thick tree and hunkered behind it, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. The only sounds were the dripping of rainwater off leaves and the constant hum of jungle insects. He strained to hear the point-man moving forward but couldn’t.

  Twenty minutes passed before the point-man finally returned. He conferred for a long time with Felipe, gesturing and pointing uphill. Sam guessed he’d found the Japanese. He took a deep breath as he realized they’d probably be in combat soon. He gripped the carbine and checked and rechecked the safety. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat and he felt a wave of nausea overcome him suddenly. He swallowed and closed his eyes. Get a hold of yourself.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw Felipe gesturing. A hand signal to move up slowly. More hand signals followed, but Sam had no idea what they meant. Panic rose in his throat. What does he want me to do? The nearest man was nine meters to his right. He was watching Felipe intently. He nodded, understanding the hand signals. I’ll just follow him, Sam thought.

  The soldier stood and moved forward cautiously. Sam moved from the cover of his tree and matched the soldier’s footsteps. He felt better, finally moving. His body was tense and aching. Movement helped.

  Sam found himself moving closer to the other soldier, trying to keep him in sight. He was only five meters from him when the soldier looked back and waved him off.

  Sam nodded and moved off to the right. He let the soldier put distance between them. He’d keep an eye on him from the back. The ground was slick and he had to think about each step. The mud made squelching sounds whenever he lifted his foot. The muck seemed to be trying to keep him in place. He felt like he was walking in chewing gum.

  The soldier stopped after thirty meters. He carefully went into a crouch, then onto his belly. Sam thought they must be close. He looked up the hill and nearly yelled out when he saw the dim silhouette of a Japanese soldier’s helmet. It was camouflaged with shrubs and grasses. The only reason he saw it at all was the movement of his head. He was only fifteen meters away, sitting behind the ugly muzzle of a machine gun. Sam realized it looked like the same kind he’d seen in Cebu City on that first night.

  Sam moved at a snail’s pace into a prone position. He could feel himself sinking into the wet, muddy ground. He was thankful to be getting lower. Mother earth will protect me.

  He could see the Filipino to his front putting his rifle to his shoulder. He was aiming away from the machine gunner. Sam noted the approximate location and brought his own weapon to his shoulder. He centered the sights on the helmet of the Japanese soldier and waited for some kind of signal.

  His heart was beating so fast, he thought it would explode from his chest. Calm down, calm down. He put his finger on the trigger, just enough to feel the cool metal. He didn’t want to shoot first and give away their position. He had no idea what the plan was but knew Felipe wouldn’t want him to shoot until someone else did.

  A full two minutes passed. He used the time to concentrate on his breathing. The helmet moved slightly as the Japanese soldier shifted. He saw a brown hand push the lip of the helmet back an inch. Now he could see the soldier’s eyes. It seemed he was staring right at him. Does he see me? Sam imagined the machine gun barrel suddenly swinging and aiming straight at his forehead. He’d have to shoot then. He concentrated on the barrel. If it moved his way he’d depress the trigger no matter the consequences.

  Sam flinched when he heard yelling from the right and left flanks, followed quickly with explosions and gunshots. His eyes fell off his sights for an instant and when he found them again the helmet he’d been aiming at was gone. His breath caught in his throat as he saw the machine gun barrel swinging to engage the flanks. He couldn’t see the Japanese soldier anymore, but he had a good idea where his head would be.

  He steadied his aim and pulled the trigger in quick succession. The carbine kicked lightly against his shoulder, it felt good. The barrel of the machine gun stopped and cocked upward. Sam stopped firing and looked over the top of the rifle, searching for his target, but he couldn’t see if he’d hit anything.

  He got to his knees for a better view. He still couldn’t see the soldier but he could see others. A Japanese was behind the machine gun nest running with his head down. He weaved as he ran. Sam lined him up as best he could and fired, but the soldier didn’t go down. The soldier saw him and dove headfirst into the machine gun nest. Sam sent more bullets his direction, but he doubted he hit anything.

  The barrel of the machine gun suddenly came alive and swung toward him. His nightmare was coming true. He pulled the rifle tight to his shoulder, he’d only get one chance. He pulled the trigger. After the first shot, the pin thunked onto an empty chamber. Sam frantically pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Out of ammo! The muzzle lined up on him and he could see the slanted eyes staring over the barrel, burning holes right through his soul.

  Sam dropped and rolled to his left just as the machine gun opened up. He pushed himself backwards as the crack of bullets whizzed by and slammed into the spot he’d just left. The muddy ground erupted and sprayed him with chunky bits of wet slime. He covered his head and shoved his face into the mud, tasting it on his tongue. He was screaming.

  The machine gun suddenly stopped, but Sam kept screaming. He heard yelling from the right and the Filipino soldier he’d followed got to his knees and hurled a grenade toward the machine gun nest. He ducked back down and waited for the explosion. There was firing all around him, but he heard the dull thump of the nearby grenade. He got control of himself and looked toward the Filipino who was getting to his feet with his Thompson at his shoulder. He fired toward the gun, and Sam could see the
dim flames erupting from the muzzle. He watched the spent shell casings flying out in an uninterrupted line.

  Sam shook his head and felt for his weapon, but it wasn’t there. He panicked for an instant looking all around. He saw it half covered in mud a few feet to his right. In his haste, he’d dropped his prize possession. Embarrassment and shame filled him. He gritted his teeth and lunged for the carbine. He rolled to the right and went up onto one knee. He aimed and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He cursed his stupidity and went onto his back and dug into his pocket for another magazine. He quickly ejected the old and inserted the new. Mud dripped off the stock, but he put it to his shoulder and aimed up the hill. He couldn’t see any targets but everyone around him was firing, so he joined in.

  The Filipino with the Thompson dropped to his knees and pulled out his spent magazine. He caught Sam’s attention and gave him a wide smile. Sam smiled back, hoping his blunder hadn’t been noticed.

  Suddenly the soldier’s head snapped back and a red mist of blood sprayed the broad leaves behind him. The smile never faded as he dropped onto the forest floor, the back of his head missing. Sam shook his head trying to process what he’d just seen. Everything went into slow motion. The sounds quieted and all Sam could hear was the rushing of blood in his head. A sudden rage filled him and he gritted his teeth and screamed. The high-pitched sound was like a hyena laugh and all who heard it remembered it later.

  Sam was on his feet and charging. The machine gun nest was right in front of him. The lone occupant was just inserting a new stick of bullets when Sam crested the lip of the hole. His carbine was at his hip. He unleashed ten shots at point blank range into the Japanese gunner and he fell back, gushing gore from multiple holes.

  Sam leaped into the machine gun nest and slammed into the far wall. He noticed another dead soldier and realized he must’ve killed him when he first fired. The Japanese had a neat hole in the center of his forehead. There was a thin line of blood snaking down his face and dripping off his chin.

  Sam pushed the dead soldier aside and poked his head up and saw multiple targets. His comrades were coming from the flanks and the Japanese were scrambling to adjust their fire. He heard yelling to his left and saw Filipinos advancing. He saw Felipe waving his arm, urging the men forward.

  Sam rested his carbine on the lip of the back wall and found a target. A soldier was aiming down his long rifle and firing then ducking down to chamber another round. Sam kept his sights centered on the spot. The head popped back up and Sam squeezed the trigger three times. The helmet flew off and he saw the Japanese drop out of sight. He moved the rifle to the left and centered on another soldier. He fired and saw his bullets spray dirt and debris. The soldier ducked down. He didn’t wait for him to appear again. Another soldier was sprinting across an open area. He had his rifle slung across his back and he was carrying boxes in each hand. They looked heavy. He was running left to right, so Sam swung his rifle to follow. He pulled the trigger and walked the bullets forward until he saw the soldier stumble and fall. Sam poured more fire into the spot, then ducked down.

  He was breathing hard. He was about to pop up and find another target but decided he should check his magazine. He pulled it and was glad he did. He only had three shots left. He swapped out magazines and stood up again.

  He saw a Filipino from the right side running into the open. His torso erupted with multiple wounds and he fell to the side. Sam felt a bullet snap past his head. He instinctively dropped and came up in a different spot. Another Japanese was running. He was crouched and weaving back and forth. Sam guessed which way he’d weave and fired. The soldier staggered and fell to his knees, like he was taking a break from a difficult sporting event. Sam centered his chest in his sights and fired twice. The soldier spun backwards, spouting a thin stream of dark blood.

  Sam caught quick movement coming from the jungle line. His comrades were throwing grenades. He watched them arcing into the center of the plateau. He fired at a helmet sticking up. Then the grenades went off, sending dirt and debris flying into the air. He saw Filipinos emerge from both flanks. The soldiers to his left jumped up and ran forward too. Sam licked his lips and scrambled his way out of the safety of his hole. He immediately felt exposed and saw rifles swinging his direction.

  He spotted a hole sixteen meters away and went for it. He dove headfirst and slid into the bottom of the muddy hole, as bullets snapped over his head. He heard a terrible yell right next to him and looked up to see a Japanese soldier stepping toward him with his bayonet lunging at his guts.

  Sam reacted instantly. He rolled away and the bayonet sliced into the ground, narrowly missing him. Sam rolled into a crouch and brought his M1 up, but the Japanese wasn’t alone. He felt a soldier slam into his back and pin his arms at his side. The Japanese to his front grinned cruelly and pulled his bayonet out of the ground. Sam struggled, but the soldier holding him was strong. He held him in a vise grip. The Japanese planted his feet and yelled. He reared back and Sam knew he was about to die. In desperation, Sam jumped and started frantically kicking. The Japanese lunged but Sam managed to kick the blade away. He felt the razor-sharp blade slice into his calf and he screamed.

  The soldier yelled and lunged again, but before he could finish the job his chest erupted with spurting holes. He dropped his rifle and looked at his chest in confusion. Sam felt the arms holding him lose their power and drop away. He spun out of their grip and fell to the ground. The foxhole filled with more men. Felipe was beside him. “You okay?”

  Sam felt the burning pain in his calf but tried to ignore it. He’d been saved. He looked up at Felipe’s concerned eyes and Sam nearly burst into tears. But instead he simply gritted his teeth and nodded. “I’m okay.”

  Felipe pointed at his gushing calf. “Stay here, we’ll finish these vermin.”

  The other Filipinos, his comrades, were at the lip pouring fire into the Japanese. Sam felt a surge of pride overcome him. He had to continue fighting beside his brothers. “I’m fine.” He pulled his shirt off and began wrapping the wound with it. He winced but took the pain without crying out. Felipe yelled to someone nearby and soon Juan was crouched beside him, putting a proper wrap on the wound. Juan looked him in the eye, slapped his shoulder and handed him his rifle.

  Sam nodded back and stood up. The pain flooded through his body and he winced involuntarily. He limped to the lip of the hole and threw himself beside his comrades. He fired five rounds toward a hole he’d seen a Japanese duck into.

  Felipe yelled, “Move up!”

  The soldiers surged from the hole and ran forward. Sam was slower, his wound throbbed, but he was close behind. The man to his right stumbled and fell. At first Sam thought he’d tripped and he reached to help him up, but when he touched his arm, he noticed a hole in his neck pumping arterial blood with each heartbeat. The man looked panicked as he clutched at his neck, then the light left his eyes and he slumped into the mud.

  Sam felt the rage return. There was no more pain in his calf. He ran forward and was soon beside his advancing comrades. The main line of defenders was thirty meters ahead. He could see many helmeted heads behind rifle sights. He leveled his own and fired as he ran, weaving back and forth. A grunt off to his left caught his attention and he saw another comrade fall. Sam yelled and increased his speed. He was now the lead man. He thought he’d be shot any second. He fired until the firing pin slammed into an empty chamber. He was only feet away from the lip of, what he now saw was a hastily dug trench-line.

  There was a rifle barrel directly in front of him. The terrified eyes of an emaciated Japanese soldier stared up at him. The barrel raised, and Sam kicked it to the side and jumped into the trench. The Japanese soldiers immediately turned to attack him. Sam was crouched. He gripped his carbine by the barrel, it was hot to the touch. He ignored the burning and swung it like a baseball bat. He connected with the nearest soldier’s ribs and he grunted but continued moving toward him. Sam sprang away at the same instant the loud cras
h of the Arisaka’s bullet left the barrel at 2400ft/s. It slammed into the dirt wall. The soldier beside the first was lining up on Sam’s chest, but before he could squeeze the trigger he fell to the bottom of the trench as a crazed Filipino fighter landed on his back and clubbed him with the butt of his rifle.

  The first soldier was suddenly surrounded. He continued his thrust toward Sam, determined to take him to the grave with him. Sam brought his M1 up and deflected the bayoneted Arisaka upward. The soldier’s momentum, kept him coming. Sam stepped to the side and the soldier slammed into the back wall. He quickly spun, sweeping his deadly blade in an arc. Sam swung his M1 and caught the soldier’s jaw with a sickening ‘smack.’ The soldier’s eyes lost focus and he staggered. Sam didn’t hesitate. He swung again and landed another blow against the dazed soldier’s head. The side of his face caved in and blood spurted from his ears and eyes. Sam watched the soldier die and fall to the ground. He felt like he was watching it happen from out of his body. Like he wasn’t there at all but looking in through a window.

  The world came rushing back and the sounds of men fighting and dying was all around. Sam’s arms suddenly felt heavy. His breathing was coming in painful gasps. He fell to the ground not able to keep his feet. He watched another Filipino, he thought it was Juan, fire his carbine into a charging Japanese soldier. Need to reload, he told himself. He fumbled to extract his empty magazine. His hands shook as he felt for another. He finally pulled it from his pocket and was able to line it up and insert it on the third try. What is wrong with me?

  He pushed himself up, but he felt dizzy and the world started to collapse around him. Blackness was closing in. He felt he was looking at the world through a black straw. Blackness closed and he fell to the bottom of the bloody trench. He was stepped on many times, but he was beyond noticing.

  The next thing Sam knew, he was looking up at an impossibly blue sky through the swaying leaves of the jungle canopy. The lush green leaves and vines against the stark blue background was beautiful and the sight made him think he was in heaven. The pain that suddenly lanced through his body when the men carrying him bumped a tree made him think he was in hell.