Robert Lapham
Robert Lapham | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1917 |
| Died | December 18, 2003 (aged 86) |
| Occupation(s) | United States Army officer, guerrilla leader |
| Known for | Leader of Luzon Guerrilla Army Force during World War II |
Robert Lapham (January 1, 1917 – December 18, 2003) served as a reserve lieutenant in the US Army during World War II. Assigned to the 45th Infantry (Philippine Scouts) in the Philippines, he escaped capture in the spring of 1942 and subsequently commanded one of the largest and most capable guerrilla forces operating on the central plains of northern Luzon. By the conclusion of the war, Lapham had been promoted to major at just 28 years old. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Douglas MacArthur and became the third individual honored with the Philippine Legion of Honor, following President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and MacArthur. Historian Norling considers Lapham's Luzon Guerrilla Army Force (LGAF) to be possibly the most effective guerrilla group on Luzon, with the U.S. Guerrilla Affairs Division recognizing it as the best-disciplined guerrilla unit.[1]
Early life
Lapham graduated from the University of Iowa in 1939, receiving an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve. Before entering full-time military service in May 1941, he was employed at the Chicago office of the Burroughs Corporation. He volunteered for duty in the Philippines, arriving in Manila on June 25, 1941, where he was assigned to Fort William McKinley.[2]
Escape from Bataan
After Japan launched its assault on the Philippines on December 8, 1941, Lapham and his company—which included Filipino musicians and military police—retreated to defensive positions on the Bataan Peninsula. Alongside Major Claude A. Thorp, he helped form a raiding unit tasked with sabotaging Clark Field and collecting intelligence for General MacArthur. On January 27, 1942, Lapham, Thorp, and about a dozen others slipped past Japanese lines into the Zambales Mountains. They ambushed a Japanese convoy near Olongapo, causing enemy casualties but failing to acquire supplies. After spending a month maneuvering through mountainous terrain and regrouping scattered American and Filipino troops, they established Camp Four (Camp Sanchez) near Mount Pinatubo, where Thorp set up radio communication with Bataan. When Bataan fell on April 9, 1942, Thorp released approximately one hundred men under his command, allowing them to either surrender or continue independently.[2]
Becoming a guerrilla
Upon learning of increasing Filipino resistance against Japanese occupation, Lapham along with Sergeants Albert Short and Esteban Lumyeb moved northward. They arrived at Lupao following the fall of Corregidor, the last American stronghold, on May 6. Sergeant Estipona and other members of the Philippine Scouts joined their efforts there. Leaving Short and Estipona in Lupao, Lapham and Lumyeb set up another camp roughly ten miles north in Umingan, Pangasinan. These two locations served as his operational bases until war's end. By late May 1942, Lapham commanded around 21 volunteers; Short led a comparable number. The Luzon Guerrilla Army Force (LGAF) under Lapham’s leadership became dominant among resistance groups in northern Luzon's central plains. To maintain local support and minimize Japanese retaliations, he pledged to avoid combat near his bases and to suppress outlaw groups preying on civilians. Lapham attributed his decision to lead guerrillas largely to Filipino determination against Japanese forces, noting that most Americans who escaped capture at Bataan either perished or assimilated into Philippine society rather than taking up arms.
Lapham noted that numerous guerrilla leaders were either killed or captured within their first year while learning operational tactics. Those who survived into early 1943 had successfully eliminated infiltrators, earned civilian trust, developed strong intelligence networks, and learned when to engage or retreat—allowing most to persist until war’s conclusion. Among those who died was Albert Short.
Lapham as a Leader
Although lacking formal military training, Lapham established a guerrilla network that differed significantly from those led by figures such as Major Bernard L. Anderson and Colonel Russell Volckmann, who positioned their forces in isolated mountain strongholds. In contrast, Lapham operated within the heavily inhabited central plains of Luzon, which allowed for more straightforward access to food supplies and recruitment opportunities. He compared his leadership role to that of a medieval nobleman, with the local population depending on him for various needs beyond mere resistance efforts. His "squadrons" were responsible for gathering intelligence, disrupting Japanese operations, apprehending collaborators, shielding civilians from both Japanese troops and bandits, sustaining morale, and ensuring just treatment of the populace. His foremost task was to eliminate banditry to build trust among locals. Frequently on the move, Lapham personally oversaw activities within his jurisdiction.
Lapham opposed Volckmann’s attempts to consolidate northern Luzon guerrilla factions under a unified command structure, contending that dispersed groups with limited communication faced unique circumstances that necessitated decentralized leadership until the war’s final stages. Ray C. Hunt, one of Lapham’s key commanders, supported him in defying Volckmann’s directives. The official historian of the U.S. Army has also cast doubt on Volckmann’s assertions regarding control over Lapham’s units.
Mindful of his public image as a leader, Lapham maintained a clean-shaven face, dressed smartly in semi-military clothing, and refrained from engaging in relationships with Filipina women—unlike some of his subordinates such as Hunt, who adopted a "bandit" appearance, saluted with his left hand, and had a Filipina partner. Lapham held guerrilla Herminia "Minanga" Dizon in high regard and expressed admiration for Hunt, describing himself as pragmatic, combative, and lacking personal ambition.
Luzon Guerrilla
During 1943 and 1944, Lapham commanded approximately 13,000 Filipino fighters within the Luzon Guerrilla Armed Forces (LGAF), escalating their activities against Japanese forces compared to operations in 1942. His command encompassed 38 squadrons based in Nueva Ecija under Captain Harry McKenzie, 15 squadrons in Pangasinan led by Captain Ray C. Hunt, and six squadrons stationed in Tarlac under Captain Al Hendrickson. Additionally, he organized coast-watching detachments at Baler Bay, Caranglan, and Pantabangan, along with a combat unit operating in southwestern Pampanga headed by Emilio and Tony Hernandez.
Lapham orchestrated the submarine evacuation of Captain Wilbur Lage and other American personnel to Australia. By mid-1944, he had begun relaying intelligence reports to Australia via radio equipment he had obtained. He also arranged significant supply drops: 30 tons delivered in August 1944 and another 20 tons received in October.
On January 4, 1945, LGAF initiated a four-day sabotage campaign to aid the Battle of Luzon. Lapham then coordinated with General Walter Krueger’s US 6th Army on January 8 and subsequently organized the formation of the 1st Infantry Regiment, which was attached to the 25th Division on January 20.
Raid at Cabanatuan
On January 26, 1945, Lapham urgently alerted U.S. troops stationed near Lingayen Gulf about the immediate threat to 513 American prisoners of war (POWs) held at the Cabanatuan camp, who were at risk of execution by Japanese forces. These POWs had been captured following the fall of Corregidor and Bataan in 1942 and were considered too ill to be transported to Japan. Lapham’s intelligence was especially vital in light of the Japanese "Kill-All Order" issued in August 1944 and the Palawan massacre in December 1944, where 139 American POWs were killed. His timely information led to the successful Raid at Cabanatuan on January 30, 1945, carried out by U.S. Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts, and a contingent of 400 guerrillas under the leadership of Eduardo Joson and Juan Pajota. The guerrilla fighters played a crucial role by guiding the raiding party and establishing roadblocks to prevent Japanese reinforcements from intervening. Pajota’s strategic ambush of an enemy relief unit was instrumental in ensuring the mission’s success.
Postwar period
After World War II, Lapham returned to the United States in 1945 and exited military service in 1946. He wed Scharlott Junge and resumed his professional life at Burroughs (which later became Unisys), eventually retiring in 1975 as vice president for industrial relations based in Detroit.
In 1947, Lapham served as a consultant for the U.S. government on matters concerning compensation for Filipino guerrillas. He identified 79 squadrons under his command, consisting of 809 officers and 13,382 enlisted men, who endured a total of 813 casualties. Evaluating legitimate claims proved difficult; out of more than one million claims filed nationwide, only approximately 260,000 received approval. Lapham openly criticized U.S. postwar policies toward the Philippines, highlighting insufficient reconstruction assistance, policies favoring American business and military priorities, and backing for corrupt Filipino politicians who protected U.S. interests over those of the Filipino people.
His 1996 publication, Lapham’s Raiders: Guerrillas in the Philippines 1942-1945, stirred debate regarding former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos's contested assertions about his guerrilla leadership role, casting doubt on both his heroism and the authenticity of his military decorations.