Arthur Wermuth crawled through the mud of
the Phillipine jungle. He paused to let a squad of Japanese soldiers
march past. Once he was in the clear, Wermuth continued
to stealthley make his way through enemy territory. He spotted a small hill that overlooked an
enemy camp. Wermuth made his way to the ridgeline and
took aim at the Japanese soldiers below, then unleashed a rain of lead from his Thompson
submachine gun. The confused soldiers shouted, “how did
American troops get behind us?” What they didn’t know was that the Americans
causing so much chaos and destruction, was actually only one man. A man who would later be called the One-Man
Army of Bataan. Arthur Wermuth was assigned to Company D of
the 57th Infantry during World War II. What made this squad unique was that it consisted
of mostly Filipino soldiers. A small group of American soldiers, including
Wermuth, was attached to the 57th infantry. The squad itself was nicknamed the Filipino
Scouts, as their main mission was reconnaissance and infiltration behind enemy lines. Sent to the Philippines in 1941, it didn’t
take long before Wermuth was promoted to the rank of Captain of the Filipino Scouts. As the much larger Japanese force pressed
forward, Wermuth and his men repelled attack after attack. They were heavily outnumbered and outgunned,
but with Wermuth’s leadership they caused numerous setbacks for the Japanese army. In January of 1942 the Japanese launched an
offensive against the Allied forces. It seemed that the American and Filipino soldiers
would be overrun and the islands would be lost, but Wermuth had other plans. He grabbed his Thompson submachine gun, two
.45 caliber pistols, and as many grenades as he could carry. He covered his skin in dirt and camouflaged
his helmet with foliage. Wermuth snuck across enemy lines and hid in
the dense jungle. He waited for a Japanese patrol to pass by. Eventually, a heavily armed squad crossed
his path. He was so well hidden that one of the soldiers
almost stepped on him. The enemy squad was heading towards the Allied
lines. Wermuth knew that if he stayed with the squad,
he would be able to surprise them from behind once they were engaged with the Allied forces. As the last Japanese soldier passed, Wermuth
stepped into the end of the line and followed the Japanese soldiers as if he were one of
their own. They proceeded miles through the dark jungle,
the Japanese unaware that Wermuth had infiltrated their ranks. When the soldier in front of him made too
much noise, Wermuth “shushed” him. The Japanese squad neared the fortified position
of the Phillipine Scouts. Wermuth did not want to get caught in the
crossfire from his own soldiers, so he decided it was time to get away, but not before causing
a little chaos. Wermuth purposefully stumbled into the soldier
directly in front of him. As he pretended to grab onto the man for support
he handed him a live grenade. Wermuth gave the enemy soldier a shove and
then dove into the protection of the jungle. The Phillipine Scouts could hear screams from
in front of them. All of a sudden, the grenade went off, taking
enemy soldiers with it. More importantly, the explosion gave away
the position of the Japanese squad. The Filipine Scouts, with the help of Wermuth
from behind, made quick work of the enemy troops. It was acts of courage and destruction like
this that earned Wermuth the Japanese title, the Ghost of Bataan. A name that he rightfully deserved, as each
one of his adventures behind enemy lines got crazier and crazier. Although Wermuth was a one man army, and could
cause mayhem by himself, he often worked with his close friend, and brother in arms, Jock. Jock was a massive six foot four, 220 pound,
Filipino soldier. As they fought together they quickly became
friends who always had each other’s backs. Wermuth liked working alone, but Jock was
adamant he go with his captain as backup whenever Wermuth volunteered for a dangerous mission. Jock saved Wermuth’s life on more than one
occasion. The most notable time this happened was on
a mission to uncover a Japanese tap into the Allied communication systems. This mission was so astounding, that a portrayal
of it would end up in wartime gum packages back in the United States. It had become obvious that the Japanese were
able to tap into the Allied communication lines. They seemed to know too much about Allied
movements and plans. The commanders asked for volunteers to scout
the wires along the front lines to find, and disrupt the Japanese wiretap. Wermuth was the first to volunteer, Jock immediately
stepped forward to join his captain. They set out together to locate and dismantle
the deadly problem. The two men made their way through the damp
jungle. They had to dodge poisonous snakes, deadly
spiders, and the watchful eyes of Japanese snipers. They searched and searched for the wiretap,
but came up empty handed. Wermuth and Jock started to make their way
back to the Allied defensive position. On their return journey Wermuth got tangled
in what seemed like a vine at first. He tripped and landed in the mud. As he went to cut the vine, he noticed that
it wasn’t a vine at all, it was a wire. Wermuth and Jock followed the wire. Suddenly, Wermuth fell into a camouflage ditch,
landing directly on top of a shocked Japanese soldier who was tapped into Allied transmissions. Wermuth pushed off of the enemy soldier and
drew his pistol like a cowboy in an old Western movie. He fired and killed the Japanese soldier who
was too slow to the draw. Wermuth slowly made his way to the recording
equipment, to get a better look at how the Japanese had tapped into the Allied communication
system. He was so fascinated by the technology, that
he did not notice two other Japanese soldiers who had crept up on him from behind. The sound of a branch snapping behind him
caught his attention. Wermuth spun around, but this time he drew
his gun too slowly. One of the Japanese soldiers plunged a bayonet
into his arm. The rusty metal scraped along his bone and
pinned him to the wall. Wermuth knew he was in big trouble. There was only one person who could save him. He called out for Jock. “Japanese! Two more down here!” he yelled. Jock raced to where his captain had fallen
into the ditch. Without hesitating Jock jumped into the hole. He landed hard on the ground below. When Jock looked up, Wermuth was struggling
in hand to hand combat with the Japanese soldiers. Jock pushed off the ground and launched his
huge body towards the assailants. He used the butt of his rifle to bludgeon
one enemy unconscious. Jock next turned to the second enemy; he shoved
him away from Wermuth and shot the remaining Japanese soldier. After the threat had been dealt with, Jock
ran over to Wermuth to tend to his wounds. His captain had nearly passed out from the
pain in his arm and loss of blood. Jock carefully removed the bayonet and bandaged
the wound. He threw Wermuth across his shoulders and
carried him back to the safety of the Allied base. If it weren’t for Jock, the One-Man Army
of Bataan may have died in that Japanese ditch. This story and the exploits of Wermuth made
it back to the United States. He was seen as a living war hero. The successful mission of finding and dismantling
the Japanese wiretap by Wermuth and Jock made headlines. It was so well known, that a drawing of the
mission was placed in the wrappers of wartime gum to help fund the war effort (narrators
use photo: http://patriotden.com/fotki/star/wermuthcard-football-star.jpg Credit: Gum, Inc./patriotden.com). Wermuth spent a lot of time in and out of
the hospital. He would get patched up, and even before the
doctor gave him the all clear, he would ask to be sent back to his squad. His next exploit was so insane, you won’t
believe how he managed to get out of it alive. Allied headquarters had determined that the
only way to disrupt the Japanese advance was to destroy a bridge that allowed them easy
access into the area surrounding Manila. There was only one bridge in the area, but
it was deep behind enemy lines. Someone needed to sneak far into Japanese
held territory and blow up the bridge, otherwise the Allied forces would quickly be overwhelmed. Arthur Wermuth volunteered for the job. He set out just before dawn when the sun was
low in the sky. Most of the Japanese soldiers were still asleep
at this time. Wermuth carried two five-gallon drums of gasoline
with him to create a distraction before he blew up the bridge. He made his way into the town of Kalaguiman,
which was where the bridge was located. He stuck to the shadows of alley ways to keep
out of sight of enemy snipers and guards. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers inhabited the
town, as it was a main hub for transporting supplies. The plan was that once Wermuth set fire to
the town, the Allied artillery would unleash a barrage of shells on Kalaguiman. This would serve as a distraction, so that
Wermuth could make his way to the bridge and detonate TNT to destroy it. He snuck to the far end of the town and began
spraying gasoline onto the walls of the thatched roof buildings. He struck a match, set the buildings ablaze,
and waited for chaos to ensue. Japanese soldiers ran out of the burning buildings,
on fire, and screaming. They rolled on the dirt ground to put out
the flames as artillery shells began falling from the sky. Wermuth made his way to the bridge. He tried his best to stay in the shadows,
but he was running out of time. He made a break for the bridge running up
one of the main streets. Wermuth was spotted by enemy soldiers who
began shooting at him. He dodged fire in the streets, ducked under
flying bullets, and dove for cover. He caught his breath and began running towards
the bridge again. He was almost there when a stray bullet ripped
through his leg. The pain was immense, but Wermuth ignored
it and sprinted to his target. He placed the charges while providing his
own cover using his Thompson submachine gun. He blew up the bridge successfully, and disappeared
into the jungle. Upon returning to the Allied headquarters,
he was debriefed and sent to the hospital where the bullet was removed from his calf. This was when Wermuth received his first of
several Purple Hearts. After the surgery, Wermuth had no choice but
to wait in the hospital until his leg healed. However, as soon as he felt strong enough,
he discharged himself and returned to the front lines to join his squad. He continued to lead his men with bravery
until March of 1942, when Wermuth and his Phillipine Scouts were ordered to recapture
Mount Pucat from the Japanese. This was a suicide mission, but Wermuth was
not going to disobey orders, and he would do everything he could to take the high ground. It would be an uphill battle that would nearly
cost the One-Man Army of Bataan his life. As the squad moved up through the jungle they
were ambushed. One of the enemy soldiers rushed towards Wermuth
trying to stab him with his bayonet. Wermuth dodged the attack and wrestled the
Japanese soldier to the ground. He pulled his knife and plunged it into the
enemy. The Philipine Scouts fought off ambush after
ambush, losing men in the process. They dealt heavy losses to the Japanese forces
as they pushed forward, but the cost was great. As they fought up the mountain, bullets ripped
through the jungle trees and into the squad. There was a Japanese machine gun dug-in across
a stream. There was no way for Wermuth and the Filipine
Scouts to move forward without destroying the machine gun first. Wermuth mustered his bravery and led the squad
in a daring counter attack. He pulled the safety ring out of a grenade
and tossed it at the machine gunner. As the grenade left his hand, Wermuth was
struck in the chest by a bullet. The bullet chipped a rib before passing through
his lung. Members of his squad grabbed their captain
and pulled him to safety; they retreated back to base to get Wermuth to a hospital. This wound was the worst one yet. The doctors told Wermuth he was done fighting
and needed to stay in the hospital, but Wermuth knew his brothers were still out there trying
to take the high ground. He would not abandon them. Wermuth was in the hospital for about a week
until he could wait no longer. Against doctors’ orders, and with pus oozing
out of his wound, he made his way back to the Philipine Scouts, but it was too late. The Japanese forces were pushing the squad
back. Wermuth was too weak to sneak behind enemy
lines and ambush them like he had done so many times before. He called for a retreat. As the squad made their way down the mountain,
Wermuth slipped and tumbled down a ravine, slamming his head on a jagged rock below. He was knocked unconscious and had to be carried
back to the hospital by his squad mates. This would be the end of the reign of the
One-Man Army of Bataan. While in the hospital, the Japanese defeated
the Allied forces in the area and took all who remained captive. But his fight to survive was not yet over. Wermuth was so wounded, that he was unable
to be sent into the Bataan Death March, where around 70,000 American and Filipino prisoners
of war were marched 70 miles to a POW camp. Thousands of soldiers were forced on the trek
and died enroute to the prison. Once he recovered, Wermuth was sent to work
on building a runway for Japanese aircraft to land. He and the other men working on the project
sabotaged it, so the runway buckled under the weight of landing bombers and damaged
them. He was then put on the "hell ship," Oryoku
Maru, as one of 1,620 prisoners. This ship was bombed on December 15, 1944
by aircraft from the USS Hornet. The American ship thought the Oryoku Maru
was carrying enemy troops, not prisoners of war. This mistake cost the lives of several hundred
POWs, but Wermuth survived this ordeal as well. Eventually Wermuth was prisoned in Mukden,
Korea where his prison camp was finally liberated by Soviet forces in August 1945. When he was returned to the American military,
he weighed almost 80 pounds lighter than at the beginning of the war. Wermuth was finally going home where he would
receive the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in the Philippines. He had become a household name in the United
States as a war hero, affectionately called the "One-Man Army of Bataan" by newspapers
and civilians alike. Arthur Wermuth was credited with over 116
kills, received the Silver Star, and three Purple Heart medals. Now watch Most Hard Core American Sniper - The
White Feather. Or check out The Insanely Crazy Story of a
Tiny Soldier.
