Remembering WWII in the Philippines: Honoring the sacrifices, preserving the stories.
We explore the war's enduring impact on the Philippines through rare images, personal narratives, and historical insights.
26/06/2026
Men of Task Force Gypsy 🇺🇲
The last US Army airborne operation in the Philippines. 🪂
Aparri, Cagayan province (June 23, 1945) 🇵🇭
📸 (LIFE magazine)
11th Airborne Division Association - "Angels"
Thompson submachine gun 💥
26/06/2026
1945
Pvt. Ferdinard Bgrigorin, (left), looks on as Miss Felicia Abalaza puts a tropical blossom in the camouflage net on the helmet of Pvt. Americus Bruno during liberation celebration in Bocaue, Bulacan province. 💐
📸 (NARA)
F6F Hellcat 🇺🇲
The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that dominated the second half of World War II in the Pacific. Built by Grumman and introduced in 1943, it was designed specifically to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero and serve as a larger, more heavily armored successor to the F4F Wildcat. 💥
📽️ (US Navy film "The Fighting Lady")
25/06/2026
June 23, 1945
C-47 Skytrains are framed in this shot from the rear door of another C-47 as the US 11th Airborne Division Association - "Angels" prepare to execute their jump at Aparri in Cagayan province. 🪂
📸 (LIFE Magazine)
Wartime atrocities by the Imperial Japanese in Negros Oriental 🇯🇵
24/06/2026
Quiz time 🏁
What is the name of this large IJN battleship that sank in the Sibuyan Sea in October of 1944? 🇯🇵⚓
Comment your answer below:
24/06/2026
Captain and Mrs. Alfredo Soniega, formerly commanding officer of Squadron 268 guerrillas, Capt. Soniega is now attached to a U.S. infantry regiment. Mrs. Soniega travel with her husband and helps him fight. Luzon 1945. 🇵🇭
📸 (US Signal Corps)
The last U.S. combat glider mission of World War II was also the first in the Southwest Pacific, on June 23, 1945. 🇺🇸
Elements of the Army's 11th Airborne Division Association - "Angels" parachuted into the Aparri region of Luzon in the Philippines and used CG-4 cargo gliders to bring vehicles and supplies to the fight after the jumpers were on the ground. The participating units were called the Gypsy Task Force. The aviation component was said to include 54 C-47s, 14 C-46 Commandos, and seven CG-4 gliders. In this film, Curtiss C-46s can be seen towing CG-4 gliders. C-47s and C-46s airdropped additional material that day. 🪂
📽️ (National Archives, Airailimages YouTube channel)
24/06/2026
June 19, 1942
Officer of the Japanese Military Administration planting a seedling in the front yard of Jose Rizal's residence in Calamba. 🇯🇵
📸 (Manila Tribune)