Battle of Bessang Pass

The Battle of Bessang Pass (Filipino: Labanan sa Pasong Bessang; Ilocano: Gubat ti Paso Bessang) was a major battle during the Philippines Campaign of World War II. It was fought from 9 January through 15 June 1945, Cervantes, a municipality in the province of Ilocos Sur, located 382 kilometres (237 mi) north of Manila. The area serves as a gateway to the Cordillera mountains and the city of Baguio. Bessang Pass was a stronghold of the Japanese imperial forces under Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, known as the “Tiger of Malaya” and conqueror of Singapore. It was part of the triangular defense of General Yamashita in the north, namely the Balete Pass, Villaverde Trail and Bessang Pass, guarding the Ifugao-Benguet-Vizcaya borders. Its fall at the hands of the United States Army Forces in the Philippines - Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL) on June 14, 1945 paved the way for the entrapment of Yamashita’s forces in the Cordillera until the general’s surrender in September 1945.