December 14-17, 2021 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/15/2021
Fantastic Pre-World War II photo album that belonged to Captain Arthur W. Wermuth, who is better known as "The One-Man Army of Bataan". Wermuth's story is nothing short of incredible. He started his military career in 1936 when he received his commission as second lieutenant. He entered active duty in 1941 and was sent overseas to to the Philippines where he was promoted to captain in December 1941. After war broke out and the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, Wermuth was at the epicenter of the conflict as he was one of a handful of Americans in the primarily Filipino 57th Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Scouts. Almost immediately after hostilities commenced, Wermuth was actively rallying troops in order to attempt to save the Philippines. In January 1942, Wermuth organized a group of 185 Filipinos into a group that became known as "suicide snipers". Their purpose was to counter enemy infiltration behind American lines and as a counter-sniper force. Only three weeks after their establishment, Wermuth and the suicide snipers claimed over 500 enemy kills while losing 45 of their own men. Wermuth was not immune to enemy fire as he was wounded several times during his disruptive tactics. He was shot in the leg in January while on a successful mission to destroy a bridge and burn an enemy encampment, shot in the left breast in February and later left the medical facility without permission in order to rejoin his men on the front lines. In early April he was put out of action again as he was seriously injured when he fell down a ravine. He awakened in Field Hospital Number 2 as it was being overrun by Japanese forces and was subsequently captured. He was treated by his Japanese captors and spared from the infamous Bataan Death March. Wermuth spent three years as a POW and throughout that time he was beaten for standing up against the brutality towards his men, and spent time on two hell ships, one of which was sunk by aircraft from the USS Hornet. He survived the sinking and spent time at Cabanatuan. In 1945, he was finally liberated by the Russians. Wermuth received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and several Purple Hearts for his actions in the Philippines. He became known as the "One-Man Army of Bataan" and was widely credited with over 116 kills although he modestly credited the Filipino scouts for their heroism under fire. Wermuth's album is very nice and is named to him on the front cover. The album contains 40 pages of photos that feature the lifestyle of the prewar Pacific. Most of the photos are labeled and range from landscapes, to early vehicles, to military parades, and camp life. Interestingly, there are several documents including identification paperwork that was carried by locals. There are also several loose letters inside the front cover that were written or typed by Wermuth and he reveals his feelings of the tense situation. In one letter he writes "The war situation seems very bad here ad they dont know what is going to happen. The rumor here from unofficial sources are that there are four thousand troops coming over here between now and the first. With the small garrison of Marines moving out of China I dont wonder that its true. Things look very black here nevertheless." The letters are all very interesting to read and are dated November 1941 when war was looming. There is also a very nice portrait photo of Wermuth in his white mess dress. This is a very interesting album that is named to a significant historical figure. CONDITION: The photos all remain clear and untarnished. There are some blemishes on the covers of the albums but the binding and pages remain strong. Most of the wax paper is intact with no rips or wrinkles. The corners of the pages remain sharp. Overall excellent. JLD
Item Dimensions: 15 - 1/2" X 11 - 1/2"