Wendell Fertig | |
|---|---|
 Colonel Wendell Fertig, 1963 | |
| Birth name | Wendell Welby Fertig |
| Nickname(s) | "Tatay" (the Old Man, Father) |
| Born | December 16, 1900 La Junta, Colorado |
| Died | March 24, 1975 (aged 74) Wheat Ridge, Colorado |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1928–1956 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Commands | Commanding Officer, 10th Military District – Mindanao |
| Battles / wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal Air Medal (2) |
| Alma mater | Colorado School of Mines |
| Other work | Mining and Civil Engineer businessman |
Wendell Fertig (December 16, 1900 – March 24, 1975)[1] was an American civil engineer, in the American-administered Commonwealth of the Philippines, who organized and commanded an American-Filipino guerrilla force on the Japanese-occupied, southern Philippine island of Mindanao during World War II. Fertig's widely scattered guerrilla force numbered approximately 32,000.[2] He faced about 50,000 Japanese soldiers, mostly garrison troops in towns and cities.[3]
Fertig held a U.S. Army reserve commission and was called into military service before the war in the Pacific began. Ordered from Corregidor before its surrender to the Japanese, he was sent to Mindanao to assume command of engineer activities there. Almost as soon as he arrived, the U.S. Army forces on Mindanao surrendered, but Fertig refused to do so.[4] Fertig used his knowledge of the Filipino people to organize them into a guerrilla army and civilian government. He also used his engineering knowledge to solve problems in supply and construction.[5]
Fertig led the guerrillas against the Japanese and their collaborators, mostly in hit-and-run raids and vital coast watching activities.[6] After making contact with U.S. forces in the Pacific, the guerrillas began to receive supplies, but never enough to stage large-scale attacks. More than once, the Japanese made efforts to suppress and destroy elements of Fertig's guerrilla army, committing large numbers of troops for this purpose. At those times, Fertig had his forces retreat and disperse before the Japanese advance and respond with pinprick attacks on small, isolated Japanese units.[7] This continued until American forces returned to the Philippines in late 1944 and 1945.
After the war, Fertig returned to his civilian engineering career, but retained his reserve commission. He spent four years as commander of the ROTC detachment at the Colorado School of Mines, his Alma mater, and served in a U.S.-based psychological warfare unit during the Korean War.[8] Leaving active duty in the mid-1950s, he ran a Colorado mining company until his death. During his post-war years he was regarded as a hero by the people of Mindanao, and was a respected figure among the U.S. Special Forces.[8][9] One authority lists him among the top ten guerrilla leaders in history.[1] However, several of Fertig's subordinates and contemporaries were critical of his leadership and the literature extolling his wartime activities.
- ^ a b Brooks 2003, p. 37.
- ^ "U.S. Army recognition Program of Philippine Guerrillas". National Archives. Headquarters, Philippines Command United States Army. p. 40. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Smith 2005, p 597, 647, 694.
- ^ Keats 2015, p. 10.
- ^ Schmidt 1982, p. 84.
- ^ Schmidt 1982, p. 174.
- ^ Keats 2015, p. 272.
- ^ a b Bernay 2002, p. 14.
- ^ Keats 2015, p. 445.