Arthur W. Wermuth
Encyclopedia
Arthur William Wermuth, Jr., dubbed the "One-Man Army of Bataan
," was a United States Army
officer during World War II
and a prisoner of war
from April 1942 until August 1945.
, but raised in Chicago
's Lakeview
neighborhood at 3631 N. Janssen Avenue. His hometown during World War II was listed as Traverse City, Michigan
. His father was a doctor and World War I
veteran who died in 1937 and his mother was Clara Natalie Lorenz. His sister, Natalie, was a professional dancer in the Chicago in the 1940s using the stage name
Talia.
Wermuth was a graduate of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy
in 1932. He was an athletic youth and participated in many sports at the academy including in crew
, football
, track, and baseball
. His teammates nicknamed him "Satch." He played guard
and tackle
in football and was an outfielder
with a .299 batting average
in baseball. In track and field
he participated in shot put
and discus
. The student Log Book
described him saying, "Defensively, he was a hard man to get through. Offensively, many gains were made through holes he opened."
At North Park University
, he was in the ROTC and received a Bachelor of Science
in Bacteriology
. Wermuth was married to Jean Wilkins, of Chicago, from June 1, 1935 until they divorced in 1947.
. He served in the infantry reserves as a Second Lieutenant in the Civilian Conservation Corps
and was stationed near Watersmeet, Michigan. It was during this time that he learned wilderness survival skills. He entered active duty January, 1941 at Fort Brady, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
, where he remained until April, 1941. He was promoted to Captain December 19, 1941 after the invasion of the Philippines and was one of a handful of Americans in the primarily Filipino 57th Infantry Regiment
of the Philippine Scouts
. On January 5, 1942, Wermuth organized a group of 185 Filipinos into a group that became known as "suicide snipers" to counter enemy infiltration behind American lines and as a counter-sniper force. Over the next three weeks he and his force claimed over 500 enemy killed while losing 45 of its own. He was shot in the leg in January while on a successful mission to destroy a bridge and burn an enemy encampment. On February 3, he was shot in the left breast and was carried back to receive treatment. On February 15, he left the medical facility without permission and rejoined his battalion. In early April he fell down a ravine and was seriously injured on a large boulder. He awakened in Field Hospital Number 2 as it was being overrun by Japanese forces.
Wermuth received the Distinguished Service Cross
for his actions in January, 1942 in the Philippine Islands. He became known as the "one-man army of Bataan" and was widely credited with over 116 kills. He also received the Silver Star
and three Purple Heart
decorations.
. His injuries spared him from the Bataan Death March
. After Bilibid, he was transported via boxcar to a camp near Cabanatuan. In September, he was sent to Lipa City
, Batangas
and placed in charge of a 500-man work detail to construct a runway. During the construction, his crew deliberately sabotaged the runway so that it buckled under the weight of landing bombers. His injuries forced him to be sent back to Bilibid in January, 1943, where he was operated on April, 1943 by an American surgeon who was also in captivity. In June, he was sent back to Cabanatuan to join a farming detail. In January, 1944 his detail was being worked to the point where men were collapsing in the manure. When he demanded that the Japanese commander take it easy on his men, he received a severe beating, damaging his kidneys and sending him back to a hospital.
On October 13, 1944, he was transferred back to Bilibid until December, when he boarded the "hell ship
" Oryoku Maru
as one of 1620 prisoners. Because the prison ship was unmarked, it was bombed December 15, 1944 at Olongapo in Subic Bay
by aircraft from USS Hornet
who mistook it for a troop transport, killing several hundred POWs. Wermuth survived the bombing and was transported by boxcar to San Fernando
. 160 men were placed in his car and as there was no room to move or sit, were forced to stand for the duration of the 26-hour trip. According to Wermuth, the man beside him died on his feet and was held in place by the crowd for the rest of the trip since there was no room to remove the corpse. In January, 1945, he was transported to Formosa aboard the Enoura Maru. Wermuth received his fourth Purple Heart due to the injuries sustained when bombers from the USS Hornet
attacked Enoura Maru. Next he was transported to Japan, then to Pusan
, Korea, then to Mukden, where his prison camp was liberated by the Russians in August, 1945. When he was found, he weighed 105 pounds (47.6 kg), having weighed 190 pounds (86.2 kg) earlier in the war. Wermuth returned to the United States on the transport SS Marine Shark, arriving November 1, 1945 in San Francisco. On his return, he modestly credited the Filipino scouts for many of his exploits saying, "Ninety percent of the credit for what I did was due to them. They're the best soldiers in the world. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
, though this was disputed by Wermuth. His divorce to Jean was finalized June 4, 1947 and the same day he married Patricia Steele, a 23-year-old parachutist from Denver, Colorado
. He and Patricia adopted an 8 year old named David about 1956.
In 1948 Wermuth was elected Marshal of City Court in Wichita, Kansas
. and subsequently arrested L. Ron Hubbard
in 1951. He was sheriff
of Jefferson County, Colorado
from 1957 to 1962. He resigned May 1, 1962 in lieu of prosecution on an embezzlement charge
. As sheriff, Wermuth was also involved in the 1960 investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Adolph Coors III
. In the early 1960s, it was reported that he was married Julia while Sheriff of Jefferson County, Colorado.
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
," was a United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
from April 1942 until August 1945.
Background
Wermuth was born in South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, but raised in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Lakeview
Lakeview, Chicago
Lake View, or Lakeview, is one of the 77 community area of the Chicago, Illinois, located in the city's North Side. It is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road on the north, North Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and the shore of Lake Michigan on the east...
neighborhood at 3631 N. Janssen Avenue. His hometown during World War II was listed as Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was 14,674 at the 2010 census, with 143,372 in the Traverse...
. His father was a doctor and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran who died in 1937 and his mother was Clara Natalie Lorenz. His sister, Natalie, was a professional dancer in the Chicago in the 1940s using the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Talia.
Wermuth was a graduate of Northwestern Military and Naval Academy
Northwestern Military and Naval Academy
Northwestern Military Academy was a high school in Linn, Wisconsin which was founded by Harlan Page Davidson. Originally located in Highland Park, Illinois, the school was relocated to the town of Linn, Wisconsin on the south shore of Geneva Lake near the city of Lake Geneva in 1915 and was...
in 1932. He was an athletic youth and participated in many sports at the academy including in crew
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, track, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. His teammates nicknamed him "Satch." He played guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
and tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
in football and was an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
with a .299 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
in baseball. In track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
he participated in shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
and discus
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
. The student Log Book
Yearbook
A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
described him saying, "Defensively, he was a hard man to get through. Offensively, many gains were made through holes he opened."
At North Park University
North Park University
North Park University is a four-year university located at 3225 W. Foster Avenue on the north side of Chicago, Illinois in the North Park neighborhood. It was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church and shares its campus with the denomination's only seminary...
, he was in the ROTC and received a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Bacteriology
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
. Wermuth was married to Jean Wilkins, of Chicago, from June 1, 1935 until they divorced in 1947.
World War II
Wermuth received his Army commission in 1936 while he was a junior at Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. He served in the infantry reserves as a Second Lieutenant in the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
and was stationed near Watersmeet, Michigan. It was during this time that he learned wilderness survival skills. He entered active duty January, 1941 at Fort Brady, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
, where he remained until April, 1941. He was promoted to Captain December 19, 1941 after the invasion of the Philippines and was one of a handful of Americans in the primarily Filipino 57th Infantry Regiment
57th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 57th Infantry Regiment was a unit in the Philippine Scouts. During their combat in Bataan members received 1 Medal of Honor, 21 Distinguished Service Crosses and 68 Silver Stars.-History:...
of the Philippine Scouts
Philippine Scouts
The Philippine Scouts was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until the end of World War II. Made up of native Filipinos assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department, these troops were generally enlisted and under the command of American officers, however, a...
. On January 5, 1942, Wermuth organized a group of 185 Filipinos into a group that became known as "suicide snipers" to counter enemy infiltration behind American lines and as a counter-sniper force. Over the next three weeks he and his force claimed over 500 enemy killed while losing 45 of its own. He was shot in the leg in January while on a successful mission to destroy a bridge and burn an enemy encampment. On February 3, he was shot in the left breast and was carried back to receive treatment. On February 15, he left the medical facility without permission and rejoined his battalion. In early April he fell down a ravine and was seriously injured on a large boulder. He awakened in Field Hospital Number 2 as it was being overrun by Japanese forces.
Wermuth received the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
for his actions in January, 1942 in the Philippine Islands. He became known as the "one-man army of Bataan" and was widely credited with over 116 kills. He also received the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
and three Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
decorations.
Captivity
Wermuth's injuries forced him to remain in a Japanese hospital until May 25, 1942 when he was transported to New Bilibid PrisonNew Bilibid Prison
The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, is the main insular penitentiary designed to house the prison population of the Philippines. It is maintained by the Bureau of Corrections under the Philippine Department of Justice. As of October 2004, it has an inmate population of 16,747....
. His injuries spared him from the Bataan Death March
Bataan Death March
The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer, by the Imperial Japanese Army, of 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of prisoners.The march was characterized by...
. After Bilibid, he was transported via boxcar to a camp near Cabanatuan. In September, he was sent to Lipa City
Lipa City
The Lipa City /Li-pâ/ is a first class city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. It is one of the three component cities of Batangas province...
, Batangas
Batangas
Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the...
and placed in charge of a 500-man work detail to construct a runway. During the construction, his crew deliberately sabotaged the runway so that it buckled under the weight of landing bombers. His injuries forced him to be sent back to Bilibid in January, 1943, where he was operated on April, 1943 by an American surgeon who was also in captivity. In June, he was sent back to Cabanatuan to join a farming detail. In January, 1944 his detail was being worked to the point where men were collapsing in the manure. When he demanded that the Japanese commander take it easy on his men, he received a severe beating, damaging his kidneys and sending him back to a hospital.
Hell Ship
A hell ship is a ship with extremely unpleasant living conditions or with a reputation for cruelty among the crew. It now generally refers to the ships used by the Imperial Japanese Navy to transport Allied prisoners of war out of the Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore during World War II. The...
" Oryoku Maru
Oryoku Maru
was a Japanese passenger cargo ship. In World War II, Oryoku Maru was used as a troop transport and prisoners of war transport ship . She left Manila on December 13, 1944, with 1620 POWs, mostly American, packed in the holds. 1900 Japanese civilians & military personnel occupied the cabins...
as one of 1620 prisoners. Because the prison ship was unmarked, it was bombed December 15, 1944 at Olongapo in Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
by aircraft from USS Hornet
USS Hornet (CV-12)
USS Hornet is a United States Navy aircraft carrier of the Essex class. Construction started in August 1942; she was originally named , but was renamed in honor of the , which was lost in October 1942, becoming the eighth ship to bear the name.Hornet was commissioned in November 1943, and after...
who mistook it for a troop transport, killing several hundred POWs. Wermuth survived the bombing and was transported by boxcar to San Fernando
San Fernando City, La Union
The City of San Fernando in La Union is a 1st class component city in the Philippines. It is the capital city of La Union and the regional center of the Ilocos Region...
. 160 men were placed in his car and as there was no room to move or sit, were forced to stand for the duration of the 26-hour trip. According to Wermuth, the man beside him died on his feet and was held in place by the crowd for the rest of the trip since there was no room to remove the corpse. In January, 1945, he was transported to Formosa aboard the Enoura Maru. Wermuth received his fourth Purple Heart due to the injuries sustained when bombers from the USS Hornet
USS Hornet (CV-12)
USS Hornet is a United States Navy aircraft carrier of the Essex class. Construction started in August 1942; she was originally named , but was renamed in honor of the , which was lost in October 1942, becoming the eighth ship to bear the name.Hornet was commissioned in November 1943, and after...
attacked Enoura Maru. Next he was transported to Japan, then to Pusan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, Korea, then to Mukden, where his prison camp was liberated by the Russians in August, 1945. When he was found, he weighed 105 pounds (47.6 kg), having weighed 190 pounds (86.2 kg) earlier in the war. Wermuth returned to the United States on the transport SS Marine Shark, arriving November 1, 1945 in San Francisco. On his return, he modestly credited the Filipino scouts for many of his exploits saying, "Ninety percent of the credit for what I did was due to them. They're the best soldiers in the world. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Post war
Shortly after the war ended, Olivia Josephine Oswald, a Filipino nurse, claimed to have married Wermuth December 7, 1941 on the rooftop of the Great Eastern hotel in ManilaManila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, though this was disputed by Wermuth. His divorce to Jean was finalized June 4, 1947 and the same day he married Patricia Steele, a 23-year-old parachutist from Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. He and Patricia adopted an 8 year old named David about 1956.
In 1948 Wermuth was elected Marshal of City Court in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
. and subsequently arrested L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
in 1951. He was sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
from 1957 to 1962. He resigned May 1, 1962 in lieu of prosecution on an embezzlement charge
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
. As sheriff, Wermuth was also involved in the 1960 investigation of the kidnapping and murder of Adolph Coors III
Adolph Coors III
Adolph Coors III was the grandson of Adolph Coors and heir to the Coors beer empire.-Biography:He was born on January 12, 1916 and attended Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire...
. In the early 1960s, it was reported that he was married Julia while Sheriff of Jefferson County, Colorado.
Further reading
- Achen, Norman and Lee Smart. Go With God ISBN 1412068746
- Holbrook, Stewart H. None More Courageous - American War Heroes of Today. 1942. ISBN 1406741191
- Ramsey, Edwin Price and Stephen J. Rivele. Lieutenant Ramsey's War: From Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander. Brassey's, 1996. ISBN 1574880527. page 72.
External links
- Wermuth, Home of the Heroes.
- The Story of the Enoura Maru and the Men Who Died. Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society.
- http://pinoyhistory.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wwii&action=display&thread=247. Ongoing discussion including alternate versions of material included above.