Of bolo rush & bolomen

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by Dimasalang

I just have to add...it is extremely well balanced and light. The Kamagong handles make it look heavy but it is not. Very easy to swing, chop, hack, thrust, etc... And Buddy is a great guy to deal with.

By the way, would you know if the Phil. Army (with US troops below, in the 2008 joint exercise in Luzon) would also have a standard issue bolo? Thanks.

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

By the way, would you know if the Phil. Army (with US troops below, in the 2008 joint exercise in Luzon) would also have a standard issue bolo? Thanks.

Hi Miguel, I wouldn't know if the regulars in the Phil. Army have an issued bolo. Im now curious to know if they do. My guess would be yes, considering the environment they have to deal with most of the time. I'll try and find out.

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

In studying the story of the bolomen, I have yet to read Muddy Glory: America's Indian Wars in the Philippines (1981) and Bullets & Bolos: Fifteen Years in the Philippine Islands (1928).

I've read several times however, Vic Hurley's Jungle Patrol (1938) and Swish of the Kris (1936).

You can read Bullets and Bolos online at a secret location. I'll PM it to you.
I have yet to read Muddy Glory also...tough to find that one. I also read through Jungle Patrol and Swish of the Kris a couple times. A copy of Swish of the Kris sold on ebay a few months back...if I remember right it went over $100. I got my copy of Jungle Patrol on ebay for ~$40.

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by Dimasalang

Hi Miguel, I wouldn't know if the regulars in the Phil. Army have an issued bolo. Im now curious to know if they do. My guess would be yes, considering the environment they have to deal with most of the time. I'll try and find out.

You can read Bullets and Bolos online at a secret location. I'll PM it to you.
I have yet to read Muddy Glory also...tough to find that one. I also read through Jungle Patrol and Swish of the Kris a couple times. A copy of Swish of the Kris sold on ebay a few months back...if I remember right it went over $100. I got my copy of Jungle Patrol on ebay for ~$40.

Thanks!

In searching for old books, you may also want to try these:

[1] BookFinder4U

[2] UsedBookSearch

[3] Univ. of the Phils. library, in case you have relatives here in the Phils. who are enrolled at UP at the moment ...

[migueldiaz]

From the Wikipedia article on Bolo knife, the photos below were described as:

Early 20th century Cebuano Police officers armed with a pinuti (left) and a sundang (right)

and

An assortment of bolos and related implements include:

1. The all-purpose bolo: Used for all sorts of odd jobs, including breaking open coconuts.

2. The haras: Similar to a small scythe, it is used for cutting tall grass.

3. The kutsilyo: The term comes from the Spanish word cuchillo, meaning knife. Generally used to kill and bleed pigs during slaughter.

4. A smaller bolo.

5. The bolo-guna: A bolo specifically shaped for digging out roots and weeding.

6. The garab: Used to harvest rice.

7. A large pinuti: Traditionally it is tipped in snake, spider or scorpion venom and used for self-defense.

8. The sundang: Supposedly used mainly to open coconuts. The sundang, also called "tip bolo" or itak, was a popular weapon of choice in the revolution against the Spanish colonial government and during the Philippine–American War.

There are about 170 dialects in the Philippines, by the way. Thus, it's very likely that the same term may refer to a different blade type in another locale (or vice versa).

[KuKulzA28]

Just to liven up this topic once more (I like it very much), what was historically the most successful bolo-rush?

I am intrigued by these near-suicidal rushes being made by native people against colonial powers. Some of them were part of native war-doctrine. Others didn't usually engage in a wild rush unless circumstances necessitated it - the normal warfare was traditionally ambuscades, raids, counter-raids, and very few open engagements. How successful were they? Would it have been easier just to form small groups and ambush with traps and pits with bolo-men closing in afterwards? Or was it paramount to attack with masses of bolo-men? In some cases, maybe fewer bolos would've been better ratio-wise? Masses do inspire courage however...

And also, what's the level of martial training for these bolo-men? Were they simply familiar with their blades or were they familiar and particularly skilled?

I know, for examples, that gurkas didn't traditionally train with khukuris, but rather, the kora, tulwar, etc. were more important weapons. With the introduction of modern firearms, the utility and fighting capabilities of the khukuri shown greatly as bows and koras were replaced by assault rifles. I don't know if many Chinese Da-dao-men were well trained or simply given basic techniques, but they performed admirably... as did the Chileans with their corvos...

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

Just to liven up this topic once more (I like it very much), what was historically the most successful bolo-rush?

I am intrigued by these near-suicidal rushes being made by native people against colonial powers. Some of them were part of native war-doctrine. Others didn't usually engage in a wild rush unless circumstances necessitated it - the normal warfare was traditionally ambuscades, raids, counter-raids, and very few open engagements. How successful were they? Would it have been easier just to form small groups and ambush with traps and pits with bolo-men closing in afterwards? Or was it paramount to attack with masses of bolo-men? In some cases, maybe fewer bolos would've been better ratio-wise? Masses do inspire courage however...

Earlier we saw how the cover of vegetation and the cover of darkness yield successful bolo rushes.

The third "cover" and this time employed in urban warfare is the use of artifice and cunning.

And under this mode we see the most successful bolo rush ever. The incident was described as the United States Army's worst defeat since the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.

It was the Balangiga massacre of 1901 during the Philippine-American War. "Balangiga" is pronounced BAH-lung-hee-gah (not sure where the accent is, and I just presumed it's in the first syllable).

Here's the rest of the bits of info from Wikipedia:

• more than forty American soldiers were killed in a surprise guerrilla attack and Filipinos regard the attack as one of their bravest acts in the war
  
• the attack was made between 6:20 and 6:45 am of September 28, 1901
  
• the leader of the attack was the Balangiga police chief, Valeriano Abanador (standing sixth from right, with Company C, 9th US Infantry Regiment, taken in Balangiga)
  
• the attack commenced when Abanador, who had been supervising the prisoners' communal labor in the town plaza, grabbed the rifle of Private Adolph Gamlin, one of the American sentries and stunned him with a blow to the head
  
• this served as the signal for the rest of the communal laborers in the plaza to rush the other sentries and soldiers of Company C, who were mostly having breakfast in the mess area
  
• Abanador then gave a shout, signaling the other Filipino men to the attack and fired Gamlin's rifle at the mess tent, hitting one of the soldiers
  
• the pealing of the church bells and the sounds from conch shells being blown followed seconds later
  
• to mask the disappearance of the women from the dawn service in the church, 34 men from Barrio Lawaan cross-dressed as women worshipers
  
• these "women", carrying small coffins, were earlier challenged by Sergeant Scharer of the sentry post about the town plaza near the church
  
• opening one of the coffins with his bayonet, he saw the body of a dead child, whom he was told, was a victim of a cholera epidemic
  
• unbeknownst to the sentries, the other coffins hid the bolos and other weapons of the attackers
  
• some of the Company C troopers were attacked and hacked to death before they could grab their rifles; the few who survived the initial onslaught fought almost bare-handed, using kitchen utensils, steak knives, and chairs
  
• one private used a baseball bat to fend off the attackers before being overwhelmed
  
• of the 74 men in Company C, 36 were killed in action, including all its commissioned officers; Captain Thomas W. Connell [USMA graduate], First Lieutenant Edward A. Bumpus and Major Richard S. Griswold
  
• twenty-two were wounded in action and four were missing in action; eight later died of wounds received in combat; only four escaped unscathed
  
• the 500 attackers suffered 28 dead and 22 wounded
  
• Company C had to flee the garrison immediately for fear of being wiped out
  
• in the process, they left about 100 rifles and 25,000 rounds of ammunition (which is another devastating loss, as these much needed firearms and ammo prolonged the struggle in Samar, first by the soldiers of the Philippine republic, and later by the Pulajanes and other groups)

The other photo shows Abanador in his old age, while the Balangiga memorial marker says in English:

BALANGIGA MASSACRE: In this town, on the 28th of September 1901, Filipinos armed with bolos attacked Company "C", Ninth Infantry of U.S. They killed almost all the American soldiers. In revenge the Americans launched a six-month "kill-and-burn" [campaign]. The town became like a "howling wilderness." Because of their cruelty, Brig. Gen. Jacob H. Smith and Major Littleton W.T. Waller were tried by court martial and cashiered.

Years ago, there were a lot of conflicting accounts about this encounter as a whole.

Much studies have been made since then. By this time almost all of the points have been harmonized (and as reflected in the Wikipedia article on the subject).

[KuKulzA28]

Wow, that's a well-executed massacre... damn

Reminds me of the Wushe Rebellion, but that didn't end so well for the native fighters....

__________________________

Yes I figured... otherwise you'd have a lot of young men losing their lives as krag-fodder, instead of training them or using them as scouts, or reserves, or whatever...

Thanks for the link!

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

while the Balangiga memorial marker says in English:

BALANGIGA MASSACRE: In this town, on the 28th of September 1901, Filipinos armed with bolos attacked Company "C", Ninth Infantry of U.S. They killed almost all the American soldiers. In revenge the Americans launched a six-month "kill-and-burn" [campaign]. The town became like a "howling wilderness." Because of their cruelty, Brig. Gen. Jacob H. Smith and Major Littleton W.T. Waller were tried by court martial and cashiered.

.

The memorial marker needs to be corrected. The atrocities ordered by Smith and performed by Waller made national news in America. The trial of both was carefully watched. The end result is atrocious…Smith was found guilty and was to be court-martial…his punishment was to be decided by the review board…their punishment for Smith, simply to turn in his resignation paper and retire from the military(with his present rank). And in the case of Waller “the Butcher of Samar”, he was acquitted of his charge. Waller would later make the rank of Colonel a couple years after the his alleged crime(if the case meant anything, this promotion would have never happened). His overall service in the Marine Corp is defined as exemplary, honorable, well respected, and a model Marine...he would retire in 1920 as a full fledge Major General. I HIGHLY doubt this trial made any type of dent or impact on his military career. Both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

One other interesting thing about Waller. He led the famous Marine expedition through Samar 1901. It is considered by far to be the most dangerous and toughest expedition track of that era…estimated at 250miles, all the while battling Pulahans, Insurgents, bolo attacks, sickness, lack of food, and the rugged dense jungle terrain. It is also after this expedition where Waller gave the orders to execute the 11 native guides. In the long run, the expedition elevated the Marine toughness lore to great proportions throughout all the military branches of the US. Even several years after, the Marines from this expedition were still recognized through out the Marine Corp...regardless of rank, when a Marine from Wallers expedition walked in to a room, his presence would be acknowledged by a shout, “Stand gentlemen, he served in SAMAR!”, and all Marines would rise and salute.

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

• the pealing of the church bells and the sounds from conch shells being blown followed seconds later
  
• to mask the disappearance of the women from the dawn service in the church, 34 men from Barrio Lawaan cross-dressed as women worshipers
  
• these "women", carrying small coffins, were earlier challenged by Sergeant Scharer of the sentry post about the town plaza near the church
  
• opening one of the coffins with his bayonet, he saw the body of a dead child, whom he was told, was a victim of a cholera epidemic
  
• unbeknownst to the sentries, the other coffins hid the bolos and other weapons of the attackers

From the same series, here's another color plate.

This painting interprets the contingent that disguised themselves as early morning women churchgoers.

Or perhaps they just want to crossdress, that's all

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

In some cases, maybe fewer bolos would've been better ratio-wise?

Yes indeed.

In fact there's a method to the madness

Gen. Miguel Malvar is popularly known as the last general to surrender during the Philippine-American War.

Malvar for instance ordered that bolomen should not exceed 30% of company strength, as he was more after quality than quantity of troops. That can be read from Brian Linn's book.

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

And also, what's the level of martial training for these bolo-men? Were they simply familiar with their blades or were they familiar and particularly skilled?

Looks like most of the Balangiga natives are familiar with martial arts.

We can glean that from the fact that aside from baseball, the US soldiers whiled their time away watching arnis demonstration.

Also, the leader of the attack [Abanador, Balangiga police chief] is known to be a tournament-caliber escrimador. And Abanador was a good chess player, too (his sparring partner in chess is the surgeon Major Griswold, one of those killed in the attack).

And one survivor [Private Gamlin] recounts coming face to face with a native armed with a bolo on one hand and a dagger in another hand.

According to UP Professor Rolando Borrinaga [the person who has done research on this encounter the most], Mariano Valdenor [Balangiga assistant police chief] fitted best this person's description.

Thus it looks espada y daga was another technique well known to the Balangiga natives.