Skip to content

Japanese Surrender on Cebu: Exactly Where Was It?

  • Comparison of 1945 footage of the Japanese surrender on Cebu with background terrain taken in 2015. (Source: Internet Archive/film, Dave Colamaria/Photo).

I’ve been watching a film of the August 1945 surrender of Japanese forces on the island of Cebu in the Philippines (you can watch it here). There is just a bit under 10 minutes of footage posted online. I noticed that there are a number of wide shots, showing the background. This got me thinking about where precisely the ceremony took place. In March 2015 I traveled to Cebu to visit key World War II battle sites, and follow the path of the Americal Division in liberating the island from Japanese occupation. Our trip ended in the far north of the island, near Ilihan, where a new monument was dedicated at the surrender site (read the story here). The land for the monument was generously donated by Mrs. Eusebia Ycot, who was present at the surrender ceremony 70 years earlier.

A comparison to the 1945 film footage shows that the terrain has changed a bit. The tree cover seems a bit denser in 2015 than in 1945, though this may just be a function of where I was standing. Many of the shots in the middle portion of the film show a wide open vista of rolling hills – a view I don’t recall seeing during our trip. One of the other struggles is that this is not a high resolution film transfer, so the footage is a bit blurry. It is difficult to pick out details.

The camera pans repeatedly to follow Japanese and American soldiers moving in the field, giving a good view of the terrain. I studied the film, looking for anything that I could use to compare to photos that I took in 2015. I immediately focused on the footage beginning at 3:15, just following the formal surrender. In the background, two small hills can be seen. There appears to be some similarity to two small hills in a photo I took in 2015. It is not an exact match, as I believe that the perspective is a bit off. From what I can surmise, I believe that the 1945 film camera footage was taken from a vantage point slightly different than mine. I think if I were to have walked forward and to the left a few hundred yards, I may have been on the exact spot of the surrender.The hills in my photograph were to the north, and we were told that the Japanese troops marched down from these hills to the surrender site. Thus, the fact that Japanese troops are standing with their backs to the hills is another small clue. For a side-by-side comparison, I stitched three frames of the 1945 film footage together and lined it up next to my 2015 photo, which can be seen in Photo 1.

There are two other noticeable terrain features in the film footage. The footage at various times shows a tree lined road in the background, with a gully between the road and the foreground. I don’t recall a gully that deep, but it was a hectic day when we visited in March 2015. I found nothing else distinctive in the footage, in part due to the poor resolution of the transfer.

Based on where I was standing when I took that photo in relation to the new monument (the monument would be off to the right of the photo, maybe 100 yards away), I suspect that the surrender most likely took place a few hundred yards off the main road, perhaps almost directly behind the location of the monument. Unfortunately, unless I have a chance to travel to the Philippines again the future, I can’t be much more accurate than that.

 

Published inCebu

11 Comments

  1. Tom Perkins Tom Perkins

    I find this film stunning in the sense I never saw that many Japanese soldiers surrender in mass. It is intriguing as to why they did this. Obviously, there were officers who went against national pride and decided it wasn’t worth losing their lives for the Emperor.

  2. The Odd Duck The Odd Duck

    On both sides how many lives were save on that day, to go home and pursue a better life.

  3. Daniel Daniel

    It’s amazing to see this actual footage of the Japanese surrender. Aside from history books, I only heard stories about this from my parents. Every Japanese soldier that surrendered in here, represents a soul that craves a second chance to live in peace.

  4. HughK HughK

    It was after the surrender of Japan – but before the signing.

  5. Anonymous Anonymous

    To bad theres no living veterans from that fight that could revisit cebu

  6. Bill Zeilstra Bill Zeilstra

    Just found this site & have some resources to list for those interested
    1) My father-in-law, Kenneth Vander Molen, witnessed this great event & wrote about it in his book *I Remember When*, a memoir about his days in the Americal Division. In it he brings to light evidence obtained from the son of the commanding General showing that MacArthur suppressed news of this event for fear that it would overshadow his own publicity at that time.
    2) Charles Walker’s book *Combat Officer* also gives a moving account of this event. This is his memoir of his fighting in the 164th regiment from Guadalcanal to Japan.
    3) David Colamaria and others recently put a book together as a report of their recent visit to Cebu that commemorates the occupation, fighting, and liberation ion of the island. The title is *The War in Cebu*. It is published by the University of San Carlos Press, & can be found at http://www.usc.edu.ph

  7. Shannon Mulvihill Shannon Mulvihill

    I have just located photos of the surrender in a box of old photos belonging to my grandfather- who was present – I would be happy to send them to you if your are interested.

  8. D C D C

    I would be so thrilled to see those! I will send you an email so we can be in contact. Thank you for reaching out to me!

  9. Jason Cusolito Jason Cusolito

    Hey Dave,
    Love this blog.
    My grandfather was a Staff Sergeant in the 182nd Infantry, Company A. He fought in the Battle of Hill 260.
    I have a few photos/records I would be happy to share with you if you are interested. Feel free to reach out!

  10. D C D C

    Would love to hear about it! I will shoot you an email.

  11. Anonymous Anonymous

    April 22, 2023
    Saturday
    3:30 PM

    Hello, DC, I sent you a private message dated September 27, 2022 at 2:31 AM (Central Time) via your FB messenger regarding WW2 in Cebu, particularly the events that happened on the OLD RACE TRACK, but you didn’t reply. Please check you FB messenger again and let me know if you can help me and my family in Cebu City with the infos that we need. Thank you in advance.

    God bless.

    Nday White

    My FB & Messenger account: Nday White

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *