What is Raid at Cabanatuan?
[[File:RangerstrektallgrassJan1945.jpg|thumb|right|250px|{{Center|U.S. Rangers behind Japanese lines on their way to rescue the prisoners}}]] The '''Raid at Cabanatuan''', also known as '''The Great Raid''', was a rescue of [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[Prisoner of War|prisoners of war]] (POWs) and [[civilian]]s from a [[Japan]]ese [[prisoner of war]] camp near [[Cabanatuan City]], in the [[Philippines]]. With the [[wikt:landing|landing]] and [[Offensive (military)|advance]] of [[Douglas MacArthur|General Douglas MacArthur]] in late 1944, it was feared the Japanese would move the prisoners to [[Japan]] or kill them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/29/opinion/lauder-great-raid-cabanatuan-pow-camp-1945/ |title=Remember 'The Great Raid' of 1945 |author=Val Lauder |date=29 January 2015 |publisher=CNN |access-date=2 February 2016}}</ref> On January 30, 1945, during [[World War II]], [[United States Army Rangers]], [[Alamo Scouts]], and [[Filipinos|Filipino]] [[guerrilla warfare|guerrillas]] liberated 511 prisoners from the camp.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_stories_1945cabanatuan.php |title=1945 Raid on Cabanatuan |publisher=Olive-Drab.com LLC |access-date=2 February 2016 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304100413/http://olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_stories_1945cabanatuan.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The daring [[raid]] is still studied by Army Rangers today as a classic [[example]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.warriorsinc.com/FilmFacts.cfm?ProjectID=55 |title=The Great Raid--The Facts Behind the Story |publisher=Warriors, Inc |access-date=2 February 2016 |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126015428/http://www.warriorsinc.com/FilmFacts.cfm?ProjectID=55 |url-status=dead }}</ref> == Background == After the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] by the [[Empire of Japan]] on December 7, 1941, the [[United States]] declared [[war]] on Japan and its [[Axis countries|allies]]. At the same time the Jap