COLONEL WENDELL WELBY FERTIG

COLONEL WENDELL WELBY FERTIG US Army and leader of the guerrilla army on Mindanao, Philippine Islands.  Was born on 16 December 1900 in La Junta, Colorado. Accompanying an early decision to follow the career of an engineer, his formal schooling included matriculation at the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines. Fertig’s work as a mining engineer took him to the Philippine Islands, where he eventually became manager of the Samar Mining Company. Shortly before the outbreak of war, on 1 June 1941, he joined the Army of the United States and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers at the age of 40 He served in the (PTO). He was supervising the construction of Army airfields along the highway on the northern coast of the island of Mindanao when hostilities began. Caught between the Japanese landing on that coast and the enemy troops who fought their way up from the south, he made his way back into the mountainous country of Bukidnon near the Lanao region. The man who led the U. S. Engineers Corps under MacArthur on Bataan was still free when the island capitulated in late May of 1942. Colonel Fertig was trapped on the island in a living tomb, but he was determined to be on hand to distract the enemy when the Americans returned. A hunted fugitive with a price on his head, completely cut off from the putside world by the pall of death blanketing the island, he slowly, painfully but with firm thoroughness began the formation of his American-Filipino Guerrilla Army of Mindanao. He had little to begin with except the loyalty and incredible bravery of the Moros and scattered Americans who joined his forces, but it was enough to carry the war against the Japanese. The aggressive native leaders with their bands began rallying about his standard and jungle warfare on the island commenced in earnest. The guerrillas used commando tactics, living off the land for days at a time, stalking the enemy through mud and high grass or under blistering suns, slashing at the enemy despite odds.

They fought the maddened and heavily-armed Japanese as craftily, bloodily and with amazing results, until a real question grew as to who controlled the island—the conquerors or the increasingly resisting conquered. The complete isolation of the guerrilla forces on Mindanao was cracked when radio contact was established with MacArthur’s headquarters in Australia on the 1st of February, 1943. Soon they were receiving shipments of food, arms and medical supplies by American submarines. Colonel Fertig was ordered not to jeopardize his valuable work in sabotage and intelligence by provoking the Japanese into sending strong reinforcements into Mindanao, but to confine his guerrilla activities to defensive, harassing tactics. He was thought to have been killed or captured in the early fighting, and it was not until December of 1944 that the outside world heard of him when the veil of secrecy was lifted from the Philippines. The guerrilla armies which helped so much in the preparations for liberation joined in the heavy fighting to reclaim all the Philippines. Colonel Fertig came home on 28 July 1945. He is the Brother of LIEUT. COLONEL CLAUDE E. FERTIG, son of Mrs. Olive F. Fertig of La Junta, and husband of Mary Ann of Golden. He has two daughters, Patricia Louise and Lois Jeanne.  After the war he was appointed Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the Colorado School of Mines, his old alma mater. The awards that he received are Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Army Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) Legion of Merit (LOM) with Oak Leaf Cluster 2nd Row Bronze Star Medal (BSM) Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster American Defense Service Medal with star 3rd Row Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars World War Two Victory Medal National Defense Service Medal 4th Row Philippine Defense Medal Philippine Liberation Medal with two bronze stars Philippine Independence Medal.

 

Source:

1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF Colorado – Asiatic-Pacific Theater World War Two – 1948