188th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) The 188th Glider Infantry Regiment was a regiment in the United States Army that was active during World War II . It was a part of the 11th Airborne Division during its entire existence . The 188th Infantry Regiment was constituted on 12 November 1942 at Camp Mackall , North Carolina . On 25 February 1943 , the 188th was activated under the command of Colonel Robert H . Soule . It was designated a glider regiment , and assigned to the 11th Airborne Division . A two battalion regiment , the 188th trained and prepared for combat with its men trained at the end of the war both as gliderists and parachutists . Subsequently , on 4 July 1945 the regiment was redesignated as the 188th Parachute Infantry . In April , 1944 the 11th was moved to Camp Stoneman , east of San Francisco , California . The camp processed units for movement overseas . The 11th spent 6 days at the camp being fed extremely well and provided with as much entertainment as possible . One of the tasks at Stoneman was to learn what to do on a ship in case of an attack , and the need to abandon ship . By 11 May the division had sailed on several ships from the port of San Francisco for a 28 - day voyage to New Guinea . New Guinea . The 11th landed as a reserve unit for the Hollandia Operation . Japanese still occupied the island and there was fighting in other parts of the island . Although the 11th had combat alert , they were not committed . By July , 1944 the Japanese had been cut off and isolated in New Guinea . In the meantime Admiral Nimitz ' s " Island Hopping " had retaken the Solomons , Gilberts , Marshals and Marianas . Between June , 1944 and that September , the 11th had become accustomed to the heat and the jungle conditions . This included jumping into razor sharp Hunai grass . Malaria medication also became a daily routine . While they there , General MacArthur personally informed General Swing the 11th would be committed to a large operation . He was investigating an airborne assault . New training was centered on jump school and combat in the jungle , with an emphasis on live firing exercises . The entire 11th also had amphibious training whenever possible . General Swing took care of his troops in every way he deemed necessary to improve their survival and morale . His troops would realize after their combat experiences that he trained them hard , and well . He demanded the discipline they would need to survive . Staff and commanders were expected to bolster the welfare and morale of the men whenever possible . This ghost unit was created for specific purposes , not known to others . It was not an authorized unit . The members , on paper , were assigned to various units within the division . This included the 511th , 187th , and 188th . It was an all volunteer unit , and those men could drop out any time without explanation . General Swing wanted a small , well trained unit at his disposal to use as necessary without any explanation . It would be a secret that remained within the 11th . The Philippines . On 3 October 1944 The Joint Chiefs of Staff approved MacArthur ' s commitment to return and free the Philippines . The 11th landed at Bito Beach on the Leyete Gulf in November , 1944 . The 11th relieved the 7th Infantry Division and was ordered to search and destroy the enemy in their sector . The sector included a very rugged heavily forested mountain range which extended from the Cariaga Bay in the north to the Cabalian and Sogod Bays in the south . The 188th under Colonel " Shorty " Soule was to secure the southern part of the sector . The 188th 1st Battalion also patrolled and engaged the enemy as far as the west coast of Leyte . They protected the 511th as it moved west . When that was completed , the 188th turned and moved north . Unknown at the time , the increased Japanese buildup of ground forces on Leyte would result in major combat for the 11th . The first Japanese offensive occurred 5 December 1944 . It was a major attack by General Yamashita to recapture the airfields in the Burauen - Dulag area . Before Japanese paratroopers with fighter escort jumped , the Buri , San Pablo , and medium bombers strafed Buyug airstrips . The enemy was repelled , and the 1st of the 187th was ordered to clear the Buri strip as soon as possible . The Japanese retreated because they recognized it was more important to hold another location , Ormoc . At the Bayug strip the enemy had set fire to a number of planes that the 11th relied on to keep troops in the hills supplied . Luzon . The 11th landed on 31 January 1945 . Two glider combat teams landed amphibiously at a town , Nasugbu , on the west coast of the island of Luzon , south of Manila . The 188th 1st battalion Co . C was among them . The plan was that the 188th Infantry Regimental Combat Team would assault Nasughu first and secure a beachhead . Co . C of the 1st 188th was also ordered by Colonel Soule to follow and clear Japanese from the area to the north of the beach . The landing was very dangerous . The seas were too calm , and the artillery supporting the 188th could not get ashore to suppress Japanese firepower . When the 2 Battalions of the 188th were organized on the shore , Colonel Soule then ordered them to push to an area , Tagauytay Ridge , to stop the enemy from setting up defensive positions against the 511th troopers who would be dropped there . As this occurred , the 187th relieved the 188th of the operations and defense of Nasugbu . General Eichelberger of the 8th Army had the 11th attached to his command . He bluffed the enemy into thinking a large force was moving up Highway 17 across Tagaytay Ridge heading for Manila . He ordered the men to move as fast as possible and make as much dust as possible . They were to fire as many weapons and artillery as possible . The 188th spearheaded the push to Manila . They moved so fast under Colonel Soule that the Japanese were taken by surprise at the Palico River Bridge , and it was captured . Later on Highway 17 they ran into the best Japanese combat troops since their landing . With the 1st of the 187th and the 188th they launched another major attack against Japanese defenses on Mount Aiming near Tagaytay Ridge . The attack began the morning of 1 February 1945 . A Co . of the 188th withstood 4 hours of continuous counterattacks , and one Banzai attack . It continued to the morning of 3 February 1945 when the 188th and the 1st of the 187th launched an attack against the 3rd and final enemy position . The Japanese responded with heavy artillery and machine gun fire . The 188th and 1st of the 187th were pinned down along with several high - ranking officers . Two battalions of Japanese artillery were pounding the area of Tagaytay Ridge . In the final assault the 188th and the 1st of the 187th used flamethrowers and grenades to overtake an area of the ridge that was later renamed " Shorty Ridge " . As a result , the 11th that landed amphibiously ( 187th & 188th ) were ready to make contact with the 511th paratroopers who on 3 February 1945 were landing to the east on Tagaytay Ridge . After the 188th made contact with the 511th , they continued to clear enemy from the ridges and slopes south of the ridge , as well as from the caves and tunnels on " Shorty Ridge " . It was then discovered that the ridge was honeycombed with enormous supply tunnels , reinforced concrete caves , as well as strong guns and individual firing positions . Then next day , 4 February 1945 , a wounded Colonel Soule ( recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross ) would continue to lead the rest of the 188th , less one company to keep the ridge secure , on foot towards Manila . Manila . Before its liberation the city of Manila and its people would suffer horrific destruction of its buildings and people . By the fall of 1944 there were 800 , 000 people in Manila . The Japanese had already destroyed large parts of the city and converted houses into machine gun nests . As the Americans advanced , Filipinos tried to flee the city . The Japanese retaliated with torture and other atrocities that they had used against civilians before . Nursing women were bayoneted in their breasts . People ’ s tendons in the back of their necks were severed with sabers , so that a person could no longer hold their head up . Small children and babies were also bayoneted . Soon the 11th would face their own horrors and suffer heavy losses against the Japanese fortified Genko Line outside Manila . 12 , 500 Japanese were guarding Manila in an entrenched protected fortified area south of Manila , including Nicklos Field and Fort William McKinley . By 6 February 1945 the 511th had stormed into the southern suburbs of Manila . On 7 February 1945 , the 188th attacked the area around Nicklos Field , while the 511th fought house to house and in the streets . On 10 February 1945 , the 1st of the 188th was pinned down by heavy machine fire until a Major Loeper led them in an attack on enemy positions . He died in action , and was later award the Distinguished Service Cross . Nevertheless , by 11 February 1945 , the Japanese firepower at Nicklos Field remained unchanged . For this reason a full - scale attack was launched by the 187th and the 188th . The fighting was to the death with hand - to - hand combat using bayonets and knives . By nightfall , the 187th and 188th had cleared most of the field of enemy combatants . The next objective was Fort Mc Kinley itself . By 17 February 1945 the attack on the fort had begun . The plan called for the 188th , the 2nd of the 187th and the 511th to pivot and strike the Fort . They were to meet at the Caribon Gate of Fort McKinley . By the next day the 1st of the 188th was within the fort , and joined by the 511th . The rest of the enemy retreated to the east . All organized resistance in Manila would not cease until the beginning of March . By then the 11th had control of the city and achieved their first of 2 goals given to them by Mac Arthur . The next task was the freeing of civilian POWS at the Los Banos Camp . Raid at Los Banos . Since the beginning of the Philippines campaign , it was a priority of General MacArthur that both civilians and soldiers held in Japanese camps be rescued as soon as possible . He feared retribution on them , as the Japanese suffered defeats . The Los Banos Camp held more than 2 , 000 civilians of all ages , and nationalities who were captured during the Japanese invasion . The rescue would involve sending the 11th , behind Japanese lines . Also , a 90 - minute march away from the camp were 9 , 000 battle hardened soldiers of the Japanese 19th Division , known as the " Tiger Division " . In order to have a plan , Sgt . John Fulton of the 511th Signal Co . volunteered to join Filipino guerrillas in the area . For a few weeks he lived with them and transmitted information back to the 11th . He had also made contact with some young men who were sneaking out at night from the camp to search for food . In this way a rescue plan was designed to overtake the guards by surprise . Its success was dependent on knowing the camp routine , especially that of the guards . The plan would involve the 672nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion , the 1st of the 511th and the 188th under Colonel Soule . Co . B of the 511th would lead a parachute attack on the camp . C . Co . of the 511th would jump and eliminate a small Japanese force nearby and set up a roadblock near the town of Los Banos . A Co . of the 511th would jump and also set up another roadblock to intercept the enemy . All the men were greatly outnumbered should this attack and rescue go wrong . Again under the command of General Joe Swing , the attack began on 23 February 1945 at 7 : 00 a . m . The time was chosen because advance information had placed the guards at that time away from their weapons , doing calisthenics . The 511th easily overtook them . Several hours later the entire population had been moved and transported amphibiously across a large body of water to a safe area While the attack on the camp was occurring , the 188th had attacked Japanese positioned near the camp at the San Juan River . By midmorning they had cleared the area of the enemy and marched towards Los Banos to provide more fighting power for the rescue . When Colonel Soule saw the Amtracs filled with the internees on Laguna de Bay moving to a safe location , Mamated , he gave new orders . He ordered a bridgehead near the San Juan River , and blocked the road from Santo Tomas , where the Tiger Marines were positioned . The 188th placed themselves directly in their path to Los Banos , should they be alerted . Fortunately , this did not occur . It would have been a death sentence for every man . The 188th was credited with the success of the raid and the protection of the 511th and others transporting the internees . Besides Los Banos the 1st of the 188th , was ordered to clear the southern sector of Luzon of any enemy . They attacked in an area known as Ternate and the Pico de Loro Hills on the southern shore of Manila Bay . This action took one month . The Japanese were again using a cave defense system . The artillery and mortars couldn ' t hit their targets because of the terrain , and razor sharp thickets hid the caves . It required man - to - man combat . After this sector was captured by the 188th , they found 40 Japanese suicide Q boats used to ram American ships . The 1st lost 40 men and 103 wounded in action in one month . In April they were again engaged in another attack . The entire division committed 105 days of combat from the landing at Nasugbu to the end of the Southern Luzon campaign with a battle at Malepungo . The last operation was Operation Aparri on 23 June 1945 . 7 gliders were used , to drop troops , for the first time in the Pacific Theater . This was the end of the Luzon Campaign . The next destination would be the invasion of Japan . The 11th was poised to be among the first to lead the invasion . To that end the 11th was retrained , reorganized and sent on R & R to Australia . The 188th and the 674th became parachute units 20 July 1945 ( glider regiments had been increased to 3 battalions ) . Then the decision to use the atomic bomb on Japan changed the course of history . It was estimated that the U . S . would lose approximately one million men in an invasion , because of fanatical resistance by the population as well as the homeland troops . After 2 Atomic bombs were dropped , Japan was forced to an unconditional surrender . Occupation , Japan . The 11th was selected by General Mac Arthur to lead the Allied Forces in occupying Japan . On 30 August 1945 , the 188th were the first to land on Japanese soil with 1096 men . The 187th quickly followed with 1257 men and the 511th with 1165 men .