Papers of Lt. Colonel Charles M. Smith, USA
Record Group - 106
Philippine Regional Section, GHQ, SWPA
5th Military District, Samar, Philippines
American Guerrillas of Mindanao
1942-1945
Charles Smith was a civilian mining engineer on the Philippine Island of Masbate when war broke out in December 1941. Making his way to the islands of Panay and then Mindanao, Smith put himself at the service of the USAFFE (United States Army Forces Far East) forces defending the islands before their capitulation in May 1942. Evading capture rather than surrendering, Smith hid in the mountainous jungles of Mindanao with future guerrilla leader of Mindanao, Lt. Colonel Wendell Fertig.