Nieves Fernandez

Captain Nieves Fernandez was schoolteacher who became the only known Filipino female guerrilla leader. Working with guerrillas south of Tacloban, Miss Fernandez rounded up native men to resist the Japanese. She commanded 110 native who killed more than 200 Japanese with knifes and shotguns made from sections of gas pipe. The Japanese offered 10.000 pesos for her head. She was wounded once. There is a bullet scar on her right forearm. Nobody knows who she was before the war, but her bravery even reached the newspapers of the US overseas. In her battles, she was a master guerrilla fighter; an excellent crackshot and hand-to-hand combatant. She helped liberate her island from the country, and the guerrillas also provided valuable intelligence during MacArthur's assault on the islands.

Intense and bloody fighting also occurred much in Leyte before the arrival of Gen. McArthur. Waray guerrillas under Captain Nieves Fernandez fought the Japanese in Tacloban. Being infamously known as a crackshot, Nieves extensively trained her men in combat skills and the making of improvised weaponry. She also led her men in the front, once taking out 200 Japanese soldiers with only 110 men, and the Japanese posted a 10,000 Pesos reward on her head. The guerrillas in Leyte were also very instrumental not only in the opposition against Japanese rule, but also in the safety and aide of the civilians living in the island. In the book The Hidden Battle of Leyte: The Picture Diary of a Girl taken by the Japanese Military by Remedios Felias; a former comfort woman, revealed how the Filipino guerrillas saved the lives of many young girls raped or to-be raped by the Japanese. In her vivid account of the Battle of Burauen, she recounts how the guerrillas managed to wipe out entire Japanese platoons off the various villages in the municipality, eventually saving the lives of many.

Battle vs. Nancy Wake (by Elgb333)
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, a thundering Flying Fortress fly over the waters in the dead of night. Seated inside where five British secret agents, dressed up in civilian garbs and ready to be inserted into enemy lines. One of them, was the great Nancy Wake; a top-class super spy. Her job now was to smuggle weapons and supplies in the resistance fighting the Imperialist Japanese all over the South East. A gorgeous woman leading a tough nut brave squadron is all in the day’s work for the great Nancy Wake, and she just smiles at danger whenever it peaks its head.

“Five minutes gents! Ready your chutes and may God be with you!” The pilot said.

“You heard the man boys. Let’s get down there and have some fun,” Nancy said to rally up her men.

With her being the first one in line, all of them strapped themselves to the conveyor as the big door opened and roaring winds filled them. With a sign of the cross, Nancy jumped first, followed by her men. The whole night was dark, typhoon clouds filled the skies, but at least the island they were landing at was visible. In the dead silence, these paratroopers soared through the sky, landing in the thick jungle below.

45 minutes later

The place was already near morning, yet no sunlight ever showed itself to the natives below. A typhoon was coming, darkening up the place and sending cold winds to their small village. Captain Nieves Fernandez of the Filipino Guerrillas, scanned the heavens for any sign of the people she was supposed to meet. The Americans sent her messages saying that relief was on their way to help them fight the Japanese more. For now however, that “relief” is nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, a Filipino soldier ran towards her panting. It was something urgent, so the Captain focused her attention on him. ''“Nang! Mayda mga sundalo didto hrani ha may sapa. Amu na ada ini hra an aton ginpipinamiling.”''

Captain Nieves Fernandez nodded. It seems that they have finally found that relief they have been eagerly waiting. Taking her 4-man platoon with her, she instructed them to keep an eye out for lost white people tripping in the jungle before finally going in.

As the Filipinos trekked through the jungle, one of them finally found the Brits tired and laying in the forest floor. Thunder streaked in the sky and small bits of rain signaled that the typhoon was ready to let out. With only a few times before they and their friends will be caught in heavy rain, Nieves and her men called out and rushed in to aid the Brits.

Little did they know however, that Nancy and her men where all tired and exhausted, and quite mad with jungle fever. As they saw the Filipinos coming towards them, one yelled in surprise thinking that they were hostiles. Grabbing his rifle, he fired a shot and hit one straight in the chest. Nieves and her Filipino soldiers raised their arms to show that they come in peace, but Nancy and her men just took cover and continued firing with their guns.

With no choice left, Nieves told her men to fall back to the village. While Nancy ordered her men put up a chase, fearing that they might be calling reinforcements. As the Filipinos arrived in the village, they took up position in the huts and trees they could find, while Nieves puts up a couple of TNTs in the entrance. As the Brits poured into the village, the TNT detonated and killed two of them outright while sending the rest, including Nancy, to the ground. The Filipinos continued to fire their weapons while their enemies gathered themselves.

Then, the typhoon finally came upon them with pouring rain and howling winds.

Nancy poured her MP-40 inside a small hut, killing one Filipino soldier. As Nieves aimed her weapon to avenge her comrade, a spy fired his rifle at her but misses. Nieves quickly aimed her carbine as the man chambers a new round, before filling up his body with lead.

One British spy unsheathes his knife and stabs one Filipino soldier in the neck. One Filipino soldier retaliated by spraying his Grease gun at the spy’s torso; cutting him in half. The soldier then sets his eye on Nancy, who quickly took refuge inside a concrete church. Nieves caught on, and she and her soldier fired their weapons continuously at the building, while slowly approaching it.

Pinned down and shaken, the unstirred Nancy Wake planted several of her precious industrial grade British plastic explosives inside the building. She then quickly bolted out to the back. As Nieves and her men bashed into the door, the Captain sees the bombs and quickly grabs his troop towards the exit. The church blew up like New Year, as Nieves and her men were thrown meters away from the explosion. Sadly, as she found out, the soldier took a shrapnel to the back of the head.

The now pissed Nieves Fernandez stood up and looked for her rifle, however Nancy suddenly appears behind her back with a submachine gun aimed at her head. Nieves however, quickly sidekicks the Brit to the ground. Nieves unsheaths her bolo knife and slashes at Nancy but the spy blocks it with her dagger. The two commenced fighting with their respective knives. Nancy stabs Nieves on her side, severely wounding the guerrilla fighter. But with this opportunity, Nieves locks Nancy’s arm on her side. Nancy attempted to get away by continously pounding Nieves head with her other hand until she was bleeding. But Nieves quickly raises her bolo and slices Nancy's hand in one motion. Before Nancy can scream in pain, Nieves follows it up with a slash at her throat, killing the once-famous British spy.

Expert’s Opinion
Nieves Fernandez won because she had the better long range, melee and explosive weapons. While Nancy was better supplied and trained, Nieves took the important x-factors of experience and being an overall better guerrilla fighter.

[To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.]