Today in Labor History November 13, 1947: The USSR completed development of the AK-47, or Automatic Kalashnikov, 1947. Today, 70 years later, it remains one the most popular rifles in the world due to its low cost and reliability, even under harsh conditions. This has also made them the weapon of choice for rebel and guerilla armies.

Today in Labor History November 5, 2011: The Antagonic Nuclei of the New Urban Guerrilla (NANGU) launched its first solo attack on a bank branch in Vitacura, Chile. NANGU is an insurrectionary anarchist group, responsible for numerous bombings, simulated bombings and arson attacks against banks, cops, and other targets.

Today in Labor History September 13, 1900: Filipino insurgents defeated an American column in the Battle of Pulang Lupa, during the Philippine–American War. Captain Devereux Shields led a 54 Infantrymen into the mountains of Torrijos to combat Abad and his guerrillas. Local guerrillas informed Abad of Shields' movements. In response, he assembled a force of 180-250 regular Filipino soldiers and 1,000-2,000 bolomen. The regular Philippine soldiers were well armed with bolos, pistols, and Spanish Mausers. The bolomen only had machetes. They dressed as farmers by day and ambushed the Americans by night. Shields' defeat was one of the worst defeats for the Americans during the war. It was especially significant given the upcoming election between the hawkish President William McKinley and his anti-imperialist opponent William Jennings Bryan.

The Philippine–American War, and the Moro Uprising (Philippine liberation war) against the U.S. occupation, lasted from 1899-1913. Estimates of Philippine deaths from battle range from 10,000-20,000. However, estimates of civilian deaths range from 250,000 to well over 1 million, mostly from the famine and disease brought on by the brutal U.S. occupation.

Today in Labor History April 27, 1521: On this day, Philippine Natives fought the battle of Mactan against Ferdinand Magellan. Lapulapu’s warriors ambushed him and overpowered the Spanish forces. They killed Magellan with a poison arrow. Their victory delayed Spanish colonization of the Philippines by forty-four years. For centuries, native Muslim Filipinos fought wars against their Spanish rulers. The Spanish saw these as a continuation of the Reconquista of Spain from the Moors. They brought in conscripts from Mexico and Latin America, including many Native Americans. Mortality was high on both sides. Many conscripts fled into the countryside, or joined with the Filipino forces. Yet, despite all the slaughter and repression of Native Filipinos, the colony was never profitable to Spain. During the 1800s, Filipino immigrants fought alongside Latin Americans in their wars for independence from Spain. In 1896, Filipinos fought their own war for independence from Spain.

When the U.S. initially landed in the Philippines, in 1898, they supported Filipinos in their uprising against Spain. However, by August, 1898, the U.S. had ended their collaboration with Native Filipinos and soon annexed the country. American rule was brutal. In 1899, American went to war against their colonial subjects. The war was far deadlier and more costly than their war against Spain. 4,200 American soldiers, up to 20,000 Philippine soldiers, and at least 200,000 civilians died.

The Japanese occupation during World War II was also brutal. In the most infamous example, 10,000 Filipino and 1,200 U.S. soldiers died in the brutal Bataan Death March. However, during the occupation, Filipino guerillas fought an insurgency against the Japanese. Consequently, the Philippines became the costliest theatre of war for the Japanese. Nearly 500,000 Japanese died fighting in the Philippines. But it was much worse for Filipinos, with over 1 million dying during World War II. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, toward the end of World War II, was the largest naval battle in history.

Mark Twain, who was vice-president of the American Anti-Imperialist League from 1901 until his death in 1910 said “I have read carefully the treaty of Paris and I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines. We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem… And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.”

#workingclass #LaborHistory #philippines #colonialism #resistance #independence #Guerilla #japan #spain #uprising #WorldWarTwo #bataan #filipino #indigenous #lapulapu #islam #marktwain #author #writer #solidarity #fiction #books @bookstadon

Today in Labor History January 10, 1981: The FMLN launched its first major offensive against the Salvadoran military. As a result, they gained control of the departments of Morazan and Chalatenango. They held onto these regions of El Salvador for most of the civil war. In 1989, it became clear after their “final” offensive, that the government could not defeat them. At this point, the U.S., which had previously supported the government’s genocidal war against the Salvadoran people, began to support negotiations. Over 75,000 people died in the war from 1979-1992, plus another 8,000 disappeared. The United Nations estimated that 85% of all civilian killings during the civil war were committed by government forces and government-supported death squads. The government and death squads also routinely committed kidnapping, torture, and murder of suspected FMLN sympathizers.

Today in Labor History November 13, 1947: The USSR completed development of the AK-47, or Automatic Kalashnikov, 1947. Today, 70 years later, it remains one the most popular rifles in the world due to its low cost and reliability, even under harsh conditions. This has also made them the weapon of choice for rebel and guerilla armies.

Today in Labor History September 13, 1900: Filipino insurgents defeated an American column in the Battle of Pulang Lupa, during the Philippine–American War. Captain Devereux Shields led a 54 Infantrymen into the mountains of Torrijos to combat the clever Abad and his guerrillas. Local guerrillas informed Abad of Shields' movements. In response, he assembled a force of 180-250 regular Filipino soldiers and 1,000-2,000 bolomen. The regular Philippine soldiers were well armed with bolos, pistols, and Spanish Mausers. The bolomen only had machetes. They dressed as farmers by day and ambushed the Americans by night. Shields' defeat was one of the worst defeats for the Americans during the war. It was especially significant given the upcoming election between the hawkish President William McKinley and his anti-imperialist opponent William Jennings Bryan.

I dag er det 42 år siden, at hovedkvarteret for USA's luftvåben i Europa, der holdt til på Ramstein Air Base i Tyskland, blev ramt af et bombeangreb, planlagt og udført i et samarbejde mellem byguerillagrupperne Rote Arme Fraktion og Action Directe.

#historie #guerilla #dkmedier #Arbejderen

https://arbejderen.dk/historie/da-usas-militaere-baser-i-europa-blev-bekaempet-med-bomber/