Robert Prince (Captain)

Infobox Military Person
name=Robert Prince
born= 1920
died=
placeofbirth= Seattle, Washington
placeofdeath=


caption=Robert Prince
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Army
serviceyears=1941-1946
rank= major
unit=6th Ranger Battalion
battles=World War II
awards=Distinguished Service Cross

Robert Prince (born 1920, in Seattle, Washington) was a captain in the US Army's elite 6th Ranger Battalion. In 1945 he was chosen personally by Lt. Col. Henry A. Mucci to plan the rescue at the Cabanatuan POW camp.

Personal life

Robert Prince grew up in Madrona, Seattle. Prince graduated from Garfield High School and Stanford University at the age of 25, studying history and economics. He was initiated in Sigma Chi fraternity at Stanford. In 1941, Prince joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1941. On January 31, 1942, he married Barbara Harrison at Seattle's Church of the Epiphany. Only a few months afterwards, Prince was sent to New Guinea to fight in the war against the Japanese army. The fighting in New Guinea ended a week before his group arrived. Shortly afterwards, the US Army created the 6th Ranger Battalion with Lt. Col. Henry A. Mucci in command. In January 1945, news spread of the "Kill-All" policy of the Japanese. Mucci was quickly ordered to form a team to rescue prisoners at the Cabanatuan camp. After the successful raid in 1945, Prince returned to the military as a major the day before Thanksgiving 1946.

Raid at Cabanatuan

Prince was mainly involved with the planning of the raid. Prince had to hastily create a plan using a low level of intelligence of the area. Prince built his plan around his two best weapons; surprise and confusion. One of Prince's primary concerns was the flatness of the countryside. He knew his Rangers would have to crawl through a long, open field on their bellies, right under the eyes of the Japanese guards. At the suggestion of Juan Pajota, a Filipino guerilla, Lt. Col. Mucci arranged for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) to have a P-61 Black Widow night fighter buzz the camp while the men made their way across the field. It proved to be the biggest factor in achieving the element of surprise. [ [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bataan/peopleevents/e_raid.html American Experience | Bataan Rescue | People & Events ] ]

"People everywhere thank me. I think the thanks should go the other way. Nothing for me can ever compare with the satisfaction I got from freeing those men."—"Robert Prince"

The Raid at Cabanatuan was depicted in the 2005 film The Great Raid that featured actor James Franco playing Capt. Robert Prince.Captain Prince was personally responsible for the rescue of approximately 500+ 'Bataan Death March' survivors through his rescue plan and direct actions. The principles of this plan are still taught today at USMA West Point, the greatest successful rescue to date.

Honors

Prince received the nation's second-highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross for his involvement in the raid. In the late 90's, he was added to the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/237842_raid25.html Leader of WWII's 'Great Raid' looks back at real-life POW rescue ] ]

ee also

References