Member
Inertia
@LetmeDostuff
How's this?
NAME:
Santiago, Katrina I. (Ibanez)
AGE:
22
GENDER:
Female
DATE OF BIRTH:
04/29/1927
LOCATION OF BIRTH:
Manila City, Luzon Island, Philippines Isles
THEME SONG
How's this?
(Painting by Fernando Amorsolo, 1892-1972)
[+]-----------------------------------------------------------[+]
”Handa ako ibigay lahat para sa kalayaan ng ating ingang bayan at hindi ako titigil hanggat nakataas ang watawat natin sa lahat ng dako ng Pilipinas, ang mahal nating bayan. Ito ang pangako ko sa iyo.”
Translation: I am prepared to give everything for the freedom of our motherland and I will not stop until our flag is raised throughout the Philippines, our beloved country. This is my promise to you
[+]-----------------------------------------------------------[+]
NAME:
Santiago, Katrina I. (Ibanez)
AGE:
22
GENDER:
Female
DATE OF BIRTH:
04/29/1927
LOCATION OF BIRTH:
Manila City, Luzon Island, Philippines Isles
[+]-----------------------------------------------------------[+]
APPEARANCE:
She is a natural Filipina beauty, only around 5’1 in height and with light, sun kissed skin. Her light, 120lbs frame and figure is all due to her history being part of one of many Filipino resistance groups against Japan. The hot, brutal jungles of the Philippines are one of the most dense in the world, her build would be quite lean as traversing the terrain works the body.
As for clothing, she wears anything that was available, whether it was men sized clothes, USAFFE uniforms, or even just normal women’s clothes – basically anything that was available at the time until she was able to pick up a uniform from USAFFE surplus along with some of the pouches, straps, socks and boots in her size. She still wears it today though it is a bit worn down and she had lost the helmet sometime ago. However, on the shoulder and waist is a reminder of what was and what was to be, the patch of the 1st infantry division which was to become one of the first infantry divisions of the Philippine republic after their independence and her traditional combat bolo knife that she keeps sheathed and strapped to her waist.
PERSONALITY:
To put her personality into words, she is spontaneous, hardworking, and expressive but at the same time she can be very candid and calm. She always puts a smile on her face to bring morale up, even when times seem hopeless, she always says the right words to calm people down, even though deep down she feels like the world around her is coming apart at the seams.
Her perseverance and persistence to go on in the face of insurmountable odds is what keeps the people around her somewhat calm, collected, and determined, and it helped that she was both resourceful and brave. While she was in the Philippines fighting alongside the Guerrillas and USAFFE, her quick thinking allowed her group to escape capture multiple times and allowed them to sabotage and capture Japanese equipment – even when it seems like she’s pushing the envelope.
In general, she is the kind of woman that won’t just sit around and do nothing when everyone else fights. She figured that she – a citizen of the Philippines – should have as much a right to fight for her country as much as any other man and it beats being comfort woman for the Japanese to use. However, she did it for more than that, she did it because she loved her country and her people; she continues to hold hope for a better future.
RELATIONSHIPS:
TBD
She is a natural Filipina beauty, only around 5’1 in height and with light, sun kissed skin. Her light, 120lbs frame and figure is all due to her history being part of one of many Filipino resistance groups against Japan. The hot, brutal jungles of the Philippines are one of the most dense in the world, her build would be quite lean as traversing the terrain works the body.
As for clothing, she wears anything that was available, whether it was men sized clothes, USAFFE uniforms, or even just normal women’s clothes – basically anything that was available at the time until she was able to pick up a uniform from USAFFE surplus along with some of the pouches, straps, socks and boots in her size. She still wears it today though it is a bit worn down and she had lost the helmet sometime ago. However, on the shoulder and waist is a reminder of what was and what was to be, the patch of the 1st infantry division which was to become one of the first infantry divisions of the Philippine republic after their independence and her traditional combat bolo knife that she keeps sheathed and strapped to her waist.
USAFFE General Issue Uniforms
1st "Tabak" infantry division
PERSONALITY:
To put her personality into words, she is spontaneous, hardworking, and expressive but at the same time she can be very candid and calm. She always puts a smile on her face to bring morale up, even when times seem hopeless, she always says the right words to calm people down, even though deep down she feels like the world around her is coming apart at the seams.
Her perseverance and persistence to go on in the face of insurmountable odds is what keeps the people around her somewhat calm, collected, and determined, and it helped that she was both resourceful and brave. While she was in the Philippines fighting alongside the Guerrillas and USAFFE, her quick thinking allowed her group to escape capture multiple times and allowed them to sabotage and capture Japanese equipment – even when it seems like she’s pushing the envelope.
In general, she is the kind of woman that won’t just sit around and do nothing when everyone else fights. She figured that she – a citizen of the Philippines – should have as much a right to fight for her country as much as any other man and it beats being comfort woman for the Japanese to use. However, she did it for more than that, she did it because she loved her country and her people; she continues to hold hope for a better future.
RELATIONSHIPS:
TBD
CLASSIFICATION:RIFLEMAN
Katrina during her time with the Guerrilla fighters mostly used captured Arisaka or USAFFE issued m1903 a1s. She was used to bolt action rifles and was most familiar with their operation and maintenance. Her side arm of choice was the M1911 pistol over the Japanese made Nambu, and her melee weapon was a Filipino made Bolo – a large knife that was both used as a tool and a weapon.
When she got to Indochina she switched out her m1903 a1 with a Mas 36 – a french made rifle heavily used by the french remnant and some of the indochinese resistance. She used that rifle throughout the Japanese invasion of Vietnam.
When she finally got to the USSR she traded in her Mas for a Mosin Nagant and switched her sidearm to the TT-32 Tokarev pistol – to which she admits feels very similar in both how it is maintained and how it shoots compared to the M1911 that she’s used to. However, she never once considered switching her Bolo out for something smaller, it was something that reminded her of home.
EQUIPMENT AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS
Equipment:
-Mosin Nagant model 91/30 (Though she would prefer something like a Mas or a Springfield)
-TT-32
-Bolo Knife
-DBL-48 Mortar rounds x8 (x4 smoke & 4x incendiary)
Personal belongings:
-Neatly folded Philippine flag
-Used Sketchbooks
-A variety of pencils of differing origin
-Pictures of Family
EXPERIMENTAL GEAR
Katrina was given the DBL-48 is a double-barreled, over/under, breach loaded mortar launcher. When this was being developed, Russian engineers were given certain criteria:
1. It must be easy to operate and maintain.
2. It must be light and portable while being easy to maneuver and aim.
3. It must be effective at taking out soft enemy targets like infantry, trucks, or buildings.
The URD was able to whip up the first prototype for the DBL-48 and put it through its paces while testing different types of ammunition alongside it. It was capable of lobbing the smaller mortar shells accurately up to about 400 meters. However, repeated tests have shown that increasing the frequency of fire would overheat the barrels which would lead to damage and an overall loss in accuracy. Their goal was to be able to make mortars more available and efficient to carry in the field and develop more ammunition types capable of inflicting maximum damage upon impact and maximum utility.
The DBL-48 is able to use standard explosive shrapnel ammunition, and experimental incendiary and smoke ammunition. Smoke was essential in many situations such as escape and evade tactics, while Incendiary ammunition gave it the ability to control the battlefield by dictating which areas were accessible to enemy infantry.
Despite its supposed advantages the DBL-48 remains largely untested in field conditions and whether or not the ammunition provided works as intended under these conditions as the design of the mortar shell had to be changed to fit the DBL-48, the shell is now propelled by a gunpowder cartridge, this design has been proven to work in controlled environments but it was yet to be tested in combat conditions; additionally, despite the DBL-48 being smaller than a regular mortar tube and is operable by one person, it is still somewhat cumbersome and heavy plus the extra ammunition adds on to the weight a soldier would have to carry. There would be specific problems as well in regards to ammunition in the field as it would not be readily available and firing the weapon accurately at the enemy would require time, strength and practice.
Katrina during her time with the Guerrilla fighters mostly used captured Arisaka or USAFFE issued m1903 a1s. She was used to bolt action rifles and was most familiar with their operation and maintenance. Her side arm of choice was the M1911 pistol over the Japanese made Nambu, and her melee weapon was a Filipino made Bolo – a large knife that was both used as a tool and a weapon.
When she got to Indochina she switched out her m1903 a1 with a Mas 36 – a french made rifle heavily used by the french remnant and some of the indochinese resistance. She used that rifle throughout the Japanese invasion of Vietnam.
When she finally got to the USSR she traded in her Mas for a Mosin Nagant and switched her sidearm to the TT-32 Tokarev pistol – to which she admits feels very similar in both how it is maintained and how it shoots compared to the M1911 that she’s used to. However, she never once considered switching her Bolo out for something smaller, it was something that reminded her of home.
EQUIPMENT AND PERSONAL BELONGINGS
Equipment:
-Mosin Nagant model 91/30 (Though she would prefer something like a Mas or a Springfield)
-TT-32
-Bolo Knife
-DBL-48 Mortar rounds x8 (x4 smoke & 4x incendiary)
Personal belongings:
-Neatly folded Philippine flag
-Used Sketchbooks
-A variety of pencils of differing origin
-Pictures of Family
EXPERIMENTAL GEAR
Katrina was given the DBL-48 is a double-barreled, over/under, breach loaded mortar launcher. When this was being developed, Russian engineers were given certain criteria:
1. It must be easy to operate and maintain.
2. It must be light and portable while being easy to maneuver and aim.
3. It must be effective at taking out soft enemy targets like infantry, trucks, or buildings.
The URD was able to whip up the first prototype for the DBL-48 and put it through its paces while testing different types of ammunition alongside it. It was capable of lobbing the smaller mortar shells accurately up to about 400 meters. However, repeated tests have shown that increasing the frequency of fire would overheat the barrels which would lead to damage and an overall loss in accuracy. Their goal was to be able to make mortars more available and efficient to carry in the field and develop more ammunition types capable of inflicting maximum damage upon impact and maximum utility.
The DBL-48 is able to use standard explosive shrapnel ammunition, and experimental incendiary and smoke ammunition. Smoke was essential in many situations such as escape and evade tactics, while Incendiary ammunition gave it the ability to control the battlefield by dictating which areas were accessible to enemy infantry.
Despite its supposed advantages the DBL-48 remains largely untested in field conditions and whether or not the ammunition provided works as intended under these conditions as the design of the mortar shell had to be changed to fit the DBL-48, the shell is now propelled by a gunpowder cartridge, this design has been proven to work in controlled environments but it was yet to be tested in combat conditions; additionally, despite the DBL-48 being smaller than a regular mortar tube and is operable by one person, it is still somewhat cumbersome and heavy plus the extra ammunition adds on to the weight a soldier would have to carry. There would be specific problems as well in regards to ammunition in the field as it would not be readily available and firing the weapon accurately at the enemy would require time, strength and practice.
BACKGROUND
Katrina was born and raised in the capital city of Manila, she was fortunate to have been born during an era of prosperity and friendly relations between the United States and the Philippines. She was born into a well off family that could give her the proper education she needed – at this time English was one of the primary languages that was being taught in schools due to the Philippines being heavily influenced by the U.S..
During the time spanning 1930 to 1936 there was an increasing, unyielding sentiment of independence from the Filipino people. Katrina was too young to understand at the time, she had only learned so much about her own country. She was aspiring to be an artist of some sort, dancing, singing, maybe even just playing an instrument, or even painting or drawing.
The Philippines became a commonwealth undergoing a ten year transitional period before gaining independence. The Philippines was set to gain her independence by 1946, but just 5 years before the set date, the Empire of the Rising Sun – Japan attacked and swept the Pacific like a strong typhoon.-
She was fifteen when the Japanese attacked the Philippines, with it came seven years of fighting, whether it be conventional or through sabotage and ambush. During that time, Katrina heavily involved herself with the resistance movements, from the fall of Manila in 1942 all the way to 1946 a year after the Japanese invasion of the U.S. West Coast. It was at this point that morale was starting to run low, the unbreakable will of the Filipinos still burned strong, however with each passing day, victory against the Japanese forces was starting to look like an impossibility as U.S. relief would not be coming soon.
The U.S. Pacific fleet that had been battling it out with the Japanese were called back to reinforce the Atlantic – before the Pacific fleet departed, they kept a garrison of Marines on the islands, a few small ships, a few aircraft, and gave them a promise that they would return to give the Jap’s fleet hell. They never did return – a promise unfulfilled.
The puppet government party known as KALIBAI and the infamous Japanese secret police known as Kempeitai were cracking down harder on resistance groups. It was becoming progressively harder to mount a successful resistance after being whittled down so much for so long. Many resistance fighters were shifting from fighting the Japanese to focusing on getting as many people out of the Philippines as possible and Katrina’s group was one of these people. They went on boats that were set out towards either the ANZAC held territories or towards the British Raj. Many either ended up at their destination, or ended up in more contested territories, or got shot to pieces by Japanese vessels or Japanese aircraft doing strafing runs.
There were close to 600,000 guerrilla fighters from over 200 separate resistance groups around the Philippines at their peak, by 1946 the Japanese have narrowed their numbers to nearly 150,000 and by 1948 the Philippine resistance along with all remaining USAFFE have all been snuffed out.
Katrina had left with her group of survivors during the year 1946, a year after her mother and her brother escaped. Escape efforts continued until 1948 when the Japanese tightened up their security around the strategically important Philippine Isles following the success of ANZAC in liberating Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies.
Refugees and resistance fighters bounced from island to island, country to country, with the war raging in the pacific and resistance at an all time high. Katrina’s group was lucky enough to have been able land and meet with a resistance group in Vietnam after enduring Japanese strafing runs and dodging enemy patrols at sea – their group of small vessels, rafts, and rowboats made it to the coast of French Indochina.
Katrina would then find herself helping the resistance movement using all she’s learned in the Philippine conflict. Her combat experience however is limited, she has never been formally trained even though she has been fighting for over five years alongside her people and American soldiers that were part of the USAFFE and now she was fighting with French Indochinese. Her life has been hectic, from a life of peace expecting independence, to an era of vast conflict and hostile occupation all over the globe.
By mid 1946 the Japanese were ramping up their assault on Vietnam, the fighting grew evermore intense; it was becoming increasingly clear that Katrina and the remainder of her people might have to leave again. By early 1947 Sih Bao took most of his people and led them through China into the USSR, hopping from resistance group to resistance group. Chinese resistance was diverse, reminding her of what the Philippines had before she left. They all had differing stances and views on the conflict raging in China and they all had different opinions on how to deal with it.
By the time they got to the USSR it was already 1948 and when the opportunity arose to fight she volunteered again, this time she was invited to join Squad-914 for her exploits during the invasion of Indochina. The rest of her group of Filipinos either volunteered to join regular divisions or simply waited for fate whether they’d be called up to fight as conscripts in the USSR or be left alone as refugees should. Katrina could not blame them, they have seen the face of conflict and carried its burdens on their shoulders for over seven years – through their homeland, through Vietnam, through China and now they are asked to fight again? Of course many would say no – they were tired and weary, they couldn’t take anymore.
Even she was tired, It has been so long, that she can barely remember the times when it was peaceful, the times when she wasn’t always expecting a bomb to drop on her head, the times when she wouldn’t fear a stray bullet striking her down. However, she had no choice – she promised to return one day and fight for their independence. She cannot and will not stop fighting until that one day, it’s the only thing that’s been keeping her going – hope that one day her people will be free. She has yet to discover the fate of the Philippine resistance and the remaining USAFFE members.
EXPERIENCE
Katrina’s experience in fighting is limited to ambush and sabotage as a guerrilla fighter in the Philippines and have only kept what little training she received from USAFFE who fought alongside Philippine Guerrillas and resistance fighters.
-USAFFE and Bolo training (1942-1943)
-Philippine resistance (1942-1946)
-Aiding French Indochinese Resistance (1946 - Early 1947)
-Travelling through occupied China (1947-1948)
FAMILY
Santiago, Marco C. - Father, age 49, deceased (1942 Fall of Manila)
Santiago, Emilia I. - Mother, age 47, Unkown
Santiago, Rizalino I. - Brother, Age 19, Unknown
Katrina was born and raised in the capital city of Manila, she was fortunate to have been born during an era of prosperity and friendly relations between the United States and the Philippines. She was born into a well off family that could give her the proper education she needed – at this time English was one of the primary languages that was being taught in schools due to the Philippines being heavily influenced by the U.S..
During the time spanning 1930 to 1936 there was an increasing, unyielding sentiment of independence from the Filipino people. Katrina was too young to understand at the time, she had only learned so much about her own country. She was aspiring to be an artist of some sort, dancing, singing, maybe even just playing an instrument, or even painting or drawing.
The Philippines became a commonwealth undergoing a ten year transitional period before gaining independence. The Philippines was set to gain her independence by 1946, but just 5 years before the set date, the Empire of the Rising Sun – Japan attacked and swept the Pacific like a strong typhoon.-
She was fifteen when the Japanese attacked the Philippines, with it came seven years of fighting, whether it be conventional or through sabotage and ambush. During that time, Katrina heavily involved herself with the resistance movements, from the fall of Manila in 1942 all the way to 1946 a year after the Japanese invasion of the U.S. West Coast. It was at this point that morale was starting to run low, the unbreakable will of the Filipinos still burned strong, however with each passing day, victory against the Japanese forces was starting to look like an impossibility as U.S. relief would not be coming soon.
The U.S. Pacific fleet that had been battling it out with the Japanese were called back to reinforce the Atlantic – before the Pacific fleet departed, they kept a garrison of Marines on the islands, a few small ships, a few aircraft, and gave them a promise that they would return to give the Jap’s fleet hell. They never did return – a promise unfulfilled.
The puppet government party known as KALIBAI and the infamous Japanese secret police known as Kempeitai were cracking down harder on resistance groups. It was becoming progressively harder to mount a successful resistance after being whittled down so much for so long. Many resistance fighters were shifting from fighting the Japanese to focusing on getting as many people out of the Philippines as possible and Katrina’s group was one of these people. They went on boats that were set out towards either the ANZAC held territories or towards the British Raj. Many either ended up at their destination, or ended up in more contested territories, or got shot to pieces by Japanese vessels or Japanese aircraft doing strafing runs.
There were close to 600,000 guerrilla fighters from over 200 separate resistance groups around the Philippines at their peak, by 1946 the Japanese have narrowed their numbers to nearly 150,000 and by 1948 the Philippine resistance along with all remaining USAFFE have all been snuffed out.
Katrina had left with her group of survivors during the year 1946, a year after her mother and her brother escaped. Escape efforts continued until 1948 when the Japanese tightened up their security around the strategically important Philippine Isles following the success of ANZAC in liberating Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies.
Refugees and resistance fighters bounced from island to island, country to country, with the war raging in the pacific and resistance at an all time high. Katrina’s group was lucky enough to have been able land and meet with a resistance group in Vietnam after enduring Japanese strafing runs and dodging enemy patrols at sea – their group of small vessels, rafts, and rowboats made it to the coast of French Indochina.
Katrina would then find herself helping the resistance movement using all she’s learned in the Philippine conflict. Her combat experience however is limited, she has never been formally trained even though she has been fighting for over five years alongside her people and American soldiers that were part of the USAFFE and now she was fighting with French Indochinese. Her life has been hectic, from a life of peace expecting independence, to an era of vast conflict and hostile occupation all over the globe.
By mid 1946 the Japanese were ramping up their assault on Vietnam, the fighting grew evermore intense; it was becoming increasingly clear that Katrina and the remainder of her people might have to leave again. By early 1947 Sih Bao took most of his people and led them through China into the USSR, hopping from resistance group to resistance group. Chinese resistance was diverse, reminding her of what the Philippines had before she left. They all had differing stances and views on the conflict raging in China and they all had different opinions on how to deal with it.
By the time they got to the USSR it was already 1948 and when the opportunity arose to fight she volunteered again, this time she was invited to join Squad-914 for her exploits during the invasion of Indochina. The rest of her group of Filipinos either volunteered to join regular divisions or simply waited for fate whether they’d be called up to fight as conscripts in the USSR or be left alone as refugees should. Katrina could not blame them, they have seen the face of conflict and carried its burdens on their shoulders for over seven years – through their homeland, through Vietnam, through China and now they are asked to fight again? Of course many would say no – they were tired and weary, they couldn’t take anymore.
Even she was tired, It has been so long, that she can barely remember the times when it was peaceful, the times when she wasn’t always expecting a bomb to drop on her head, the times when she wouldn’t fear a stray bullet striking her down. However, she had no choice – she promised to return one day and fight for their independence. She cannot and will not stop fighting until that one day, it’s the only thing that’s been keeping her going – hope that one day her people will be free. She has yet to discover the fate of the Philippine resistance and the remaining USAFFE members.
EXPERIENCE
Katrina’s experience in fighting is limited to ambush and sabotage as a guerrilla fighter in the Philippines and have only kept what little training she received from USAFFE who fought alongside Philippine Guerrillas and resistance fighters.
-USAFFE and Bolo training (1942-1943)
-Philippine resistance (1942-1946)
-Aiding French Indochinese Resistance (1946 - Early 1947)
-Travelling through occupied China (1947-1948)
FAMILY
Santiago, Marco C. - Father, age 49, deceased (1942 Fall of Manila)
Santiago, Emilia I. - Mother, age 47, Unkown
Santiago, Rizalino I. - Brother, Age 19, Unknown
THEME SONG
IN REAL LIFE FACTS
The song was originally a poem written in the 1929 by Jose Corazon de Jesus while we were still under American rule just a few years before we would become a commonwealth undergoing a 10 year transitional period before becomming independent. Incidentally the Japanese battled us on our homeland from 1941-1945 a year before the independence of the Philippines from the US - 4th of July 1946. The poem was then put to music by Constancio de Guzman during the 1980's when Marcos was still president and became very popular.
ORIGINAL LYRICS:
ENGLISH LYRICS
The song was originally a poem written in the 1929 by Jose Corazon de Jesus while we were still under American rule just a few years before we would become a commonwealth undergoing a 10 year transitional period before becomming independent. Incidentally the Japanese battled us on our homeland from 1941-1945 a year before the independence of the Philippines from the US - 4th of July 1946. The poem was then put to music by Constancio de Guzman during the 1980's when Marcos was still president and became very popular.
ORIGINAL LYRICS:
"Ang bayan kong Pilipinas
Lupain ng ginto’t bulaklak
Pag-ibig na sa kanyang palad
Nag-alay ng ganda’t dilag.
At sa kanyang yumi at ganda
Dayuhan ay nahalina
Bayan ko, binihag ka
Nasadlak sa dusa.
Ibon mang may layang lumipad
kulungin mo at umiiyak
Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag
Ang di magnasang makaalpas!
Pilipinas kong minumutya
Pugad ng luha ko’t dalita
Aking adhika,
Makita kang sakdal laya."
Lupain ng ginto’t bulaklak
Pag-ibig na sa kanyang palad
Nag-alay ng ganda’t dilag.
At sa kanyang yumi at ganda
Dayuhan ay nahalina
Bayan ko, binihag ka
Nasadlak sa dusa.
Ibon mang may layang lumipad
kulungin mo at umiiyak
Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag
Ang di magnasang makaalpas!
Pilipinas kong minumutya
Pugad ng luha ko’t dalita
Aking adhika,
Makita kang sakdal laya."
ENGLISH LYRICS
"Philippines, my country, my homeland
gold and flowers in her heart abound
Blessing on her fate did love bestow
Sweet beauty's grace and splendor's glow
How her charm so kind and tender
Drove the strangers to enslave her
my homeland its fetters kept
you suffered as we wept
Birds that freely claim the skies to fly
when imprisoned mourn, protest, and cry
love more deeply a land most fair
learn to break the chains of sad despair
Philippines my heart's sole burning fire
cradle of my misery
all that I desire
is to see you rise forever free"
Translated by Ed Maranan
gold and flowers in her heart abound
Blessing on her fate did love bestow
Sweet beauty's grace and splendor's glow
How her charm so kind and tender
Drove the strangers to enslave her
my homeland its fetters kept
you suffered as we wept
Birds that freely claim the skies to fly
when imprisoned mourn, protest, and cry
love more deeply a land most fair
learn to break the chains of sad despair
Philippines my heart's sole burning fire
cradle of my misery
all that I desire
is to see you rise forever free"
Translated by Ed Maranan
