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Nieves Fernandez

  • Writer: chanfebe04
    chanfebe04
  • Jul 3
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jul 14

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In the Philippines, Nieves Fernández defied norms by transforming from schoolteacher to guerrilla commander, leading resistance forces against Japanese occupation in the 1940s. She not only trained male fighters, but also developed inventive weaponry and tactics, proving that leadership and tactical brilliance weren’t confined to military ranks or gender. Her image wielding a gun in a US military photograph became an icon of Filipina wartime courage.

🕊️ LIFE BEFORE THE WAR

  • Nieves Fernández was born in Tacloban, Leyte, in the early 1900s. [1] [2] [3]

  • Before the Japanese occupation, Fernández led a quiet life as an educator and small business owner. [1] [3]

  • The Japanese invasion in 1941 disrupted this life—her business was seized, and she reportedly witnessed threats against her students. [3] [4]

🕊️ CONTRIBUTIONS TO WWII RESISTANCE IN ASIA

  • At age 38, Fernández recruited and trained over 110 local men, forming a resistance unit in the hills south of Tacloban. [1] [2] [3]

  • She was the only documented female guerrilla commander in the Philippines during WWII. [2] [3]

  • Her unit relied on improvised warfare using homemade weapons—gas-pipe shotguns that fired nails, bolo knives, and improvised grenades. She taught her fighters to kill silently and strike from cover using ambush tactics suited to jungle terrain. [3] [4] [8]

  • Before forming her unit, Fernández reportedly carried out lone ambushes, dressed in black and armed only with a bolo and makeshift shotgun. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

  • She is credited with killing over 200 Japanese soldiers during these missions, earning the nickname “The Silent Killer”. [3] [8]

  • Her leadership unsettled Japanese forces so much that a ₱10,000 bounty was placed on her head—a notable sum at the time. [2] [3]

  • After the war, Fernández was honourably discharged with the rank of Sergeant under the 95th Infantry, Leyte Area Command; her contributions were documented in U.S. Signal Corps photographs and Philippine military archives. [2] [3]

🕊️ LIFE AFTER THE WAR

  • After the liberation of the Philippines, Fernández returned to civilian life as a school principal and remained active in her community. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

  • Though she never sought national recognition, her story has been preserved through oral histories, wartime photography, and local commemorations. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

References

[5] “Nieves Fernandez – the silent killer during World War II” https://museumfacts.co.uk/nieves-fernandez-world-war-ii/

[6] “‘The Silent Killer’: The Untold Story of Nieves Fernandez, the Teacher Who Killed 200 Japanese Soldiers” https://www.elitereaders.com/the-silent-killer-the-untold-story-of-nieves-fernandez-the-teacher-who-killed-over-200-japanese-soldiers/

[8] “Captain Fernandez and the Gas Pipe Gang: How Filipino Guerrillas Resisted the Japanese During World War II”  https://www.coffeeordie.com/filipino-guerrillas

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