The Hunt for Pancho Villa
- Episode aired Nov 3, 1993
- 1h
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
18
YOUR RATING
Photos
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Featured review
Revolutions in Mexico.
In March, 1916, the Mexican Revolutionary Pancho Villa crossed the border into Columbus, New Mexico, shot and killed seventeen men, burned some building, stole some arms, and retreated. The United States launched a "Punitive Expedition," endorsed by President Carranza of Mexico, to catch and kill the Mexican troublemaker.
Now look out, because here comes Santayana.
To catch Villa and his hundred or so men on horseback, the U.S. sent thousands of infantry, artillery, cavalry, armored vehicles, signal corps, and aircraft to teach him a lesson. It was a full-fledged high-tech operation against guerrillas with rifles on ponies that were used to being thirsty, into a strange land where the enemy knew every nook and cranny -- a line of American doughboys, men, horses, and vehicles that was miles long, marching into a revolutionary milieu in which hardly anyone could tell friend from foe. Their orders were to only to identify Villistas and kill them.
The expedition was led by the ambitious General "Blackjack" Pershing. His aid was George S. Patton. The bugler was actor Brian Donlevy. They expected to be greeted as liberators and make short work of Villa and his men. But most of Villa's men had broken up into small bands and returned to their family homes in the trackless mountains. Still, there were numerous skirmishes with casualties on both sides. The Americans' most successful encounter was at Guerrero, where a cavalry charge overwhelmed the defenders of the small town. A feature film was made of the event. I applied for a job as an extra, one of the galloping cavalrymen, but was rejected when casting discovered I'd had little experience with galloping horses in Newark, New Jersey.
Pershing set up his headquarters 120 miles south of the border. He'd faced increasing resistance from villagers who hated the foreign invasion far more than they hated any of the revolutionary leaders. The kids threw stones at the soldiers. Finally, villagers joined by some Mexican troops opened fire and a small battle ensued in which several American lives were lost.
Pershing was outraged. He asked President Wilson to send more troops. In response the National Guard was mobilized and more than a hundred thousand troops from Texas to California entered Mexico to join the pursuit. One general argued that the U.S. should seize all Mexican towns and force the citizens to live in the wilderness. (Does any of this sound familiar?)
By this time the friction had grown until President Carranza, worried about territorial integrity, demanded the withdrawal of all American troops. President Wilson refused. He demanded the release of American prisoners. Carranza refused. Open battles broke out between Mexican and American troops. The two countries were now on the brink of war.
Meanwhile, Villa had resurrected his army and was taking one town after another from Carranza's troops. When one of Villa's battled ended in defeat, both Mexico and the U.S. used it as an excuse to end the conflict. Carranza released the POWs. Pershing declared victory and departed the field. The end had Wilson's blessings because America would surely be drawn into the war in Europe soon. (Kids, that would be World War One. It's the war that came before World War Two.) Eleven months after it began, the expedition was finished and the columns marched back through Columbus, New Mexico, where it had all began.
Today, there are few signs of these events. There is an unprepossessing little roadside cafe called "Pancho Villa" and a small and attractive state park. The town itself can't be much larger than it was in 1916. The hub is a small market and the scattered housing is mostly trailers and photogenically shabby houses bleached by the sun.
Now look out, because here comes Santayana.
To catch Villa and his hundred or so men on horseback, the U.S. sent thousands of infantry, artillery, cavalry, armored vehicles, signal corps, and aircraft to teach him a lesson. It was a full-fledged high-tech operation against guerrillas with rifles on ponies that were used to being thirsty, into a strange land where the enemy knew every nook and cranny -- a line of American doughboys, men, horses, and vehicles that was miles long, marching into a revolutionary milieu in which hardly anyone could tell friend from foe. Their orders were to only to identify Villistas and kill them.
The expedition was led by the ambitious General "Blackjack" Pershing. His aid was George S. Patton. The bugler was actor Brian Donlevy. They expected to be greeted as liberators and make short work of Villa and his men. But most of Villa's men had broken up into small bands and returned to their family homes in the trackless mountains. Still, there were numerous skirmishes with casualties on both sides. The Americans' most successful encounter was at Guerrero, where a cavalry charge overwhelmed the defenders of the small town. A feature film was made of the event. I applied for a job as an extra, one of the galloping cavalrymen, but was rejected when casting discovered I'd had little experience with galloping horses in Newark, New Jersey.
Pershing set up his headquarters 120 miles south of the border. He'd faced increasing resistance from villagers who hated the foreign invasion far more than they hated any of the revolutionary leaders. The kids threw stones at the soldiers. Finally, villagers joined by some Mexican troops opened fire and a small battle ensued in which several American lives were lost.
Pershing was outraged. He asked President Wilson to send more troops. In response the National Guard was mobilized and more than a hundred thousand troops from Texas to California entered Mexico to join the pursuit. One general argued that the U.S. should seize all Mexican towns and force the citizens to live in the wilderness. (Does any of this sound familiar?)
By this time the friction had grown until President Carranza, worried about territorial integrity, demanded the withdrawal of all American troops. President Wilson refused. He demanded the release of American prisoners. Carranza refused. Open battles broke out between Mexican and American troops. The two countries were now on the brink of war.
Meanwhile, Villa had resurrected his army and was taking one town after another from Carranza's troops. When one of Villa's battled ended in defeat, both Mexico and the U.S. used it as an excuse to end the conflict. Carranza released the POWs. Pershing declared victory and departed the field. The end had Wilson's blessings because America would surely be drawn into the war in Europe soon. (Kids, that would be World War One. It's the war that came before World War Two.) Eleven months after it began, the expedition was finished and the columns marched back through Columbus, New Mexico, where it had all began.
Today, there are few signs of these events. There is an unprepossessing little roadside cafe called "Pancho Villa" and a small and attractive state park. The town itself can't be much larger than it was in 1916. The hub is a small market and the scattered housing is mostly trailers and photogenically shabby houses bleached by the sun.
helpful•00
- rmax304823
- Oct 9, 2016
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content