Battle of the Philippines (1941–42)

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Battle of the Philippines
Part of World War II, Pacific War

Allied prisoners of war use improvised litters to carry comrades who are sick, exhausted and/or wounded. This event, shortly before the end of the battle, would become known as the Bataan Death March.
Date December 8, 1941 – May 8, 1942
Location Philippines
Result Japanese victory.
Combatants
Commonwealth of the Philippines
United States		 Japan
Commanders
Douglas MacArthur Masaharu Homma
Strength
About 150,000 120,000
Casualties
2,500 KIA,
10,000 POWs killed/died during Bataan Death March,
5,000 wounded,
100,000 POWs total		 1,200 killed,
500 missing in action,
1,100 wounded
Pacific campaigns 1941-42
Pearl Harbor – Thailand – Malaya – Wake – Hong Kong – Philippines – Dutch East Indies – New Guinea – Singapore – Australia – Indian Ocean – Doolittle Raid – Solomons – Coral Sea – Midway
South West Pacific theatre
Philippines 1941–42 – Dutch East Indies 1941–42 – Portuguese Timor – Australia – New Guinea – Philippines 1944–45 – Borneo 1945

The Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941–42 and the defense of the islands by Filipino and United States forces. Although the result was a Japanese victory, the perseverance of the defenders delayed Japanese attacks on other areas and assisted Allied counterattacks in the South West Pacific Area, from late 1942.

Contents

[edit] The defenses

From mid-1941, following increased tension between Japan and several other powers, including the United States, Britain and the Netherlands, many countries in South East Asia and the Pacific began to prepare for the possibility of war.

By December 1941, the combined defense forces in the Philippines included the 10 divisions of the Philippine Army (PA), under General Douglas MacArthur, who had retired as U.S. Army Chief of Staff in 1937 and had accepted control of the PA. MacArthur had been tasked by the Government of the Philippines with reforming an army made up primarily of reservists lacking equipment, training and organization. (See: Military history of the Philippines, for more details.)

The U.S. Army's 22,532 strong garrison, known as the Philippine Department, was under Maj. Gen. George Grunert. The main part of Grunert's force was the U.S. Army's Philippine Division, which included a substantial number of Filipinos, in Philippine Scouts (PS) units. The garrison had been augmented by 8,500 personnel from National Guard units on the U.S. mainland, including the only armour, two tank battalions.

The U.S. Army Air Forces Far East Air Force (FEAF), under Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brereton, was the largest U.S. air formation outside the United States and included 107 P-40 fighters and 35 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.

MacArthur organized the defenders into four commands. The North Luzon Force, under Maj. Gen. Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV defended the most likely sites for amphibious attacks and the central plains. This included Bataan Peninsula, the fallback position, which adjoined Manila Bay. Wainwright's forces included the PA 11th, 21st and 31st Infantry Divisions, the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regiment (a PS unit), a battalion of the 45th Infantry (PS), two batteries of 144mm guns and one of 2.95 inch mountain guns. The Philippine 71st Infantry Division served as a reserve and could be committed only on the authority of MacArthur.

The South Luzon Force, under Brig. Gen. George M. Parker Jr. controlled a zone east and south of Manila. Parker had the PA 41st and 51st Infantry Divisions and two batteries from the US 86th Field Artillery (PS).

The Visayan-Mindanao Force under Brig. Gen. William F. Sharp comprised the PA 61st, 81st, and 101st Infantry Divisions.

A reserve force, under MacArthur's command, was composed of the Philippine Division, the Far East Air Force and headquarters units from the PA and Philippine Department, stationed just north of Manila. Four U.S. artillery regiments guarded the entrance to Manila Bay, including Corregidor Island.

[edit] The Far East Air Force controversy

After the outbreak of war on December 7, 1941, Brereton urged his superiors to launch bombing missions against Formosa, which was then a Japanese territory from which an attack was likely to come, but was denied. This proved to be a fatal error, as there were few anti-aircraft guns in the Philippines and FEAF was all but destroyed on the ground in air raids over the next few days.

[edit] The invasion

The Japanese 14th Army, under General Masaharu Homma, began its invasion with a landing on Batan Island (not to be confused with Bataan), off the north coast of Luzon, on 8 December 1941 (The day after Pearl Harbor.). Landings on the main island followed two days later.

From 11 to 23 December, most of Luzon fell to the Japanese, following landings on the southern tip of Luzon at Legazpi as well as in Lingayen Gulf and on Mindanao. Most of the Allied forces surrendered, or were overrun. The U.S. Philippine Division moved into the field to cover the withdrawal of troops to Bataan and to resist Japanese advances in the Subic Bay area. On 23 December, MacArthur notified his field commanders that he was reactivating an old prewar plan to defend only Bataan and Corregidor; both the military headquarters and the Philippines government were moved there. Nevertheless substantial forces remained in other areas for several months.

On 30 December, the Philippine 31st Infantry Division moved to the vicinity of Zigzag Pass to cover the flanks of troops withdrawing from central and southern Luzon, while the U.S. Philippine Division organized positions at Bataan. The 31st Division then moved to a defensive position on the west side of the Olongapo-Manila road, near Layac Junction — at the neck of Bataan Peninsula — on 5 January 1942. The junction was lost on the 6th of January, but the withdrawal to Bataan was a relative success. The 31st Division assumed a reserve position on the peninsula to recover from its losses in the rearguard action.

[edit] The Battle of Bataan

Main article: Battle of Bataan

From 7 to 14 January 1942, the Japanese concentrated on reconnaissance and preparations for an attack on the main battle position on the Abucay line. U.S. and Filipino forces repelled night attacks near Abucay, 10–2 January and elements of the U.S. Philippine Division counterattacked on 16 January. This failed and the division withdrew to a reserve position in the Casa Pilar-Bagac area on 26 January.

Generals Wainwright (left) and MacArthur.
Generals Wainwright (left) and MacArthur.

For several weeks the Japanese, deterred by heavy losses, engaged in patrols and limited local attacks. Because of the worsening Allied position in the Asia-Pacific region, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to re-locate from Corregidor to Australia, as Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area. (MacArthur's famous speech regarding the Philippines, in which he said "I came out of Bataan and I shall return" was made at Terowie, South Australia on March 20.) Wainwright assumed control of Allied forces in the Philippines on 12 March. During this period elements of the U.S. Philippine Division were shifted to assist in the defense of other sectors.

A new wave of Japanese attacks, from 28 March, hit Allied forces now severely weakened by malnutrition, sickness and prolonged fighting. On 3 April, the Japanese began to break through along Mount Samat. The U.S. Philippine Division, no longer operating as a coordinated unit, was unable to counterattack against heavy enemy assaults. On 8 April, the U.S. 57th Infantry Regiment (PS) and the Philippine 31st Division were overrun near the Alangan River. The U.S. 45th Infantry Regiment (PS) finally surrendered on 10 April 1942.

[edit] The Battle of Corregidor

Main article: Battle of Corregidor

Corregidor was defended by 11,000 personnel, comprising the U.S. 4th Marine Regiment, other miscellaneous infantry, U.S. Army artillery units and U.S. Navy personnel deployed as infantry. The Japanese began their assault on Corregidor with an artillery barrage on 1 May. On the night of 5-6 May, two battalions of the Japanese 61st Infantry Regiment landed at the northeast end of the island. Despite strong resistance, the Japanese established a beachhead that was soon reinforced by tanks and artillery. The defenders were quickly pushed back toward the stronghold of Malinta Hill.

Late on 6 May, Wainwright asked Homma for terms of surrender. Homma insisted that surrender include all Allied forces in the Philippines. Believing that the lives of all those on Corregidor would be endangered, Wainwright accepted. On 8 May, he sent a message to Sharp, ordering him to surrender the Visayan-Mindanao Force. Sharp complied but many individuals carried on the fight as guerrillas.

The defeat was the beginning of three and a half years of harsh treatment for the Allied survivors, including atrocities like the Bataan Death March and the misery of Japanese prison camps.

Allied forces began the campaign to recapture the Philippines in 1944, with landings on the island of Leyte.

[edit] External links

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