Philippines campaign (1944–1945)
Philippines campaign (1944–1945) | |||||||||
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Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II | |||||||||
General Douglas MacArthur, President Osmeña, and staff land at Palo, Leyte on October 20, 1944. | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Supported by: Australia Mexico | |||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
José P. Laurel Akira Mutō Sōsaku Suzuki † Shizuo Yokoyama Soemu Toyoda Takeo Kurita Jisaburō Ozawa Sanji Iwabuchi † | |||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
6th Army
6th Army Reserves
5th Air Force
3rd Fleet 7th Fleet Task Force 74 |
14th Area Army Directly controlled
41st Army
Combined Fleet
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Strength | |||||||||
1,250,000 30,000+ guerrillas[2] 208[3] |
529,802[4] ~6,000 militia[5][6][7] | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
Total: 220,000+ American Personnel:
Breakdown by service:
Materiel:
33+ ships sunk Unknown[15] ~10 (5 non-combat)[16] |
Total: 430,000 Japanese Personnel: Materiel: 93+ ships sunk1,300 aircraft[12][14] |
The Philippines campaign, Battle of the Philippines, Second Philippines campaign, or the Liberation of the Philippines, codenamed Operation Musketeer I, II, and III, was the American, Mexican, Australian and Filipino campaign to defeat and expel the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Philippines during World War II.
The
Planning
By mid-1944, American forces were only 300 nautical miles (560 km) southeast of
With victories in the
Although Japan was obviously losing the war, the Japanese Government, and the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, showed no sign of capitulation, collapse, or surrender.
There had been a close relationship between the people of the Philippines and the United States since 1898, with the Philippines becoming the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935, and promised their independence in mid-1946. Furthermore, an extensive series of air attacks by the American Fast Carrier Task Force under Admiral William F. Halsey against Japanese airfields and other bases on the Philippines had drawn little Japanese opposition, such as interceptions by the Japanese Army fighter planes. Upon Admiral Halsey's recommendation, the Combined Chiefs of Staff, meeting in Canada, approved a decision not only to move up the date for the first landing in the Philippines, but also to move it north from the southernmost island of Mindanao to the central island of Leyte, Philippines. The new date set for the landing on Leyte, October 20, 1944, was two months before the previous target date to land on Mindanao.
The
The Australian government offered General MacArthur the use of the
In addition to rejecting Australian ground troops MacArthur also rejected the use of U.S. marines for major ground combat operations during the whole 10 months of the Philippines campaign. The only contributions by the U.S. Marine Corps in this campaign were USMC aircraft and aviators, who greatly helped to provide air cover for the U.S. Army soldiers and assisted U.S. Army Air Forces aircraft, and one small USMC artillery unit, V Amphibious Corps (VAC) Artillery, commanded by Brigadier General Thomas E. Bourke. These 1,500 USMC artillerymen only fought in the Philippines during the Battle of Leyte from October 21 to December 13. This small artillery corps was the only USMC ground combat unit that served in the Philippines in 1944-45.[22]
During the American re-conquest of the Philippines, the guerrillas began to strike openly against Japanese forces, carried out reconnaissance activities ahead of the advancing regular troops, and took their places in battle beside the advancing American divisions.[23][24]
Leyte
On October 20, 1944, the
The U.S. Sixth Army continued its advance from the east, as the Japanese rushed reinforcements to the
The Filipino guerrillas also performed valuable service in maintaining public order and in keeping the roads and highways free of congestion. After the American beachheads were established, the Leyte guerrilla groups were attached directly to the Sixth Army corps and divisions to assist in scouting, intelligence, and combat operations.[25][failed verification] With the initial U.S. Sixth Army landings on the beaches at Tacloban and Dulag, Colonel Ruperto Kangleon's units went into action. They dynamited key bridges to block Japanese displacement toward the target area; they harassed enemy patrols; and they sabotaged supply and ammunition depots. Information on enemy troop movements and dispositions sent from guerrilla outposts to Kangleon's Headquarters was dispatched immediately to Sixth Army.[26]
During many torrential rains and over difficult terrain, the advance continued across Leyte and onto the major island of Samar, just north of Leyte. On December 7, 1944, the U.S. Army units made another amphibious landing at Ormoc Bay and, after a major land and air battle, the landing force cut off all Japanese ability to reinforce and resupply their troops on Leyte. Although fierce fighting continued on Leyte for months, the U.S. Army was always in control.
Mindoro
The U.S. 6th Army's second major target to attack was Mindoro. This large island is directly south of Luzon and Manila Bay, and MacArthur's main goal in taking it was to be able to construct airfields on it for fighter planes that could dominate the sky over the most-important island of Luzon, with its major seaport and capital city of Manila.[27]
The Seventh Fleet's large invasion convoy from Leyte to Mindoro came under strong attack by kamikazes, but they could not delay the American invasion of Mindoro.[28] Mindoro was only lightly occupied by the Japanese Army, and much of it was held by Filipino guerrillas, so Mindoro was quickly overrun. U.S. Army engineers set about rapidly constructing a major air base at San Jose. Besides being close to Luzon, Mindoro has another advantage: good flying weather nearly all the time, because this is a part of the Philippines that is relatively dry – quite unlike Leyte which receives torrential rains most of the year, not only giving it poor flying weather, but making it very muddy and difficult to construct airfields.
Mindoro was also the location of another breakthrough: the first appearance during the
Luzon
On December 15, 1944, landings against minimal resistance were made on the southern beaches of the island of Mindoro, a key location in the planned Lingayen Gulf operations, in support of major landings scheduled on Luzon. On January 9, 1945, on the south shore of Lingayen Gulf on the western coast of Luzon, General Krueger's
Two more major landings followed, one to cut off the
As the advance on Manila continued from the north and the south, the Bataan Peninsula was rapidly secured. On February 16, paratroopers and amphibious units simultaneously assaulted the islet of Corregidor. Taking this stronghold was necessary because troops there could block the entrance of Manila Bay. The Americans needed to establish a major harbor base at Manila Bay to support the expected invasion of Japan, planned to begin on November 1, 1945. Resistance on Corregidor ended on February 27, and then all resistance by the Japanese Empire ceased on August 15, 1945, obviating the need for an invasion of the Japanese Home Islands.
Despite initial optimism, fighting in Manila was harsh. It took until March 3 to clear the city of all Japanese troops, and the Japanese Marines, who fought on stubbornly and refused to either surrender or to evacuate as the Japanese Army had done.
As the fighting in Manila was coming to a close, the other challenge faced by newly liberated city was its water supply. The Shimbu Group under Gen. Shizuo Yokoyama fortified their positions east of Manila in the Sierra Madre mountain range - practically controlling Ipo Dam, Wawa Dam, and its surrounding areas. The result was a seesaw battle, and the longest continuous combat engagement in the Southwest Pacific Theater from February 28 to May 30, 1945. Facing the Shimbu Group during the Battle of Wawa Dam and Battle of Ipo Dam was initially the 6th Army's XIV Corps, and this would later be replaced by the XI Corps. While the fighting took 3 months, the American forces supported by Filipino guerrillas led by Marcos "Marking" Agustin forced decimated the Shimbu Group, forcing Gen. Yokoyama to retreat his forces further east.[29]
In all, ten U.S. divisions and five independent regiments battled on Luzon, making it the largest American campaign of the Pacific war, involving more troops than the United States had used in North Africa, Italy, or southern France.
Finishing up the campaign
The U.S. Eighth Army then moved on to its first
Following additional landings on Mindanao, U.S. Eighth Army troops continued their steady advance against stubborn resistance. By the end of June, the enemy pockets were compressed into isolated pockets on Mindanao and Luzon where fighting continued until the
Aftermath
Upon the surrender of Japan, some 45,000 Japanese Prisoners of War were in the custody of American authorities in the Philippines. These POWs were held in a number of camps around the country, and were used as labor for war reparation. Gen. MacArthur formed the
Casualties
- U.S. Army and Army Air Forces
Location | Killed | Wounded | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Leyte[33] | 3,504 | 11,991 | 15,495 |
Luzon[34] | 8,310 | 29,560 | 37,870 |
Central and Southern Philippines[34] | 2,070 | 6,990 | 9,060 |
Total | 13,884 | 48,541 | 62,425 |
- Japanese
Location | Died[e] | Captured | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Leyte[35] | 65,000 | 828[33] | 65,828 |
Luzon[36] | 205,535 | 9,050 | 214,585 |
Central and Southern Philippines[36] | 50,260 | 2,695 | 52,955 |
Total | 320,795 | 12,573 | 333,368 |
In addition it is estimated that a million Filipino civilians died in the Philippines campaign.[37]
See also
Notes
- ^ Only Fast Carrier Task Force operations and the Battle of Leyte Gulf
- ^ Other sources mention 3,800 Navy casualties at Leyte Gulf,[12] 2,680 casualties in the month after December 13, 1944 (omitting November), and 790 lost in a typhoon[13]
- ^ Approximately 80% of Japanese deaths were from starvation or disease.[18]
- Santa Isabel Islandis where 159° east longitude runs through. Operation Cartwheel took place west of Santa Isabel Island.
- ^ Includes battle and nonbattle deaths
References
- ^ "World War II: Mexican Air Force Helped Liberate the Philippines". History.net. June 12, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ MacArthur, Douglas (1966). Reports of General MacArthur: Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area Volume 2, Part 1. JAPANESE DEMOBILIZATION BUREAUX RECORDS. p. 311. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ^ Castillo, G. (2011); Homenaje de la Sedena a militares del Escuadrón 201 de la Fuerza Aérea; La Jornada (in Spanish); Retrieved 3 October 2019
- ^ Chapter 11: Operations of the Eighth Army in the Central and Southern Philippines, pp. 358 Archived June 3, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 10, 2016
- ^ Jowett, Philip (2020). Japan's Asian Allies 1941–45. Osprey Publishing. pp. 37–39.
- ^ Ikehata Setsuho; Ricardo T. Jose (2000). The Philippines Under Japan: Occupation Policy and Reaction. Ateneo De Manila University Press. pp. 83 & 89.
- ^ Stein Ugelvik Larsen, Fascism Outside Europe, Columbia University Press, 2001, p. 785
- ^ "Luzon" Archived December 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine 100,000 non-combat casualties on Luzon alone and 37,000 on Leyte. Retrieved October 26, 2015
- ^ Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II p. 94. Retrieved 4 May 2023
- ^ History of the Medical Department in World War II, vol. III Appendix Table 14, see "Return to the Philippines." Retrieved 2/6/2024
- ^ history.navy.mil, "World War II Casualties, Return to the Philippines." Retrieved 4 May 2023
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59-884530-3.
- ^ "Triumph in the Philippines" pp. 48 & 66 Archived December 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 26, 2015
- ^ a b "Triumph in the Philippines" pp. 48–66 Archived December 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 26, 2015
- ^ According to the National World War II Museum, Filipino military deaths during the war numbered 57,000. A significant portion must have fallen in the 1944–45 campaign.
- ^ Parker, Richard (May 27, 2020). "When the Mexican Air Force Went to War Alongside America". The New York Times.
- ^ Final report, progress of demobilization of the Japanese Armed Forces, Part III: Overseas Areas and IV: Air Forces enclosure #44 Archived January 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 10, 2016. With 109,890 Japanese military personnel repatriated immediately after the war, that leaves around 420,000 Japanese dead or missing.
- ^ American Historical Association: Lessons from Iwo Jima. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ^ American Battles and Campaigns: A Chronicle from 1622 to 2010 by Chris McNab, p. 184.
- ^ "Cartwheel: The Reduction of Rabaul" (PDF). history.army.mil. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ David Day, 1992, Reluctant Nation: Australia and the Allied Defeat of Japan, 1942–1945. (New York, Oxford University Press), p.230
- ^ ". . . AND a FEW MARINES: Marines in the Liberation of the Philippines". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "LIEUTENANT RAMSEY'S WAR" by EDWIN PRICE RAMSEY and STEPHEN J. RIVELE.Published by Knightsbride publishing Co,Los Angeles,California
- ^ "Edward Price Ramsey: Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts)". militarymuseum.org. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
- ^ "Allied guerillas".
- OCLC 254218615. Archived from the originalon January 31, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
- ^ "Chapter IX: The Mindoro and Luzon Operations". Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific: Volume I. Library of Congress: Department of the Army. pp. 242–294. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ^ "Chapter IX: The Mindoro and Luzon Operations". Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific: Volume I. Library of Congress: Department of the Army. p. 247. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- ^ MacArthur, Douglas. "Reports of General MacArthur Vol. 1". US Army Center for Military History. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-19-507198-6. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
guerrilla Philippine liberation fighting Japanese.
- LCCN 66-60005. Archived from the originalon August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
The radio also stated that members of the Imperial family were being sent to Japan's numerous theaters of operations as personal representatives of the Emperor to expedite and insure full compliance with the Imperial order to cease hostilities.
- ^ Chamberlain, Sharon Williams. "Justice and Reconciliation: Postwar Philippine Trials Against Japanese War Criminals in History and Memory". GWU Library. George Washington University. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ^ a b Cannon, Leyte: Return to the Philippines, pp. 368–369
- ^ a b Smith, Triumph in the Philippines, pp. 692–693
- ^ Toland, "The Rising Sun" p. 607
- ^ a b Smith, Triumph in the Philippines, p. 694
- ^ Hasting, Max. Nemesis.
Bibliography
- Breuer, William B. (1986). Retaking The Philippines: America's Return to Corregidor & Bataan, 1944–1945. St Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312678029. ASIN B000IN7D3Q.
- Huggins, Mark (May–June 1999). "Setting Sun: Japanese Air Defence of the Philippines 1944–1945". Air Enthusiast (81): 28–35. ISSN 0143-5450.
- ISBN 0-8131-9105-X.
- "Chapter IX: The Mindoro and Luzon Operations". Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific: Volume I. Library of Congress: Department of the Army. pp. 242–294. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
- Mellnik, Stephen Michael (1981). Philippine War Diary, 1939–1945. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 0-442-21258-5.
- ISBN 0-316-58317-0.
- ISBN 0-7858-1314-4.
- Norling, Bernard (2005). The Intrepid Guerrillas of North Luzon. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-9134-3.
- Smith, Robert Ross (2005). Triumph in the Philippines: The War in the Pacific. University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 1-4102-2495-3.