RETAKING THE PHILIPPINES 249
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“Have your troops hoist the colors to its peak, and let no enemy ever haul them down.”
GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, PHILIPPINES, 1945
Having broken the Imperial Japanese Navy’s power in the Battle
of Leyte Gulf (see pp.214–215), the US Navy saw little to gain in clearing the Japanese from the Philippine islands, with some strategists favoring a direct assault on Japan. General MacArthur, however, having promised to return after defeat in 1942, was set on retaking the Philippines. In January 1945, he began an invasion of
the main island, Luzon, where around 250,000 soldiers of the Japanese 14th Area Army under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita were concentrated in the north around Manila, and on the high ground leading into the Bataan Peninsula.
The main invasion of Luzon began with landings by forces from
the US 6th Army at Lingayen Gulf. The Filipino guerrillas were eager to take back control after the brutality of the Japanese regime and supported the Americans by striking the Japanese forces and carrying out reconnaissance activities. Still, progress was slow and brutal in the face of the Japanese refusal to surrender. Manila finally fell on March 3, 1945, by which time the US 8th Army had begun to move through the southern islands. In both north and south, the Americans were kept occupied until the end of the war.
RETAKING THE PHILIPPINESThe US Navy’s success in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 was followed by a painful advance through the Philippine islands from January 1945 that cost the lives of more than 10,000 US soldiers, 200,000 Japanese soldiers, and 120,000 civilians. The campaign tied up US troops for longer than US General Douglas MacArthur expected, and with little strategic need.
NO SURRENDERHiroo Onoda (1922–2014) was one of several Japanese soldiers who remained hidden in the Philippines’ jungles, unaware or not believing that the war had ended. Cut off from his
unit on Lubang Island in 1945, Onoda refused to surrender until his former commanding officer traveled to the Philippines in 1974 and relieved him of duty (below).
Battle of Manila
Feb 3–Mar 3, 1945US capture of Bataan Peninsula Feb 15–21, 1945
US airborne landing on Corregidor
THE FALL OF MANILA AND BATAAN
FEBRUARY 3–MARCH 3, 1945The struggle for Manila involved fierce urban fighting, and it took a month for US forces to secure the city. Over the next weeks, the Americans bombed Manila, killing tens of thousands of Filipinos and leaving the city in ruins. The US also captured the southern Bataan Peninsula and the island of Corregidor, securing Manila Bay for use as a harbor for the US fleet.
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OPERATION VICTOR FEBRUARY 19–JUNE 30, 1945The 8th Army was tasked with clearing the Japanese from the southern islands in Operation Victor. On
February 19, they landed on Samar in order to secure passage through the San Bernardino Strait. Invasions
of Palawan, Cebu, Panay, and Mindanao followed. The Americans faced the usual Japanese resistance, but
by June this was isolated to pockets on Mindanao.
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Areas of Japanese
resistance, Jun 1945
US 8th Army operations
Mar 10–12, 1945
The Japanese government in Zamboanga City is overthrown by American and Filipino forces following a fierce battle.
JAPANESE RESISTANCE ON LUZON
MARCH 3–SEPTEMBER 2, 1945The Americans fanned out across Luzon to secure
the south of the island and destroy the remaining Japanese strongholds in the north. At every turn
the Japanese fought fiercely, refusing to surrender
as they were corralled into ever-tightening pockets
in the mountains. There, they remained besieged
by the US forces and Filipino guerrillas until Japan surrendered in September.
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US advance Mar 3–Jul 20, 1945
US_248-249_Retaking_the_Philippines.indd 249 19/03/19 7:28 PM