Robert Ross Smith
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1993
University of Wisconsin
|
U.S. Continental Army Command
|
Yale University
|
Industrial College of the Armed Forces
|
University of Virginia
|
U.S. Army War College
|
University of Washington
|
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
|
Emory University
|
United States Military Academy
|
Johns Hopkins University
|
Chief Historian | Stetson Conn |
Chief, Histories Division | Col. Leonard G. Robinson |
Chief, Publication Division | Lt. Col. James R. Hillard |
Editor in Chief | Joseph R. Friedman |
Foreword | vii | ||
The Author | viii | ||
Preface | ix | ||
PART ONE Plans and Preparations | |||
---|---|---|---|
Chapter | Page | ||
I. | The Debate Over Luzon | 3 | |
The Strategic Background | 3 | ||
Luzon versus Formosa | 8 | ||
II. | The Plan for Invasion | 18 | |
The Concept | 18 | ||
Changing the Target Dates | 22 | ||
Tactical Plans | 26 | ||
The Logistical Plan | 38 | ||
III. | Preliminary Operations and The Approach | 43 | |
Airfields on Mindoro | 43 | ||
Diversionary Activities | 53 | ||
The Approach to Luzon | 54 | ||
PART TWO Invasion | |||
IV. | Establishing the Beachhead | 73 | |
The Assault: S-day--S+2 | 73 | ||
The Beachhead Through S+2 | 85 | ||
V. | The Enemy | 88 | |
Japanese Strategy in the Philippines | 88 | ||
The Japanese on Luzon | 90 | ||
Dispositions in Northern Luzon | 97 | ||
VI. | Expanding the Hold | 104 | |
I Corps Meets the Enemy | 104 | ||
XIV Corps Probes South | 115 | ||
VII. | The Logistics of the Invasion | 118 | |
Unloading the Assault Convoys | 118 | ||
Inland Supply and Construction | 128 | ||
PART THREE The Central Plains | |||
VIII. | Redeployment and Tactical Plans | 139 | |
New American Plans | 139 | ||
Japanese Redispositions | 143 | ||
IX. | Securing the Sixth Army's Base Area | 147 | |
The Fight for the Routes 3-11 Junction | 147 | ||
Binalonan and San Manuel: The I Corps Center | 155 | ||
Advancing the I Corps Right | 160 | ||
The Achievements Analyzed | 165 | ||
X. | The Capture of Clark Field | 167 | |
Into Contact With the Kembu Group | 167 | ||
The First Attacks | 171 | ||
A Planning Interlude | 179 | ||
Closing With the Kembu Group's MLR | 183 | ||
The Attack Through the End of January | 186 | ||
XI. | Protecting XIV Corps' Rear and Flanks | 187 | |
The Problem and the Plan | 187 | ||
The Capture of San Jose | 190 | ||
San Jose to the East Coast | 201 | ||
The Destruction of the Kembu Group | 202 | ||
Epilogue | 206 | ||
PART FOUR Securing the Manila Bay Area | |||
XII. | Manila: The Approach March | 211 | |
XIV Corps' Drive South | 211 | ||
The Approach From the South | 221 | ||
Support Operations During the Approach March | 232 | ||
XIII. | Manila: The Defenders and the Defenses | 237 | |
The City | 237 | ||
The Japanese Defenses | 240 | ||
XIV. | Isolating the Battlefield | 249 | |
The Concept of the Attack | 249 | ||
Operations North of the Pasig | 251 | ||
Across the River and Into the Buildings | 258 | ||
Encircling the City | 265 | ||
XV. | The Drive Toward Intramuros | 271 | |
Iwabuchi Entrapped | 271 | ||
The Battles at the Strongpoints | 275 | ||
XVI. | Manila: The Last Resistance | 291 | |
Intramuros | 291 | ||
The Government Buildings | 301 | ||
Conclusions | 306 | ||
XVII. | Back to Bataan | 309 | |
The Plans for Opening Manila Bay | 309 | ||
Sealing Off Bataan: A Study in Command | 313 | ||
Clearing Bataan Peninsula | 331 | ||
XVIII. | Corregidor | 335 | |
The Plan of Assault | 335 | ||
Securing "The Rock" | 340 | ||
XIX. | Manila Bay--Minor Operations | 351 | |
The South Shore | 351 | ||
The Small Islands | 352 | ||
PART FIVE The Shimbu Group and the Visayan Passages | |||
XX. | American Plans for Post-Manila Operations | 361 | |
XXI. | The Reduction of the Shimbu Group--Phase I: Turning the Shimbu Left | 367 | |
Plans | 367 | ||
The XIV Corps Offensive | 371 | ||
The Collapse of the Shimbu Left | 384 | ||
Conclusions | 388 | ||
XXII. | The Reduction of the Shimbu Group-- Phase II: The Seizure of Wawa and Ipo Dams | 391 | |
Protecting the Right Rear | 391 | ||
Breakthrough in the Center | 392 | ||
The Seizure of Ipo Dam | 403 | ||
The Destruction of the Kogure Detachment | 415 | ||
The End of the Shimbu Group | 418 | ||
XXIII. | Securing the Visayan Passages | 423 | |
Southern Luzon | 423 | ||
Clearing the Smaller Islands | 435 | ||
The Bicol Peninsula Operation | 439 | ||
PART SIX The Conquest of Northern Luzon | |||
XXIV. | Northern Luzon: The Situation and the Plans | 449 | |
The Terrain and the Defenses in Northern Luzon | 449 | ||
The Sixth Army's Plan | 457 | ||
XXV. | The Collapse of the Baguio Front | 468 | |
The 33d Division's Holding Mission | 468 | ||
The Drive to Baguio | 479 | ||
The Baguio Front to the End of May | 477 | ||
XXVI. | The Bambang Front--I: The Villa Verde Trail | 491 | |
The Situation and the Plans | 491 | ||
Prologue to Stalemate | 492 | ||
The Battle for Salacsac Pass No. 2 | 498 | ||
Salacsac Pass No. 1 to Imugan | 505 | ||
XXVII. | The Bambang Front--II: The 25th Division on Route 5 | 512 | |
The 25th Division's Drive Begins | 512 | ||
Objective: Balete Pass | 516 | ||
The Envelopment of Balete Pass | 530 | ||
Sante Fe and the Villa Verde Trail | 535 | ||
Conclusions | 537 | ||
XXVIII. | Action at the Northern Apex | 541 | |
Northwestern Luzon | 541 | ||
Laoag, Vigan, and the Araki Force | 546 | ||
The Fight for Bessang Pass | 547 | ||
Results of USAFIP(NL) Operations | 555 | ||
XXIX. | Pursuit in Northern Luzon | 558 | |
The Shobu Group Withdrawal Plans | 558 | ||
Sixth Army--I Corps Pursuit Plans | 561 | ||
Compressing the Shobu Group | 562 | ||
The End in Northern Luzon | 572 | ||
PART SEVEN The Southern Philippines | |||
XXX. | The Campaign Begins | 583 | |
The Plans and the Forces | 583 | ||
Airfields on Palawan | 589 | ||
Zamboanga | 591 | ||
The Sulu Archipelago | 597 | ||
Zamboanga-Sulu Airfield Development | 599 | ||
XXXI. | The Central Visayan Islands | 601 | |
Panay and Guimaras | 601 | ||
Northern Negros | 604 | ||
Cebu | 608 | ||
Bohol and Southern Negros | 617 | ||
Conclusions | 618 | ||
XXXII. | The Conquest of Eastern Mindanao | 620 | |
Plans, Preparations, and Penetration | 620 | ||
The Destruction of the 100th Division | 627 | ||
The Collapse of 30th Division Resistance | 636 | ||
Mop-up and Pursuit in Eastern Mindanao | 642 | ||
The End of the War in Eastern Mindanao | 647 | ||
PART EIGHT Conclusion | |||
Conclusion | 651 | ||
APPENDICES | |||
A. | Organization for the Invasion of Luzon | 659 | |
1. | Generalized Organization of the Southwest Pacific Area, December 1944 | 660 | |
2. | Organization of Ground Combat Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area, 9 January 1945 | 661 | |
3. | Organization of the Sixth Army for the Invasion of Luzon | 662 | |
4. | Organization of the Allied Naval Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, for the Lingayen Gulf Operation | 663 | |
5. | Organization of the Amphibious Forces for the Lingayen Gulf Operation | 664 | |
6. | Operational Organization of Allied Air Commands in the Pacific, 9 January 1945 | 665 | |
B. | Composition of the Landing Waves, Lingayen Assault, 9 January 1945 | 666 | |
C. | Japanese Command Structure in the Philippines | 669 | |
Simplified Organization, November 1944 | 671 | ||
Organization as of 9 January 1945 | 672 | ||
D. | Organization of Japanese Forces At Manila | 673 | |
E. | Shimbu Group Order of Battle | 674 | |
F. | Strength and Deployment of Japanese in the Southern Philippines | 682 | |
G. | Japanese Order of Battle in Eastern Mindanao | 684 | |
1. | 100th Division, 17 April 1945 | 684 | |
2. | 100th Division Reorganization of Mid-May | 687 | |
3. | 30th Division, 17 April 1945 | 688 | |
4. | Order of Battle of Japanese Forces Along the Northwestern Section of the Kibawe-Talomo Trail | 691 | |
H. | The Cost of the Campaigns | 692 | |
1. | Battle Casualties of the U.S. Army Ground Combat Forces, Luzon and the Southern Philippines, 1945 | 692 | |
2. | Japanese Casualties, Luzon and the Southern Philippines, 1945 | 694 | |
The Sources: A Critical Note | 695 | ||
Glossary | 714 | ||
Basic Military Map Symbols | 720 | ||
Index | 725 |
All pictures in this volume are from Department of Defense files.