Off to Battle (43)

Map of the Pacific modified from a WordPress map at Historical Resources to show places of interest

     The Philippine Islands make up the one of the largest archipelagos in the world.  The islands cover an area more than 1500 miles north and south by about 700 miles east and west.  The surface area of the 7,083 islands is only slightly larger than the state of Arizona.  At the time of the Japanese occupation, 4,310 of the islands were so small that they hadn't been given official names.  The two largest islands, Luzon and Mindanao, together about the size of Nebraska, comprise about 2/3 of the land area of the Philippines.  The islands are volcanic in origin, and there are still about 20 active volcanoes.  The climate is mild, although April and May can be hot and humid, as Gene found out.
     The Philippines were named in honor of King Philip II of Spain when he annexed the islands as a colony of Spain in 1565.  Prior to the unification by the Spanish, the area had been made up of many separate kingdoms.  For 250 years Spain maintained a monopoly on trade.  The people of the Philippines chafed under the Spanish restrictions and declared their independence from Spain in 1896.  The rebellion was largely unsuccessful until the United States declared war on Spain in 1898.  For a payment of $20 million the U.S. acquired the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico from Spain by the Treaty of Paris in December 1898.  The Filipino government didn't like this arrangement either, and once again declared its independence in 1899.  After 2 years of fighting, an American governor-general was installed.  Slavery was abolished, Spanish laws were changed, and the American Bill of Rights was extended to its citizens.  Partial autonomy was granted in 1935 with complete independence planned for 1946, but the Japanese intervened.
     Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese bombed the airfields around Manila.  By May 1942, all of the Philippines were technically in Japanese hands.  Although controlled by the Japanese on paper, remote areas of the larger islands and most of the smaller islands remained unoccupied by them.  This allowed a massive resistance movement to be organized.  Gene later came into contact with some of these guerrilla fighters and their families.

Luzon, P.I., with the Bataan Peninsula circled;
modified from a 2003 Microsoft map

Most of the 80,000 or so American and Filipino prisoners of war captured in 1942 on the military bases of the Bataan Peninsula by the Japanese were forced to endure a horrific 65-mile march to prison camps north of Manila, called the Bataan Death March.  Many died on the march, and many died later in the POW camps.  Later Gene and the 92nd Evac treated some of the survivors.
     The 92nd Evac headed toward Lingayen Gulf located at the top of the map above.

January 9, 1945
     5th day from Hollandia.  Day of Invasion.
     This AM early we stood in for Leyte and are now going south around it.

January 10, 1945 [Wednesday]
     I had a beastly headache yesterday evening and last night.  Better today.
     This morning we rounded Negros [Island] and started up the west side between it and Palowan.  Still no Japs.

An article from an unidentified newspaper:

LUZON LANDING CARRIED OUT WITH PRECISION:

No Opposition Offered Until Yanks Pressed Inland (By Spencer Davis)

     Aboard Vic Admiral Kinkaid's Flagship, Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Jan. 10 - (A.P.) -  Three white flares shot high into the sunny skies over Lingayen gulf at 9:25 a.m. Wednesday [according to most sources it was Tuesday, January 9] and the heavy drumfire of rockets and the thundering beat of the big naval guns stopped.

     The flares were the signal that hundreds of troop-laden Buffaloes were approaching the beaches.

     An aerial observer on the San Fabian sector sent word: "The first wave hit the beach at 9:27 a.m.  the second and third waves were close behind."

     For the next ten minutes similar reports came in from eight other landing beaches in between the towns of San Fabian and Lingayen and in each case there was reassuring word: "No apparent opposition."

     Lieut. Gen. Walter Krueger, field commander for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, permitted a slight smile.  Advance information had been correct, then, but it was still too early for a true picture.

     Dispatches from aerial observers followed in rapid succession.

     9:48 a.m. -Troops in the Lingayen area are walking along the beach.  Evidently there is no encounter of enemy fire.

      9:49 a.m. - Troops on the enemy right flank are pushing inland. No movement on the roads leading to the beaches. Air patrols are standing by.

      9:55 a.m. - Naval gunfire resumed, 1,000 yards behind the troops.

     Observers continued with these reports.

      10:01 a.m. - Troops on extreme left flank of San Fabian sector are standing in the target area.

      10:04 a.m. - Japanese mortar fire is now falling on our left flank positions, east of San Fabian.

     Thus the Japanese offered their first counter-fire of the Luzon campaign from an area in which they were expected to do so - from the verdant hills leading to Baguio.

      The first trouble reported from Lingayen came when a bridge was blown up presumably by Japanese.  It left a 175-yard gap to be bridged before our forces could advance inland.

     The blown bridges and enemy mortar fire from concealed hill positions were the first two obstacles the Americans met as General MacArthur's campaign for the liberation of the Philippines went into its first hour.

January 11, 1945

     3 P.M.  Passing the S. end of Mindoro.  Still no Jap planes although the Tokyo radio just announced they were strafing [spelled correctly!] us!  But we'll be certain to get some.  Terrific head wind all last night and this morning.

An article from an unidentified newspaper:

KEY AIRFIELD IS CAPTURED AT LINGAYEN:

Americans Driving Inland on Way to Manila

      General MacArthus's headquarters, Luzon, Jan. 11 - (A.P.) - Manila-bound American infantrymen stretched their beachhead over twenty-two miles of Lingayen gulf and drove inland from four key towns Thursday toward impending major battles with Japanese reinforcements struggling north over bomb-cut roads.

     Only damaging opposition came at sea where night-attacking Japanese planes and torpedo boats hit several ships in a convoy bringing up Fourteenth corps reinforcements. ...

January 12, 1945

     At 1 P.M. when we were opposite Manila, a Jap plane came zooming out of the clouds and made a suicide dive into the 2nd Liberty back of us.  Maj. Edwin] Varley saw it.  No one even got a shot at it.  It went into the #2 hold [second from the front of five holds] and started a fire.  They dropped back a bit, but kept on.  Still smoking at dark.

     At 6 P.M. (light until 7:30 because we haven't changed time) I was idly watching 2 planes high up when they banked toward us and the alert sounded.  When I got my helmet and life jacket on our gunners were already firing.  More planes came.  3 were hit in the air and tried to dive into ships, and barely missed.  A 4th hit the Liberty in the next lane over to our starboard and 1 forward.  It hit the deck and burned.  The ship turned out of line, controlled the fire (by turning out of the wind), and came back.  I saw none of the planes go down, though lots of the fellows did.  I didn't want to be caught in a jam outside the doorways.  About 7 planes came over in all.  I never saw a sky so pock-marked with shell bursts.  But there were so many 3" guns on Liberties and 5" on destroyers.  The LST's weren't bothered.  They have too many guns. [A Liberty ship is about twice the size of a destroyer or LST (landing ship, tank).]

   

Gunners watching the sky and a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun on the Liberty ship 
on the way to Lingayen gulf