The Battle of Luzon (; ; ) was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., the Philippines, Mexico, and other allies against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S., Filipino and Mexican victory. The Allies had taken control of all strategically and economically important locations of Luzon by March 1945, although pockets of Japanese resistance held out in the mountains until the unconditional surrender of Japan. While not the highest in U.S. casualties, it is the highest net casualty battle U.S. forces fought in World War II, with 192,000 to 217,000 Japanese combatants dead (mostly from starvation and disease),Spector, Eagle Against the Sun, p. 529 8,000 American combatants killed, and over 150,000 Filipinos, overwhelmingly civilians who were murdered by Japanese forces, mainly during the Manila massacre of February 1945.
Background The Philippines was considered to be of great strategic importance because its capture by Japan would pose a significant threat to the U.S. As a result, 135,000 troops and 227 aircraft were stationed in the Philippines by October 1941. However, Luzon—the largest island in the Philippines—was captured by Imperial Japanese forces in 1942. General Douglas MacArthur—who was in charge of the defense of the Philippines at the time—was ordered to Australia, and the remaining U.S. forces retreated to the Bataan Peninsula.
A few months after this, MacArthur expressed his belief that an attempt to recapture the Philippines was necessary. The U.S. Pacific Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King both opposed this idea, arguing that it must wait until victory was certain. MacArthur had to wait two years for his wish; it was 1944 before a campaign to recapture the Philippines was launched. The island of Leyte was the first objective of the campaign, which was captured by the end of December 1944. This was followed by the attack on Mindoro, and later, Luzon.
Prelude Before U.S. forces could launch the attack on Luzon, a base of operation needed to be established close to the island. Airbases in particular had to be established in order to provide the advancing troops with air support. Troops under Brigadier General William C. Dunckel captured the island of Mindoro, with the assistance of the 7th Fleet. By 28 December, two airbases were controlled by the U.S. and were ready to assist in the attack on Luzon, which was scheduled to be launched on 9 January 1945. With the capture of Mindoro, U.S. forces were positioned south of Luzon. However, MacArthur intended to land his forces at Lingayen, further north. This would place his troops close to several roads and railways on Luzon, which led to Manila—the main objective—through the plains in the center of the island.
Deception operations U.S. aircraft constantly made reconnaissance and bombing flights over southern Luzon, intending to deceive the Japanese forces into believing that the attack on Luzon would come from the south. In addition, transport aircraft were used to make parachute drops with dummies. Minesweepers were used to clear the bays of Balayan, Batangas, and Tayabas, located to the south of Luzon, and Filipino resistance fighters conducted sabotage operations in southern Luzon. These deception operations failed to convince General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the leader of the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines, and he built significant defensive positions in the hills and mountains surrounding Lingayen Gulf in Northern Luzon.
Opposing forces
Allied
Allied Forces, Southwest Pacific Area
General Douglas MacArthur
US Sixth Army (193,901 officers and enlisted) Lieutenant General Walter Krueger
Western Landing Area (Lingayen) XIV Army Corps Major General Oscar W. Griswold Embarked in Task Force 79 (Vice Adm. Theodore S. Wilkinson) Left (Crimson and Yellow) beaches 37th Infantry ("Buckeye") Division Major General Robert S. Beightler 129th Infantry Regiment 145th Infantry Regiment 148th Infantry Regiment 6th, 135th, 140th Field Artillery Bttns. (105mm) 136th Field Artillery Bttn. (155mm) Right (Orange and Green) beaches 40th Infantry ("Sunshine") Division Major General I. Rapp Brush 108th Infantry Regiment 160th Infantry Regiment 185th Infantry Regiment 143rd, 164th, 213th Field Artillery Bttns. (105mm) 222nd Field Artillery Bttn. (155mm)
Eastern Landing Area (San Fabian) I Army Corps Major General Innis P. Swift Embarked in Task Force 78 (Vice Adm. Daniel E. Barbey) Left (White) beaches 43rd Infantry ("Winged Victory") Division Major General Leonard F. Wing 103rd Infantry Regiment 169th Infantry Regiment 172nd Infantry Regiment 103rd, 152nd, 169th Field Artillery Bttns. (105mm) 192nd Field Artillery Bttn. (155mm) Right (Blue) beaches 6th Infantry ("Red Star") Division Major General Edwin D. Patrick 1st Infantry Regiment 20th Infantry Regiment 63rd Infantry Regiment 1st, 51st, 53rd Field Artillery Bttns. (105mm) 80th Field Artillery Bttn. (155mm)
Japanese
Fourteenth Area Army General Tomoyuki Yamashita
Northern Luzon Shobu Group (Gen. Yamashita) approx. 152,000 officers and enlisted
Central Luzon Kembu Group (Lieut. Gen. Rikichi Tsukada) approx. 30,000 officers and enlisted
Southern Luzon Shimbu Group (Lieut. Gen. Shizuo Yokoyama) approx. 80,000 officers and enlisted
Battle
The assault on Luzon was launched, as planned, on 9 January 1945, codenamed S-day. The Japanese forces reported more than 70 Allied warships entering Lingayen Gulf, though the total Allied invasion force involved that month would equal close to 800 ships. Pre-assault bombardment of Japanese shore positions from roughly 70 battleships and cruisers began at 7:00. The landings were commenced an hour later. The landing forces faced strong opposition from Japanese kamikaze aircraft. The escort carrier was destroyed by a kamikaze attack, with a total of around 47 ships damaged, and four sunk, on January 3–13, primarily by kamikazes. Aircraft from the 3rd Fleet, including Mexico's 201st squadron, assisted the landings with close air support, strafing and bombing Japanese gun positions.
The landings at Lingayen Gulf on 9 January were carried out by the 6th Army under the command of General Walter Krueger. Approximately 175,000 troops from the 6th Army landed along the beachhead within a few days, while the I Corps protected their flanks. XIV Corps under General Oscar Griswold then advanced south toward Manila, despite Krueger's concerns that his eastern flank was unprotected and vulnerable if the Japanese forces attacked. However, no such attack occurred, and the U.S. forces did not meet much resistance until they reached the Clark Air Base on 23 January. The battle there lasted until the end of January, and after capturing the base, XIV Corps advanced toward Manila.
From the middle of January to early February the largest ever tank battle between American and Japanese forces took place. The Japanese 2nd Tank Division's 220 tanks (175 Type 97 ShinHōtō Chi-Ha medium tanks, 25 Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tanks, and 20 Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks) faced off against only 76 American tanks (59 M4 Sherman medium tanks and 17 M5A1 Stuart light tanks) supported by infantry armed with bazookas and dozens of 105mm M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers. Krueger had more tanks held in reserve to the north because of the threat of an unknown number of Japanese tanks being withheld from combat until ambushing them en masse in the exposed open flat plains of Central Luzon so the 76 Shermans and Stuarts and accompanying M7 Priests were tasked with finding and destroying them with their superior guns and armor. The Japanese made this tank battle last for over three weeks instead of a single one-day battle by hiding their tanks behind and under camouflaged and protected fortifications, either digging the tanks into the ground or creating a series of semi-enclosed fortifications for them to move around and reposition during the battles. Some of these tanks were used to patrol and engage the enemy especially at night. From San Manuel to Muñoz the tanks dueled with each other leading to the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Japanese soldiers as well as the loss of dozens of American tanks and around 200 Japanese tanks.https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-enemy-must-be-annihilated/. Retrieved 3 November 2024.https://takihomepage.web.fc2.com/history2.htm "History of Battles of Imperial Japanese Tanks - Part II". Retrieved 3 November 2024.
A second amphibious landing took place on 15 January, southwest of Manila. On 31 January, two regiments of the 11th Airborne Division made an airborne assault, capturing a bridge, and later advanced toward Manila. On 3 February, the 1st Cavalry Division captured the bridge across Tullahan River leading to the city. They advanced into the city that evening, beginning the battle for the capture of Manila. On 4 February, the paratroopers of the 11th Airborne—approaching the city from the south—came to the main Japanese defenses south of the city of Manila where their advance was halted by heavy resistance. General Yamashita had ordered his troops to destroy all bridges and other vital installations as soon as the U.S. forces entered the city, and Japanese forces entrenched throughout the city continued to resist U.S. forces. General MacArthur announced the imminent recapture of Manila on the same day. On 11 February, the 11th Airborne Division captured the last Japanese outer defenses, thus encircling the whole city. U.S. and Filipino forces carried out clearing operations in the city in the following weeks. Military casualties totaled 1,010 Americans, 3,079 Filipinos, and 16,000 Japanese.
In the campaign to recapture the island of Luzon in the Philippines, American planes dropped more than one million gallons of napalm in support of ground forces.Brooks E. Kleber and Dale Birdsell, The Chemical Warfare Service: Chemicals in Combat (Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, 1966), 628, 630-35. The United States military used napalm as a tactical weapon in support of ground forces during World War II. The weapon attracted little attention during World War II in part because the name “napalm” was classified.Louis F. Fieser, The Scientific Method: A Personal Account of Unusual Projects in War and in Peace (New York: Reinhold, 1964, box 764, Chronological File 1949-June 1954, Office of Security Review, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative and Public Affairs, RG 330, NA.
Aftermath