Remember the Battle of Bataan: January–April 1942.
After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Japanese launched a major offensive in the Philippines that eventually led to U.S. forces and soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth to be cornered on the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines. Under direct orders from President Franklin Roosevelt, a reluctant General Douglas MacArthur escaped from Bataan to Australia, vowing one day to return and continue the fight.
Allied forces held off Japanese troops for three months, which stymied Japan’s hopes of growing its territorial gains in the Pacific theater. However, on April 9, 1942, 76,000 Allied troops surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army; the transfer of those POWs from the battle became known as the Bataan Death March due to the physical abuse and arbitrary killings of prisoners along the way. “Remember Bataan” became a popular rallying cry for the U.S. war effort.
[Did You Know? The U.S. Never Successfully Fielded an Instant Foxhole Bomb, But Russia Sure Did]
Join us as we look at 1943's 'Bataan' starring Robert Taylor, Robert Walker, Lloyd Nolan, Kenneth Spencer and Desi Arnaz. Directed by Tay Garnett, it’s one of the few films to look at the brutal Battle of Bataan.
It's a classic last stand movie and incorporates elements from the battle which saw some of its hardest fighting 79 years ago this month.
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Bataan and Corregidor 1941-42 Part 3, The Fall of Bataan
The Main Japanese Landings, and the Retreat to Bataan
The main Japanese landings occurred just north and east of Manila on the beaches of the Lingayen Gulf. Hills flank the beaches to both the north and south, but the bay itself is sheltered, and there are more than a few good locations for landings. There was also good access to the highway network, which was essential for both supply and communications, as well as winning the footrace to Manila ahead of the Americans.
The main Japanese force of 48,000 men was drawn from the 48th Division. The division was made up of 1st and 2nd Formosan Regiments, the 47th Infantry Regiment, and the usual artillery, recon, and service and support units. Most of the 2nd Formosan had been lost in the Tanaka and Kanno Detachments, however, so there were only two infantry regiments available for the landings. The division was generously provided with additional motor transport assets, and one battalion in each brigade had bicycles. The divisional artillery was equipped with 75mm mountain guns, which were lighter guns, but quite mobile.
All in all, it made the 48th a very mobile division, perfect for the lightning campaign the Japanese expected to fight. Additional assets were attached, including an additional infantry regiment, eight more 75mm guns, eight 150mm, and 24 150mm howitzers. Also attached were some 80-100 light and medium tanks in the 4th and 7th Tank Regiments.
The plan was to come ashore at 0500 on December 22nd and hold a 15-mile lodgment by 0730. However, like all the Japanese landings, this, too, did not go according to plan. First, heavy seas made the transfer of troops into the landing craft difficult at best. Equipment, especially radios, was ruined by the salt spray, thus making communication difficult at best. The Japanese infantrymen struggled ashore under heavy personal loads, and it was impossible to land any heavy equipment. In fact, in some cases, landing craft were run aground on the beach, unable to return to get further loads.
The second wave could not even come ashore, but a lions share of the infantry, some of the mountain guns, and a bit of the armor managed to get ashore on the first day. American submarines attempted to get amongst the transports. Though the S-38 sank a Japanese transport, overall, American submarines failed to do much damage. Four American B-17s did manage to slip through the Japanese fighter cover as well and did some damage, but not enough to stop the landing operations. American 155mm guns of the 86th Field Artillery (Philippine Scouts) even fired on the Japanese transports, but did little but discomfit General Homma.
While the Americans had expected a landing at Lingayen Gulf, they had little means to oppose it, with two ill-equipped Philippine Army (PA) divisions covering the 120-mile coastline. Most of the Philippine troops were at the southern edge of the gulf, way out of position to face the Japanese landings that came ashore to the north of them. The Philippine troops were ill-trained and ill-equipped, and simply not ready to stop the Japanese landings.
Only at Bauang was there any defense at all to the Japanese landings. The Headquarters Battalion of the 12th Infantry, along with some attached machine guns, faced a sizeable Japanese force coming ashore. They caused sizable Japanese casualties, but many of the machine guns jammed due to faulty ammunition. The Japanese came onward despite their casualties and secured a foothold on the beach, driving off the Filipinos.
The Filipinos attempted to counterattack with the 71st Infantry Regiment, but the Japanese maneuvered around the Filipino defenders, who withdrew under heavy pressure to the south. Other actions saw the Japanese brush aside small groups of Allied soldiers. By the afternoon of the next day, the Japanese had pushed elements of three infantry regiments ashore and had begun to consolidate their beachhead.
The debate among the 14th Army staff was either to continue consolidating the beachhead or execute the original plan and drive headlong towards Manila, the first step being a bridgehead across the Agno River, where the American defenders had reestablished themselves after being driven away from the beaches. After some debate, the more aggressive voices won, and General Homma ordered to continue with the original plan but remained apprehensive as to the prospects of an American counterattack. He ordered there to be a shift in the landing site to Damortis to the south, as to find better seas to bring most of his artillery ashore.
This time, the Americans were ready, with two batteries of 75mm self-propelled guns and elements of the 192nd Tank Battalion waiting and the 26th Cavalry (Philippine Scouts) on their way to Rosario, a town to the south. Elements of the 26th reached Damortis at 1300, December 23rd, 1941, and found themselves under heavy pressure from Japanese infantry, with plentiful air support. General Wainright ordered the 192nd to send a company of tanks to support the 26th, but the 192nd was short on gasoline and could only send 5 tanks, which promptly ran into Japanese tanks and were forced to return to Rosario. By 1600 that day, more Japanese infantry, this time with attached artillery, joined in the assault on Damortis, and the 26th had to withdraw.
The American position was fluid, and the Japanese had reinforced their assault, driving hard on Rosario. They attempted to overrun the 26th Cavalry, and the attached tanks from the 192nd claimed they had orders to retreat. They ultimately did so, leaving the 26th to the not-so-tender mercies of the Japanese tanks, who were hard on the American heels. A confused night action almost turned into an American rout, with only bold action by a Major Thomas Trapnell, who blocked a bridge with a burning tank, preventing the American cavalry from being overrun. When the 26th reached Rosario, they found Troop F was defending the trails into Rosario, and they fought a skillful rearguard that allowed the rest of the 26th to withdraw and break contact from the Japanese. Happily, the Japanese did not pursue.
“War Plan Orange-3 is In Effect”
The ignominious defeat of the American defenders in the initial attempts to throw the Japanese back into the sea had left MacArthur’s command on the verge of a rout. He was now caught between two rapidly advancing Japanese forces, and any defense of Manila was doomed even before it began, especially in the face of Japanese naval and air superiority.
MacArthur soon took steps to do the only thing he could - order a retreat into the Bataan peninsula, as per War Plan Orange-3 (WPO-3), and try to hold out for six months. The trouble was, WPO-3 was predicated on the U.S. Pacific Fleet riding to the proverbial rescue. Pearl Harbor had put an end to that idea. Japan ruled the seas and the skies around the Philippines, and nothing was changing that in the near term. At least, not in time to save MacArthur’s command. But, he couldn’t simply hand Japan one of the best ports in southeastern Asia. Thus, the die was cast, and Manila was declared an open city on December 26th 1941. The retreat to Bataan was on.
While the rearguards covering the retreat to Bataan were well-conducted, and at times, masterful, the retreat from Manila by the service and support elements was a shamble. Mountains of food and fuel were left to the Japanese, and the logistical planners only expected to support 43,000 soldiers in Bataan for six months. Unfortunately, 80,000 soldiers and 26,000 more showed up. When the last American soldiers retreated into Bataan on January 7th, 1942, the entire force was put on half-rations. It was a sign of what was to come.
The Americans, ironically, outnumbered their Japanese besiegers by January 1942, the Japanese having sent a large number of troops to assist in their planned conquests elsewhere. The Japanese felt that one good assault on the American positions in Bataan would result in their collapse. The fighting thus far had done nothing to dissuade them of such a notion.
Initially, there was some good news for MacArthur. Bataan was as good as it got for defensive positions. It was relatively narrow with few roads and a mix of jungle and mountainous terrain that made it tough for any attacker. MacArthur reorganized his forces into two corps. First was General Wainwright’s I Corps, which covered the western half of Bataan, and General Jones, who covered the eastern half with General Parker’s II Corps. MacArthur created three lines of resistance.
The first was the main position, centered around the Mounts of Silanganan and Natib dominating the American center. Both were formidable obstacles, with Natib towering over 4,000ft and considered impassible by American commanders. Thus, the positions of both corps did not extend to cover Natib, but the approaches were patrolled. There was another position 8 miles south, which was meant to be the final defensive position in case the first position fell. There was also a rear defense to cover the rest of the peninsula from Japan’s attempts to perform an amphibious end-around. It was a classic defense-in-depth and, had it the logistical wherewithal, it might have worked.
The Japanese began their first push against the American positions on January 10th, hitting the II Corps positions. The Japanese advanced steadily but were hit hard by American artillery. The Japanese assaults continued into the night of the 11th and resulted in heavy casualties for both sides, but especially the Japanese. An American counterattack restored all the ground lost to the Japanese in the previous two days of fighting, and more American reserves arrived to stabilize the situation. Other attacks pushed some PA units back, but overall, the American forces did not break.
However, the continued Japanese bombing and shelling found a seam in the line between two PA divisions, and Japanese forces used it to turn the American line. The Americans had no reserves left to respond to this new crisis, and General Parker ordered a counterattack. The Japanese had anticipated this and soon enveloped the counterattack. The crisis was becoming critical: MacArthur committed his last reserves, the 26th Cavalry, who made the last known cavalry charge in US Army history at the town of Moron, routing the Japanese. But the Americans were still forced to pull back under pressure, and by the 22nd, the Japanese prepared for a larger offensive against II Corps.
The Japanese offensive opened with a massive air and artillery barrage, and the lack of food and medical supplies began to tell on Parker’s command. The Americans began to withdraw under heavy pressure from the Japanese, and by the 26th, MacArthur had given orders to withdraw to the rear battle position. It had been a rough fight for the Americans. Many divisions had left vehicles and heavy equipment behind due to a lack of fuel. But the new position was far more defensible.
The Japanese then tried several amphibious end-arounds, landing small forces at two points along the eastern coast of Bataan. The idea was to unhinge the entire American position and envelop and destroy the Americans while threatening Corregidor. The Japanese landings went awry from the start. Bad weather, high seas, poor maps, and, not to mention, American PT boats conspired to make the landings into debacles. The Japanese landed their forces on the nights of the 22nd and 23rd, and immediately found themselves in a hornet’s nest.
Japanese troops that made it ashore were destroyed in a series of vicious small unit engagements between them and small scratch units of Americans made up of excess sailors and Air Corps personnel and stiffened by tanks and armored vehicles. Even the heavy 12” guns emplaced on Corregidor got involved. By February 13th, the last Japanese holdouts had been destroyed.
While the drama along the “Points” played out, Homma hit the new American defensive position with everything he had. The Japanese had some success at night, but it was limited. But, on January 28th, the Japanese hit two portions of the line and had some real success, but the advance soon stalled.
An American counterattack did little to restore the situation either, and it soon settled into a stalemate. Homma was forced to retreat due to low ammunition and fatigued troops. He also had to request additional forces. The Japanese casualties tell a tale of two battles. The Japanese had only suffered 2,000 casualties during their advance on Manila. But during the first three months in Bataan, the Japanese had lost 2,700 dead, 4,000 wounded and had an additional 12,000 sick in hospitals. Homma’s requests were initially denied, but by February 10th, an additional infantry division and the required siege artillery was on its way from China.
The successful defense was a shot in the arm for American morale. But it didn’t do much for the lack of food or the various tropical diseases ravaging the Americans’ ranks. Miniscule amounts of food and ammunition got through, mostly by submarine at night, and on February 22nd, MacArthur was ordered out by Roosevelt. MacArthur left with his family and some of his staff on a well-publicized journey first by PT boat and then by B-17 to Australia. Wainwright was left in command and was given orders to resist for as long as possible.
The Japanese reinforcements began to arrive by early March, and the pressure mounted on the Americans. Most American troops were sick and hungry, and there was little ammunition to spare. The end, when it came, would be like an ax to a chicken’s neck.
On April 3rd, the final Japanese offensive on Bataan opened with a massive barrage and hit the line’s weakest point, overrunning the PA 41st Division in a single day. The American positions in Bataan began to collapse, and the Japanese advance was rapid. By April 9th, it was over, with American forces on Bataan having surrendered at 1230 hours. The horrible aftermath of the surrender, including the Death March, won’t be covered here, but any military history student should read accounts of it.
The Curtain Falls
With the fall of Bataan, the American position on Corregidor island was the only obstacle to the Japanese on Luzon. The Japanese preparations for the assault on Corregidor were detailed, and, beginning on April 29th, the Japanese blasted the island with air and artillery without letup. The island was blasted and bombed, and the coastal artillery emplaced on Corregidor was systematically silenced.
The end came on May 4th, with a Japanese landing occurring under cover of night. The first wave took heavy casualties, but the Japanese eventually took Battery Denver at the extreme eastern end of the island and pushed west towards the Malinta Tunnel, which was the main HQ complex for all American forces in the Philippines. A counterattack by a scratch force of Americans failed, and the Japanese began to land armor on the island. The Americans had no anti-tank weapons, and the Malinta tunnel complex was filled with wounded and non-combatants. At 1100 hours, on May 5th, 1942, Wainwright asked for a cease-fire and surrendered to the Japanese.
And thus, the defense of the Philippines passed into history.
With everything laid out for this devastating American defeat, wargamers may be able to take a step back and see an interactive scenario in the making. Keep an eye out for more possible scenarios as we dive deeper into history and discuss some of the most notable military engagements.
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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)
A Japanese tank presses forward through the jungles of Bataan. Although greatly outmatched later in the war, Japanese armour proved more than a match for its American counterparts during the invasion of the Philippines
"An American soldier stands tense in his foxhole on Bataan peninsula, in the Philippines, waiting to hurl a flaming bottle bomb at an oncoming Japanese tank, in April of 1942."
