Today in history: Victory in Bataan

The battles of the pockets and points remain unknown to most of us

“These Filipinos Mopped-Up a Japanese Landing Party. This handful of Filipino Scouts had just mopped up a Japanese landing party when the picture was made on the Philippines’ Bataan Peninsula. One of the Scouts holds a Samurai sword, which was taken from Japanese officer who was slain in the fight. Courageous men like these were an important factor in enabling the American and Filipino forces to hold Bataan, in the face of tremendous odds, for more than three months – long after it had been written off by outside military experts.” Office of War Information Photograph.

Felipe Buencamino III was a young military intelligence officer and his diary entry for February 22, 1942 points out victories in Bataan and the cost in lives for his generation:

Busy checking reports from outposts all day.

(later)

Aglaloma Battle our greatest victory.

Japs landed in rear under cover of darkness. By stealth and surprise, they succeeded in getting a foothold in Aglaloma pt.

But our troops gave them stiff opposition. Even air corps men in rear shouldered guns and attacked Jap landing parties till a “pocket” was formed.

Many hand-to-hand combats. Here were no trenches, no lines, no positions. This was a sort of free-for-all. Japs mixed in our rear lines and men turned around and gave them hell.

Japs received supplies from planes. Some fell in our lines. Boys ate up supplies. Battle lasted for a week.

Then P.C. and scouts came and riddle forest with withering infantry line. Not a tree, bush, twig, remained in face of thickness of fire. A lizard would not have been able to live in midst of such deadly firing.

Our boys could hear Jap officers shouting commands. Distance between our boys and Japs were only a few meters in some sections.

Many received citations in this battle. Americans literally ran over the top leading troops, dying in a blaze of glory.

Col. Castañeda received a distinguished service cross.

He led troops in attack against Japs that hid inside a cave, about 500 of them.

Paulino of Ateneo died. His friends say that night before attack, Paulino was fingering a grenade and saying: “This will get a Jap.” Paulino’s head was blasted by a grenade, in an attack following day.

Johnnie Setzer of Ateneo also died. He was shot by an mg bullet as he was manning an air corps mg. His father who is also in the army buried the son. Many of Johnnie’s friends stood around grave and said a prayer for him. Somebody made a wreath, out of leaves. No flowers.

Cirus Pansalcola of Ateneo died in hospital. He was buried in cemetery near HPA. I still remember Cirus in his last speech at our Oratory class in Ateneo saying: “Very few of those who say ’tis sweet to die for one’s country have every done it.” And I kidded him with remark: “You haven’t done it yourself.”

Heard Manoling Ojeda also died but there are no details.

Samson Solis of Ateneo A.B. also believed dead.

Buencamino was referring to what has come to be known as the Battle of the Points:

In a gamble, the Japanese tried to outflank the main line by landing a force of 900 men on Jan. 23 in southern Bataan, followed by another 300 reinforcements on Jan. 27. About 1,000 men from the 24th Pursuit Group and 19th Bombardment Group fought alongside U.S. Army soldiers, sailors, Marines, and Filipino soldiers and police, to drive the Japanese out. The few USAAF P-40s left on Bataan helped prevent further Japanese reinforcement of their beachhead. After three weeks of bitter fighting, the Japanese positions were completely eliminated. This vigorous defense helped Bataan hold out for two more months, which brought more time to prepare Allied defenses elsewhere.

This was followed by the Battle of the Pockets; the relationship between the two series of engagements is summarized here:

The main battle position of the USAFFE, the Abucay-Morong line, was attacked along its eastern flank on 9 January, but the 5th Regimental Combat Team, reinforced by the 57th Infantry of the 21st Division repulsed the attack. On 14 January the Japanese attacked the boundary of the 41^st and 51st Divisions. The 43rd Infantry, holding the left lank of the 41st Division, which was reinforced by the 23rd Infantry, 21st Division sharply refused its flank. The 51st Infantry, holding the right flank of the 51st Division, withdrew creating a gap through which the enemy advanced to the Salian River. But a patrol of the 21st division discovered the enemy, and elements of the Division rushed to the Salian River valley where after a savage fight, they repulsed the enemy. Farther to the west the enemy surprised and routed the 53^rd Infantry. Penetrating deep behind the main battle position along the Abo-Abo River valley, the enemy advance was held up by combined elements of the 21st Division of the II reserve, the 31st and the 51st Division of the Bani-Guirol forest area.

The American 31st Infantry and the 45thInfantry, Philippine Scouts, succeeded in partially restoring the abandoned line of the 51^st Division.

On 15 January the Morong sector, defended by the 1st Regular Division, reinforced, came under heavy bombardment. But the line held.

A few days later, the enemy penetrated through a huge gap in the Silangan-Natib area and established a roadblock on the Mauban ridge, thus cutting off the 1st Regular Division from the rear area. Gravely threatened, elements of the 71st and 91st Divisions and the 2nd Regiment repeatedly attacked the roadblock but failed to dislodge the enemy.

Although the II Corps Sector had prevented a similar envelopment in the Salian River battle, the I Corps position was now untenable. The Abucay-Morong tine was abandoned on 24 January. The Orion-Bagac line was established two clays later. Again in a desperate attempt to outflank the I Corps, the enemy landed crack units on the west coast of southern Bataan. The aim was to outflank and to isolate the frontline units from headquarters and supplies.

There were three ferocious battles in the I.apiay-Longoskawayan Points area, fought from 23 to 29 January; in Quinawan-Aglaloma Points area, fought from 23 January to 8 February; and Silaiim-Anyasan Points, fought from 27 January to 13 February. Of the 2,000 enemy troops committed to these battles, only 34 wounded soldiers returned to their lines.

On 27 January enemy troops were discovered in the rear of the Orion-Bagac line, the Tuol River valley behind the 11th Regular Division and in the Gogo-Cotar River valley behind the 1^st Regular Division. The series of engagements to eliminate these enemy salients became known as the Battle of the Pockets, fought from 27 January through 17 February. Of the 2,000 Japanese troops committed to this battle, only 377 were reported to have escaped.

After the battles of the points, pockets and Trail 2, which were brilliant triumphs of the USAFFE, the enemy withdrew to regroup their forces and to wait for reinforcements.

Japanese Invasion of the Philippines (January 6, 1942 - February 2, 1942) Published on The Official Gazette website.

You can read collated diary entries, day-by-day, together with a timeline and pictures, in February 1942: WW2PH 80 Years Later.