Leyte-Samar Force | |
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Active | October 1941 - May 1942 |
Disbanded | May 13, 1942 |
Country | Philippines |
Allegiance | United States Army |
Branch | Army Navy |
Type | Infantry |
Role | Defense |
Size | 4,000 |
Part of | Visayan Force Visayas-Mindanao Force |
Garrison/HQ | Camp Downes, Tacloban, Leyte |
Equipment | M1917 Enfield Rifles M1923 Thompson Submachineguns M1917 Browning .30 Caliber Machineguns Filipino Bolo |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Colonel Theodore Cornell Lieutenant Colonel Juan Causing |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol |
Leyte Force is a brigade size unit that was organized in Leyte Island in the Philippines during World War II. It was commanded by Colonel Theodore Cornell of US Army until its surrender in May 1942 upon orders of General William Sharp commander of Visayas-Mindanao Force.
After 91st Infantry Division under Brigadier General Luther S. Stevens, was ordered to Luzon to bolster its defense. The island of Leyte was left with only 93rd Infantry Regiment the last component unit of 91st Division as it was just being organized. Colonel Theodore Cornell commanded the Leyte and Samar Sector but Lieutenant Colonel Ben-Hur Chastaine commanded 93rd Infantry Regiment. To strengthen its defense 81st Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Ruperto Kangleon was transferred from Bohol. The regiments comprised the Samar Provisional Infantry Brigade which Colonel Chastaine commanded. The command of 93rd Infantry fell to Major John Goldtrap, trainings and preparation was intensified in November and while the war progressed in December. [1]
Visayas Force Sectors | ||||
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1Lieutenant Irvine C. Spotte, a reservist who is a former manager of Samar Mining Company became the force Chief Engineer.
In January 1942, General Sharp commander of Visayas-Mindanao Force ordered the transfer of the brigade to Mindanao. This was complied and the brigade arrived in Mindanao via Surigao and was posted in Agusan Sector. Colonel Chastaine became its sector commander along with Lieutenant Colonel Arden Boellner who now commands 81st Infantry.
With Samar Brigade's departure Leyte was left with no organized troops, Colonel Cornell established Leyte Provisional Infantry Regiment under Major Juan Causing. Later the regiment was renamed as 94th Provisional Infantry Regiment. No other regiment was formed due to lack of weapons to arm it.
In March 1942, the Visayas-Mindanao Force was split into 2 commands. Leyte Force now under the control of Visayan Force under Brigadier General Bradford Chynoweth with headquarters in Cebu Island.
In April 17, General Wainwright ordered General Sharp to reinstitute Visayas-Mindanao Force to take control other forces in the Visayas outside of Cebu as Visayan Force could no longer function. Communication could no longer established outside Cebu. Leyte Force returned to Visayas-Mindanao Force command. In May 12, it received an order to surrender all units to the Japanese forces. [2] The Brigade was dissolved but not all soldiers surrendered to the Japanese but dispersed to the mountains and joined guerilla units established by Major Causing in Samar, Lieutenant Blas Miranda in Leyte, and later Colonel Ruperto Kangleon. [3]
Ruperto Cadava Kangleón was a Filipino military officer and politician. He was a native of the municipality of Macrohon in the province now named Southern Leyte.
The 61st Division of the Philippine Army was an infantry division from the 1941 to 1942.
The 81st Infantry Division was a reserve division of the Philippine Army under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). It was established in the prewar period and fought 1941–1942. Its troops are from Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte but most of its troops are Americans and junior officers are Filipinos coming mostly from Luzon. The division served in defense of Mindanao but it never commanded the 4 of its maneuver regiments but was supplemented with 61st Infantry from Panay and 73rd Infantry from Negros. Also, 2nd Regular Regiment was transferred to its command in the early part of Japanese invasion of Mindanao.
The 102nd Infantry Division was a division of the Philippine Army under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).
The 91st Infantry Division was a division of the Philippine Army under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).
Visayas-Mindanao Force was a military formation created in November 1941 to command all soldiers of US Army, US Philippine Scouts, Philippine Army, and Philippine Constabulary in the southern islands of the Philippines. Colonel William F. Sharp was appointed as commanding general and was promoted to Brigadier General in November 1941 and later Major General. His executive officer is Major Howard Edmands. He was just starting to organize his command and train his soldiers into a fighting unit when the war started on December 7, 1941.
Mindanao Force is a corps size military unit defending the island of Mindanao the second largest Island of the Philippines from March 17, 1942, to its surrender on May 9, 1942. The force was already created when the Visayas-Mindanao Force was split into two in March 1942. It was initiated in February 1942 in the headquarters of US Army Forces in the Far East but took effect when General Douglas MacArthur departed for Australia on March 17, 1942.
81st Infantry Regiment is a military unit and formation of the Philippine Commonwealth Army
Visayan Force is a US Forces in the Philippines subcommand which was created and took effect on March 17, 1942, after General Douglas MacArthur departed for Australia. It was disintegrated in the month after its creation due to the loss of contact of Visayan Force headquarters during the Japanese invasion of Cebu in April 16 to 19, 1942, it resorted to guerilla warfare. Eventually all forces in the Visayas was ordered to surrender on May 11, 1942.
82nd Infantry Regiment is a unit activated by the Philippine Commonwealth Army for the defense of the Philippine during World War II. It defended the Cebu Island particularly in the southern part of Cebu during the Japanese landings in Cebu island on April 16, 1942. It surrendered on May 12, 1942, after it was ordered by Visayas-Mindanao Force commander General Sharp to surrender.
Cebu Brigade is a military unit and formation organized in January 1942 by Visayas-Mindanao Force to defend the island of Cebu after ordering 81st Infantry Division Headquarters moved to Mindanao to bolster its defenses. USAFFE and later USFIP saw the island vital for the transport of the supplies to Bataan and Corregidor. Colonel Irvine Scudder was appointed as its commander until its surrender to Japanese.
94th Provisional Infantry Regiment is a territorial defense organized by Colonel Theodore Cornell
Negros Force was activated by USAFFE on September 1, 1941, to May 12, 1942. The force did not fought during the war but played in organizing units deployed to different sector. The force also continued to fight as a guerilla after the surrender. Although the two provinces was never united due to different affiliation of the commanders.
62nd Infantry Regiment was Philippine Army Reserve unit activated in November 1941 in Panay Island. It was organized from the Army reservist in that area with officers mostly coming from Luzon and Americans. I was based and trained in Cabatuan, Iloilo and was placed as part of 61st Infantry Division activated on November 1, 1941, in preparation for Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
63rd Infantry Regiment is a reserve unit of Philippine Army activated and organized during World War II. I was organized from reservist and recruits high school and college students around the 6th Military District. It is part of the 61st Infantry Division activated to cover the island of Panay. The regiment fought entirely in Panay island until it was ordered to surrendered on May 12, 1942.
United States Forces in the Philippines (USFIP) is a unified command in the Philippines during World War II. It was the successor to the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) which General Douglas MacArthur commanded. He moved to Australia as he evacuated as ordered by President Roosevelt in March 1942. The command only lasted two months as it surrendered by Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright to Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu commander of 14th Army of the Imperial Japanese Army.
On April 14, 1942 Kawaguchi Detachment who just landed in Lingayen, Pangasinan intended as reinforcement of the 14th Imperial Japanese Army to finally subdue Philippine-American forces in Bataan. However, General King surrendered days earlier before they arrived. Instead, General Homma Masaharu commander of 14th Army ordered them south to secure Cebu island in the Visayas intended as launching place for invasion of Mindanao after it is secured.
Irvine C. Scudder (1895–1950) is a retired United States Army Colonel who fought both World War I in France and World War II in the Philippines. He is best known as the commander of Filipino-American troops in Cebu Island from January 5, 1941, until ordered surrendered in May 12, 1942. He is both recipient of US Silver Star and Legion of Merit for his action as commander of Cebu Brigade. He was a POW and was released in Mukden POW camp in Manchuria in 1945.
93rd Infantry Regiment is a unit of 91st Infantry Division of Philippine Army activated in 1941. It was not organized until late of 1941. So it was left in Leyte island while the rest of the division was transferred to Luzon island to bolster its defense. It fought in Mindanao island where it was ordered to surrender and became POWs.
83rd Infantry Regiment of the Philippine Army is a reserve unit activated and organized in late 1941 few months before WW II commenced in the Philippines. It fought in Cebu Island during Japanese landings in April 1942 but ordered surrendered in May 1942. It was disbanded after all soldiers were POWs but some escaped and joined the guerilla movement in Cebu.
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