United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) was a military formation of the United States Army active from 1941 to 1946. The new command's headquarters was created on 26 July 1941, at No. 1, Calle Victoria, Manila, Luzon, the Philippines, with General Douglas MacArthur as commander. The Chief of Staff was Brigadier General Richard K. Sutherland and the Deputy Chief of Staff was Lieutenant Colonel Richard J. Marshall. The core of this command was drawn from the Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.
The Philippines campaign, also known as the Battle of the Philippines or the Fall of the Philippines, was the invasion of the American territory of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan and the defense of the islands by United States and the Philippine Armies during World War II.
The Battle of Bataan was fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Japan during World War II. The battle represented the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. In January 1942, forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy invaded Luzon along with several islands in the Philippine Archipelago after the bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.
The 61st Division of the Philippine Army was an infantry division from the 1941 to 1942.
William Fletcher Sharp was a United States Army major general.
The 71st Infantry Division was a reserve division of the Philippine Army that fought under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). It was known for its fight with Japanese invading forces in Layac Junction, that was ordered to hold until all retreating Fil-American forces of crossed into Bataan Peninsula.
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.
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.
61st Field Artillery Regiment of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was activated in August 1941and fought in Mindanao island during World War II. The regiment was composed of reservists from Panay island in the Visayas with few officers from Luzon and American army officers and key non-commissioned officers. It was transferred to Mindanao in January 1942 and fought the Japanese in Cagayan sector retreating inland to Bukidnon until it was ordered to surrender on May 10, 1942.
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 month upon its creation due to the lost 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.
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.
Japanese invasion of Panay on April 16–18, 1942 was the second landing in the Visayas Islands after Fil-American forces surrendered in Bataan on April 9, 1942. It is the next step to prevent any supplies reach Corregidor Island and control the Visayas waters and established bases for the campaign to invade island of Mindanao to complete the invasion of the Philippines.
