The 71st Infantry Division was a division of the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) ( Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...

under the

United States Army Forces in the Far East United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Estados Unidos sa Malayong Silangan/HKEUMS''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Fuerzas del Ejército de los Estados Unidos en el Lejano Oriente'') ...

(USAFFE).

Organization

History

It was active from 1941 to April 9, 1942, whereupon it surrendered when Bataan fell. Previously it was active in

Southern Luzon Southern Tagalog ( fil, Timog Katagalugan, also known colloquially as ''Rehiyong Timog Tagalog''), designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the provi ...

. Col. (later BGen.) Clyde A. Selleck (USA) was the division's commander, until around January 1942, when Col. (later BGen.) Clinton A. Pierce (USA) took command. Pierce had been in command of the U.S. 26th Cavalry Regt. (PS) since before the Japanese opened hostilities.

Combat Narrative

After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in December 1941, it formed part of

South Luzon Force South Luzon Force was a corps-sized unit of the US Army Forces Far East (USAFFE) active in the Philippines between 1941 and 1942. Created along with other 3 commands under the USAFFE, it was officially announced on November 4, 1941, and BGen. ...

(activated December 13, 1941) under BGen. George M. Parker Jr., HQ Ft. McKinley, Manila. The South Luzon Force controlled a zone east and south of Manila. Parker initially had the PA 1st, 41st, 51st, and 71st Infantry Divisions, and the 2nd Provisional Artillery Group of two batteries of the U.S.

86th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts) The 86th Field Artillery Regiment is a inactive parent field artillery regiment of the United States Army, last represented in the Vermont Army National Guard by the 1st Battalion, 86th Field Artillery Regiment. Perpetuating the Vermont Light ...

. When the Japanese began landing at

Lamon Bay Lamon Bay is a large bay in the southern part of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is a body of water connecting the southern part of Quezon province to the Philippine Sea, a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It borders on the coastal towns o ...

on December 24, 1941, South Luzon Force was badly dispersed.

Order of battle

* 71st Infantry Regiment (PA) (LCol. D. Van N. Bonnett) * 72nd Infantry Regiment (PA) (Col. Virgil N. Cordero, Inf.) ''(moved from

Negros Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

on 9 Dec 41)'' * 73rd Infantry Regiment (PA) ''(remained on

island)'' * 71st Field Artillery Regiment (PA) (LCol.

Halstead C. Fowler Halstead Clotworthy Fowler (19 April 18897 September 1950) was a colonel in the United States Army. He commanded the 71st Field Artillery during the Philippines campaign (1941–1942) and was multiply decorated. He was a survivor of the Bataan Dea ...

) ** 71st FA Regt HQ Company ** 1st Bn/71st FA Regt (PA) (75mm guns, 8x) ** 2nd Bn/71st FA Regt (PA) (2.95-inch pack howitzers, 12x) ** 3rd Bn/71st FA Regt (PA) * 71st Engineer Battalion (PA) * 71st Division Units ** 71st Division Headquarters & HQ Company ** 71st Medical Battalion ** 71st Signal Company ** 71st Quartermaster Company (Motorized) ** 71st QM Transport Company (Truck)

Sources

* *

Bibliography

*Morton, Louis.
The Fall of the Philippines (Publication 5-2)
''. Retrieved on 14 Feb 2017.

References

* * * * {{Philippine Army (1935–1946) Infantry divisions of the Philippines Military units and formations of the Philippine Army in World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1942