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The Battle for Cebu City ( Filipino: ''Labanan sa Lungsod ng Cebu''; Cebuano: ''Gubat sa Dakbayan sa Sugbo'';
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
: セブシティーのための戦い) was a major engagement of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
that occurred between March 26 and April 8, 1945, during the second Philippines Campaign. The battle resulted in an Allied victory over the occupying
Japanese Army The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...
and the liberation of
Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Ac ...
.


Prelude

After launching their campaign to recapture the Philippines at
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
in October 1944, the Allies followed up that victory by dispatching troops to
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 ...
in January 1945. A month later, General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...
, overall commander of Allied forces in the Pacific, began planning to take the rest of the Philippines. General
Robert L. Eichelberger Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the Eighth United States Army in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II. A 1909 graduate of the Unite ...
's Eighth Army was then tasked with conducting a series of amphibious landings in the southern Philippines on islands between
Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
and
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 ...
, including
Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
. Prior to the war, Cebu had been the Philippines second-most important industrial center, and it offered the Allies a harbor for future operations. The island was garrisoned by a force of between 14,500 and 15,000 Japanese troops. These were situated mainly in
Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Ac ...
and on the central east coast. Drawn from the 35th Army, the majority of these troops were support troops who had been supporting the evacuation of Luzon, and who were formed into combat units. The main Japanese combat units were the 102nd Infantry Division, which consisted of the 78th Infantry Brigade headquarters and the 173d Independent Infantry Battalion, and 1st Division, consisting of the 1st, 49th and 57th Infantry Regiments, which were down to battalion strength due to earlier fighting on Luzon. There were also several naval garrison units on the island, including the 33rd Special Base Force and the 36th Guard Unit.


Battle

Following a preliminary bombardment, the battle began on March 26, 1945, when the Allies launched Operation Victor II. Staging out of Leyte, where they had conducted rehearsal landings two days earlier, a large flotilla of cruisers and destroyers from the
Seventh Fleet The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of ...
Task Force 74 Task Force 74 was a naval task force that has existed twice. The first Task Force 74 was a mixed Allied force of Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy, and United States Navy ships which operated against Japanese forces from 1943 to 1945 during th ...
escorted the Cebu Attack Group to the island. Under the leadership of Major General William H. Arnold, the forces assigned to the operation consisted of the
Americal Division The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War. The division was activated 27 May 1942 on the island of New Caledonia. In the immediate emergency following Pearl Harbor, the Un ...
's
132nd Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...
and 182nd Infantry Regiments, totaling about 5,000 men, were landed on Cebu island at Talisay Beach, southwest of
Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Ac ...
. The 182nd came ashore southwest of the city, while the 132nd landed at a wide gravel beach to the northeast opposite a palm grove. Meeting no Japanese opposition, the U.S. forces nevertheless suffered heavily from mines and
booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...
s as they crossed the beach. It was the first time in the Philippines campaign that U.S. troops had encountered such weapons. As further waves landed, engineers and infantry began clearing lanes through the mine fields. The Americal Division slowly forced its way off the beach and moved inland against only small pockets of Japanese resistance that were carrying out delaying actions. The main body stopped for the night about from Cebu City. Patrols were sent out and the following day, the Americal Division continued its advance towards Cebu City, tasked with securing the harbor and nearby airfield, Lahug Airfield, positioned northeast of the city. On March 28, more significant fighting broke out as the Americans captured the airfield, as well as Mactan Island in Cebu Harbor. Although the city had been officially liberated, Japanese forces remained in many parts, including the port area, and occupied several strongly defended positions in the hills to the city's north, where they came under the command of Major-General
Takeo Manjome was a Japanese Major General during World War II.James M. Cushing took part . Units fought on the outskirts of Cebu, capturing Pari-an on March 29 and liberating T. Padilla on April 7. As Allied morale heightened and Japanese forces withdrew to the ports, the U.S. naval commander, Ferdinand Ernest Zuellig, directed naval bombardments on the ports, prompting the Japanese to withdraw to
Fort San Pedro Fort San Pedro ( es, Fuerte de San Pedro) is a military defense structure in Cebu, Philippines, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in ...
. Many did not make it and were trapped within Piers One and Two. Although the final operations around the ports were successful and forced many Japanese to surrender, the Japanese headquarters unit in charge of the area made a final stand near the border of
Mandaue City Mandaue (), officially the City of Mandaue ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Mandaue; fil, Lungsod ng Mandaue), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 ...
. Led by Major Rijome Kawahara, after further fighting these forces were defeated, and after that the Allies gained control of the remaining areas of the city as Kawahara's remaining troops withdrew. Kawahara was killed while trying to cross the makeshift bridge towards Mandaue City. Reportedly, he was killed by a sniper after being incapacitated by mortar and tank fire. Kawahara was posthumously promoted to the rank of
colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
. After the war, his body was returned to Japan where it was buried in
Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...
, the city of his birth.


Aftermath

During the final stages of the battle, the mountainous parts of Cebu were also bombed and cleared. A series of battles were subsequently fought during this time, the most famous of which is the Battle of Gochan Hill, fought over three days from March 29. Battling against a heavily entrenched force, the fighting proved costly for the 182d Infantry Regiment, with one company losing over 50 men killed when the Japanese blew up an ammunition dump, before the U.S. forces finally took the hill, having destroyed at least 85 pillboxes. Supported by naval gunfire, the Americal Division attempted to break through the Japanese line through a frontal assault, but their attempts resulted in slow progress, so plans were made to outflank them. In early April two battalions from the Americal Division's third regiment, the 164th, were dispatched to Cebu as reinforcements. These were moved in great secrecy around the Japanese lines and on 13 April, the Americans put in a two-pronged divisional level attack, which although initially checked, eventually forced the Japanese commander, Manjome, to withdraw further north into the mountains. Meanwhile, on April 20 the 164th Infantry's third battalion landed on the island of Bohol, and in concert with Filipino troops and guerillas began clearance operations, before being moved to Negros on April 20; they were subsequently joined by the regiment's other two battalions on 25 April. On Cebu, after a brief pause, the Allied forces began to follow up the retreating Japanese on April 20. Filipino troops and Cebuano guerillas continued harassment operations. The Americal Division ceased operations on June 20, when they withdrew to Cebu City to begin preparations for future operations. Meanwhile, the guerillas continued to keep pressure on the remaining Japanese. The entire Cebu campaign ended on July 2, after Camp 8 had fallen. The Americans subsequently developed a large logistics base on the island, Base 'S', which was intended to be used by three infantry divisions as a staging base for the proposed invasion of Japan. Around 5,550 Japanese were killed during the fighting, while the Americal Division lost 410 men killed and 1,700 wounded; a further 8,000 U.S. troops became sick during the battle. The Filipino forces under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary lost about 3,600 killed and 6,200 wounded. About 8,500 Japanese were able to escape into Cebu's north, where they remained until the war ended in August.


Controversy

A number of controversies surround this battle. The most famous is why General Sosaku Suzuki, commander of the IJA 35th Army which was responsible for the forces on Cebu, was not in command of the Japanese troops in the city and where he was during the height of the battle. One theory that has developed is that during the liberation of the city on March 27, Suzuki had already fled to the hills and mountains of Cebu City, hoping to make a last stand against the invading joint US and Philippine forces, resulting in the Battle of Gochan Hill. His orders for the defense of the city are believed to have been formulated earlier and the plan was made was given to Kawahara who, at that time, was the highest-ranking Japanese officer in the city, was entrusted with defending the city to the last man standing. As the mountainous parts of Cebu were being cleared by Allied forces, so too were the city outposts and
barangays A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
. When Suzuki transferred to the IJA garrison in the Cadulawan-Tubod area around
Minglanilla Minglanilla, officially the Municipality of Minglanilla ( ceb, Lungsod sa Minglanilla; tgl, Bayan ng Minglanilla), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 151,002 ...
, after fleeing from the destroyed mountain camps, on April 8, 1945, he received a mail that Kawahara had been killed while defending the city, and that the whole city, its ports and the nearby barangays had been captured by the Allies. Because of this, he began planning his escape. On April 14, 1945, the Allies began an assault on the Japanese bases in the Cadulawan-Tubod area, as well the elimination of the defenses set up by the IJA in Pungtod, Calajo-an, and the Port of Tulay-Tungkop in what later became known as the "Battle of Minglanilla" and the "Defense of Calajo-an". Spearheaded by US troops from 'G' Company, 182nd Infantry Regiment and some local soldiers from the Philippine Commonwealth military and Cebuano guerrillas, the battle lasted for two days, clearing the IJA from Minglanilla. To care for the wounded, Allied forces set-up four wards, called Allied Service Stations and Mobile Allied Service hospitals, in the area and this is the reason why today there are barangays in Minglanilla named Poblacion Ward I to Ward 4. The first stronghold, Camp 7, was cleared on April 15, but the bastion, Camp 8, was not cleared until July 2, marking the liberation of the entire Cebu from the Japanese. By the time the battle was at its height on April 10, Suzuki fled south in an effort to avoid capture and rejoin the main part of his command on Mindanao, in the southern Philippines. On April 19, while sailing in a convoy of small ships, Suzuki was killed when the ship he was in was attacked by U.S. aircraft between Sumilon Island Sound and Santander Bay.


See also

*
Military History of the Philippines during World War II The Commonwealth of the Philippines was attacked by the Empire of Japan on 8 December 1941, nine hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor (the Philippines is on the Asian side of the international date line). Although it was governed by a semi-ind ...


References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *, see chapter entitled "World powers at play in the western Pacific : the coastal fortifications of Southern Cebu, Philippines." * * * * * *


External links


Pacific Wrecks' website

''Morning Times'' for Cebu City on 5 May 1945




{{DEFAULTSORT:Cebu City Conflicts in 1945
Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands ( Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands ( Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, ...
1945 in the Philippines Battles of World War II involving the United States History of Cebu City March 1945 events in Asia April 1945 events in Asia