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Philippine Division, or from 1946–1947 the 12th Infantry Division, was the core U.S. infantry division of the United States Army's
Philippine Department The Philippine Department (Filipino: ''Kagawaran ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Kagawaran ng Pilipinas'') was a regular United States Army organization whose mission was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. On 9 April 1942, durin ...
during World War II. On 31 July 1941, the division consisted of 10,473 troops, mostly enlisted Filipinos, known as the
Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos ...
who formed the 45th and 57th US Infantry Regiments. All of the division's enlisted men, with the exception of the 31st Infantry Regiment, and various
military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear re ...
and headquarters troops, were Philippine Scouts. In October 1941, as part of the U.S. Army Forces Far East, plans were made to "triangularize" the division. The 34th Infantry was detached from the 8th Infantry Division and moved to a port of embarkation in December 1941, along with two battalions of 105mm field artillery. The Philippine Division was to have two complete U.S.
regimental combat team A regimental combat team (RCT) is a provisional major infantry unit which has seen use by branches of the United States Armed Forces. It is formed by augmenting a regular infantry regiment with smaller combat, combat support and combat service ...
s in place by January 1942 to provide 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 ...
with a modern, trained mobile reaction force, while freeing up Philippine Scouts for rounding out other units. The outbreak of war in December 1941, however, isolated the Philippines and prevented implementation of the plan.


Shoulder sleeve insignia

*Description: On a scarlet spade-shaped shield, a yellow
carabao The carabao ( es, Carabao; tgl, Kalabaw; ceb, Kabaw; ilo, Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis'') native to the Philippines. Carabaos were introduced to Guam from the Spanish Philippines in the 17th century. They ...
's head caboshed. *Symbolism: The carabao is suggestive of the Philippines, and the colors red and gold represent the Spanish heritage of the islands.


Organization (July 1941)

*Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Philippine Division (181) *Headquarters, Special Troops, Philippine Division (5) **12th
Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear re ...
Company (PS) (136) **12th Ordnance Company (PS) (142) **12th
Signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...
Company (PS) (227) * 31st Infantry Regiment (2,131) * 43rd Infantry Regiment (PS) (329) **1st Battalion only element active *
45th Infantry Regiment (PS) The 45th Infantry Regiment was a unit of the Philippine Scouts in the Philippine Division. History The 45th along with the 57th Infantry Regiment were the first two infantry regiments of the Philippine Scouts which were formed after World ...
(2,265) *
57th Infantry Regiment (PS) The 57th Infantry Regiment was a unit in the Philippine Scouts. During their combat in Bataan members received 1 Medal of Honor, 21 Distinguished Service Crosses and 68 Silver Stars. History The 57th was formed in 1917 and transferred to the ...
(2,279) *
23d Field Artillery Regiment (PS) The 23rd Field Artillery Battalion was a field artillery battalion of the regular Army, constituted as a US-manned unit in 1921, but redesignated as a Philippine Scouts unit in 1930. History Lineage Constituted 16 August 1921 in the Regular ...
(401) ( QF 2.95-inch mountain gun) *
24th Field Artillery Regiment (PS) The 24th Field Artillery Regiment (Philippine Scouts) (24th FA (PS)) was a Philippine Scouts unit, part of the US Army's Philippine Division, formed in 1922 and active until April 1942. Antecedent units dated back to 1899. History The 24th ...
(843) ( M1917 75mm gun) *14th
Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the lim ...
Regiment (PS) (870) *12th
Medical Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...
Regiment (PS) (421) *12th
Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
Regiment (PS) (592 *4th
Veterinary Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
Company (PS) (11)


Lineage

*Constituted 7 December 1921 in the
Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standi ...
as Headquarters, Philippine Division. *Organized 10 April 1922 in the
Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, with Regular Army and
Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos ...
personnel. *Surrendered 9 April 1942 to the Japanese 14th Army. *Redesignated 6 April 1946 as the 12th Infantry Division. *Inactivated 30 April 1947 in the Philippine Islands. *Disbanded 23 March 1953.


Combat chronicle

*Units of the Philippine Division were on security missions at
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
,
Fort William McKinley Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly named Fort William McKinley) is the site of the national headquarters of the Philippine Army (Headquarters Philippine Army or HPA) located in Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located near the national headquarter ...
, and
Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...
prior to the declaration of war in the Pacific, 8 December 1941. After undergoing 2 days of bombings, the Division moved into the field to cover the withdrawal of troops to Bataan and to resist the enemy in the
Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Su ...
area. From 11 December 1941 to 23 December 1941, positions were organized and strengthened and on 23 December 1941 the Division was assigned to the Bataan Defense Forces. While the 31st Infantry Regiment moved to the vicinity of Zig Zag Pass to cover the flanks of troops withdrawing from central and southern
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, a ...
, 30 December 1941, the rest of the Division organized the main and reserve positions on Bataan. The 31st Infantry Regiment moved to a defensive position on the west side of the Olongapo Road near Layac Junction, 5 January 1942. This junction was lost on 6 January 1942, but the withdrawal to Bataan had been successfully concluded. *The Division was placed in reserve from 7 January 1942 to 14 January 1942. This period was largely one of reconnaissance and development by the Japanese in preparation for their attack on the main battle position on the Abucay line. Elements repulsed night attacks near
Abucay Abucay, officially the Municipality of Abucay, ( tl, Bayan ng Abucay), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of , Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,984 people. The mainly agricultural and fishing town i ...
on 10 January 1942 – 12 January 1942, and other elements of the Division counterattacked on 16 January 1942. Strong offensive and defensive action was not able to prevent enemy penetrations and the Division withdrew to the Reserve Battle Position in the Pilar
Bagac Bagac, officially the Municipality of Bagac ( tl, Bayan ng Bagac), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 31,365 people. With an area of , Bagac is the largest mun ...
area, 2 February 1942. Until the latter part of March the enemy, made cautious by heavy losses, engaged in patrols and limited local attacks, and after a general retirement, 24 March 1942, did not undertake any serious activity on this front until 28 March 1942. During this period elements of the Division were shifted to assist in the defense of other sectors. The enemy attack on 28 March struck at a division weakened by malnutrition, sickness, and prolonged exposure to combat. The Division, no longer operating as a coordinated unit, was unable to counterattack against heavy enemy assaults. *On 8 April 1942, the 57th Infantry Regiment and the 31st Infantry Regiment were lost near the Alangan River, and the 45th Infantry Regiment surrendered, 10 April 1942.


Wartime assignments

#U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – 8 December 1941 – 24 December 1941. #Bataan Defense Force – 24 December 1941 – 6 January 1942. #U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – 6 January 1942 – 26 January 1942. #II Philippine Corps – 26 January 1942 – 7 April 1942. #I Philippine Corps – 7 April 1942 – 10 April 1942. # Prisoner of War Captivity – 10 April 1942 – 1945


Miscellaneous

The regimental colors of the 12th Quartermaster Regiment (PS) were given to an Army nurse (one of the "
Angels of Bataan The Angels of Bataan (also known as the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor" and "The Battling Belles of Bataan") were the members of the United States Army Nurse Corps and the United States Navy Nurse Corps who were stationed in the Philippines at t ...
and Corregidor") by the regimental commander. Upon her capture she told the Japanese that it was "only a shawl" and kept it safe throughout more than three years of captivity. Today, the colors are on display at the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, Fort Lee, Virginia.


Commanders

*MG
Omar Bundy Major General Omar Bundy (June 17, 1861 – January 20, 1940) was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. A ...
(April 1922 – March 1924) *MG
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 ...
(March 1924 – January 1925) *MG
William Weigel Major General William Weigel (August 25, 1863 – March 4, 1936) was a United States Army officer who, throughout his long military career, served in numerous conflicts and wars, most notably towards the end of World War I, commanding the 56th B ...
(January 1925 – February 1927) *MG Frank M. Caldwell (February 1927 - April 1927) *MG Johnson Hagood (April 1927 - June 1929) *MG Paul B. Malone (June 1929 - June 1931) *BG Casper H. Conrad Jr. (June 1931 - July 1933) *BG Frank S. Cocheu (July 1933 - May 1935) *BG Stanley H. Ford (May 1935 - May 1935) *BG Alfred T. Smith (June 1935 - January 1937) *BG Evan H. Humphrey (January 1937 - January 1937) *BG
John L. DeWitt John Lesesne DeWitt (January 9, 1880 – June 20, 1962) was a 4-star general officer in the United States Army, best known for leading the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese E ...
(January 1937 - April 1937) *BG George Grunert (April 1937 - July 1937) *MG John H. Hughes (July 1937 - February 1938) *MG Percy P. Bishop (February 1938 - October 1938) *MG Walter S. Grant (October 1938 – July 1939) *BG Henry C. Pratt (July 1939 - November 1939) *MG George Grunert (November 1939 – May 1940) *MG Henry C. Pratt (May 1940 - November 1940) *MG Jonathan M. Wainwright IV (November 1940 – December 1941) *BG Maxon S. Lough (December 1941 – May 1942)


Honors


Campaign participation credit


Decorations


Unit awards


Personal awards

*Medals of Honor: 3.


Bibliography

* *


See also

* Charles C. Drake * Battle of the Philippines (1941–42) *
Divisions of the United States Army This list of United States Army divisions is divided into three eras: 1911–1917, 1917–1941, and 1941–present. These eras represent the major evolutions of army division structure (there have been several minor changes during these times). ...
* Military History of the Philippines * Military History of the United States


References


External links


The United States Army Quartermaster Museum
{{Army Divisions (United States) Military history of the Philippines during World War II Infantry divisions of the United States Army United States Army divisions during World War II Military units and formations established in 1921 Military units and formations disestablished in 1947