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Battle of Balanga Bagac Line (prelude)
Battle of the Balanga Bagac Line (The Good Friday Offensive) April 1
After weeks of reinforcement and refitting and difficult feats of logistics to establish forward supply dumps and move adequate artillery ammunition forward, the Japanese 20th Army is finally almost ready to begin its attack. Filipino and Japanese troops engage in numerous patrol actions across the front, and General Wainwright is convinced that the Japanese will launch a major offensive within days. Orders are issued to deliver a special Easter Dinner to all units on April 2 (Maundy Thursday).
April 2
Luzon Force Intelligence determines that the main weight of the Japanese attack will be directed once again on the eastern (Manila Bay) side of Bataan. The Japanese begin their final preparations. After dinner that evening, the reserve commanded by General Lim with the 101st Infantry Division (PA) and 6th Cavalry Brigade (US), along with Bataan Engineer Group (PA, brigade strength), and the reserve artillery are moved within a few kilometers of the line under cover of night so that they are in easy reach of the positions held by I Corps (King) with the 1st Infantry Division (PA), 51st Infantry Division (PA) and 12th Infantry Division (US/PA). II Corps is stripped of half of its remaining artillery and mortar ammunition held in divisional and corps depots and that ammunition is sent back to the rear to establish a reserve. As of this date the Luzon Force is down to just 4 units of fire available for its artillery and mortars.
April 3 Pre dawn
American and Filipino troops are sleeping or on sentry duty (half awake, half asleep or trying to doze at lease) when the first reports of infiltration efforts begin to make the rounds on the front of the I Corps. Scattered fire fights begin to break out at 0400 hours and after. Flares and starshells begin to light up the sky all along the I Corps Front, while Japanese mortars begin hammering known defensive positions. Word reaches General King, who orders all units to stand to and prepare to receive the enemy including the II Corps, just in case the Japanese push there as well. A message reporting that the enemy offensive appears to be imminent is sent to Wainwright, who orders a radio report be sent to Eisenhower in Australia.
View attachment 342347
Japanese Artillery about to open fire on Good Friday, April 3, 1942
Situation US Army Far East Luzon Force Midnight April 2/3 1942
In the 67 days since the end of the 1st Bataan, the front has been quiet, with activity limited to patrol actions, harassment shelling and sniping, and occasionally more aggressive raids. A steady bombing campaign has been waged against Corregidor, with occasional raids at Mariveles and smaller towns in American held Bataan. The tropical conditions have also inflicted malaria and dengue fever on the troops, although aggressive anti-mosquito efforts taken before and during the campaign have reduced this from what could have been worse. In those 2 months, 6,000 men have died from wounds, injuries or disease. Another 3,000 were died in combat or subsequently from wounds or injuries during or after the fighting of 1st Bataan, thus of the 112,000 men who successfully retreated to Bataan, around 9,000 of them are dead. Another 20,000 are sick but recovering and in their units, aid stations or on light duty in the rear suffering from relatively serious bouts of malaria, dengue fever, injuries or wounds. Most of these men returned to their posts when it became clear that a major attack was coming. Another 13,000 men are in hospitals with serious wounds that require extensive recovery time or are permanently disabling. Another 2,000 seriously wounded were flown out or evacuated by submarine, as were 4,000 men and women (most of whom also had suffered bouts of Malaria). At this point only a temperature of 103 degrees will warrant evacuation to a hospital. Nearly everyone on Bataan has had or is still suffering from either Malaria or Dengue Fever by April 2.
In a conventional campaign, the combat units of the Luzon force would have been withdrawn for refitting, or received extensive replacements, and almost 60,000 of the men of the 103,000 left after 1st Bataan would have been replaced or sent to the rear for extended periods to recover. That is impossible here. As of April 2, infantry companies are running at about 70% strength, with battalions a bit closer to 80% (as many sick remain at the battalion level) but at least the men are still getting standard rations and clean water.
Ammunition for small arms is adequate for at least a couple of more serious battles, but artillery and mortar ammunition is down to 4 days worth (a unit of fire can be found here)