You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
alternatehistory.com
The Final Lull on Bataan
The final lull at Bataan: April 6 – April 28, 1942
Japanese reinforcements
A call for reinforcements and replacements is sent to Japan, and determined to defeat the Americans, the Imperial Army General Staff begins looking for units to be sent. The first decision made is that more artillery is needed. Major elements of the 7th Artillery Command (from the 3rd Area Army) to Port Arthur to ship to Subic Bay for deployment against Bataan and later Corregidor. This command sends a heavy mortar regiment, 5 field artillery separate battalions, 4 medium artillery battalions, 4 heavy mortar battalions and a heavy artillery battalion for a total of 60 75 mm guns, 48 105 mm guns, 12 150 mm guns, and 96 120 mm mortars. Sent with them is a truck regiment to handle their supply needs as well as their own prime movers and horses. More armor is also needed, and a tank group in Manchuria is stripped of its tanks to provide replacements for Luzon, and an additional tank regiment is sent along with it. Another engineer regiment is also ordered to Luzon, once again stripped from Manchuria.
Additional supplies of ammunition, as well as 20,000 replacements to fill in the damaged divisions and brigades in Luzon are also ordered, while the 19th Infantry Division is detached from Formosa for use in seizing the central Philippine Islands, specifically Cebu and Panay. That operation is moved up from May to April 29.
This will give the 20th Army a total of 3 assault infantry divisions, each with their normal organization plus an attached tank regiment, engineer regiment, plus 3 heavy mortar battalions. For massed fire the Japanese have several battalions of medium and heavy guns, and including divisional and brigade level artillery this gives the Japanese nearly 500 heavy mortars and guns 75 mm or larger, along with 180 tanks. This is the largest concentration of guns in the history of the Imperial Japanese Army.
A new offensive is scheduled for April 29, the Emperors Birthday.
Preparing for a final stand
The defense of Bataan is coming to an end and everyone knows it after the Easter Battle. Although the Japanese have been stopped, it is only a matter of time now and probably not very much of it. Morale remains surprisingly high as the men are proud of their achievements of giving the Japanese a bloody nose in every fight and having stopped the Japanese from a breakthrough twice. But there is a definite fatalism in the air now, and many of the remaining garrison are wondering if they will survive to captivity. Rumors and even first hand reports of Japanese atrocities in the fighting in Luzon as well as elsewhere however have made the rounds, and no one is willing to surrender to the Japanese Army unless or until there is no choice.
As of April 6 there are only 16 surviving infantry Regiments, none above half strength, assigned to 6 infantry divisions. The first order is to reorganize each division into 2 regiments each plus 2 regiments in reserve while 2 regiments are disbanded so that between them each regiment can approach something close to their authorized strength. The two remaining Philippine Scout Regiments, 47th and 57th Philippine Scouts along with the remaining 105 mm guns, are positioned in road block positions in the rear to provide a final check on the inevitable Japanese breakthrough. Their mission is to hold a line for the final evacuation of what can be moved off Bataan to the harbor forts, and to buy time for an organized and formal surrender when the time comes. The remaining infantry regiments are ordered to are given the remaining 75 mm guns which are formed into anti tank batteries and they are assigned to hold the main line of resistance running Saysain on the western coast to Limay on the eastern coast. Once again the Cavalry, with the remaining tanks and other tracked vehicles and provisional companies of scout cars and trucks armed with machine guns provide a covering force that acts as a rear guard while the retreat is carried out over several nights beginning on April 9.
The remaining engineers, the troopers of the 26th Cavalry and 112th Cavalry regiments, the few tanks that remain in the two tank battalions as well as the other remaining tracked vehicles and some trucks and scout cars with machine guns remain or are now with the 6th Cavalry Brigade, which takes over defense of Mariveles in the event of another Japanese landing attempt. With little fuel left, almost no spare parts, and vehicles barely holding together after nearly 6 months in the field without the beneift of a formal work shop and maintenance facility, the days of dashing mobile columns are gone.
The Navy still has 2 minesweepers, 3 gunboats, 3 PT boats, and several armed launches manned by the Philippine Coast Guard, along with the seaplane tender Huron, submarine tender Canopus, and rescue ship Pigeon. Another pair of minesweepers and some light patrol craft remain at Cebu. This is enough strength at Bataan to make any likely Japanese landing a costly affair and for now the Japanese Army is unwilling to try that again without the promise of stronger naval support than is likely to be provided. The remaining personnel and equipment of the 3rd Coast Artillery Regiment (PA)(anti aircraft) takes over the anti-aircraft guns of the 1st Marine Battalion (Provisional) which is evacuated to Corregidor, along with 2,000 field artillery troops to provide replacements and to form coast defense companies to beef up the shore defenses on that fortress.
The hardest decision is the evacuation of 2,000 wounded and sick from Corregidor back to Bataan. They, along with 4,000 sick and wounded from Bataan and 1,000 additional rear area personnel to care for them are loaded aboard the Filipino Coast Guard Medium transports Legazpi, Kolumbugan, and Bohol, as well as the Pigeon and Huron are ordered to make a final desperate run for Cebu and if spotted are ordered to surrender if intercepted by Japanese Naval vessels. Just after dark on April 18 the 5 ships begin their sortie, steaming at their best speed of 12 knots, and surprisingly almost make it to Panay (Iliolo Harbor) when they are intercepted just after dawn by a pair of Japanese destroyers and per orders they surrender immediately.
Their passengers and crew go into captivity and since all of the personnel are Filipinos, the Japanese decide to trumpet their capture and release shortly there after on humanitarian grounds in an effort to weaken morale on Bataan (among the Filipino troops) and win some needed goodwill with the civilian population. All of this good will is wasted by later Japanese atrocities. The surrender of these two US Navy warships are the last US Navy ships to surrender in World War II (the other incident occurred at Shanghai at the start of the war)
A Final Change in Command
Eisenhower sends a final order to Luzon on April 13 when he orders Wainwright and his senior staff to evacuate aboard two US Navy submarines sent for that purpose (which bring in 10 tons off mortar and machine gun ammunition and some vital parts for the remaining combat vehicles). The Bataan Garrison is made an independent command directly under the authority of Eisenhower in Australia, with the Harbor Defense Command similarly made independent and the Southern Islands (Ord) are an independent command of their own. General Moore (Corregidor)is promoted to two star rank so that he is coequal in rank with King (Bataan). Wainwright, in poor health after having spent most of the siege on Bataan, is sent home to recover from Malaria before having a solid career in Europe beginning in 1944.