Philippines campaign (1944–1945)

The Philippines campaign of 1944–1945 and also known as the liberation of the Philippines was a major Pacific theatre campaign opened by the Allies with the goal of defeating the imperial Japan which was controlling the Philippines at the time. The operation began on 20 October 1944 and ended right after Japan surrenders.

On 20 October 1944, the U.S. Sixth Army landed on the east coast of the Leyle Island, of the Visayas, in the north of the Mindanao island. The Japanese troops here were underestimating the Allies' capability and tried to push back the Allies. From 23 to 26 October 1944, the Allies won and proved that the Japanese strength were no longer a threat and the Allies landed on the island safely.

While the Sixth Army continued to advance steadily from the east, the Japanese rushed to reinforce the Ormoc Bay area on the western side of the island. At the same time, the Fifth Air Force was ready to break up any Japanese efforts there. Torrential rains and difficult terrain made the march northward through Leyte and neighboring Samar. By 7 October 1944, American troops had reached Ormoc Bay, and after an air and ground battle, any Japanese attempts to reinforce Leyte were broken. Although fierce fighting continued for several months, the island was now firmly under the control of the Sixth Army.

On the 15 of December 1944, the US troops launched amphibious landings crushing Japanese resistance in the south of Mindoro. However, the US Marines wanted for the planned landings on Luzon, the main U.S. Navy operation was at Lingayen Gulf. On 9 January 1945, at the southernmost beach of Lingayen Gulf on eastern Luzon, General Krueger landed the Sixth Army with several of his units. This advance group was followed by 175,000 U.S. troops who landed on the island a few days later. With heavy air support, the infantry units quickly advanced inland and captured Clark Base, 40 miles northwest of Manila, within a week in late January.

Two US columns then advanced onto the island, one tasked with isolating the Bataan Peninsula from the rest of the island, and the second, which included paratroopers, to the south of Manila. The two columns formed a pincer movement to encircle the city. On 3 March 1945, elements of the 1st Cavalry Division reached the northern outskirts of Manila, and the 8th Cavalry Division entered the city alone from the north.

As the siege of Manila tightened, the Bataan Peninsula was quickly captured by American forces. On 16 February, paratroopers and landing craft reached Corregidor Island and crushing all Japanese resistance there on 27 February,

Despite the initial progress, the fighting in Manila was fierce. It was not until 3 March that the United States cleared the city of all Japanese troops. However, the Japanese at Fort Drum, a fortified island in Manila Bay near Corregidor, resisted until 13 April, when a secret landing party burned the fort with 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Not a single Japanese soldier survived.

In all, 10 divisions and 5 independent regiments were involved in the largest campaign in the Pacific theater. More troops were mobilized here than any other force in North Africa, Italy, or southern France.