18 MARCH 1945 - CENTRAL VISAYAS CAMPAIGN BEGINS - #WWII
After attacking Palawan and Mindanao, General MacArthur directed the capture of the now-isolated Central Visayas, or Visayan islands, of Panay, Negros, Cebu, and Bohol.
#Armyhistory #USArmy #TRADOC
After attacking Palawan and Mindanao, General MacArthur directed the capture of the now-isolated Central Visayas, or Visayan islands, of Panay, Negros, Cebu, and Bohol.
#Armyhistory #USArmy #TRADOC
While Filipino guerrillas controlled much of the countryside, 30,000 Japanese troops held the vital coastal town. Beyond his immediate objective to liberate the Philippines, the two ports were to be important staging areas for the expected invasion of Japan.
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@TRADOCCG
The four islands were in close geographical proximity, but the high mountain range that ran north-south down Negros divided the region into two areas of operations, code named VICTOR I and VICTOR II.
#MilitaryHistory #WWIIPAcific #Philippines #Visayas @USArmy @TRADOC @FORSCOM
#MilitaryHistory #WWIIPAcific #Philippines #Visayas @USArmy @TRADOC @FORSCOM
After more than two weeks of air attacks on Japanese positions, the 185th Infantry, 40th Division, landed on Panay just west of Iloilo on 18 March and linked up with Filipino guerillas who had already secured much of the island.
The 40th Division quickly swept through the remaining Japanese outposts and then drove the enemy from the city in two days. The Japanese withdrew into the thick mountain jungle. Mopping operations lasted until the last 1,500 Japanese surrendered at the end of the war.
On 20 March, the same day that Iloilo fell, other 40th Division units seized Guimaras Island in the strait separating Panay from Negros and the following day took nearby Inampulugan. The next phase of liberating the Central Visayans was set for 26 March.
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