The Battle of Baguio (
Filipino: Labanan sa Baguio;
Ilocano: Gubat ti Baguio) occurred between 21 February and 26 April 1945 and was part of the greater
Luzon campaign during the
Allied liberation of the Philippines at the end of
World War II.[2] During the battle, American and Philippine forces recaptured the city of
Baguio on the island of
Luzon from a Japanese occupation force. One of the last
tank engagements of the Philippine campaign took place during the battle. Baguio later became the scene of the final surrender of Japanese forces in the Philippines in September 1945.[11]
Background
Prior to World War II, Baguio was the summer capital of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines, as well as the home of the
Philippine Military Academy.[12] In 1939, the city had a population of 24,000 people, most of whom were
Filipinos, along with other nationalities, including about 500 Japanese.[13] Following the
Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, the Japanese used
Camp John Hay, an American installation in Baguio, as a military base.[13] In October 1944, American soldiers landed on
Leyte, beginning the liberation of the Philippines.[14]
General
Tomoyuki Yamashita, the commander of the
Japanese Fourteenth Area Army, transferred his headquarters to Baguio in December 1944, planning to fight a delaying action against the Americans to give time for Japan to defend itself.[5] In early January 1945, American forces
landed at Lingayen Gulf.[7] Thereafter, the American
Sixth Army conducted two campaigns, one against the Japanese forces east of
Manila, and the second against Yamashita's forces in northern Luzon.[6]
Campaign
Between late February and early April 1945, the Allied forces, primarily consisting of the United States Army's
33rd Infantry Division, with assistance from regiments of the
Philippine guerrilla force
United States Army Forces in the Philippines – Northern Luzon, advanced towards Baguio.[2] By late March, the city was within range of American
artillery.[7] Between March 4 and 10, United States
Fifth Air Force planes dropped 933 tons of bombs and 1,185 gallons of
napalm on Baguio, reducing much of the city to rubble.[15] President
José P. Laurel of the
collaborationistSecond Philippine Republic, having moved to Baguio from Manila in December 1944, departed Baguio on 22 March, reaching
Taiwan on 30 March;[16] the remainder of the Second Republic government in the Philippines, along with Japanese civilians, were ordered to evacuate Baguio on 30 March.[2] Yamashita and his staff relocated to
Bambang.[7][17] A major offensive to capture Baguio did not occur until mid-April, when United States Army's
37th Infantry Division, minus the
145th Infantry Regiment, was released from garrisoning Manila to launch a two-division assault into Baguio from the west and south.[2]
During the Allied drive towards Baguio from the west, a six-day battle was fought at Irisan Gorge and the nearby Irisan River.[2][18] This battle involved one of the last
tank-versus-tank engagements of the Philippines campaign, between
M4 Shermans of the U.S. Army's Company B, 775th Tank Battalion, and
Type 97s of the IJA's 5th Tank Company, 10th Tank Regiment.[19]
In mid-April, 7,000 civilians, including foreign nationals, made their way from Baguio to American lines.[20] Among them were five cabinet members of the Second Republic; Brigadier General
Manuel Roxas was "freed",[20] the other four were captured as collaborators.[21] On 22 April, Major General Noakata Utsunomiya, who had been left in command of the defense of Baguio by Yamashita, ordered a withdrawal from Baguio. On 24 April, the first Allied forces – a patrol of the
129th Infantry Regiment – entered Baguio.[2]
^"33d Infantry Division". U.S. Center of Military History. United States Army. 20 May 2011. Archived from
the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2014. Baguio and Camp John Hay fell on 26 April, under the concerted attack of the 33d and the 37th Divisions. "37th Infantry Division". U.S. Center of Military History. United States Army. 20 May 2011. Archived from
the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2014. After garrison duty in Manila, 5–26 March, the Division shifted to the hills of Northwest Luzon, where heavy fighting culminated in the capture of Baguio, 26 April.
^"37th Infantry Division". U.S. Army Center of Military History. U.S. Army. 20 May 2011. Archived from
the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
^Jose, Ricardo T.
"Government in Exile"(PDF). Scalabrini Migration Center. Archived from
the original(PDF) on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
^"Luzon 1944–1945". Center of Military History. United States Army. 3 October 2003. Archived from
the original on 15 December 2008. Retrieved 25 September 2014.