A full account of the Luzon campaign, from the planning stages to the surrender of the Japanese general Yamashita.
The Luzon campaign of 1945 was the longest island campaign of the Pacific War, lasting from January 1945 to September 1945, and only ended with the surrender of Imperial Japan. It is often overlooked or mentioned in passing by most histories of that war, yet hundreds of thousands of Americans and Japanese fought in some of the worst conditions imaginable for eight months to clear Luzon of the invaders.
This full account of the Luzon campaign stretches from planning stages to the end of the war and the surrender of over 50,000 Japanese troops under the noted Japanese general Yamashita. The landings at Lingayen Gulf, the Battle for Manila and the recapture of Corregidor are all included, as well as lesser-known battles for the summer capital of Baguio, the battle for Manila's water supply, constant jungle fighting, the raids to rescue Allied POWs, the recapture of Bataan, destruction of the only Japanese armored division to fight in the Pacific, American parachute drops on Corregidor and Aparri, and much more. Individual acts of heroism are highlighted as are the interactions among the senior commanders involved, including General MacArthur, General Krueger (6th Army) and General Eichelberger (8th Army). The book ends with the surrender of Imperial Japan and the end of the Luzon Campaign in September 1945.
1. Introduction 2. The Lingayen Beachhead 3. The Central Plain 4. Securing the Beachhead 5. The Kembo Group 6. The Race to Manila 7. The Tragedy of Manila 8. Intramuros, the Walled City 9. The Shimbu Group 10. Seizing the Dams 11. Southern Luzon 12. North to Baguio 13. The Villa Verde Trail 14. San Jose, Digdig and Baguio 15. Baguio Falls 16. Balete Pass 17. The Bambang Front 18. Aparri 19. Pursuit 20. The Luzon Campaign
Appendix A: U. S. Forces Order of Battle Appendix B: Imperial Japanese Army Order of Battle Appendix C: Luzon Campaign Medals of Honor Appendix D: Casualty Comparison Bibliography
Nathan N. Prefer is retired with graduate degrees in Military History. His life-long study of the Second World War has resulted in three prior military studies including MacArthur's New Guinea Campaign, March-August 1944; Patton’s Ghost Corps, Cracking the Siegfried Line and Vinegar Joe's War, Stilwell's Campaigns in Burma. He resides in Fort Myers, Florida.
"...the author conveys the unalloyed terror of the endless campaign against a relentless enemy over which American initiative and individual guts nevertheless prevailed."
~National Maritime Historical Society
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