Philippine Division (United States)

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Philippine Division
12th Infantry Division
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active
  • 1922 – 1942
  • 1944 – 1947 (as 12th Infantry Division (Philippine Scouts)
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeSquare Division
HeadquartersFort William McKinley
EngagementsWorld War II
Philippine Islands
Commanders
Notable
commanders		MG Jonathan M. Wainwright
MG William Weigel
Insignia
Distinctive unit insigniaNone authorized
Square Division example: 1940 US Infantry Division. On the far left can be seen two Brigades of two Regiments each

Philippine Division, or from 1944–1947 the 12th Infantry Division, was the core U.S. infantry division of the United States Army's Philippine Department during World War II.

The division was organized in April 1922 and primarily consisted of United States Army officers and Filipino enlisted men. It primary purpose was to defend the Philippines from invasion. When the Philippine Army was established in 1935, it provided a potential candidate pool of Filipinos with military experience.

On 31 July 1941, the division consisted of 10,473 troops, mostly enlisted Filipinos, known as the Philippine Scouts who formed the 45th and 57th US Infantry Regiments. All of the division's enlisted men, with the exception of the 31st Infantry Regiment, and various military police and headquarters troops, were Philippine Scouts.[1]

In October 1941, as part of the U.S. Army Forces Far East, plans were made to "triangularize" the division. The 34th Infantry was detached from the 8th Infantry Division and moved to a port of embarkation in December 1941, along with two battalions of 105mm field artillery. The Philippine Division was to have two complete U.S. regimental combat teams in place by January 1942 to provide General Douglas MacArthur with a modern, trained mobile reaction force, while freeing up Philippine Scouts for rounding out other units. The outbreak of war in December 1941, however, isolated the Philippines and prevented implementation of the plan.

Shoulder sleeve insignia[edit]

  • Description: On a scarlet spade-shaped shield, a yellow carabao's head caboshed.
  • Symbolism: The carabao is suggestive of the Philippines, and the colors red and gold represent the Spanish heritage of the islands.

Organization (July 1941)[edit]

Caption text
Unit Officers American enlisted Philippine Scouts (PS) enlisted Total
HHC, Philippine Division 30 (incl. 2 PS officers) 4 147 181
HQ, Special Troops 5 (incl. 2 PS officers) 5 5
12th Military Police Company (PS) 5 45 86 136
12th Ordnance Company (PS) 3 139 142
12th Signal Company (PS) 10 217 227
31st Infantry Regiment (assigned December 1941) 114 1,986 2,100
23rd Infantry Brigade (PS)
45th Infantry Regiment (PS) 117 (incl. 3 PS officers) 2,148 2,265
57th Infantry Regiment (PS) 118 (incl. 1 PS officer) 2,161 2,279
24th Infantry Brigade (PS) Brigade headquarters inactive
1st Battalion, 43rd Infantry Regiment (PS) 16 313 329
23d Field Artillery Regiment (PS) (QF 2.95-inch mountain gun) 10 391 401
24th Field Artillery Regiment (PS) (M1917 75mm gun) 39 (incl. 5 PS officers) 804 843
14th Engineer Regiment (PS) 24 (incl. 1 PS officer) 846 870
12th Medical Regiment (PS) 22 399 421
12th Quartermaster Regiment (PS) 18 (incl. 1 PS officer) 574 592
4th Veterinary Company (PS) 1 10 11

Lineage[edit]

  • Constituted 7 December 1921 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, Philippine Division.
  • Organized 10 April 1922 in the Philippine Islands, with Regular Army and Philippine Scouts personnel.
  • Surrendered 9 April 1942 to the Japanese 14th Army.
  • Redesignated 6 April 1946 as the 12th Infantry Division.
  • Inactivated 30 April 1947 in the Philippine Islands.
  • Disbanded 23 March 1953.

Combat chronicle[2][edit]

  • Units of the Philippine Division were on security missions at Manila, Fort William McKinley, and Bataan prior to the declaration of war in the Pacific, 8 December 1941. After undergoing 2 days of bombings, the Division moved into the field to cover the withdrawal of troops to Bataan and to resist the enemy in the Subic Bay area. From 11 December 1941 to 23 December 1941, positions were organized and strengthened and on 23 December 1941 the Division was assigned to the Bataan Defense Forces. While the 31st Infantry Regiment moved to the vicinity of Zig Zag Pass to cover the flanks of troops withdrawing from central and southern Luzon, 30 December 1941, the rest of the Division organized the main and reserve positions on Bataan. The 31st Infantry Regiment moved to a defensive position on the west side of the Olongapo Road near Layac Junction, 5 January 1942. This junction was lost on 6 January 1942, but the withdrawal to Bataan had been successfully concluded.
  • The Division was placed in reserve from 7 January 1942 to 14 January 1942. This period was largely one of reconnaissance and development by the Japanese in preparation for their attack on the main battle position on the Abucay line. Elements repulsed night attacks near Abucay on 10 January 1942 – 12 January 1942, and other elements of the Division counterattacked on 16 January 1942. Strong offensive and defensive action was not able to prevent enemy penetrations and the Division withdrew to the Reserve Battle Position in the Pilar – Bagac area, 2 February 1942. Until the latter part of March the enemy, made cautious by heavy losses, engaged in patrols and limited local attacks, and after a general retirement, 24 March 1942, did not undertake any serious activity on this front until 28 March 1942. During this period elements of the Division were shifted to assist in the defense of other sectors. The enemy attack on 28 March struck at a division weakened by malnutrition, sickness, and prolonged exposure to combat. The Division, no longer operating as a coordinated unit, was unable to counterattack against heavy enemy assaults.
  • On 8 April 1942, the 57th Infantry Regiment and the 31st Infantry Regiment were lost near the Alangan River, and the 45th Infantry Regiment surrendered, 10 April 1942.

Wartime assignments[edit]

  1. U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – 8 December 1941 – 24 December 1941.
  2. Bataan Defense Force – 24 December 1941 – 6 January 1942.
  3. U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – 6 January 1942 – 26 January 1942.
  4. II Philippine Corps – 26 January 1942 – 7 April 1942.
  5. I Philippine Corps – 7 April 1942 – 10 April 1942.
  6. Prisoner of War Captivity – 10 April 1942 – 1945

Miscellaneous[edit]

The regimental colors of the 12th Quartermaster Regiment (PS) were given to an Army nurse (one of the "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor") by the regimental commander. Upon her capture she told the Japanese that it was "only a shawl" and kept it safe throughout more than three years of captivity.[3] Today, the colors are on display at the U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia.[4]

Commanders[edit]

Honors[edit]

Campaign participation credit[edit]

Conflict Streamer Year(s)
World War II
Philippine Islands 7 Dec 41 – 10 May 42
World War II
World War II Victory service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946

Decorations[edit]

Unit awards[edit]

Ribbon Award Embroidered
Presidential Unit Citation LUZON 1941–1942[5]
Presidential Unit Citation BATAAN[6]
Presidential Unit Citation DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINES[7]
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation 7 DECEMBER 1941 TO 10 MAY 1942[8]

Personal awards[edit]

  • Medals of Honor: 3.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Drake, Charles C. (28 June 1926). Philippine maneuvers. Infantry #625. p. 31.
  • Morton, Louis (1953). The Fall of the Philippines: United States in World War II Series. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle1.pdf US Army Order of Battle 1919–1940 p. 287
  2. ^ These combat chronicles, current as of October 1948, are reproduced from The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950, pp. 510–592.
  3. ^ Dr. Steven E. Anders, Heritage and Values: FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE: Building Great Quartermaster Soldiers Archived 15 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Honor Preserved at Corriegedor, The U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum, archived from the original on 25 July 2017, retrieved 22 May 2008
  5. ^ (North Luzon Force, United States Army Forces in the Far East. Cited; War Department General Order # 14, 1942).
  6. ^ (Army Troops, United States Army Forces in the Far East. Cited; War Department General Order #32, 1942.)
  7. ^ (Military and naval forces of the United States and Philippine Governments. Cited; War Department General Order #22, 1942, as amended by Department of the Army General Order #46, 1948).
  8. ^ (Military and naval forces of the United States and Philippine Governments. Cited; War Department General Order #47, 1950).

External links[edit]

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