Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 120



Only Noblemtl

##120

The fact that Luzon was able to hold out for over ten months without falling was the result of a combination of factors.

However, the biggest reason, if I had to choose one, was the preparedness of the US Army generals who had served in the Philippines, including MacArthur and Mitchell.

First of all, during the interwar period, all U.S. Army leaders, including MacArthur, agreed that if Japan were to extend its reach into the Pacific, the Philippines would be its first target.

But the ideas on how to respond to such a situation were completely different.

“We will try to block it as much as possible, but if that doesn’t work, we will retreat to places like Malaysia or Dutch Indonesia…”

Most people thought that it was impossible to defend the Philippines, and that they could join forces with allies such as Britain and the Netherlands to hold out for a while and then counterattack when the Pacific Fleet arrived.

However, some people, including MacArthur and Mitchell, thought differently.

“Britain, the Netherlands, France? If they were fine, why would Japan invade?”

“That’s true. If the Philippines were to be attacked, it would be a mess there too, and they certainly wouldn’t be able to help us.”

“That’s right. So instead of going somewhere else and asking for help, we need to figure out a way to survive on our own.”

So they tried hard to attract Koreans and improve the quality of scouts made up of Filipinos.

When Eisenhower was MacArthur’s aide, his superiors got involved in things that made you wonder why they even bothered with such details.

But looking back, it all helped.

For example,

“Wow, my goodness. From the outside, it just looked like a villa.”

“This wall thickness is no joke.”

“Who the hell set this up?”

“General MacArthur.”

“General MacArthur… Are you talking about the guy in Europe?”

“okay.”

It was none other than MacArthur and his Filipino friends who built these villas in strategic locations along the coast, saying, “If you can’t build a fortress, what’s the use of a villa?”

The villa, with its exterior painted in pure white and its interior filled with luxurious furniture, was transformed into an excellent coastal defense base when the war began.

Thick reinforced concrete walls, windows just right for mounting weapons, and even an underground warehouse filled with supplies just in case.

All we had to do was paint the pure white walls dark and get rid of the unnecessary furniture.

If MacArthur was serious about improving the overall constitution of the Philippines and expanding various social infrastructure that could be used in the event of a possible war, Mitchell, who served as the commander of the Philippine forces after MacArthur left, had slightly different interests.

“Where in the world can you trust someone? Why would you trust a seal? Stop talking nonsense and stock up.”

Lieutenant General Mitchell, a seal mistruster who believed that he could trust no one else in the world but seals, was serious about stockpiling supplies.

Mitchell, who had been told not to be talking nonsense when people said that if they just held out for a few months in the early days of the war, the Navy would come with supplies, continued to scrape together aviation fuel.

“It’s not like oil will go bad if you let it sit for a few years, right?”

“Let’s dig deep underground and store it in case of bombing.”

“Isn’t this enough?”

“No. Are you just talking? What do you need to feed them to do their work? Ammunition and aircraft parts?”

Eisenhower, who was Mitchell’s aide at the time, complained to MacArthur, who was on the mainland, about Mitchell’s excessive behavior.

And the result is…

“You think there’s too much oil? Then you’re saying there’s a shortage of planes.”

Only after MacArthur’s question did Eisenhower realize that he had chosen the wrong person to vent to.

And MacArthur sent a bunch of planes to make sure there was no talk of oil being left over.

As if what he had taken from the US Army Air Corps wasn’t enough, he even donated them separately from his own pocket to the Manila Aviation School and the Manila Air Force.

‘At that time, I thought, ‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

Afterwards, Eisenhower admitted that understanding Mitchell or MacArthur was beyond his ability and decided to adapt to reality.

But in the Philippines, the weather is hot, so there are a lot of crazy people.

Manuel Quezon, a close friend of the two, also had no hesitation in stocking up on all sorts of items.

“If war breaks out, won’t everything be in short supply? If we sell it then, we won’t lose money.”

If the people above do that, how can the people below be any different?

It was common for most people living in the Philippines to have at least one storage facility, big or small, in their home.

And the warehouses that were filled during the boom times when the whole world seemed to be going crazy became the buttress that helped the Philippines endure during the recession.

In any case, the legacy of MacArthur and Mitchell, which was considered extraordinary at the time, became the driving force that enabled Luzon to hold out against the Japanese for the past year.

“I didn’t know those real seals could be this incompetent.”

In particular, I reflected on the times when I had cursed my superiors in the past after seeing the seals that were supposed to bring supplies near the seas of Guam being robbed and sunk by the Japanese and the rest barely making it back alive.

But as the war continued, those in Luzon began to tire.

The anxiety of those on the island in particular soared late last year when they heard that MacArthur had been posted to the European theater rather than the Pacific.

What the Filipino leaders, including Manuel Quezon, and the Korean people believed in was Douglas MacArthur himself, rather than the U.S. government.

We believed that he would come and save us soon, but we were shocked to hear that he had gone to Europe.

It was Eisenhower himself who told MacArthur to go to Europe and that he would take responsibility for the Philippines.

I was confident back then.

Because even though Mitchell had said never to trust those seals, Eisenhower trusted the United States Navy.

But as Mitchell said, the seals were crippled, and the situation in the Philippines was much worse than he expected.

“It seems like the isolation will be prolonged, and the atmosphere has to be like this…”

“It’s not just Filipinos who are anxious. Our soldiers too···.”

Rather, it was the American soldiers who were more anxious.

The Filipinos knew what would happen the moment the Japanese took over Luzon.

And isn’t this their land?

However, the US military’s position was somewhat different. For that reason, their morale was falling faster than that of the Philippine military.

“I guess I have to find a way.”

And so the airborne operation began.

The so-called Manila Airlift, which involved transporting various supplies from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, an Australian territory, to Manila using transport planes converted from B-24 bombers.

But in fact, the effectiveness of the operation itself was virtually nonexistent.

First of all, there weren’t that many supplies that could be loaded onto the B-24.

This was because it was originally developed as a bomber, not a transport aircraft, and so there was a limit to the allowable landing weight.

Also, the distance from Port Moresby to Manila is about 4,000 kilometers.

The story was that the B-24 had to land in Manila and refuel in order to return to Port Moresby.

To put it a bit exaggeratedly, it was no different from refueling with the oil you brought with you and returning.

There were islands occupied by the Japanese along the route between Port Moresby and Manila, and the Zero fighter boasted a long range in exchange for paper-thin defense capabilities.

As a result, a significant number of aircraft were lost during the journey.

Nevertheless, the US Army launched and continued the Manila Airlift.

There was only one reason. The purpose of the operation was not supply.

The purpose of the Manila Airlift was for show.

“Hey, we haven’t given up on Southeast Asia.”

“We are still fighting with Japan.”

“Don’t give up. Come with us and take those damn Japs down.”

The Manila Airlift was a powerful message to the Japanese, to other anti-Japanese forces in Southeast Asia, and to the American soldiers and Filipinos stranded in Luzon.

Naturally, it was a thorn in Japan’s side.

##

“Didn’t you say that once we land, it’s just a matter of time before we take over Luzon?”

“that is···.”

Two weeks ago, Japan managed to clear mines and successfully land on northern Luzon.

However, they suffered enormous losses during the landing process, as the coastal defenses were surprisingly strong.

In response, the Army criticized the Navy for not properly supporting them in the difficult and arduous operation of the landing.

“This is because the Navy did not provide proper rear support. They should have destroyed the coastal defense line with cannon fire.”

“How can that be done with cannon fire? The problem was the poor skills of the Army Air Corps that flew to Formosa.”

The Navy raised its voice, saying that it did everything it had to do and that it was because of the Army’s incompetence.

Eventually, a fierce battle of wits broke out between the Navy and the Army over who was responsible.

“Do you know how many people have been deployed to clear mines? How many minesweeping ships have been blown up by their attacks?”

“The Navy should have supported us more actively···.”

Tojo, who had been watching the dogfight between the Navy and Army, who were raising their voices and criticizing each other, shouted in a fierce tone.

“Enough. The important thing is that we’re having a headache because of that damned Luzon. Isn’t it true that the army’s advance, which was supposed to be just a landing, is slow?”

In response to Tojo’s questioning, Southern Army Commander-in-Chief Terauchi Hisaichi bowed his head.

Because Dojo’s point was not wrong.

The Japanese army that landed at Gonzawa advanced very slowly. There were many reasons for this, but the main reason was air superiority.

“Why are you so sluggish? Do you know how many problems we are having because we haven’t been able to occupy Luzon?”

“···”

Luzon, remaining in the heart of Southeast Asia, was becoming a stronghold of the anti-Japanese movement.

Clearly, when the Southern Operations first began, most independence activists in the Indochina Peninsula and throughout Southeast Asia were pro-Japanese.

They desperately hoped that Japan would come and help them drive out their masters, the British and the Dutch, and establish an independent nation.

“But why is it that the number of people shouting anti-Japanese slogans is increasing day by day?”

“···”

Of course, it was because of the harsh exploitation and atrocities committed by the occupying Japanese army.

As a result, Luzon was reborn as a spiritual pillar for Asians and a stronghold of the anti-Japanese movement, just like it had been during the Great Kanto Earthquake in the past.

And that’s not all.

Transport fleets carrying various supplies to and from the mainland were often attacked by US military aircraft flying from Luzon or submarines based in Manila Port.

“That’s why we have to get our hands on Port Moresby.”

“what?”

“The Navy says they have isolated Luzon, but that is not true. There are transport groups flying from Port Moresby to Luzon several times a day.”

“That’s right. Only by taking possession of all of New Guinea, including Port Moresby, can we completely isolate Luzon.”

So, Admiral Yamamoto and the 14th Army, who had skipped Luzon, where landing was difficult a few months earlier, headed toward Guam, jumping over islands that they thought were strategically necessary, starting with Davao.

After conquering each of the previously skipped islands, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters was struggling with two options.

“Australia, we have to get Australia. If we get Australia, how long will those Luzon guys last?”

“How can you move when you feel uneasy with an enemy on the back of your head? Moreover, they keep harassing the transport fleet coming to the mainland.”

Both the Navy and the Army were divided in two.

That doesn’t mean I just sat back and did nothing.

In the meantime, the Japanese army moved steadily, occupying New Britain and, with Rabaul as its base, taking control of northern New Guinea, including Bougainville.

“If we can just get Port Moresby in the south, Luzon, Australia and the Pacific will all be ours.”

“Wouldn’t it be possible to negotiate with the United States at that time and have our Japanese rights to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere recognized?”

“Yes. We can drive out the rest of the Europeans, and if we can negotiate properly with the United States…”

Not only the Dojo, but also all members of the Imperial Headquarters thought that the United States was focused on Europe.

It’s not that the Lend-Lease supplies going to Europe were enormous, and didn’t even the famous war hero MacArthur go to Europe, not the Philippines?

“The Yankees, especially the Seals, are incredibly sloppy. The army may be strong, but if you want to cross this vast ocean, you’ll need Seals, right?”

Moreover, what they were afraid of was the US Army with its crazy fighting power, not the Navy.

So Japan’s next target was Port Moresby.

Standard for us, terror for the Japs