The Cat Has Jumped

Upon hearing of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, General Jonathan Wainwright is said to have exclaimed, "The cat has jumped!" In the two weeks that followed, positioning the under-strength Philippine Army and scattered American units for the defense of Luzon occupied all his waking minutes. There was …

1941-12-22

A055

Upon hearing of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, General Jonathan Wainwright is said to have exclaimed, "The cat has jumped!" In the two weeks that followed, positioning the under-strength Philippine Army and scattered American units for the defense of Luzon occupied all his waking minutes. There was no doubt that a major Japanese invasion was imminent. At one in the morning of 22 December, 85 Japanese transports dropped anchor a mile off the northern coast of Lingayen Gulf. Despite choppy seas and intermittent rain, despite the darkness and confusion, the Japanese began to come ashore in barges at dawn. Following unopposed landings at Agoo and Aringay, the Kamijima Detachment neared the shoreline at Bauang around 0730 hours. Only here would the Japanese be met with fire, for here the headquarters battalion of the 12th Infantry Regiment (PA) was dug in along the beach.

Bauang, Luzon

The Philippines campaign, also known as the Battle of the Philippines or the Fall of the Philippines, was from December 8, 1941 to May 8, 1942 the invasion of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan and the defense of the islands by United States and the Philippine Armies during World War II. The Japanese launched the invasion by sea from Formosa, over 200 miles north of the Philippines. The defending forces outnumbered the Japanese 3-2 but were a mixed force of non-combat experienced regular, national guard, constabulary and newly-created Commonwealth units. The Japanese used first-line troops at the outset of the campaign, and by concentrating their forces, they swiftly overran most of Luzon during the first month. The Japanese high command, believing that they had won the campaign, made a strategic decision to advance by a month their timetable of operations in Borneo and Indonesia and to withdraw their best division and the bulk of their airpower in early January 1942. That, coupled with the defenders' decision to withdraw into a defensive holding position in the Bataan Peninsula, enabled the Americans and Filipinos to hold out for four more months. Japan's conquest of the Philippines is often considered the worst military defeat in US history. About 23,000 American military personnel, and about 100,000 Filipino soldiers were killed or captured.

Japanese

Filipino

Scenario Type = Standard