Map Description

History Map of WWII: Philippines, Bataan Peninsula 1942

Battle of Bataan (January 7 - April 9, 1942)


Illustrating:

Battle of the Points (January 23 - February 12, 1942)

The Battle of the Points was part of the broader Battle of Bataan, fought on the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines.

After the fall of Manila on January 2, 1942, American and Filipino forces withdrew to Bataan and established a defensive line (the Orion-Bagac Line, a 25-mile defensive position stretching from Orion on Manila Bay to Bagac on the South China Sea) to resist the Japanese advance.

Due to severe manpower shortages, the Provisional Air Corps Regiment, composed of grounded U.S. Army Air Forces personnel repurposed and deployed near the front as infantry under Lt. Col. Irvin E. Doane.



January 23 - Initial Landings:

Japanese forces, specifically the 2nd Battalion, 20th Infantry (about 1,200 troops under Colonel Nariyoshi Tsunehiro), landed at Quinauan Point and Longoskawayan Point, both south of the Orion-Bagac Line on the west coast of Bataan, aiming to establish beachheads behind the Allied defensive line.

U.S. and Filipino forces, including the 57th Infantry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) and elements of the Philippine Army, mounted a counterattack. General Jonathan Wainwright was the overall sector commander.


January 27: Reinforcements Landings

Japanese reinforcements attempted landings at Anyasan and Silaiim Points (also south of the Orion-Bagac Line and on the west coast of the peninsula), attempting to relieve their trapped comrades. These new landings were also contained by U.S.-Filipino artillery and infantry, preventing the Japanese from linking up their forces or breaking out from the beachheads.


Late January: Airfields

The main airfields on Bataan - Mariveles Field, Cabcaben Field, and Bataan Field - were used by U.S. forces until late January 1942. Japanese air attacks rendered these airfields inoperable by the end of January, with Mariveles Field reportedly bombed out around January 26–27, and the others soon after.


February 12, 1942: Conclusion of the Battle of the Points

U.S.-Filipino forces systematically isolated and eliminated Japanese pockets at Quinauan, Longoskawayan, Anyasan, and Silaiim Points. The last organized Japanese resistance was destroyed by February 9–12, 1942, with the mopping-up operations centered at Quinauan Point and nearby areas.


Result, Casualties, and Consequences of the Battle of the Points:

Result: Decisive Allied victory. The Japanese landing forces were annihilated, which delayed General Homma’s timetable for the conquest of Bataan by about six weeks.

Casualties: Japanese losses were approximately 1,000 killed and 17 captured. Allied casualties were about 500 killed or wounded.

Consequences: The failed landings exhausted Japanese supplies and forced them to pause major operations until reinforcements arrived in April. This gave the defenders more time, but ultimately did not prevent the fall of Bataan.



Conclusion of the Battle of Bataan (January 7 - April 9, 1942)

April 5–9: Final Japanese Offensive

The Japanese 14th Army under General Masaharu Homma launched a final offensive, breaching the eastern sector of the Orion-Bagac Line.

Major General Edward P. King, commander of the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) on Bataan, surrendered to General Homma on April 9, 1942. Over 70,000 soldiers surrendered with him, of which approximately 12,000 were American, and 58,000 were Filipino soldiers.

This surrender led to the infamous Bataan Death March.

Credits

Courtesy of the National Museum of the USAF.

Related Maps

Map of Japanese Landings on Luzon in December 1941

Related Links

"Bataan Completely Occupied by Japanese"
     Manila's The Tribune Front Page - Friday, April 24, 1942
About the Bataan Death March
About the Second World War
WWII Timelines