Map Description

History Map of WWII: Luzon, Philippines 1944/45


Illustrating:

Japanese Fourteenth Area Army

Dispositions Prior to January 9, 1945

By early January 1945, the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army under General Tomoyuki Yamashita faced a critical strategic situation on Luzon. Having anticipated an Allied invasion, Yamashita abandoned plans to defend coastal areas and Manila, opting instead for a protracted defense of Luzon’s rugged interior.

His forces were organized into three major groups:

• the Shobu Group (northern Luzon)
  
• Shimbu Group (southern Luzon including Manila’s eastern approaches)
  
• and Kembu Group (western Luzon)
  

This disposition aimed to exploit mountainous terrain and delay Allied advances, though coordination between groups was hampered by disrupted communications and Allied air superiority.

The Shobu Group, commanded by Yamashita himself from Baguio, comprised the bulk of Japanese forces (approximately 152,000 troops). It controlled vital infrastructure like the Cagayan Valley rice fields and the tactically significant Bambang defense line.

Lieutenant General Yokoyama’s Shimbu Group (80,000 men) guarded dams east of Manila critical for water and hydroelectric power, while the Kembu Group (30,000 soldiers) defended Clark Field and Bataan Peninsula.

Yamashita’s strategy emphasized attrition over territorial defense, seeking to prolong combat until Allied logistical strain or political changes might alter the war’s course.

Allied guerrilla forces like the Luzon Guerrilla Armed Forces (LGAF) had already weakened Japanese control, with 13,000 guerrillas under Robert Lapham being very effective in northern Luzon’s Central Plain by 1945. This insurgent activity forced Yamashita to divert troops from frontline positions, if not in numbers that drastically altered his main dispositions, but it further strained his defensive arrangements.

Despite these challenges, Japanese units maintained fortified positions in depth, particularly in the Cordillera Central mountains, where tunnel networks and artillery emplacements were prepared for extended resistance.



:: Troop Strength Estimates ::

Shobu Group (claimed 152,000) is likely an overestimate. The entire Japanese garrison on Luzon numbered about 260,000 in early 1945. Shobu Group probably consisted of approximately 120,000–140,000.

Shimbu Group (claimed 80,000) is plausible. Most estimates place Shimbu Group strength between 60,000–80,000.

Kembu Group (claimed 30,000) is reasonable, though often cited closer to 25,000–30,000. These numbers shifted as Yamashita consolidated and moved forces.

Credits

Courtesy of the United States Military Academy Department of History.

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