Battle of Luzon
| Battle of Luzon | |||||||||
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| Part of World War II, Pacific Theater | |||||||||
 A squad leader points out a suspected Japanese position at edge of Baleta Pass, near Baguio where troops of the 25th Inf. Div. are in fierce combat with the enemy. 23 March 1945. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Australia Mexico
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Douglas MacArthur Walter Krueger Sergio Osmeña Basilio J. Valdes Carlos P. Romulo Rafael Jalandoni Alfredo M. Santos Luis Taruc Antonio Cárdenas
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 Tomoyuki Yamashita
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 280,000 | 275,000 232 tanks |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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47,190 (10,380 killed, 36,550 wounded, 260 died of disease) |
 214,585(205,535 dead, 9,050 captured) 232 tanks lost |
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The Battle of Luzon, fought 9 January – 15 August 1945, was a land battle of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony the Philippines, and allies against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory. The Allies had taken control of all strategically and economically important locations of Luzon by March 1945, although pockets of Japanese resistance held out in the mountains until the unconditional surrender of Japan. While not the highest in U.S. casualties, it is the highest net casualty battle U.S. forces fought in World War II, with 192,000 to 205,000 Japanese combatants dead (mostly from starvation and disease), 10,000 American combatants killed, and between 120,000 to 140,000 Filipino civilians and combatants killed.
The Philippines were considered to be of great strategic importance because their capture by Japan would pose a significant threat to the U.S. As a result, 135,000 troops and 227 aircraft were stationed in the Philippines by October 1941. However, Luzon—the largest island in the Philippines—was captured by Imperial Japanese forces in 1942 during their campaign to capture the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur—who was in charge of the defense of the Philippines at the time—was ordered to Australia, and the remaining U.S. forces retreated to the Bataan Peninsula.
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