Philippines Campaign (1944–45)

Part of the Pacific Theatre of World War II

General Douglas MacArthur, President Osmeña, and staff land at Palo, Leyte on October 20, 1944.

Date

October 20, 1944 – September 2, 1945

Location

Philippines

Result

Allied victory

Second Philippine Republic deposed
Liberation of the Philippines from Japan
Restoration of the Commonwealth
Later, the establishment of the Third Philippine Republic (1946)

Belligerents

United States

Philippine Commonwealth

Australia (air and naval support)
Mexico (air support) Non-government militias

Hukbalahap

Empire of Japan

Second Philippine Republic

Commanders and leaders

Basilio J. Valdez

Tomoyuki Yamashita
Akira Mutō
Shigenori Kuroda
Soemu Toyoda
Takeo Kurita
Jisaburō Ozawa

Sanji Iwabuchi †

Units involved

Sixth Army

I Corps

XIV Corps

X Corps

XXIV Corps

Sixth Army Reserves

Eighth Army

XI Corps

Philippine Commonwealth Military

Resistance and Irregular Forces

Recognized Guerrilla Unit
Hukbalahap

Fifth Air Force

201st Fighter Squadron

Naval elements:

Third Fleet
Seventh Fleet
Task Force 74

Fourteenth Area Army units include:

35th Army

41st Army

9th Artillery HQ
8th Infantry Division
39th Mixed Brigade
65th Infantry Brigade

Aerial elements:

Fourth Air Army

1st Naval Air Fleet
2nd Naval Air Fleet

Naval elements:

2nd Fleet
3rd Fleet
5th Fleet

Strength

1,250,000

260,715 (1945)

529,802

Casualties and losses

American

Manpower:

Army: 16,043 dead and missing,
55,531 wounded
Navy: 7,270+ dead and wounded
Tens of thousands hospitalized due to disease

Total: 79,104+ dead and wounded

Materiel:

33+ ships sunk
95+ ships damaged
485+ aircraft

Filipino

Unknown, but high

Japanese

Manpower: ~430,000 all-causes (80% from starvation or disease)