Battle of Luzon

Battle of Luzon
Part of the Philippines campaign (1944–1945) of World War II
A squad leader points out a suspected Japanese position at the edge of Balete Pass, near Baguio, where troops of the 25th Infantry Division are in fierce combat with Japanese forces. 23 March 1945.
Date 9 January 1945 – 15 August 1945 Location Luzon, Philippines Result Allied victory Territorial changes Allies liberate the Luzon island group
Belligerents
United States Commonwealth of the Philippines  Australia  Mexico[1]	Japan  Second Philippine Republic
Commanders and leaders
Douglas MacArthur Walter Krueger Sergio Osmeña Basilio J. Valdes Antonio Cárdenas Rodríguez	Tomoyuki Yamashita Akira Mutō Shizuo Yokoyama
Strength
United States Sixth Army (9 January-30 June 1945)[2] 146,119 authorized, 143,993 assigned (17 Jan) 247,085 authorized, 232,925 assigned (12 Feb) 187,022 authorized, 179,746 assigned (30 Jun) Total replacements 9 Jan-30 Jun: 51,940 Eighth Army (1 July-15 August 1945)[3] 76,989 authorized, 72,922 actual (1 Jul) 83,210 authorized, 80,305 actual (15 Aug) Total replacements 1 Jul-15 Aug: 11,375 Fifth Air Force (During Sixth Army period)[4] 550 fighters[a] 192 light bombers[b] 128 medium bombers[c] 192 heavy bombers[d] 66 reconnaissance[e] 166 Marine SBDs 1,294 total (2/3 operable) Philippines (under USAFFE)[f] 59,723 (Sixth Army phase)[5] 43,000 (Eighth Army phase)[6]	Japan (Including Naval personnel) US Post-battle Estimate[7] 126,760 Mobile Combat 35,580 Base Defense 95,550 Service Troops 257,890 Total (excludes ~13,000 laborers) Per US Army Official History[8] 275,685 (includes 23,500 civilians)
Casualties and losses
United States Army Battle Casualties Total[9][g] 8,436 killed and missing 32,129 wounded Army Nonbattle Casualties Sixth Army:[10] 86,954 sick 5 missing 254 deaths 6,209 injured Eighth Army:[13] 6,443 total Navy, Merchant, Shipboard[h] 13 Dec. 1944-13 Jan. 1945[14] Includes Royal Australian Navy 1,655 killed 2,100 wounded 24 ships sunk 67 ships damaged Philippines USAFIP (NL):[15] 1,441 killed 84 missing 3,475 wounded Other guerrilla losses unknown Mexico 5 dead (non-combat)[16]	Japan Battle/Nonbattle Casualties Total (US estimate)[9][i] 192,561 dead[j] 9,656 captured[k] Equipment US estimate to 30 June 1945[21] 308 tanks 51 armored vehicles 2,022 motor vehicles 955 artillery pieces 686 AA guns and cannon 1,196 mortars (837 50 mm and "knee mortars") 600 aircraft (13 Dec. to 13 Jan. 1945)[22] Interned after 20 August 1945 63,500+ survivors[23]

The Battle of Luzon (Tagalog: Labanan sa Luzon; Japanese: ルソン島の戦い; Spanish: Batalla de Luzón) 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.^[24] 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 217,000 Japanese combatants dead (mostly from starvation and disease),^[25] 8,000 American combatants killed, and over 150,000 Filipinos, overwhelmingly civilians who were murdered by Japanese forces, mainly during the Manila massacre of February 1945.

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