Battle of Villa Verde Trail

Battle for the Villa Verde Trail
Part of the South West Pacific theatre of World War II
American soldiers trudge up the Villa Verde Trail.
Date 21 February – 31 May 1945 Location Philippines 16°10′26″N 120°52′12″E / 16.174°N 120.870°E / 16.174; 120.870 Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
William H. Gill	Haruo Konuma
Units involved
32nd Infantry Division	10th Division 2nd Tank Division
Strength
11,000 U.S. soldiers; 500 Filipino guerrillas[1]	8,750
Casualties and losses
825 killed	5,750 killed
class=notpageimage| The location of the Villa Verde Trail

The Battle of Villa Verde Trail (Filipino: Labanan sa Tugaygayan ng Villa Verde) was a campaign by the United States Army and Filipino guerrillas in the Philippines during World War II in 1945 to force its way across the Caraballo Mountains from the Central Luzon plain to the Cagayan Valley. Somewhat to the surprise of the Americans, the Japanese had constructed strong defenses along the narrow and winding Villa Verde Trail, 27 mi (43 km) in length. The campaign began on 21 February 1945 and concluded with the success of the Americans on 31 May 1945. The U.S.'s 32nd Infantry Division, called the Red Arrow Division, carried out the campaign with assistance from Filipino guerrillas.

The 32nd Division suffered heavy casualties during the campaign. U.S. casualties were 825 dead and 2,160 wounded. About 6,000 soldiers were treated for illness, disease, or combat fatigue. Japanese losses were estimated of at least 5,750 dead out of 8,750 defenders. The U.S. commander, Major General William H. Gill, would later say that cost of the battle was too high for what was achieved.