Draft:Visayan Force

Visayan Force
Active	March 17, 1942 - May 11, 1942
Disbanded	May 11, 1942
Countries	United States of America Philippine Commonwealth
Allegiance	United States Army Philippine Commonwealth Army
Branch	Army, PC, Navy
Type	Infantry, Engineers, Coast Artillery
Role	Territorial Defense
Size	26,000
Part of	United States Forces in the Philippines
Garrison/HQ	Camp X, Cantabaco, Toledo, Cebu
Motto(s)	Baus Au (Let's get it back)
Engagements	Battle of Panay Battle of Cebu
Commanders
Notable commanders	Brigadier General Bradford Chynoweth

Visayan Force is a corps size unit of the Philippine Commonwealth Army organized in March 1942, it was under the command of Brigadier General Bradford Chynoweth and disintegrated in April 19, 1942. It eventually capitulated and surrendered on May 11, 1942 after Major General William F. Sharp reestablished Visayas-Mindanao Force in April 20 and ordered all garrison commanders of each islands to surrender.

Career

In March 17, 1942 before General Douglas MacArthur's departure to Australia while in Del Monte Fields in Mindanao. He informed General Sharp that Visayas-Mindanao Force will be split into two different equal commands. Sharp will have to focus on the defense of Mindanao as MacArthur intended the island to be its launching ground for its reconquer of the Philippines. In March 4, Brigadier General Bradford Chynoweth who was the commander of 61st Infantry Division in Panay island was advised that VMF will be separated into two separate commands and he will take command of the Visayas Force with headquarters in Cebu. He was ordered to transfer to Cebu island and take over the command of all garrisons in the Visayas Islands. He boarded a vessel for Negros accompanied by his aid Lieutenant Gordon Benson and Major Deter. They took motor transport provided by Colonel Hilsman the commander of the island and boarded a small ferry crossing Tañon Strait and landed in Toledo, Cebu. Almost caught as he was just got off the boat and already a few meters away, a Japanese destroyer appeared and bombarded both Toledo and San Carlos ports.

General Bradford Chynoweth, Commander of Visayan Force

General Bradford was promised of officers from Luzon will be provided to fill his staffs, however due to tight Japanese Naval and Air blockade nothing materialized. He brought along Major Deter and Captain Thomas Powell Jr as division engineer and surgeon respectively to form the core staff. He had Major James Cushing a mining engineer before the war. He had Major Ernest V. Jordan as Force Operations Officer G3 and Captain Floyd Hawks was a medical officer who setup field hospital in Camp X. In April 25 he ordered Colonel Roger Hilsman Sr., to moved to Cebu to act as his Chief of Staff.

Structure and units

Under this command 61st Infantry Division Chynoweth former unit now under Brigadier General Albert F. Christie in Panay with only 63rd Infantry Regiment left as three were moved to Mindanao, they organized two regiments 64th and 65th initially named 61st and 62nd but it was changed in order to be confused of 61st and 62nd already in Mindanao. Panay Force has reached to 8,000 men. Negros force under Colonel Roger Hilsman and later Colonel Carter McClennan organized two infantry regiments 74th and 75th, it has 2,500 men. Cebu force under Colonel Irvine Schudder he had 808th Military Police Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Howard Edmands, 82nd Infantry Regiment (less 2nd Battalion) under Colonel Emigdio David in Argao and 83rd Infantry Regiment (less 1st Battalion) under Colonel Fortunato Borbon later Lieutenant Colonel Rufus Rogers. These units comprised Cebu Brigade although Army Transport Service under Colonel John D. Cook in the island but it is under the direct command of USFIP in Corregidor. Cebu has 6,000 from Army, Air Forces, and Navy. Bohol under Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Grimes who has 1st Battalion 83rd Infantry and PC company, and Leyte and Samar Islands under Colonel Theodore Cornell, with Samar Brigade gone to Mindanao he organized Leyte Provisional Regiment. Lack of rifles and ammunitions, no artillery pieces in the entire islands was the most pressing problem with all these garrisons.

Operation Baus Au (Get it Back/Revenge)

While Chynoweth was commander of 61st Division he started the Operation Baus Au derived by local language for Get it Back or Revenge. It was hoarding weapons, munitions, food, and supplies to the mountains so his men can long guerilla campaign. When he arrived in Cebu he found the defenses are not adequate and wanted to implemented Operation Baus Au to all garrisons in the Visayas Islands. He directed Colonel John D. Cook to move all the food and other supplies up into the mountains.

Combat narratives

After the capitulation of Luzon Force in Bataan, 14th Imperial Japanese Army under Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu now trained their sight on the tiny island of Corregidor and able to spare units for Visayas and Mindanao. Kawamura detachment under Major General Kawamura was to take Panay and Kawaguchi detachment to invade Cebu. As soon as Kawamura and Kawaguchi detachments secure Panay and Cebu islands, 10th Independent Garrison will take over and will make both detachments available for invasion of Mindanao.

Cebu

In April 9, Kawaguchi detachment landed in southern parts of Cebu island, Pinamungajan in the west coast, Sibonga and Talisay in east coast. They moved towards the central part of the island where Camp X is located. 82nd Infantry Regiment (less 2nd Battalion) under Colonel Emigdio David who is located in Argao town fought the Japanese on both coasts. 1st Battalion 83rd Infantry under Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Grimes who was moved from Bohol few days ago to cover Talisay to prevent Japanese drive to Cantabaco, they were tasked to repulse any attempt of the Japanese but the battalion was not able to get on their post as ordered and the Colonel Grimes was killed on the ambush while reconnoitering the area. After realizing the island defense plan was not working and Japanese will reach Camp X in few hours, and 83rd Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Rufus Rogers posted in the northern town of Liloan failed to sent reinforcements to Cantabaco on time. Chynoweth ordered the withdrawal to the mountains of Cebu Sierra Madre. In this Chynoweth lost contact to all units in other islands so General Wainwright in April 19, 1942 ordered General Sharp in Mindanao to reconstitute the Visayas-Mindanao Force to command the other garrisons in the Visayas.

Panay

Kawamura detachment left Lingayen, Pangasinan and landed in Panay island in three different points on April 16, 1942. General Christie did not put up a fight on the beaches due to lack of coast battery guns and ammunitions. The 61st Division has a very well stacked in their mountain retreat and can operate for there. His troops resorted ambuscades and nightly raids in Iloilo City, San Jose town in Antique, and Capiz town in Capiz. 10th Independent Garrison replaced the detachment for them to prepare for Mindanao. With the siezure of Panay and Cebu the combat operations in the Visayas is practically over.

Surrender

In May 10, 1942 orders from Visayas-Mindanao Force headquarters in Bukidnon was received by all garrison commanders of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte-Samar. Colonel Christie was skeptics of the order as Sharp has no authority in the Visayas Forces. Some Filipino unit commanders questioned the order as General Wainwright is now technically a POW and he ordered it under duress. General Sharp sent Colonel Allen Thayer to Panay and Lieutenant Colonel Jessie Traywick to Negros to confer his order will be followed. In May 12, all units and garrisons of Visayas islands has cease their operations. However, not all units surrendered Lieutenant Colonel Macario Peralta led guerilla forces in Panay, Majors Salvador Abcede and Ernesto Mata led guerilla warfare in Negros. Lieutenant Colonel James Cushing led Guerilla movement in Cebu. Lieutenant Colonel Ruperto Kangleon who escaped prison in Mindanao and travelled back to Leyte to start guerilla warfare. All of American soldiers who surrendered were moved to Palawan and in Luzon. Healthy ones are transferred to Japan and the sickly prisoners where incarcerated in POW camp in Cabanatuan.

Post-War

Philippine Army did not reactivated the Visayas Force, however Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) activate Visayas command in 1980s to command Army, Navy, and Air Forces units in Visayas Islands. It was renamed to Central Command in 2000 but returned to Visayas Command (Viscom) in 2021 which is led by a three star officer.

See Also

• Luzon Force
• Mindanao Force
• AFP Visayas Command

External Links

• There were others, unpublished papers of Colonel Hiram Tarkington, CO 61st Field Artillery Regiment