The 61st Division of the Philippine Army was an infantry division from the 1930s to 1942.

In late 1941, there were two regular and ten reserve divisions in the Army of the Philippines, with about 100,000 to 300,000 active troops and officers in the general headquarters, camps in Manila and across the provinces of the Philippines. Among them were the Visayan-Mindanao Force under Colonel  (Later MGen.) William F. Sharp in the southern islands (61st, 81st, and 101st Infantry Divisions plus three other infantry regiments), and the Reserve Force.

The 61st Division was commanded by BGen. Bradford G. Chynoweth (USA), and the division Chief of Staff was Col. Albert F. Christie, Inf.  BGen. Chynoweth moved to Cebu to command the newly created Visayan Force and Col. Christie took over the command of 61st Division and promoted to Brigadier General temporarily. The division primarily organized as infantry as 61st FA didn't receive its 75mm guns which sunk with SS Corregidor in Manila Bay. It has limited weapons and ammunitions, no antiaircraft guns and antitank guns.

Preparations 
With only 63rd Infantry Regiment left in Panay Island as 61st, 62nd Infantry Regiments and 61st Field Artillery Regiment that were transferred to augment the Mindanao Force, 64th and 65th Provisional Infantry Regiments were activated. Col. Christie continued the preparations of the defense of the island until mid of April.

Japanese Landings 
Kawamura Detachment of IJA 5th Division with naval escorts and air support landed in Panay on April 16, 1942 on 3 landing sites. Main force landed in west coast of Iloilo, small force in Capiz, and another detachment in Hamtic town in Antique province.

Combat Actions 
General Christie didn't offer any resistance in the beach on all these landings and ordered his forces to move inland. But before leaving they destroyed bridges and burned Iloilo business district. 1st Battalion, 63rd Infantry under Capt. Julian Chaves attack Japanese detachment Mt. Dila-Dila near Calinog town. Japanese withdraw and didn't pursue Capt Chaves troops.

Surrender 
Upon receiving orders from MGen. Sharp and LGen Wainwright to surrender Col. Christie surrendered Panay Force and 61st Infantry Division so as BGen. Chynoweth as overall commander of Visayan Force. These officers and others went into captivity after the Corregidor surrender; Gen. Chynoweth survived three and-a-half years of horrible conditions as a P.O.W.

Guerilla warfare 
The resistance movement on Panay was unique. It developed rapidly ; there was a minimum of discord; and a dynamic leader emerged at an early time. The guerrilla structure on Panay was built around a core of refugee troops of the Philippine 61st Division who had taken to the hills immediately after the surrender orders were published. Scarcely ten weeks after the Japanese invasion, Colonel Macario Peralta, Jr., former G-3 of the division and a man of strong and driving character, assumed undisputed control of the main guerrilla groups. The early emergence of a generally accepted leader and the availability of a relatively large amount of salvaged supplies and equipment gave a powerful impetus to the formation of a smoothly working guerrilla command.

The first reactivated Philippine military district commanders were appointed in February 1943. LCol. Peralta was given command of the 6th Military District on Panay. He already exercised considerable influence over adjacent islands, and thus was given temporary control over the 7th and 8th Districts of Negros and Cebu. The small guerrilla bands on Masbate, Marinduque, Mindoro, and Palawan, having no outstanding leaders of their own, remained under the domination of the 6th Military District. Colonel Peralta soon developed one of the most extensive and efficient intelligence systems in the Philippines.

Order of battle November 1941 to January 1942
 61st Infantry Regiment (PA) (LCol. Eugene H. Mitchell, Inf.) (transferred to Mindanao attached to 81st ID)
 62nd Infantry Regiment (PA) (LCol. Allen Thayer) (transf. to 102nd Division (PA) in Mindanao)
 63rd Infantry Regiment (PA) (LCol. Lyle Fritzpatrick)
 61st Field Artillery Regiment (PA) (Col. Hiram W. Tarkington, FA) (transf. Mindanao Force Reserve)
 61st FA Regt HQ Company 
 1st Bn/61st FA Regt (PA) (75mm guns, 8x) 
 2nd Bn/61st FA Regt (PA) (2.95-inch pack howitzers, 12x)  
 3rd Bn/61st FA Regt (PA)  
 61st Engineer Battalion (PA) - LCol. Leopoldo Relunia
 61st Division Units  
 61st Division Headquarters & HQ Company
 61st Medical Battalion
 61st Signal Company
 61st Quartermaster Company (Motorized) 
 61st QM Transport Company (Truck)

Order of Battle March to May 1942 (Panay Force) 

63rd Infantry Regiment (PA) - Col. Lyle Fritzpatrick | Col. Richard Kenney
 64th Provisional Infantry Regiment (PA) - LCol. Crispin Gorriceta | LCol. Cesar Hechanova | LCol Lyle Fritzpatrick | LCol. James Bickerton
 65th Provisional Infantry Regiment (PA) - LCol Juan C. Quimbo | LCol. Amos Francia | LCol Grino
 61st Engineer Battalion (PA) - LCol. Leopoldo Relunia
 61st Division Units  
 61st Division Headquarters & HQ Company
 61st Medical Battalion
 61st Signal Company
 61st Quartermaster Company (Motorized)
 61st QM Transport Company (Truck)

Sources

Bibliography
Morton, Louis. The Fall of the Philippines (Publication 5-2) . Retrieved on 14 Feb 2017.

See also

Macario Peralta Jr.
Ludovico Arroyo Bañas

References

Infantry divisions of the Philippines
Military units and formations disestablished in 1942