Battle of Mindoro The Battle of Mindoro was a battle in World War II between forces of the United States and Japan , in Mindoro Island in the central Philippines , from 13 – 16 December 1944 , during the Philippines campaign . Troops of the United States Army , supported by the United States Navy and U . S . Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) , made an amphibious landing on Mindoro and defeated Imperial Japanese Army ( IJA ) forces there . There was no significant opposition from the Imperial Japanese Navy , nor from the Japanese Army and Navy Air Forces , except for " kamikaze " ( suicide ) attacks on American ships . The Japanese force in Mindoro was not large , and was eliminated in three days . The Army was assisted in the campaign by guerrilla s from the local Filipino population . The U . S . captured Mindoro to establish airfields there , which would be in fighter range of Lingayen Gulf in northern Luzon Island , where the next major amphibious invasion of the Philippines was planned . Ground - based fighter cover was necessary for this operation . Mindoro could also serve as the advanced base for U . S . troops going to fight in Luzon . Background . For the invasion of Luzon , U . S forces needed air bases that were closer to the northern island than Leyte Island . Mindoro was the logical choice . Located not too far south of Luzon , and being about one - half the size of New Jersey , Mindoro is mostly covered by hills and mountains , with a few narrow plains along its seacoasts . Almost daily rains and high humidity , caused by clouds moving up from the south trapped by the high peaks made it a breeding ground for malaria and other tropical diseases . However , Japanese defenses on the island were minimal . The airfields recently constructed at Leyte were deemed unreliable , so potential additional airfields in Mindoro appealed to General of the Army Douglas MacArthur , the commanding general of this theater of operations . But taking Mindoro was a daunting task . The northeastern coast was best suited for amphibious landings , but was exposed to what was left of Japanese air power on Luzon , so this was ruled out . The town of San Jose on the southwest corner , though nearer to Mangarin Bay , Mindoro ' s best deepwater port , was the spot chosen by his planners . The U . S . Sixth Army under Lieutenant General Walter Krueger was assigned to seize Mindoro . Krueger , in turn , gave the task to Major General Roscoe B . Woodruff ' s 24th Infantry Division , with the 19th Infantry and the separate 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team of Lieutenant Colonel George M . Jones to spearhead the assault . The main threat to the amphibious assault vessels and supporting warships was land - based Japanese kamikaze planes . The Japanese had begun the deadly practice as a desperate measure during the final stages of the Battle of Leyte and widened its use by December 1944 . In early December , USAAF and USN airplanes attacked Japanese air bases to destroy potential kamikazes before they could attack . U . S . aviators claimed more than 700 planes destroyed on the ground . On 13 December 1944 , two days before the scheduled assault on the island , kamikazes struck at the Navy task force bringing the landing force . The light cruiser USS was hit by a kamikaze , killing over 130 men and wounding another 190 . Brigadier General William C . Dunkel , the commander of the landing force , was among the injured . Other kamikaze attacks damaged two tank landing ship s ( LSTs , for Landing Ship , Tank ) and disabled several other ships . Battle . On 15 December , the invasion of Mindoro began . The clear weather allowed the full use of American air and naval power , including six escort carriers , three battleships , six cruisers and many other support warships against light Japanese resistance . Because of inadequate airstrip facilities in Leyte , the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team came ashore in Mangarin Bay with the landing force instead of jumping . Destroyers provided fire support for the troop landings and anti - aircraft protection for the ships in the transport area . Two LSTs struck by kamikazes were abandoned and sank . In one heroic action , the destroyer USS ( DD - 693 ) , under the command of Commander Walter M . Foster , went alongside the burning ( which was loaded with aviation fuel and ordnance ) to rescue crewmembers . Several explosions aboard " LST - 738 " caused damage to " Moale " as she pulled away . Some pieces of shrapnel were two feet square and they put four holes in " Moale " s hull . Gunner ' s Mate Ed Marsh reported that a one - gallon jar of vaseline from the LST ' s cargo splattered on one barrel of his twin 40 mm Bofors AA gun , providing unwelcome lubrication . " Moale " suffered one casualty and thirteen wounded . In addition , " Moale " also rescued 88 survivors . There were 1 , 000 defending Japanese soldiers stationed on Mindoro . Another 200 survivors from ships sunk off Mindoro en route to Leyte were also present . The defenders were outnumbered and outgunned . Some 300 Japanese manning an air raid warning station at the island ' s northern end put up a stiff fight against a company of the 503rd , but except for mopping up , the island was secure within 48 hours . Aftermath . The defending Japanese forces on Mindoro suffered some 200 killed and 375 wounded . The survivors fled into the jungles , where they lurked till the end of the war . The 24th Infantry Division lost 18 men and had 81 wounded . By the end of the first day , Army engineers were at work preparing airfields . Two were completed in thirteen days . These airfields allowed U . S . aircraft to provide direct support for the Luzon invasion . The Mindoro airfields were also used by long - range bombers , especially USAAF B - 24 Liberator s , to attack Japanese shipping from Formosa to Luzon . These bombers also operated over the South China Sea , and combined with the Navy to blockade shipping between Japan and south - east Asia .