Philippine Commonwealth Army

The **Philippine Commonwealth Army** (**PCA**), also known as the **Commonwealth Army of the Philippines** (CAP) (official name ***Hukbong Katihan ng Komonwelt ng Pilipinas*** in Filipino and ***Ejercito Mancomunidad Filipina*** or ***Ejercito Mancomunidad de Filipinas*** in Spanish) was the main ground force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (1935-1946), coming under the control of United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) (1941-1946) following the entry of U.S. into World War II and -following the occuptation of the Philippines by the Japanese - surviving military units in the Philippines came under United States Armed Forces in the Philippines - Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL) (1942-1946).

It was founded on December 21, 1935 at the general headquarters on Manila, Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935-1942, 1945-1946) and some mainly general headquarters are actively around the provinces in the Philippines during the Commonwealth era (1935-1946) and surviving military units are fought against the Japanese Occupation during World War II (1942-1945) from the mainly engagements of the Anti-Imperial Japanese military operations in the Philippines are supporting the recognized guerrilla units and the U.S. liberation military forces was fought against the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces.

The commanding generals of the Philippine Commonwealth Army included Major General Jose J. Delos Reyes (January– May 1936), Major General Paulino Santos (May–December 1936), Major General Basilio J. Valdez (1939-1945) and Major General Rafael Jalandoni (1945-1946). While the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under the Philippine Commonwealth Army included President Manuel Luis Quezon (1935-1944), President Sergio Osmena (1944-1946) and President Manuel Roxas (1946). The American General Douglas MacArthur was commander of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and became the Field Marshal of the Philippine Commonwealth Army.

## History

### During the Philippine Commonwealth era (1935-1941)

The Commonwealth of the Philippines was formed in November 15, 1935 as an interim position to move the Philippines to independence from the United States that had governed the islands since 1898.

The Commonwealth Army was the initially organized under the National Defense Act of 1935 (Commonwealth Act No. 1). The act specified that in so far as may be practicable, original appointments by the President in grades above third lieutenant should be made from among former holders of reserve commissions in the United States Army, from among former officers of the Philippine Scouts and Philippine Constabulary.

After the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines on November 15, 1935 under the American colonial regime at the Legislative Building in Manila, President Manuel L. Quezon the first president of the Commonwealth sought the services of General Douglas MacArthur to evolve a national defense plan. On December 21, 1935, the Philippine Commonwealth Army was renamed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which effected the organization of a Council of National Defense and an Army of the Philippines. The act set forth the organizational structure of the army in some detail, set forth enlistment procedures, and established mobilization procedures.

The development of the Philippine Commonwealth Army was slow. 1936 was devoted to the building of general headquarters, camps, organization of cadres, and the special training of instructors, drawn largely from the Philippine Constabulary. The commander of the Philippine Department provided Philippine Scouts as instructors and detailed U.S. Army officers to assist in the inspection, instruction, and administration of the program. By the end of the year instructors had been trained and camps included general headquarters had been founded and established.

The first group of 20,000 to 40,000 men was called up on January 01, 1937 and by the end of 1939 there were 4,800 officers and 104,000 men in the reserves. Infantry training was given at camps scattered throughout the Philippines; field artillery training was concentrated in the vicinity of the U.S. Army's Fort Stotsenburg near Angeles City in the province of Pampanga, about fifty miles north of Manila, and specialized training was given at Fort William McKinley just south of Manila. Coast artillery instruction was carried on at Fort Stotsenburg and at Grande Island in Subic Bay by personnel supplied largely by the American commander at Corregidor.

With the threat of war with the Empire of Japan becoming imminent, on July 26, 1941 a new U.S. command in the Far East was created, known as the United States Army Forces of the Far East (USAFFE) under the command of General Douglas MacArthur who also became the Field Marshal of the Commonwealth Army. On the same date, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, issued a Presidential Order (6 Fed. Reg. 3825) which called the Philippine Commonwealth Army into the service of the Armed Forces of the United States. The Presidential Order did not order all the military forces of the Philippine Commonwealth government into the service of the United States Armed Forces. Only those units and personnel indicated in orders issued by a general officer of the United States Army were mobilized and made an integral part of the USAFFE and only those members of a unit who physically reported for duty were inducted. With an annual appropriation of almost 16 million pesos, the mobilized units trained new Filipino members in defending the nation.

### World War II and the Japanese Invasion (1941-1942)

Japanese Imperial forces invaded the Commonwealth of the Philippines on December 8, 1941; the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Commonwealth of the Philippines declared war against the Empire of Japan and Nazi Germany. President Quezon committed the Commonwealth government to joining the Allies against the Axis Powers.

Around 100,000 active troops and officers were in the general headquarters and camps of the Philippine Commonwealth Army garrisoned and located in the capital city of Manila and from the inactive of some to around the provinces and archipelago in the Philippines between Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

At this time, there were two regular and ten reserve divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army defending the Philippines. This included North Luzon Force (under then Major General Jonathan M. Wainwright), South Luzon Force (activated December 13, 1941) under Brig. Gen. George M. Parker Jr., the Visayan-Mindanao Force under Colonel W.F. Sharp in the southern islands (61st, 81st, and 101st Infantry Divisions plus three other infantry regiments), and the Reserve Force. North Luzon Force included the 11th, 21st, and 31st Infantry Divisions, all reserve. South Luzon Force include the 1st Division (regular), and the 41st, 51st, and 71st (reserve) Infantry Divisions. These divisions were incorporated into the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

The Philippine Commonwealth government went into exile in 1942 to 1944; moving to Washington D.C. in the United States, while the Philippines was under Japanese occupation. President Quezon and his family including Vice President Sergio Osmena and Major General Basilio J. Valdes is a Commanding General of the Commonwealth Army and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the Commonwealth government and military officials and cabinet those the escape from this country and ride goes the submarine going to Australia and based from the United States.

While to General Douglas MacArthur and his family including the American military officers and cabinet are becomes to escape again in this country and ride the PT Boats are those for did not and never arrested and capturing from the Japanese military hands and arrival in Australia on March, 1942.

#### Start the Another Operations and Engagements

While the another military operations and engagements from the units of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the USAFFE through aided of supporting the Philippine Scouts, Philippine Constabulary and the American ground troops of the United States Armed Forces has lead the conquest of all invaded and attack from the entering landings by the Imperial Japanese forces under General Masaharu Homma and succeed to this country and become the battleground parts of the Japanese attack and invasion are including the Batan Island, Vigan, Aparri, Camiguin Island, Gonzaga, Legaspi, Naga, Davao, Bacnotan, Lingayen Gulf, Sipoco and Jolo Island on December 1941 before the main conquest for the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942.

#### Battle of Bataan (January 7, to April 9, 1942)

While the Battle of Bataan on January 7, through April 9, 1942, the military and combat clearing operations of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the USAFFE in Bataan Peninsula was catching to supporting the Philippine Scouts, Philippine Constabulary and the American ground troops of the United States Armed Forces was routed to ground attack from the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces was under to General Masaharu Homma and other Japanese military officers was fought them to engagements. While the fighting and main battleground retreat of all stronghold troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the USAFFE has around to Bataan Peninsula are included the Layac Line from 1941 through the junction battles and sieges of Layac Line, Porac and Guagua Line, Abucay-Mauban Line, Battle of Trail 2, Battle of the Pockets and Points, Orion-Bagac Line and the Fall of Bataan from the invading Japanese Imperial forces.

While on April 3, 1942, the invasion of the Imperial Japanese forces between infantry and tanks was lined the battlegrounds at Mount Samat was operated by attacking the defenders of all stronghold Filipino and American forces on Orion-Bagac Line in Bataan and included the military force of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and USAFFE units has forced to clearing are becomes to retreating.
In the aftermath of the Battle of Bataan on April 9, 1942 came the Bataan Death March. All 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American troops including the Commonwealth Army and USAFFE units becomes to surrender from the hand of Japanese Imperial forces and they captive on Bataan Peninsula and along the faring march of captured and surrendering Filipino and American troops as prisoners of war from the Japanese Hands are going to Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, from the railway station in San Fernando are those prisoners of war are ride the train are loading the boxes are brought and going to the Japanese internment camps at Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac are finally to ground to march are inactive.
Approximately 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100–650 American prisoners of war died due to maltreatment before reached their destination in Bataan.

#### Battle of Corregidor (May 5, to May 6, 1942)

After the Battle of Bataan and Death March was sustaining of defeat and surrender of all defending Filipino and American forces from the Japanese hands on last four month on inch year. While the military and combat clearing operations of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the USAFFE in the island of Corregidor from the engaging are fought against the enemy ground force and begins the Battle of Corregidor. The Japanese Imperial forces was landed at Corregidor and from the conquest inside the main island by the attack of all stronghold Filipino and American forces including the Commonwealth Army and USAFFE units are invaded battles to attack from the Japanese forces on May 5, 1942. Meanwhile, the fall of the island of Corregidor are engage to defeat and surrender of all defending Filipino and American forces including the units of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) as capture in action from the Japanese military hands on May 6, 1942 and capturing from the Japanese in this main island. Almost of all approximately of about 4,000 of the 11,000 American and Filipino military forces and between the Commonwealth Army and USAFFE units as prisoners of war from the island of Corregidor were marched through the streets of Manila to incarceration at Fort Santiago in Intramuros and Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa, Rizal, criminal detention centers turned into Japanese POW camps.

#### Aftermath of the Japanese Invasion

After the Fall of the Philippines on May 6, 1942, the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces are headed to General Masaharu Homma has sustained to become taken and captured around in the Philippines from the defeated and surrendering Filipino and American military forces and with the units of the Commonwealth Army and USAFFE troops to engage the captive from the Japanese hands. Almost of many individuals continued fighting as the recognized guerrillas before the conflicts and counter-insurgencies against the Japanese Military Occupation are fought against the enemy.

### Counter-insurgency against the Japanese occupation and Allied liberation (1942-1945)

In the aftermath of the Japanese conquest of the Philippines from 1941 to 1942 are goes to defeated and surrendering Filipino and American military forces in this country from the enemy of the Japanese military hands, while the Empire of Japan goes to invaded and occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines was around to taken captive from the enemy hands.

The Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1944 and later in 1945 led to fighting sieges and battles between the Japanese Imperial forces, the Bureau of Constabulary under Japanese control and the Makapili militias (from 1944) and the recognized guerrilla units.

The American and Allied liberation force landing in the Philippines on October 17, 1944 to September 2, 1945 were aided by the local recognized guerrillas in the liberation of the Philippines against the Imperial Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita.