As the Kido Butai
steamed into the Imperial Japanese Naval Base in the Dutch East Indies
(Indonesia) and prepared for their next major battle, the Japanese Army was
hard at work, attacking the Combined ABDA Forces throughout Southeast Asia.
However, as the Japanese had made conquest over most of the Pacific, they still
faced heavy resistance in the Philippines.
.
The Marine landings at Luzon on December 8th proved quite
easy, but the inland battles against the Allied fortifications were much more
difficult. More than ever before, the Japanese Army would have to rely on artillery
and bombing runs to soften up the Filipino and American defenses. The Combined
Filipino-American Armies, however, remained battle-ready.
.
Daily raids that
combined aerial and ground assaults proved highly effective in the first days
of March. G4M “Kate” Bombers were fitted with incendiary bombs, designed to
start ground fires in the thick forested regions of Bataan, while the heavy
mortars and Howitzer shells used massive explosive power to destroy natural barriers
such as palm and coconut trees. By March 11th, the Philippine Scouts
and American soldiers were all but defeated, many with jungle diseases such as
malaria and dysentery.
.
To make matters worse for the Allied soldiers, most were
underfed and under-armed. Japan’s General Homma had ordered an extra 100,000
foot soldiers to face the 80,000 allied troops. All looked lost for the Allies.
However, War Plan Orange had called for a counter attack by the United States
Navy. Soon, they hoped, the American Fleet would rescue the defenders of Manila
Bay.
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