Editing Philippine Division (United States)

{{Short description|Infantry division of the US Army during WWII}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= Philippine Division<br>12th Infantry Division
|image= 12th Infantry Division SSI.svg
|image_size= 225px
|caption=Shoulder sleeve insignia
|dates      = {{plainlist|
*1922 – 1942
*1944 – 1947 (as 12th Infantry Division (Philippine Scouts))
}}
|country    = {{Flag|United States|1912}}
|allegiance = 
|branch     = {{army|United States}}
|type= Square Division
|role= 
|size= 
|command_structure=
|garrison= [[Fort William McKinley]]
|garrison_label= Headquarters
|equipment=
|equipment_label=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto= 
|colors=
|colors_label=
|march=
|mascot=
|battles= [[World War II]]<br>
[[Battle of the Philippines (1941–42)|Philippine Islands]]
|anniversaries=
|decorations=
|battle_honours=
<!-- Commanders -->
|current_commander=
|current_commander_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|ceremonial_chief_label=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|colonel_of_the_regiment_label=
|notable_commanders= MG [[Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV|Jonathan M. Wainwright]]<br>MG [[William Weigel]]
<!-- Insignia -->
|identification_symbol= None authorized
|identification_symbol_label= Distinctive unit insignia
|identification_symbol_2=
|identification_symbol_2_label=
}}
The '''Philippine Division''', or from 1944–1947 the '''12th Infantry Division''', was the core U.S. infantry division of the [[United States Army|United States Army's]] [[Philippine Department]] before and during [[World War II]]. 

The division was organized in April 1922 and primarily consisted of United States Army officers and Filipino enlisted men.  It primary purpose was to defend the Philippines from invasion. When the [[Philippine Army]] was established in 1935, it provided a potential candidate pool of Filipinos with military experience.

On 31 July 1941, the division consisted of 10,473 troops, mostly enlisted [[Philippines|Filipino]]s, known as the [[Philippine Scouts]] who formed the 45th and 57th US Infantry Regiments. All of the division's enlisted men, with the exception of the [[31st Infantry Regiment (United States)|31st Infantry Regiment]], and various [[military police]] and headquarters troops, were Philippine Scouts.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120425183149/http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/carl/download/csipubs/OrderOfBattle/OrderofBattle1.pdf army.mil] US Army Order of Battle 1919–1940 p. 287</ref>

{{Military unit sidebar|title=US Infantry Divisions|previous=[[11th Infantry Division (United States)|11th Infantry Division]]|next=[[Americal Division|23rd Infantry Division]]}}

In October 1941, as part of the [[U.S. Army Forces Far East]], plans were made to "triangularize" the division. The [[34th Infantry Regiment (United States)|34th Infantry]] was detached from the [[8th Infantry Division (United States)|8th Infantry Division]] and moved to a port of embarkation in December 1941, along with two battalions of 105mm field artillery. The Philippine Division was to have two complete U.S. [[regimental combat team]]s in place by January 1942 to provide General [[Douglas MacArthur]] with a modern, trained mobile reaction force, while freeing up Philippine Scouts for rounding out other units. The outbreak of war in December 1941, however, isolated the Philippines and prevented implementation of the plan.

==History==
[[File:United_States_World_War_II_(Square)_Infantry_Division_1940_Structure.png|thumb|right|Square Division example: 1940 US Infantry Division. On the far left can be seen two Brigades of two Regiments each]]The Philippine Division was constituted in the Regular Army on 7 December 1921 and activated at Fort William McKinley, Philippine Islands, on 10 April 1922. The division was the primary ground force of the Philippine Department and was given the mission of defending the Philippine archipelago from potential invaders. The division began organizing around the nucleus of the 23rd Infantry Brigade (consisting of the 45th and 57th Infantry Regiments), which was activated on 15 December 1921. Additionally, the 31st Infantry, the 1st Battalion, 24th Field Artillery, the 1st Battalion, 14th Engineers, and several of the companies in the division special troops were already organized and integrated into the division. The division continued to receive and activate units throughout 1922, adding HHC, 24th Infantry Brigade; HHC, 12th Field Artillery Brigade, Headquarters, Philippine Division Quartermaster Train, and several of the train’s elements, and the 12th Motorcycle Company by April. The [[15th Infantry Regiment (United States)|15th Infantry Regiment]] was assigned to the division in July 1922, however, only the 1st Battalion was stationed in the Philippines. The remainder of the regiment was posted to the American Barracks in [[Tianjin|Tientsin]], [[China]], and attached to Headquarters, American Forces in China. By the end of 1922, the 12th Medical Regiment was activated and rounded out the division’s structure. The Philippine Division was forced to inactivate several units over the interwar years due to budget decreases, starting with the 12th Field Artillery Brigade headquarters in 1922, followed by the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry in 1929, and the 24th Infantry Brigade headquarters in 1930. With the relief of the 31st Infantry from the division in 1931, the 24th Infantry Brigade was redesignated as a Philippine Scout (PS) organization and the 43rd and 44th Infantry Regiments (PS) were added to the brigade as inactive units. Additionally, the inactive 25th Field Artillery (PS) was relieved and the 23rd Field Artillery (PS) replaced it as the division’s other indirect fire regiment, also in an inactive status. 

Like other overseas divisions at the time, the Philippine Division was fortunate in that it was located on the terrain on which it would fight if the archipelago was ever invaded. Therefore, the training in which it participated tended to be more realistic and provided a more focused military environment. The environment helped to develop many of the Army officers who would lead the United States to victory in World War II. Due to the archipelago’s seasonal weather patterns, the division conducted individual training, marksmanship training, and schools for specialists during the rainy months of June–August. The drier months of September–November were devoted to officer and noncommissioned officer schools, garrison work details, inspections, and maneuver preparation. The late part of the year began with small unit training, reconnaissance of the maneuver areas for the next major department exercise, and exercising transportation and communications systems. These activities were followed by the repair and construction of roads leading to and on the peninsula of Bataan. The preparations finally culminated in the large-scale division and department maneuvers in January and February. The maneuvers occasionally included large surface squadrons from the Navy as well as amphibious invasion forces provided by the [[US Marine Corps]]. 

In 1933, the Philippine Division began to train in earnest to prepare for an invasion, which Army planners believed would come at the beaches of [[Lingayen]]. The January 1934 maneuver was actually little more than a thorough reconnaissance of the [[Bataan]] peninsula with particular emphasis on the [[Miraveles Mountains]]. This reconnaissance revealed the poor internal road net of the peninsula, and the 14th Engineers and 23rd Field Artillery were put to work improving the trails and roads. The 1935 maneuver was again held on Bataan. This exercise focused on determining the enemy avenues of approach and selecting defensive positions to block those approaches. The 1936 maneuver came uncannily close to rehearsing what would occur 6 years later when the Japanese invaded. The 26th Cavalry, with the 23rd Field Artillery in support, was sent to scout the Lingayan landing areas and report movements of the invasion force, while the Philippine Division concentrated near [[Fort Stotsenburg]]. As the enemy forced the cavalry back, the Philippine Division fought a delaying action, fell back onto Bataan to defend the Olongopo Road, and then centered its defense on the Miraveles Mountains where the exercise ended.

The next change to the division’s structure came in 1936 with the reorganization of the Quartermaster Train into the 12th Quartermaster Regiment. Shortly before Pearl Harbor, the 31st Infantry was reassigned to the Philippine Division, and the 1st Battalions of the 43rd Infantry and the 23rd Field Artillery were activated. Interestingly, the 24th Infantry Brigade was still assigned as an inactive unit; therefore, the Philippine Division was the only Regular Army infantry division that retained the “square” structure (at least on paper) on entry into World War II. The location of the division headquarters on 7 December 1941 was Fort William McKinley.<ref>{{cite book|last=Clay|first=Steven E.|date=2010|title=U.S. Army Order of Battle, 1919-1941, Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations, 1919-41|location=Fort Leavenworth, KS|publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press|pages=287}}{{source-attribution}}</ref>

===Organization (July 1941)===

{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Unit !! Officers !! American enlisted !! Philippine Scouts (PS) enlisted !! Total
|-
| HHC, Philippine Division || 30 (incl. 2 PS officers) || 4 || 147 || 181
|-
| HQ, Special Troops || 5 (incl. 2 PS officers) || || 5 || 5
|-
| 12th [[Military Police Corps (United States)|Military Police]] Company (PS) || 5 || 45 || 86 || 136
|-
| 12th [[United States Army Ordnance Corps|Ordnance Company]] (PS) || 3 || || 139 || 142
|-
| 12th [[Signal Corps (United States Army)|Signal]] Company (PS) || 10 || || 217 || 227
|-
| [[31st Infantry Regiment (United States)|31st Infantry Regiment]] (assigned December 1941) || 114 || 1,986 || || 2,100
|-
| 23rd Infantry Brigade (PS) || || || ||
|-
| [[45th Infantry Regiment (PS)]] || 117 (incl. 3 PS officers) || || 2,148 || 2,265
|-
| [[57th Infantry Regiment (PS)]] || 118 (incl. 1 PS officer) || || 2,161 || 2,279
|-
| ''24th Infantry Brigade (PS)'' || ''Brigade headquarters inactive'' || || ||
|-
| 1st Battalion, [[43d Infantry Regiment (United States)|43rd Infantry Regiment (PS)]] || 16 || || 313 || 329
|-
| [[23d Field Artillery Regiment (PS)]] ([[QF 2.95-inch mountain gun]]) || 10 || || 391 || 401
|-
|[[24th Field Artillery Regiment (PS)]] ([[75 mm gun M1917|M1917 75mm gun]]) || 39 (incl. 5 PS officers) || || 804 || 843
|-
|14th [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Engineer]] Regiment (PS) || 24 (incl. 1 PS officer) || || 846 || 870
|-
| 12th [[Medical Corps (United States Army)|Medical]] Regiment (PS) || 22 || || 399 || 421
|-
| 12th [[Quartermaster Corps (United States Army)|Quartermaster]] Regiment (PS) || 18 (incl. 1 PS officer) || || 574 || 592
|- 
| 4th [[Veterinary physician|Veterinary]] Company (PS) || 1 || || 10 || 11
|}

==Commanders==
*MG [[Omar Bundy]] (April 1922 – March 1924)
*MG [[Douglas MacArthur]] (March 1924 – January 1925)
*MG [[William Weigel]] (January 1925 – February 1927)
*MG [[Frank Merrill Caldwell|Frank M. Caldwell]] (February 1927 - April 1927)
*MG [[Johnson Hagood (general)|Johnson Hagood]] (April 1927 - June 1929)
*MG [[Paul Bernard Malone|Paul B. Malone]] (June 1929 - June 1931)
*BG [[Casper H. Conrad Jr.]] (June 1931 - July 1933)
*BG [[Frank Sherwood Cocheu|Frank S. Cocheu]] (July 1933 - May 1935)
*BG [[Stanley H. Ford]] (May 1935 - May 1935)
*BG [[Alfred T. Smith]] (June 1935 - January 1937)
*BG [[Evan Harris Humphrey|Evan H. Humphrey]] (January 1937 - January 1937)
*BG [[John L. DeWitt]] (January 1937 - April 1937)
*BG [[George Grunert]] (April 1937 - July 1937)
*MG [[John H. Hughes (general)|John H. Hughes]] (July 1937 - February 1938)
*MG [[Percy Poe Bishop|Percy P. Bishop]] (February 1938 - October 1938)
*MG [[Walter S. Grant]] (October 1938 – July 1939)
*BG [[Henry Conger Pratt|Henry C. Pratt]] (July 1939 - November 1939)
*MG [[George Grunert]] (November 1939 – May 1940)
*MG [[Henry Conger Pratt|Henry C. Pratt]] (May 1940 - November 1940)
*MG [[Jonathan M. Wainwright IV]] (November 1940 – December 1941)
*BG [[Maxon S. Lough]] (December 1941 – May 1942)

==Combat chronicle==
Source:<ref>These combat chronicles, current as of October 1948, are reproduced from The Army Almanac: A Book of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1950, pp. 510–592.</ref>

Units of the Philippine Division were on security missions at [[Manila]], Fort William McKinley, and Bataan prior to the declaration of war in the Pacific, 8 December 1941. After undergoing 2 days of bombings, the Division moved into the field to cover the withdrawal of troops to Bataan and to resist the enemy in the [[Subic Bay]] area. From 11 December 1941 to 23 December 1941, positions were organized and strengthened and on 23 December 1941 the Division was assigned to the Bataan Defense Forces. While the [[31st Infantry Regiment (United States)|31st Infantry Regiment]] moved to the vicinity of [[Battle of Bataan (1945)#Struggle on Zig Zag Pass|Zig Zag Pass]] to cover the flanks of troops withdrawing from central and southern [[Luzon]], 30 December 1941, the rest of the Division organized the main and reserve positions on Bataan. The 31st Infantry Regiment moved to a defensive position on the west side of the [[Olongapo Road]] near [[Layac Junction]], 5 January 1942. This junction was lost on 6 January 1942, but the withdrawal to Bataan had been successfully concluded.

The Division was placed in reserve from 7 January 1942 to 14 January 1942. This period was largely one of reconnaissance and development by the Japanese in preparation for their attack on the main battle position on the [[Abucay line]]. Elements repulsed night attacks near [[Abucay]] on 10 January 1942 – 12 January 1942, and other elements of the Division counterattacked on 16 January 1942. Strong offensive and defensive action was not able to prevent enemy penetrations and the Division withdrew to the Reserve Battle Position in the [[Pilar, Bataan|Pilar]] – [[Bagac]] area, 2 February 1942. Until the latter part of March the enemy, made cautious by heavy losses, engaged in patrols and limited local attacks, and after a general retirement, 24 March 1942, did not undertake any serious activity on this front until 28 March 1942. During this period elements of the Division were shifted to assist in the defense of other sectors. The enemy attack on 28 March struck at a division weakened by malnutrition, sickness, and prolonged exposure to combat. The Division, no longer operating as a coordinated unit, was unable to counterattack against heavy enemy assaults.

On 8 April 1942, the [[57th Infantry Regiment (United States)|57th Infantry Regiment]] and the [[31st Infantry Regiment (United States)|31st Infantry Regiment]] were lost near the [[Alangan River]], and the [[45th Infantry Regiment (United States)|45th Infantry Regiment]] surrendered, 10 April 1942.

===Wartime assignments===
#U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – 8 December 1941 – 24 December 1941.
#Bataan Defense Force – 24 December 1941 – 6 January 1942.
#U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – 6 January 1942 – 26 January 1942.
#II Philippine Corps – 26 January 1942 – 7 April 1942.
#I Philippine Corps – 7 April 1942 – 10 April 1942.
# Prisoner of War Captivity – 10 April 1942 – 1945

==Postwar==

The division was redesignated on 6 April 1946 as the 12th Infantry Division, inactivated 30 April 1947, and disbanded on 23 March 1953.

==Miscellaneous==
The regimental colors of the 12th Quartermaster Regiment (PS) were given to an Army nurse (one of the "[[Angels of Bataan]] and Corregidor") by the regimental commander. Upon her capture she told the Japanese that it was "only a shawl" and kept it safe throughout more than three years of captivity.<ref>[http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/oqmg/professional_bulletin/1998/spring_1998/foundations.html Dr. Steven E. Anders, Heritage and Values: FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE: Building Great Quartermaster Soldiers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815085512/http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/oqmg/Professional_Bulletin/1998/Spring_1998/foundations.html |date=15 August 2009 }}</ref> Today, the colors are on display at the U.S. [[Army Quartermaster Museum]], [[Fort Gregg-Adams]], Virginia.<ref>{{Citation
|url=http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/history/vignettes/honor2.html
|title=Honor Preserved at Corriegedor
|publisher=The U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum
|access-date=22 May 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170725011812/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/history/vignettes/honor2.html
|archive-date=25 July 2017
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>

==Heraldry, honors, and decorations==

===Shoulder sleeve insignia===
*Description: On a scarlet spade-shaped shield, a yellow [[carabao]]'s head caboshed.
*Symbolism: The carabao is suggestive of the Philippines, and the colors red and gold represent the Spanish heritage of the islands.

===Campaign participation credit===
{| class=wikitable
! Conflict
! Streamer
! Year(s)
|-
| [[World War II]] <br> [[File:Streamer APC.PNG|150px]]
| [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|Philippine Islands]]
|| 7 Dec 41 – 10 May 42 
|-
| [[World War II]] <br> [[File:Streamer WWII V.PNG|150px]]
|| World War II Victory
|| service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946
|-
|}
{{Clear}}

===Unit awards===

{| class="wikitable"
! Ribbon
! Award
! Embroidered
|-
||[[File:United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|100px]]
||[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]
|| LUZON 1941–1942<ref>(North Luzon Force, United States Army Forces in the Far East. Cited; War Department General Order # 14, 1942).</ref>
|-
||[[File:United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|100px]]
|| Presidential Unit Citation 
|| BATAAN<ref>(Army Troops, United States Army Forces in the Far East. Cited; War Department General Order #32, 1942.)</ref>
|-
||[[File:United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|100px]]
|| Presidential Unit Citation 
|| DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINES<ref>(Military and naval forces of the United States and Philippine Governments. Cited; War Department General Order #22, 1942, as amended by Department of the Army General Order #46, 1948).</ref>
|-
||[[File:Philippines Presidential Unit Citation.png|100px]]
||[[Philippine Presidential Unit Citation]] 
|| 7 DECEMBER 1941 TO 10 MAY 1942<ref>(Military and naval forces of the United States and Philippine Governments. Cited; War Department General Order #47, 1950).</ref>
|-

|}
{{Clear}}

===Personal awards===
*Medals of Honor: 3.

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last= Drake |first= Charles C. |title= Philippine maneuvers|date= 28 June 1926|publisher=Infantry #625|page=31}}
*{{cite book |last= Morton|first= Louis|title= The Fall of the Philippines: United States in World War II Series|year= 1953 |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |location=Washington, D.C. }}

==See also==
*[[Charles C. Drake]]
*[[Battle of the Philippines (1941–42)]]
*[[Divisions of the United States Army]]
*[[Military History of the Philippines]]
*[[Military History of the United States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19991128034811/http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/ The United States Army Quartermaster Museum]

{{US Army navbox}}

{{Army Divisions (United States)}}

[[Category:Military history of the Philippines during World War II]]
[[Category:Infantry divisions of the United States Army]]
[[Category:United States Army divisions during World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1921]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1947]]