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Visayas-Mindanao Force was created under USAFFE under General Douglas MacArthur. To hold Japanese invasion forces in Mindanao and Visayas Islands in the Philippines.
Commander and Staffs
Brigadier General (Later Major General) William F. Sharp was selected to command and selected Cebu as its base. Col (Later BGen.) Brigadier General William Thompson became his chief of staff and Col. Archibald M.Mixson was his Deputy Chief of Staff.
G1 Personnel - LCol. Howard R. Perry Jr., USA
G2 Intelligence - LCol. Charles I. Humber, USA
G3 Operations - LCol. W.S Robinson, USA
G4 Supply - LCol. Robert D. Johnston, USA
Initially, the headquarters of General Sharp was in Cebu but moved to Camp Casisang, Malaybalay, Bukidnon. He brought the 81st Infantry Division to Mindanao.
Split of Command
On March 4, 1942 changes were made that split Mindanao Force from the Visayas Forces, MGen. Sharp focused on Mindanao Forces and Visayas Force fell to BGen. Bradford Chynoweth assumed the Visayas and passed on the command of the 61st Infantry Division to Colonel Albert F. Christie, USA. General Chynoweth moved to Cebu to set up his headquarters of the command.
After approval from General Douglas MacArthur of the new command structure, another infantry division was created out of the units available to cover the Misamis sector.
Surrender
After the surrender of Bataan and Corregidor, General Homma demanded that General Wainwright commander of US Forces in the Philippines should surrender the Visayas and Mindanao forces or he will not accept his surrender. Risking the life of the soldiers in Corregidor, he sent Col. Jesse Traywick along with Japanese officers with a letter to comply with his orders to surrender.
On May 11, 1942, General William F. Sharp surrendered his Mindanao forces along with the Visayan force which he released 2 months ago from his command. All surrendered forces were brought to Camp Casisang in Malaybalay, Bukidnon but the majority went to hiding in the mountains and became guerillas later under Colonel Wendell Fertig.
Order of Battle December 1941
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- 61st Infantry Division - Brigadier General Bradford Chynoweth, USA
- 81st Infantry Division - Brigadier General Guy O. Fort, USA
- 101st Infantry Division - Brigadier General Joseph Vanchon, USA
- 102nd Provisional Infantry Division - Colonel William F. Morse, USA
- Reserve Forces - Colonel William Dalton
- Detachment, 43rd Infantry Regiment (PS) - Major Allen H.Peck, USA
- Gun Detachment (2.95inch) - Major Paul D. Phillips, USA
- 73rd Infantry Regiment - LCol. Robert Vesey, USA
See Also
[edit]References
[edit]Chapter IV: Prewar Plans, Japanese and American The Fall of the Philippines US Army in WWII: The War in the Pacific p70