CHAPTER 5:

WORLD WAR IIAND THE

JAPANESE OCCUPATION

OVERVIEW

With the attack in the Pearl Harbor in December 7, 1941, Japan was able to neutralize the American forces in the Pacific. Several hours later, Philippines become the next target of the Japanese forces. From 1941 the USAFFE fought the Japanese invaders but with the departure of General MacArthur, it was followed by the capture of Bataan and Corregidor and the fall of the entire archipelago in the hands of the Japanese forces. After 2 years of Japanese occupation, Macarthur fulfilled his promise and return in 1944 to liberate the country. After the dropping of two atomic bombs in Japan, the imperial government has no other choices but to surrender to the allied forces. By 1945, Second World War ended.

ROAD TO WAR

•1930’s- the road to war between Japan and United States began. •JAPAN1931- conquered Manchuria (part of China)1937- began a long and ultimately unsuccessful

campaign to conquer the rest of China.1940- the government allied their country with Nazi

Germany in the Axis alliance.•UNITED STATESHad an important political and economic interests in East

Asia, was alarmed by these Japanese movesThey increased military and financial aid to China,

embarked on a program of strengthening its military power in the Pacific, and cut off the shipment of oil and other raw materials to Japan.

ADMIRAL ISOROKU YAMAMOTO•Commander of the Japanese fleet who devised a plan to immobilize the U.S Pacific fleet based at Pearl Harbor at the outset of the war with a surprise attack.

VICE ADMIRAL CHUICHI NAGUMO•His fleet assembled in the remote anchorage of Tankan Bay in the Kurile Islands and departed in strictest secrecy for Hawaii on 26 November 1941.

WAR PREPARATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

As the crisis mounted in the Pacific, the Philippines also girded for war. First aid courses were given in all schools and social clubs.

•APRIL 1, 1941 - President Quezon created the Civilian Emergency Administration (CEA), with branches in the provinces and towns.

•JULY 10, 1941- blackout practices were held first in Manila.

•JULY 26, 1941

Lt. Gen. Douglas Macarthur (Military Adviser to the Philippine Commonwealth) was called back to active service by President Roosevelt and took command of the newly- formed United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

PEARL HARBOR ATTACK

• DECEMBER 7, 1941 (7:55 am American Time) - Japan started a surprise attack to US forces at Pearl Harbor (the mightiest U.S. naval base in Hawaii).

•USS ARIZONA (BB-39)

At about 8:10 am, it was mortally wounded by armor piercing bomb which ignited the ship’s forward ammunition magazine.

•USS NEVADA (BB-36)Despite her wounds, managed to get underway and move down the channel toward the open sea.

“A date which will live in infamy”, as US President Roosevelt said.188 destroyed and 159 damaged aircraft, 68 civilians were mostly killed by improperly fused anti-craft shells landing in Honolulu, 1,178 military and civilian wounded.

FIRST JAPANESE ATTACK ON THE PHILIPPINES

A few hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese air squadrons swept Philippine skies.

• DAVAO CITY in MINDANAO- the first point to be bombed at 6:30 am of December 8, 1941.

• DECEMBER 9, 1941- before sunrise the city of Manila experienced its wartime raid. The sleeping residents were awakened by the wailing alarm of the sirens.

JAPANESE INVASION• DECEMBER 10, 1941- the Japanese invaders made their first successful landing at Aparri and Vigan in Northern Luzon.• DECEMBER 20- Japanese landed south in Davao.

• Lt. MASAHARU HOMMA- under his command Japanese forces landed in the Lingayen.

• CAPTAIN JESUS VILLAMOR- shot down one enemy plane, the first Filipino to win the fame in aerial combat and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General MacArthur.

• DECEMBER 11- over Batangas airfield, two Japanese planes were shot down but Villamor lost two men (Lt. Cesar Basa & Lt. Geronimo Aclan).

• APRIL 3, 1942- the Japanese renewed their offensive with fresh troops supported by the heavy artillery, tanks and air attacks, while the American survivors were so weakened by disease and starvation that they were unable to offer any effective resistance.

APRIL 9, 1942- Major General Edward King surrendered his troops to the Japanese.

•Lt. General Wainwright- senior commander who was selected by President Roosevelt to follow MacArthur’s order from Australia to continue the hopeless battle to the end.

DEATH MARCH• APRIL 9, 1942- the infamous “Death March”, 6 days 90 miles which began in Mariveles (the main stage of Death March) terminating at Camp O’Donnell and later moved to Camp Cabanatuan.

The Prisoners of War from the Death March arrived in Camp O’Donnell Capas, Tarlac everyday from April 12, 1942 up to April 24, 1942. More than 50,000 prisoners reach the camp, more or less 15,000 Filipinos and 500 Americans died. All the deaths were the direct result of malnutrition, disease and atrocities commited by the Japanese on the march.

THE FALL OF CORREGIDOR

• MAY 6, 194211,000 defenders of Corregidor held against intense

Japanese bombardment.With some 12,000 shells crashing onto the island

every 24 hours, sleep for the exhausted defenders was virtually impossible.

• GENERAL WAINWRIGHT- ordered the American flag lowered on Corregidor in the hope of avoiding a massacre.

When MacArthur heard in Australia that Wainwright had surrender to the Japanese, he was furious and countermanded the order surrender. But he was ignored. MacArthur responded to the rejection of his order to fight to the death by vindictively refusing to sign a recommendation from the US Army Chief of Staff, General Marshall, that General Wainwright be awarded the Medal of Honor.

THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION

• DECEMBER 7, 1941- Japanese attack Pearl Harbor• DECEMBER 8, 1941- Japanese launched air raids in several cities in the Philippines• DECEMBER 10, 1941- General MacArthur was forced to retreat to Bataan.• JANUARY 2, 1942- Manila was occupied by the Japanese• APRIL 9, 1942- the Fall of Bataan

• OCTOBER 1944- Macarthur with Sergio Osmena gathered enough additional troops and supplies to begin the retaking of the Philippines.

• SEPTEMBER 2, 1945- the Japanese Empire surrender.

• HUK MOVEMENT- founded to fight Japanese organization. Suppresses by the American and Filipino forces.

JAPANESE SPONSORED REPUBLIC

• PRESIDENT MANUEL QUEZON- declared Manila an “open city” and left it under the rule of Jorge B. Vargas (mayor).• JANUARY 2, 1942- Japanese entered Manila and established it as the capital.• MAY 6, 1942- Japan fully captured the Philippines.

• GENERAL MASAHARU HOMMA- dissolved the commonwealth and establishes the Philippine Executive Commission. All political parties were banned except the KALIBAPI (Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas)• PREPARATORY COMMISSION for INDEPENDENCE- consisting 20 Kalibapi members led by Jose P. Laurel • CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION- the puppet government of the Japanese led by President Laurel only by name.

JAPANESE OPERATIONAL PLANThe Japanese knew that if the

Philippines were lost then the war was also lost. Like many previous Japanese operational plans it depends on the use of a decoy forces. The Japanese carriers were now all but impotent for lack of trained aircrew, and were therefore the ships selected to play the most important decoy role.

The Japanese Navy made its final effort to defeat the U.S. fleet with carrier- borne aircraft. The Japanese aircrew were so poorly trained that they were massacred by the American forces and equipment that so superior

BATTLE OF THE PHILIPPINE SEA

GENERAL MCARTHUR felt an obligation to the Filipino people and to himself to redeem his solemn promise to return and liberate the Philippines. He was provided with 174,000 troops. McArthur then formed the US Eight Army under Major General Eichelberger who was to relieve Major General Krueger of the US 6th Army.

LIBERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES

On October 20, 1944, under heavy monsoon, McArthur over Leyte, spoke over the microphone and broadcast his personal message to the Filipino people. He:“People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand against on the Philippine soil. – soil so consecrated by the blood of our two peoples.”

On the other side, the Japanese were not impressed of the McArthur’s word or by his accomplishments. By early December, his troops landed in the West coast of Leyte went off without loss of life; General Yamashita was prepared to give up the island without fight. The tide of war has reversed and the Japanese were on the run.

The Hunters- PMA, ROTC Guerrilla met the US Eight Army in the beach of Nasugbu – and mounted a joint – liberation of Southern Luzon with other guerrilla units. The Japanese fought furiously in order to preserved Manila but they failed. •FEBRUARY 23, 1945- Manila was finally recovered from the Japanese.

ATOMIC BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA

• AUGUST 6, 1945- B-29 bomber named Enola Gay primary target was the city of Hiroshima. Hiroshima had a civilian population of almost 300,000 and was an important military center, containing about 43,000 soldiers.

• COLONEL PAUL TIBBETS- the commander of the 509th Composite Group who piloted the bomber.

At approximately 8:15 am, the Enola Gay released “Little Boy”, 9,700-pound uranium bomb over the city. 43 seconds later, a huge explosion lit the morning sky as Little Boy detonated 1,900 feet above the city, directly over a parade field where soldiers of the Japanese Second Army were doing calisthenics.

• END of 1945- the Hiroshima death toll was probably over 100,000. The five-year death total have reached or even exceeded 200,000, as cancer and other long-term effects took hold. • AUGUST 6 (11 am)- radio stations playing prepared statement from President Truman informing the American public that the US had dropped an entirely new type of bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan- an “atomic bomb”. Truman warned that if Japan still refused to surrender unconditionally, the US would attack additional targets with equally devastating results.

• AUGUST 9TH- American aircraft were showering leaflets all over Japan informing its people that “We are in possession of the most destructive explosion ever devised by man. A single one of our newly developed atomic bombs is actually the equivalent in explosive power to what 2,000 of our giant B-29 can carry on a single mission. This awful fact is one for you to ponder and we solemnly assure you it is grimly accurate. We have just begun to use this weapon against your homeland. If you still doubt, make inquiry as to what happened to Hiroshima, when just one atomic bomb fell on that city.”

•“FAT MAN”- the plutonium weapon that was destined for the city of Nagasaki.

ATOMIC BOMBING OF NAGASAKI

Truman’s order of July 25th had authorized the dropping of additional bombs “Fat Man” as soon as they were ready.

• AUGUST 9, 1945 (3:47am)- a B-29 named “Bock’s Car” headed toward the primary target: Kokura Arsenal (a massive collection of war industries adjacent to the city of Kokura).

• 11:02 am- at an altitude of 1,650 feet, Fat Man exploded over Nagasaki. Fat Man exploded with greater force than Little Boy, the damage at Nagasaki was not as great as it had been at Hiroshima. The hills of Nagasaki, its geographic layout, and the bomb’s detonation over an industrial area all helped shield portions of the city from the weapon’s blast, heat and radiation effects. On the 52,000 homes in Nagasaki, 14,000 were destroyed and 5,400 more seriously damaged.• AUGUST 15, 1945- with the catastrophic devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrender. • SEPTEMBER 2, 1945- the declaration of surrender was signed on board the battleship Missouri at Tokyo Bay. This day was commemorated as V-J Day or Japan Day.

LT. GENERAL YAMASHITA- popularly called “Tiger of Malaya” formally surrenders to Major General E.H. Leavy (Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces in Western Pacific).

ECONOMIC CONDITION UNDER

JAPANESE RULE

The economic activities during the occupation of the Japanese were limited. Rice production were limited in supply were taken by the Japanese military officials to feed their men. President Laurel appealed to the people to plant in their backyard some vegetables to alleviate hunger. •Cigarette – papaya dried leaves•Coffee – uncooked rice being toasted to dark brown pounded then boiled and served hot•Tea – mango leaves was used to substitute

AGRICULTURE

Cars, trucks and other means of transportation were confiscated by the Japanese. In exchange, the owners will receive a piece of paper with no value but a mere cigarette paper.

TRANSPORTATION

The Japanese government issued a fiat currency in several denominations known as Philippine fiat money. The natives called the fiat peso as “Mickey Mouse Money” because of its similarity to play money and next to worthless.

MICKEY MOUSE MONEY

The worst consequence of the Japanese occupation was the long term social division. These social divisions include the very prominent divisions between the wealthy few and the poor majority, which led to unrest and disorder later in the Philippines. The life of Filipinos during Japanese rule was so miserable, pathetic, uncomfortable and full of fears.• Kempeitai (military police) – common violators of civil rights, they abuse women. • Slapping – was the common punishment for failure to salute the sentry.• Water cure – one of the brutal punishments. The prisoners were forced to lie flat on his back, forced his mouth to open and then water was poured into his mouth until his stomach was filled with water and about to burst. • Electric wire – put into the naked body of the helpless prisoner

SOCIAL CONDITION UNDER JAPANESE RULE

CULTUTRAL DEVELOPMENT UNDER JAPANESE OCCUPATION

Although, many Filipinos suffered financial difficulties and abuses, there were still some forms of entertainment like comedies. There were theaters where pre- war American films were shown before they were censored by the Japanese authorities. There were also films made by the Japanese whose stories glorified the Japanese war machines and way of life.

ENTERTAINMENT

•Dramatic Philippines Incorporated – brought to the stage some popular plays in English that were translated into Tagalog like Golden Boy, Sa Pula, Sa Puti, Isang Kuwaltang Abaka, the Husband of Mrs. Cruz and Julius Caesar.

Despite those form of amusement, there are still many Filipinos who are involved in vices. Smoking, cockfighting, dice games, mahjong, jueteng and other card games became common pastimes

Japanese propagated Tagalog as National language. In all forms of literature, they discouraged Filipinos from writing in English language. The teaching and propagation of Nippongo was made part of their educational policy. Even stage plays in English were adopted into Tagalog. Journalists using English were being suppressed making them write in Tagalog while Japanese helped the writers in Tagalog to rediscover the beauty and potentialities of the native language.

LANGUAGE

The Japanese educational policy was embodied in Military Order No. 2. Its basic point is the propagation of Filipino culture; dissemination of the principle of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere; the spiritual rejuvenation of the Filipinos; the teaching and propagation of Nippongo; the diffusion of vocational and elementary education; and the promotion of love to labor. The aim of this educational policy is to erase the western and cultural influences.

On June 1942, public elementary schools were reopening. Pupils are not interested because of their doubt to the Japanese intention and they have to help their parents to their livelihood.

EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM UNDER IMPERIAL JAPAN