Japanese invasion of Cebu
On April 14, 1942 Kawaguchi Detachment who just landed in Lingayen, Pangasinan intended as reinforcement of the 14th Imperial Japanese Army to finally subdue Philippine-American forces in Bataan. However, General King surrendered days earlier before they arrived. Instead, General Homma Masaharu commander of 14th Army ordered them south to secure Cebu island in the Visayas intended as launching place for invasion of Mindanao after it is secured.
| Japanese Invasion of Cebu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Empire of Japan |
United States of America
| ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Kawaguchi Kiyotake |
Bradford Chynoweth | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Ground units:
|
"Ground units":
Philippine Constabulary
| ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 4,500 | 6,500 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 500 | 1,000 | ||||||||
The island garrison was neutralized after a few days of fighting as they lacked artillery guns, no anti-aircraft guns, no antitank guns, and limited ammunition. The forces retreated but did not surrender until ordered to do so by General Sharp on May 10, 1942.