"The phrase "I'll be back" gained popularity many years before the Terminator movie hit theatres. In 1942, it was spoken by Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the Philippine defenses, after breaking through to Australia on a torpedo boat. He and his forces did not hold back the Japanese and were forced to retreat. On October 20th, 1944, he walked off a landing ship onto the Philippine island of Leyte, shoulder to shoulder with his soldiers. Slowly but surely, island after island, the Japanese invaders were squeezed out of the archipelago.
On January 9th, 1945, American forces landed in Luzon, the main island. The prelude to the battle for the capital, Manila, has begun.
Tanks in Luzon, Japanese View
Yoshiharu Iwanaka's 2nd Tank Division was ready to meed the Americans in the Philippines. It contained about 200 tanks, mostly Type 97 Chi-Ha and Shinhoto Chi-Ha, but also a few light Type 95 Ha-Go and obsolete Type 89s. In October of 1944, the division lost two tank companies (about 30 vehicles) which were sent to Leyte to defend against the American invasion.
The commander of the Japanese defenses of the Philippines, Tomoyuki Yamashita, understood that defending against the American invasion is an unrealistic task. However, he planned on lasting as long as possible to allow the main forces to retreat into the mountains, where dealing with them would be much more difficult…"
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