Visayan Force

Visayan Force is a US Forces in the Philippines subcommand which was created and took effect on March 17, 1942, after General Douglas MacArthur departed for Australia. It was disintegrated in the month after its creation due to the loss of contact of Visayan Force headquarters during the Japanese invasion of Cebu in April 16 to 19, 1942, it resorted to guerilla warfare. Eventually all forces in the Visayas was ordered to surrender on May 11, 1942.

Background
Back on March 4 General Bradford Chynoweth commander of 61st Infantry Division in Panay was advised that the Visayas-Mindanao Force was to split into two different commands and he will command the Visayan Force with headquarters in Cebu. He was ordered to transfer to Cebu island and take over the command of all garrisons in the Visayas Islands. He boarded a vessel for Negros accompanied by his aid Lieutenant Gordon Benson his aide and Major Dwight Deter. They took motor transport provided by Colonel Roger Hilsman the commander of the island and boarded a small ferry crossing Tañon Strait and landed in Toledo, Cebu. Almost caught as he was just got off the boat and already a few meters away, when a Japanese destroyer appeared and bombarded both Toledo and San Carlos ports.

Headquarters and Staffs
General Bradford setup his headquarters at Camp X and Bureau of Forestry compound in Cantabaco, inside the cross central highway of Cebu. He was promised of officers from Luzon will be provided to fill his staffs, however due to intensified Japanese Naval and Air activities in the Visayas sea nothing materialized. He brought along Major Dwight Deter who was the 61st Division surgeon and later Captain Thomas Powell Jr followed after finishing the construction of the air field in Iloilo followed in Cebu to form the core staff. He made Major James Cushing a mining engineer before the war joined Force staff and absorbed Major Ernest V. Jordan as Force Operations Officer G3 who was operations officer of Cebu Brigade and Captain Floyd Hawks was a medical officer who setup field hospital in Camp X. In April 25 he ordered Colonel Roger Hilsman Sr., to moved to Cebu to act as his Chief of Staff.


 * Chief of Staff - Colonel Roger Hilsman (April 7 - 9, 1942)
 * Aide de Camp - Lieutenant Gordon Benson
 * HQ & HQ Battalion Commandant - Captain William Dilworth Miner
 * Camp X Communication Officer - Petty Officer Cecil E. Wilson, USN
 * Camp X Quartermaster - Captain Jens K. Jensen
 * Adjutant and S1
 * Intelligence S2 - Captain Duane Cosper
 * Operations S3 - Major Ernest V. Jordan
 * Supply S4 - Captain William R. English
 * Quartermaster - Captain Leon Howell
 * Artillery Officer
 * Engineer Officer - Major James Cushing
 * Captain Henry Talmadge
 * Finance Officer
 * Medical Officer - Major Dwight Deter, MD
 * Judge Advocate General
 * Inspector General

Panay Force
Under this command 61st Infantry Division Chynoweth former unit now under Brigadier General Albert F. Christie in Panay with only 63rd Infantry Regiment left as three were moved to Mindanao, they organized two new infantry regiments 64th and 65th later renamed to 61st Provisional and 62nd Provisional same as those of 61st and 62nd already in Mindanao. Panay Force has reached to 8,000 men.

Negros Force
When 71st Infantry Division was ordered to Luzon in September 1, 1941 only 73rd Infantry was left to defend the island. In January 73rd was ordered to transfer to Mindanao leaving no combat units in the island which consist of two provinces (Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental). Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Gador commander of the 7th Military District took the initiative to organized two infantry regiments 74th Infantry Regiment which Major Sam Jones was left behind by 73rd to commandthe new unit. Later on 75th Infantry Regiment was formed under Major Tiburcio Ballesteros but it could not complete a 3rd battalion due to lack of weapons. VMF HQ sent former Davao Force commander Colonel Roger Hilsman to command. In April Chynoweth ordered Hilsman to transfer to Cebu to take a new role as Visayan Force Chief of Staff so he can rest and recuperate with his illness. He ordered Colonel Carter McClennan from Panay to transfer to Negros to take command. The two infantry regiments 74th and 75th, it has reached 2,500 men and deployed and assigned sector to defend.

Cebu Force
Cebu force under Colonel Irvine Schudder he had 808th Military Police Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Howard Edmands, 82nd Infantry Regiment (less 2nd Battalion) under Colonel Emigdio David in Argao and 83rd Infantry Regiment (less 1st Battalion) under Colonel Fortunato Borbon later Lieutenant Colonel Rufus Rogers. These units comprised the Cebu Brigade. Small Navy Detachment under LCdmr. Slimmons, USN based in Mactan Island. The defense of Cebu island is very crucial not just the Visayan Force HQ is located, but also it also host Army Transport Service and its facilities under Colonel John D. Cook in the island which is under the direct command of USFIP in Corregidor. Cebu has 6,500 from Army, Air Forces, and Navy.

Bohol Force
Bohol under Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Grimes who has 1st Battalion 83rd Infantry, Bohol PC Company under Captain Ingiñero, and volunteers. In April Ingiñero took over the command of Bohol as Colonel Grimes was ordered by Chynoweth to transfer to Cebu to bolster defense of Cantabaco from east coast.

Leyte-Samar Force
Leyte and Samar Islands under Colonel Theodore Cornell, with Samar Brigade gone to Mindanao to bolster its defense, he organized Leyte Provisional Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Juan Causing. Lack of rifles and ammunitions, no artillery pieces in the entire islands was the most pressing problem with all these garrisons. The garrison consist of 2,500 officers and men.

Operation Baus Au (Get it Back/Revenge)
While Chynoweth was commander of 61st Division he started the Operation Baus Au derived by local language for get back or revenge. It was hoarding weapons, ammunitions, food, and supplies to the mountains so his men can long guerilla campaign. When he arrived in Cebu he found the defenses are not adequate and wanted to implemented Operation Baus Au to all garrisons in the Visayas Islands. He directed Colonel John D. Cook to move all the food and other supplies up into the mountains.

Combat narratives
After the capitulation of Luzon Force in Bataan, 14th Imperial Japanese Army under Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu now trained their sight on the tiny island of Corregidor and able to spare units for Visayas and Mindanao. Kawamura detachment under Major General Kawamura was to take Panay and Kawaguchi detachment to invade Cebu. As soon as Kawamura and Kawaguchi detachments secure Panay and Cebu islands, 10th Independent Garrison will take over and will make both detachments available for invasion of Mindanao.

Cebu landings
In April 9, Kawaguchi Detachment landed in southern parts of Cebu island, Pinamungajan in the west coast, Sibonga and Talisay in east coast. They moved towards the central part of the island where Camp X is located. 82nd Infantry Regiment (less 2nd Battalion) under Colonel Emigdio David who is located in Argao town fought the Japanese on both coasts. 1st Battalion 83rd Infantry under Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Grimes who was moved from Bohol few days ago to cover Talisay to prevent Japanese drive to Cantabaco, they were tasked to repulse any attempt of the Japanese but the battalion was not able to get on their post as ordered and the Colonel Grimes was killed on the ambush while reconnoitering the area. After realizing the island defense plan was not working and Japanese will reach Camp X in few hours, and 83rd Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Rufus Rogers posted in the northern town of Liloan failed to send reinforcements to Cantabaco on time. Chynoweth ordered the withdrawal to the mountains of Cebu Sierra Madre. In this Chynoweth lost contact to all units in other islands so General Wainwright on April 19, 1942, ordered General Sharp in Mindanao to reconstitute the Visayas-Mindanao Force to command the other garrisons in the Visayas.

Panay landings
Kawamura detachment left Lingayen, Pangasinan and landed in Panay island in three different points on April 16, 1942. General Christie did not put up a fight on the beaches due to lack of coast battery guns and ammunitions. The 61st Division has a very well stacked in their mountain retreat and can operate for there. His troops resorted ambuscades and nightly raids in Iloilo City, San Jose town in Antique, and Capiz town in Capiz. 10th Independent Garrison replaced the detachment for them to prepare for Mindanao. With the seizure of Panay and Cebu the combat operations in the Visayas is practically over.

Surrender
On May 10, 1942 orders from Visayas-Mindanao Force headquarters in Bukidnon was received by all garrison commanders of Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, and Leyte-Samar. Colonel Christie was skeptics of the order as Sharp has no authority in the Visayas Forces. Some Filipino unit commanders questioned the order as General Wainwright is now technically a POW and he ordered it under duress. General Sharp sent Colonel Allen Thayer to Panay and Lieutenant Colonel Jessie Traywick to Negros to confer his order will be followed. In May 12, all units and garrisons of Visayas islands has cease their operations. However, not all units surrendered Lieutenant Colonel Macario Peralta led guerilla forces in Panay, Majors Salvador Abcede and Ernesto Mata led guerilla warfare in Negros. Lieutenant Colonel James Cushing led Guerilla movement in Cebu. Lieutenant Colonel Ruperto Kangleon who escaped prison in Mindanao and travelled back to Leyte to start guerilla warfare. All of American soldiers who surrendered were moved to Palawan and in Luzon. Healthy ones are transferred to Japan and the sickly prisoners where incarcerated in POW camp in Cabanatuan.

Post-War
Philippine Army did not reactivated the Visayas Force, however Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) activate Visayas command in 1980s to command Army, Navy, and Air Forces units in Visayas Islands with Headquarters in Camp Lapulapu, Cebu. It was renamed to Central Command in 2000 but returned to Visayas Command (Viscom) in 2021 which is led by a three star officer.