Operation Montclair
The operation Montclair was the code name for the final version of the overall plan for the recapture of the Visayas - and Mindanao Islands in the Philippine archipelago and Borneo and the Dutch East Indies during the Pacific War . The plan, which was approved for implementation in April 1945, was ultimately only partially carried out with the Australian oboe operations against Borneo and the US Victor operations in the Philippine archipelago.
Develop the plan
After General Douglas MacArthur was withdrawn from the Philippines in March 1942, he was appointed Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) . In this role, MacArthur and his task force at his headquarters ( GHQ ) in Australia worked out several revised plans that provided for an advance of the Allied troops over the north coast of New Guinea towards the Philippines. These were the so-called RENO plans .
After the liberation of New Guinea , the move was to be made to the southern Philippines. MacArthur worked out plans for this early on, which then ultimately led to Operation Montclair .
Montclair's predecessors were Operations Cringle, Princeton, and Operation Musketeer.
The Montclair Plan was ultimately only partially carried out with the Australian oboe operations against Borneo and the US Victor operations in the Philippine archipelago.
Operation Cringle
This was the Allied basic plan for the retaking of Mindanao Island and the Visayas Group in the Japanese-occupied Philippine archipelago, Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. The operation Cringle was originally scheduled for summer 1943rd The plan was then turned into Operation Princeton .
Operation Princeton
Operation Princeton was the code name under the Reno V program for plans to retake the Japanese-held Philippine Islands and the Dutch East Indies.
It was General Douglas MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Area as a joint operation of the United States and Australia planned.
- The 8th US Army of Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger received the part of the operation to conquer the Visayas.
- The Australian I. Corps of Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead received the Borneo part.
Originally it was planned that in the pristine parts of the Philippine archipelago the removal of the Japanese garrisons would be carried out by Philippine guerrilla forces , supported by the newly formed Philippine army . On February 6, 1944, MacArthur Eichelberger ordered, however, with his 8th Army, supported by Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid's 7th Fleet , to raise the Japanese forces in the Philippine archipelago.
This led to the five Victor operations . At the same time, the Australian I. Corps was supposed to recapture Borneo and thus facilitate the supply of the US armed forces with oil for the invasion of Japan . After the liberation of Borneo, the Australian I. Corps was to become part of the Allied forces in order to retake Java .
The plans were first ausrecherchiert and prepared before the operation Musketeer transferred and then its final version as plans for Montclair and oboe were released (1943-44).
Operation Musketeer
Prior to the start of the Mike operations for the US Forces, which were to advance into the northern parts of the Philippine archipelago, the basic Musketeer plan was refined as Musketeer II in early 1944 and then fully defined as Musketeer III .
The final version of Musketeer II for landings on the islands of Leyte , Luzon and Mindanao in the King , Mike and Victor series were approved on September 26 and October 13, 1944.
According to the plan, on December 15, the American forces would take an important beachhead on the southern part of Mindoro Island off the southwest coast of Luzon Island. This step was considered necessary because the poor weather conditions continued to hinder the construction of air bases and the associated flight operations on the island of Leyte for Operation King II and so only little air support would be available for Operation Mike I , the landing on Luzon. The only slightly defended main islands of the Visayas Islands ( Panay , Negros , Masbate , Cebu and Bohol ) would be secured at the same time. The entire operation was originally planned for December 20, 1944.
A total of two army headquarters , four corps (including the Australian) and 14 divisions (including two Australian) were earmarked for this operation.
Associated operations
The oboe operations
The oboe consisted of six planned operations of which only three were carried out. They were used for the reconquest of Borneo by the Australian I. Corps.
Oboe I.
This was the Australian conquest of the island of Tarakan in Japanese-occupied Borneo as part of the Montclair Plan (carried out from May 1 to June 24, 1945).
Oboe II
This was the Australian conquest of Balikpapan at the southern end of the east side of Borneo as part of the Montclair Plan (carried out from July 1 to 10, 1945).
Oboe VI
This was the Australian conquest of Brunei Bay on the northwest corner of Japanese-occupied Borneo as the last Australian contribution to the Montclair Plan (executed June 10 through July 1, 1945).
The Victor operations
Victor I
This was the American and Filipino recapture of Panay Island and the Negros Occidental region in Negros in the Visayas archipelago of the Philippine archipelago by Major General Rapp Brush's 40th Division with the 503rd Parachute Infantry as a reserve from Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger's 8th Army (→ Battle of the Visayas from March 18 to June 12, 1945).
Victor II
This was the US and Filipino recapture of Cebu Island, Bohol Island and the southeastern part of Negros Island in the Visayas group of the Philippine Archipelago by Major General William H. Arnold's 23rd Division of Lieutenant General's 8th Army Robert L. Eichelberger (→ Battle of the Visayas from March 26 to April 20, 1945).
Victor III
This was the US and Philippine recapture of the islands of Palawan , Busuanga and Balabac in the southeastern part of the Philippine archipelago by units of the 41st Division of Major General Jens A. Doe of the 8th Army from Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger (→ Battle of Palawan from February 28 to April 22, 1945).
Victor IV
This was the American and Filipino conquest of the Zamboanga peninsula on the western tip of the island of Mindanao in the group of the Philippine Islands by units of the 41st Division of Major General Jens A. Doe of the 8th Army of Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger (→ Battle of Mindanao from March 10-25, 1945).
Victor V
This was the reconquest of the eastern part of the island of Mindanao by the USA and the Philippines in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago by the 8th Army of Lieutenant General Robert L. Eichelberger (→ Battle of Mindanao from March 10th to August 15th, 1945).
Operations planned but not executed
Operation oboe
Oboe III
This was an unrealized Allied plan for the Australian 9th Division of Major General George F. Wootten of the Australian I Corps. In May 1945 an infantry brigade was supposed to land in Banjarmasin at the eastern end of the south coast of Japanese-occupied Borneo.
Oboe IV
This was the unrealized plan of the Allies for the Australian reconquest of the area in and around Surabaya on the island of Java in the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies by the Australian I. Corps in May 1945.
Oboe v
This was an unrealized Allied plan for units of the Australian I Corps to completely retake Borneo. In addition, the Allied influence on other islands of the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies was to be increased and consolidated after other oboe operations were completed. The entire concept planned for May 1945 became superfluous with the capitulation of Japan in August.
Operation King
This was an unrealized US plan for an amphibious assault to subsequently recapture the islands of Mindanao and Leyte in the Japanese-occupied Philippine archipelago as the first step in General Douglas MacArthur's Musketeer II plan and for the recapture of the Philippine archipelago. The plan was drawn up in late summer 1944.
King I was to take place on November 15 at the southern end of Mindanao Island, King II against Leyte Island on December 20, and King III against the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao on December 7, 1944.
After the reconnaissance indicated that the Japanese defense of the Philippines was not as strong as expected, the operations were canceled or later transferred to new Victor operations .
Operation Gossipmonger
This was an unrealized US plan for the conquest of the Talaud Islands, which lie between the Moluccas of the Japanese-occupied Dutch East Indies and Mindanao in the Japanese-occupied Philippine archipelago.
At the Octagon Conference , however, the schedule for the return to the Philippine archipelago was brought forward and when a reconnaissance by Alamo Scouts on September 20 and 21, 1944 determined that there were around 1,000 Japanese troops on the island, the invasion was canceled.
Operation Peter
This was the unrealized original plan of the Allies for the reconquest of Borneo from Japanese hands, which was finally refined and partially implemented as part of the oboe series of operations .
Individual proof
The article is based on the website listed below by Christopher (Chris) Chant, author at Osprey Publishing . About the author see here .
- ↑ Christopher Chant: Montclair | Operations & Codenames of WWII. Retrieved June 20, 2020 (English).