APPENDIX A
PANAY WARTIME CHRONOLOGY
by Toshimi Kumai
Dec 18 1941 First bombing of Iloilo City by 36 Japanese airplanes. (At that time, the USAFFE's 61st Division was in Panay Island, commanded by Brig. Gen. Chynoweth. It was composed of the 61st to the 65th Regiments, including transport and engineer battalions and other units).
Feb 1942 The 61st and 62nd Infantry Regiments (USAFFE) moved to Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao Island
Mar 1942 The 61st Division Commander Brig. Gen. Chynoweth was appointed as the Commander of the HQs in Cebu city.
Mar 1942 The 61st Division Chief of Staff, Col. Albert F. Christie, promoted to Brigadier General, was appointed as commanding general of the 61st Division.
Mar 1942 In Panay Island, a USAFFE force of around 8,000 (i.e. the 63rd, 64th, and 65th Infantry Regiments and another temporary regiment) was formed.
Mar 1942 470 Japanese residents were interned in San Enrique Elementary School in Passi.
Apr 1942 USAFFE Division Headquarters was moved to Misi village of Lambunao town: Position was at Mt. Baloy: Engaged in Scorched Earth Policy
Apr 3 to 9 1942 2nd All-out assault of Bataan Peninsula)
Apr 12 1942 Kawamura Detachment for the assault of Panay left Lingayen Gulf in ten transport ships. The Detachment Commander, Maj. Gen. Saburo Kawamura, was the commander of 9th Brigade of the 5th Division. The main force (the 41st Infantry Regiment of Fukuyama City and the 33rd Battalion of 10th Independent Garrison) was under Commander Lt. Col. Yasumi Seno.
Apr 16 1942 Kawamura Detachment landed at Trapiche, Oton, at 2 a.m. The 2nd Company of Seno unit, commanded by 1st Lt. Bunsaku Takayama landed, together with the Miyamoto unit, at Baybay Beach, 3 km. north of Capiz, Capiz Province.
Apr 17 1942 The 1st Company of the Seno unit landed at Hamtic, proceeded south to San Jose, Antique Province (commanded by 1st Lt. Osamu Nonomura )
Apr 18 Apr 24 Apr. 30 May 6 May 19
Apr 18 1942 Capt. Chaves of the 1st Battalion, 63rd Infantry Regiment; USAFFE fought against part of the Kawamura Detachment at Mt. Dila-dila.
Apr 24 1942 The Japanese residents, interned at San Enrique Elementary School of Passi, were liberated.
Apr 30 1942 The Kawamura Detachment left Iloilo harbor for the assault of Cagayan, Mindanao.
May 6 1942 Capture of Corregidor
May 19 1942 Lt. Col. Allan Thayer, staff officer of the USFIP, arrived at Cabatuan Airfield in order to coordinate the surrender of the USAFFE in Panay.
May 24 1942 Division Commander Christie and 1,800 men surrendered to the Japanese force.
May 26 1942 A US major surrendered to the Takahashi Company of the Japanese Army at Daja, Maasin.
Jun 10 1942 Lt. Col. Peralta formed the Free Panay Force at Mt. Agtagus, Calinog.
Jun 16 1942 Military Administration established in Panay: Chief of Iloilo Branch was Capt. Mihara
Aug 20 1942 Panay Joint Memorial Ceremony for those killed in action was held by the Seno unit
Aug 24 1942 Commander Seno reported to Manila Headquarters, 'Peace and order is good in Panay.'
Aug 24 1942 The Guerrilla Forces started all-out assault against the Japanese Garrison; branches at Janiuay, Cabatuan, Passi, Dueñas, and Calinog were attacked.
Aug 29 1942 Train exploded by dynamite of the guerrillas at Man-it, Passi : 1st Lt Matao Asahi killed in action.
End of Sep 1942 Free Panay Guerrilla force reconstituted the same administrative organization as that before the war.
Sep 26 1942 Total force of Free Panay reached 8,000.
Sep 26 1942 The 11th Independent Garrison for guard duty in the Visayas area was formed (36th, 37th Battalions of Independent Infantry); the 38th and 39th Independent Infantry Battalions were later formed in Saigon, Indo-China.
Oct 9 1942 The 37th Independent Infantry Battalion (Commander Maj. Fukutome) boarded the Kiso Maru, and left Manila Harbor. The 36th Independent Infantry Battalion left Manila around the same time for Leyte
Oct 12 1942 Landed in Iloilo around 4:00 p.m.
Oct 15 1942 The 37th Independent Infantry Battalion (Tanabe Platoon of 1st Company, Yokoo Machine Gun Squad of 3rd Company) took over Pototan Garrison from the 4th Company of the Seno Force
Oct 18 1942 1st Lt. Yoshida of unit HQs was injured by a guerrilla ambush on his way to Zarraga.
Oct 19 1942 Withdrew Pototan Garrison at midnight. Main force of Seno unit moved to San Jose, Antique Province
Toward the end of Oct 1942 3rd Company took over Santa Barbara Garrison from Seno Force. From then on the Guerrilla force started all-out assault of Santa Barbara Garrison
Nov 20 1942 Panay Mopping-up Operations started.
2 companies of the 63rd Line of Communications garrison unit (headed by Lt. Col. Miyoshi), plus the Maeda Tank Platoon and Koizumi Field Gun Platoon arrived as reinforcements
Dec 1 1942 Unit Commander Seno transferred out to the Sakhalin Regiment HQs.
Dec 1 1942 In the beginning of December: Lt. Col. Ryoichi Tozuka arrived at Iloilo, succeeding Maj. Fukutome, who had become mentally unstable
Dec 1942 Controlled/Occupied most of Iloilo Province through the Mopping-up Operation
1943 Around Jan 6 Jan 18 At the end of Jan Feb 10 Feb 20 Apr 8 Apr 30 To the end of May
Around Jan 6 1943 The 38th Independent Infantry Battalion (Kinoshita force) arrived at Capiz, Capiz Province and joined the mopping-up operation.
Jan 18 1943 Having suppressed the guerrillas of Mt. Dila-dila and Mt. Baloy, the mopping-up campaign ended.
At the end of Jan 1943 2 km. north of Janiuay, a truck of the unit returning from the campaign went missing at night, dynamited by guerrillas.
Feb 10 1943 Governor Caram tried to persuade Guerrilla Governor Confessor to surrender, but he refused.
Feb 20 1943 Guerrillas ambushed the Supreme Army Commander of the Philippines, Lt. Gen. Tanaka around three kilometers south of Lambunao. An eye of the kempei master sergeant guarding the commander was seriously injured.
Apr 8 1943 Maj. Gen. Takeshi Kono took over from Maj. Gen. Yasushi Inoue as commander of the 11th Independent Garrison; the latter was blamed for the attack on the Army Commander Tanaka
Apr 30 1943 A US submarine carried out the first supply mission of weaponry, ammunition and communication equipment to the guerrillas, off the shores of Libertad and Pandan in Antique (USS Gudgeon)
To the end of May 1943 Lt. Col. Hidemi Watanabe arrived at Cebu as new staff of the garrison.
To the end of May 1943 (The guerrilla force had 1,108 officers and 15,232 non-commissioned officers (NCO) and 6th Military District men; the headquarters was at Sara, Brigade Headquarters at Barotac Viejo; RM5, the wireless station communicating with MacArthur's headquarters was set at Mt. Nacron in Alfonso Doce in the western part of Capiz Province)
Jul 7 1943 Joint punitive operations of Panay Island started.
Jul to Aug 1943 Punitive operations in the Bocari, Tigbauan, Alimodian areas
Aug 19 1943 A US submarine carried out the second supply mission to the guerrillas with weaponry, ammunition and so on. (USS Grayling)
Sep 1 to 5 1943 Punitive operations north of Guimaras Island
From Sep 7 1943 Punitive operations at Passi, Barotac Viejo, Ajuy, Sara and East Capiz Province
Oct 14 1943 Independence of the Philippines
Towards the end of Oct 1943 Punitive operations at Banga, Balete, Alfonso Doce, Mt. Nacron also reached Kalibo.
Nov 15 1943 Lt. Kumai left New Washington Harbor for the mopping-up operations in Tablas Island
Nov 15 1943 The Philippines Independence Parade at Kalibo, Capiz Province.
Nov 16 1943 The 11th Independent Garrison was formed into the 31st Independent Mixed Brigade; Brig. Commander Maj. Gen. Takeshi Kono; the 37th Independent Infantry Battalion was reorganized into the 170th Independent Infantry Battalion.
Beginning of Dec. Punitive operations covered around a 300-km. radius; New Washington, Banga, Libacao, Tapaz, Janiuay, Cabatuan, and Iloilo
Dec 31 The joint punitive operations in Panay ended.
Dec 20 The 4Th Company of the Tozuka unit (led by Capt. Makoto Yoshioka) took over from the Taga unit guarding Antique Province. The Taga unit left Iloilo Harbor to take over garrison duty in Mindanao.
Feb 5 1944 A US submarine carried out the third supply mission to the guerrillas with weaponry and ammunition and so on, offshore of Pandan, Antique. (USS Narwhal)
Mid-Feb 1944 During the fighting near Tigbauan and Leon (Iloilo), 38 carbine rifles were captured. [actually .30 caliber carbines... check with Yukaj
Mar 1944 Punitive operation on the guerrillas in the area of Mt. Dila-dila, and in the mountains west of Lambunao, Iloilo
Mar 21 1944 A US submarine evacuated 56 Americans who remained in Panay to Australia; supplied guerrillas with weaponry and ammunition (USS Angler)
Mid April 1944 16th Division commander (General Shiro Makino) moved to Leyte. The 31st Independent Mixed Brigade was under the command of 16th Division. Division Commander General Makino visited Iloilo for the first time.
Beginning of May 1944 Started the Joint Punitive Expedition in order to capture the wireless sets of the guerrillas upon the request of the Combined Fleet; the 169th Independent Infantry Battalion came to Panay from Bohol Island on a cruiser; mopping up operations at Mt. Dila-dila and Mt. Baloy area; the 169th battalion mopped up east of Iloilo Province.
Towards the end of May 1944 Landed at Tibiao for the mopping-up of northern Antique Province.
Beginning to Mid-June 1944 From then on, mopping-up operations in Tibiao and south of Culasi, Antique.
June 15 1944 The 31st Independent Infantry Brigade was transformed into the 102nd Division, whose main force was made up of eight battalions. The Division Commander was Lt. Gen. Shimpei Fukue; the 77th Infantry Brigade Commander Maj. Gen. Takeshi Kono.
June 22 1944 A US submarine landed and supplied the guerrillas 100 tons of weaponry and ammunition, at Bitadton Beach, Culasi, Antique. (USS Narwhal)
July 28 1944 The 35th Army set up headquarters at Cebu City, commanded by Lt. Gen. Munesaku Suzuki.
Beginning of Aug 1944 The 102nd Division moved to Iloilo city from Cebu City; the headquarters was set up in Iloilo High School; Tozuka unit moved its headquarters to the Iloilo City Hall.
Aug 16 1944 A US submarine supplied the guerrillas with weaponry such as 81 mm mortars and ammunition.80

80 There is no listing of a submarine landing in Panay at that time, though supplies may have come from a submarine landing in Negros or somewhere offshore nearby. Two other submarine landings took place later: on September 30, 1944 (USS Nautilus) and December 5, 1944 (USS Hake)
Sep 14 1944 The first bombing of Iloilo by 50 Grumman carrier planes of the US Navy.
Oct 16 1944 Great Victory was announced about the air battle off Taiwan
Oct 20 1944 US Forces landed on Leyte.
Oct 27 1944 Headquarters of 102nd Division left Iloilo Harbor for Leyte.
Towards the end of Oct 1944 The 170st(?) Independent Infantry Battalion moved to Leyte. The 2nd Company of the same battalion at Bohol Island moved to Capiz.
Mid-Nov 1944 Withdrawal operation of the 2nd Company (Capiz garrison). Withdrawal operation of the 4th Company (Patnogon, Antique garrison).
Around Oct. 25 1944 San Miguel garrison annihilated.
Towards the end of Nov 1944 Zarraga garrison annihilated.
Dec 15 1944 US Forces landed on Mindoro Island.
Jan 25 1945 The 3rd Company (Pavia garrison) annihilated. All-out assault of Iloilo City by the guerrillas, causing severe damage at Balantang, Jaro. Guerrillas also besieged garrisons in other areas.
Feb 1945 Rice-harvesting operation in the suburbs of Jaro. (Comparison of the Guerrilla and Japanese Force: 6th Military District 22,700 — 1,544 officers; 21,144 NCOs and men; Japanese Army forces 2,500 — 1,500 in Iloilo City, plus 300 in Army Hospital with patients, 250 in Cabatuan, 70 in Tigbauan, 30 in Cordova; 350 in San Jose, Antique)
Mar 18 1945 US 40th Division landed on Tigbauan, commanded by Maj. Gen. Rapp Brush. The Japanese were in battle with guerrilla forces all through the night in the suburbs of Jaro. Then, the main force broke through the enemy line and went on to Bocari.
Mar 21 1945 Around 40 Japanese civilians committed mass suicide at Sitio Suyac, Barangay Tigbauan, Maasin. Saito force broke through the enemy line towards Mt. Singit.
Mar 22 1945 The US Army announced the liberation of Iloilo City.
Mar 31 1945 The 4th Company commander, Capt. Yoshioka, and other San Jose units abandoned San Jose and advanced to Bocari, Leon.
Apr to Aug 1945 The Japanese and US forces in an offensive and defensive battles at the Bocari position. The Japanese steadily held it until the end of the war.
Mid-May 1945 The main force of the Japanese in Bocari succeeded in contacting Saito Force in Mt. Singit. Japanese civilians moved from Mt. Singit to Bocari.
Aug 13 1945 Heard the news of the unconditional surrender of Japan through the Japanese radio via Saigon and US broadcast via San Francisco.
Aug 30 1945 Capt. Koike of the Kempeitai, 1St Lt. Ishikawa and Adjutant Kumai served as emissaries to negotiate and sign the surrender of the Japanese Panay forces with the US 160th Regiment Commander, Col. R.G. Stanton.
Sep 1 1945 The Japanese Army HQs surrendered to the US 160th Regiment at Maasin; entered Cabatuan POW Camp.
Sep 2, 3, 1945 The Bocari and Singit forces surrendered the US force at Maasin.
Sep 15 1945 Main party of the Japanese left Iloilo Harbor and moved to POW Camp in Palo, Leyte. (After arriving at Leyte the Panay Japanese Army was practically disbanded; the war in Panay was over.)
Toward the end of Nov 1945 War criminal suspects, headed by unit commander Colonel Tozuka, were named and moved to a special camp in Palo, Leyte.
Feb 2 1946 Panay cases among war criminal suspects left Tacloban, Leyte.
Around Feb 4 1946 Arrived at the Canlubang War Criminal Suspects' camp.
Mar 3 1946 Moved to Nichols Field special camp; Investigation for the Panay case
Mid-May 1946 Escape attempt failed at Canlubang Camp
Jun 2 1946 Moved to Manila War Crimes Tribunal
Jun 6 1946 Capt. Yoshioka and 1st Lt. Okuda were executed
Jul 5, 6 1946 War Crimes Tribunal (Independence of the Philippines on July 4 )
Jul 9 1946 Some war criminals, including Kumai, got the sentence of 25 years of hard labor.
Jan 15 1947 Kumai left Manila to return to Japan.
Feb 2 1947 Landed at Yokohama Harbor and imprisoned in Sugamo Prison
Feb 24 1947 Kempeitai WO Shin, Sgt. Makita, Lance Corporal Rai were executed
Mar 31 1947 Unit Commander Colonel Tozuka and 1st Lt. Otsuka were executed.
Apr 24 1947 Lt. Gen. Kono, 1st Lt. Fujii executed
Feb 10 1954 Kumai was released (on parole) from Sugamo (Exactly 14 years since his enlistment with the Fukuoka Regiment, he was liberated from military service at the age of 36).