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 U.S. Army c1935 |
Location Lat 15° 54' 6N Long 120° 35' 18E Villasis is an inland town bisected by the highway (Route 3) in the 5th District of Pangasinan Province on Luzon in Philippines. To the north along the highway is Urdaneta and to the south is Carmen and the road eastward to Rosales. The Villasis Bridge built in the 1930s is located to the south of town spanning the Ango River. Wartime History On December 22, 1941 after the Japanese landings at Lingayen Gulf the U.S. Army began to withdraw southward and all bridges over the Agno River, including the Villasis bridge were slated for demolition. On December 25, 1941 in the evening the Japanese Army 2nd Formosa, 1st Formosa (one battalion) supported by the 4th Tank Regiment entered Villasis before the bridge could be demolished and found the town was not defended and prepared to advance further south. On December 26, 1941 after sunset following a preliminary air strike behind the line by twelve planes from the 8th Light Bombardment Regiment and 16th Light Bombardment Regiment, the Japanese Army crossed Villasis Bridge to assault Carmen and met opposition and haulted their advance to consolidate their position and await reinforcements. By December 27, 1941 Japanese artillery, armor, and service troops had joined the 48th Division. One battalion of the regiment moved to Carmen to relieve Colonel Tanaka's troops who then withdrew back over the bridge to Villasis to rest while the advance continued. Afterwards, Villasis was occupied by the Japanese. On January 19, 1945 liberated by the U.S. Army. When captured, the Villasis Bridge was damaged in two locations. As an alternative, the U.S. Army established a pontoon bridge to the west of the bridge that allowed men, vehicles and supplies to cross the Ango River. Today The original bridge survived until an earthquake in 1990. Demolished afterwards, today a new bridge spans the same location. References The Fall of the Philippines, Chapter X - The Withdrawal Begins pages 171, 172, 178 Contribute
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 Map January 9-17, 1945 Map Fallingrain |
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