What IF Bataan Held out?

What im Bataan Held out until the American Navy could relieve it? How woulf this affect Japan's plan?

 

Assuming those men did the impossible, it probably wouldnt have mattered much, for i dont think they could sink ships or provide effective AA, so they couldnt have hampered Japanese logistics.

 

I disagree. By controlling Bataan and the Manila bay Island forts they wouldve denied the use of Manila Bay, the main reason the Japs invaded in the first place. I believe that had the Bastards held out, they wouldve help end the war in the Pacific by atleast 6 months.

CvM

 

Come on, Im sure some of you Euros would like to weigh in.

CvM

 

Interesting topic CvM-I think that had they held out, and subsequently been reinforced, The Japanese wouldv'e launched another offensive later on, and Bataan wouldv'e become a fortress.
I mean, the Japanese persistence to retake islands is evident through the Wake Island Campaigns, and the 7 month battle for 'The Rock'-Guadlacanal.

The US wouldv'e been in a very advantageous position, had the Battling Bastards been able to hold out...

 

The only way Bataan could have held out is if you remove the Pearl Harbor attack from the Pacific War equation!

Scenario:
The Japanese fleet is detected before it reaches Pearl Harbor, and the Battle of Hawaii takes place in December 1941. The US loses two carriers and the Japanese lose four. So both the Japanese and US carrier fleets are already crippled before the Japanese even take Manila.

In response, the US battleship fleet puts to sea, and takes on the Japanese battleships in the naval Battle of Leyte. The Americans lose three battleships and the Japanese lose five, along with many smaller ships on both sides.

In this circumstance, the US Navy could get supplies through to the Philippines in sufficient quantities for the garrison to hold out indefinitely.

 

Very good scenario manstein. All good points, i think that the garrison at Bataan been resupplyed that they wouldve held out.How much longer, i am not sure. It is notrecognized by most people that the force in the phillipines was the most well equiped force we had overseas, atleast of that size. Oh yeah and onemore thing.

I just had to say it. The 'Rock' was CORREGIDOR! not the 'canal. Look at my location,

CvM

 

Guadalcanal was referred to as The Rock in The Thin Red Line.

 

The troops on Bataan were almost out of supplies. They couldn't hold on much any longer. Maybe a few weeks more, but than they should have to surrender anyway.

 

The men of bataan surrendered only after they ran out of ammunition.

 

How much shorter do you thin the war would have been if Bataan held out.

 

My guess is that the war in the Pacific wouldve been over my June 1943.

 

In my opinion the defenders of Bataan did all they could the fact is they could not hold out any longer because they were out of food and ammo. But maybe they could have evacuated and fought in the Visayas and Mindanao. What do you guys think?

 

They were completely surrendered, so an escape would have been very difficult.

 

Well, I must say it IS an interesting topic CvM. But, i must agree with the majority. Your surrounded. No means of reinforcment. No food. No ammo. No water (important in jungle). Unless they acted like Japanese and said "Screw it, let's charge", yelling "BANZAI(whatever that means in English)" at the petrified Japanese with their bayonets attached and skewering everything that moves, I doubt it would have worked. Good thought though.

 

MacArthur's warplans went from one of using aggressive, offensive operations against the Japanese invaders, back to the original, "War Plan Orange III, which called for a gradual withdrawl into Bataan, to hold there until a relief could be mounted by U.S. forces.

Unfortunately, during the successful and infinitely difficult, "double retrograde manuever" into Bataan, MacArthur left most of his Army's food supplies and spare parts in Quartermaster depots North of Clark Field. There was nearly a year's supply of medicine, food, fuel and ammunition there.

At the same time, nearly a million tons of harvested rice was left standing in railroad cars, throughout Luzon because of Philippine Governmental restrictions prohibitting the shipment of rice from one province to another.

When one reads of the defense of Bataan in 1942, you soon see that disease and starvation defeated the Filipino-American forces engaged there, more than the Japanese.