Battle of Mindoro

Battle of Mindoro
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
Date December 13–16, 1944 Location Mindoro Island, Philippines Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  Commonwealth of the Philippines	Japan  Second Philippine Republic
Commanders and leaders
George M. Jones Roscoe B. Woodruff	Rikichi Tsukada
Strength
10,000 American troops	1,200 Japanese troops
Casualties and losses
151 killed (18 Army, 133 Navy) 271 wounded (81 Army, 190 Navy)	~200 dead 15 captured 375 wounded

The Battle of Mindoro (Filipino: Labanan sa Mindoro) took place during World War II between forces of the United States and Japan, in Mindoro Island in the central Philippines, from 13–16 December 1944, during the Philippines Campaign.

Troops of the United States Army, supported by the United States Navy and U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF), made an amphibious landing on Mindoro and defeated Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) forces there. There was no significant opposition from the Imperial Japanese Navy, nor from the Japanese Army and Navy Air Forces, except for kamikaze (suicide) attacks on American ships.

The Japanese force in Mindoro was not large, and was eliminated in three days. The Army was assisted in the campaign by guerrillas from the local Filipino population.

The U.S. captured Mindoro to establish airfields there, which would be in fighter range of Lingayen Gulf in northern Luzon Island, where the next major amphibious invasion of the Philippines was planned. Ground-based fighter cover was necessary for this operation. Mindoro could also serve as the advanced base for U.S. troops going to fight in Luzon.