57th Infantry Regiment (Philippine)

57th Infantry Regiment (Philippine)
Unit name	57th Infantry Regiment (Philippine)
Dates	1941–1946
Country	Philippine Commonwealth
Branch	Philippine Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Garrison	Manila
Battles	Battle of Bataan, Bataan Death March
Notable commanders	Col. (Name Unknown)

57th Infantry Regiment (Philippine) was an infantry regiment of the Philippine Army activated during the Philippine Commonwealth period and mobilized for service in World War II. Raised amid the expansion of the United States Army Forces in the Far East and the Philippine Army (1935–1946), the regiment took part in the defense of Luzon and the Bataan Peninsula during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines (1941–42). Its personnel experienced the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment under Imperial Japanese Army custody.

Formation and Early History

The regiment was constituted during the mobilization driven by the Ten-Year Military Program (Philippines), coordinated with the United States War Department and the Philippine Department (United States Army). Elements were recruited from Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, and Davao and trained at camps established by the Philippine Military Academy and the Camp Murphy (Philippines). Officers often attended courses at Fort McKinley (Philippines) and received advisory support from personnel assigned to United States Army Forces in the Far East. Early administration involved the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines's President Manuel L. Quezon and the Department of National Defense (Philippines, 1939).

Organization and Structure

Organized along standard regimental tables aligned with United States Army infantry doctrine, the regiment comprised three battalions, headquarters company, medical detachment, signal platoon, and service elements. Each battalion contained rifle companies drawn from provincial reserve units previously attached to the Philippine Scouts and the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (Philippines). Support coordination involved the Philippine Army Air Corps for reconnaissance and liaison with USAFFE headquarters under General Douglas MacArthur. Logistics relied on depots modeled after those at Fort Stotsenburg and transport from Philippine National Railways lines.

World War II Service

During the Japanese invasion of the Philippines (1941–42), the regiment was assigned to defensive operations on Luzon and later consolidated on the Bataan Peninsula as part of the South Luzon Force and the II Philippine Corps. It participated in delaying actions during the withdrawal to Bataan, fighting in coordination with units such as the 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts), the 31st Infantry Regiment (United States), and elements of the 91st Division (United States). Faced with shortages feared throughout Corregidor-linked defenses, the regiment endured sustained artillery by units of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff and infantry assaults associated with the Battle of Bataan. Following surrender orders from Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright and the collapse of organized resistance, survivors were forced onto the Bataan Death March and subsequently interned at camps including Camp O'Donnell and Cabanatuan.

Commanders and Notable Personnel

Command was exercised by Philippine officers who had trained under the Philippine Army modernization programs and American advisors from the United States Army Philippines Department. Notable figures included regimental commanders, battalion leaders, and liaison officers who had prior affiliations with the Philippine Constabulary and the Philippine Scouts. Several officers later became active in Guerrilla movements in the Philippines under leaders like Col. Wendell Fertig and coordinated with the USAFFE Command. Many enlisted men were veterans of prewar conflicts involving the Sulu Archipelago campaigns and interactions with Moro Rebellion (Philippines), carrying those experiences into the 1941–42 campaigns.

Battle Honors and Campaigns

The regiment’s official honors derive from its role in the Philippines Campaign (1941–1942) and its participation in the Battle of Bataan, one of the key actions in the Pacific War. Campaign recognition aligns with commemorations by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and allied records held by the United States Army Center of Military History. Individual decorations among personnel included awards issued retrospectively by the Philippine Republic and campaign credits recorded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (Philippines), the American Battle Monuments Commission, and allied archival repositories associated with Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

Postwar Fate and Legacy

After World War II and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, surviving members were liberated from internment and many veterans participated in postwar reconstruction under the Rehabilitation Act (Philippines) and veteran affairs programs managed by the Commission on Veterans Affairs (Philippines). The regiment as a wartime formation was inactivated during the postwar reorganization that led to the Armed Forces of the Philippines restructure and the dissolution of Commonwealth military units into new national forces. Its legacy persists in memorials at sites like Bataan National Park, commemorative events by groups such as the Association of Veterans of the Bataan Death March and research collections at institutions including the National Archives of the Philippines and the Library of Congress.

Category:Infantry regiments of the Philippines Category:Military units and formations of the Philippines in World War II Category:Military units and formations established in 1941 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1946