The Japanese Invasion of Davao (Filipino: Paglusob ng mga Hapones sa Davao, Jolo at Arkipelago ng Sulu, Cebuano: Pagsulong sa Hapon sa Davao, Jolo ug Kapuloan sa Sulu) and on Jolo in the Sulu Archipelago on 19 December 1941 was one in a series of advance landings made by Imperial Japanese forces as first step in their invasion of the Philippines. The purpose was to cut off the possibility of reinforcements reaching Luzon from the south and to complete the encirclement of American forces there, with the secondary purpose of establishing a base from which the IJA 16th Army could launch an invasion of British North Borneo and the Netherlands Indies . The first invasion of the Philippines was at Batan Island on 8 December 1941. This was followed by Vigan, Aparri, Legaspi, Davao, and Jolo over the next few days Disposition of forces Davao City is the economic center of southern Mindanao, and before the start of the war was the hub of Japanese settlement and economic activity in the Philippines. For the invasion of Davao, Major General Shizuo Sakaguchi IJA 56th Division organized two detachments totaling 5000 men. The Miura Detachment, led by Lt Col Toshio Miura consisted of the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Infantry Regiment, and the Sakaguchi Detachment, led by Sakaguchi himself, consisted of the 146th Infantry Regiment, as well as an armored and an artillery battalion. Whereas the IJA 14th Army was in charge of the invasion of the Philippines, Sakaguchi’s forces were under the IJA 16th Army and were scheduled to continue to advance south to Tarakan in the Netherlands Indies via Jolo in the Sulu islands after Davao was secured. For the Jolo portion of the mission, Sakaguchi was to be assisted by the Kure SNLF, who has just completed their mission to secure Legaspi. The area of Davao was in theory defended by 2000 men of the Philippine Commonwealth Army’s 101st Infantry Regiment, let by Lt Col Roger B Hilsman. As with other units in the Philippine Army, the force was only partially trained, and suffered from a serious shortage of equipment. Davao was of concern to the Imperial Japanese Navy, as it had an American naval base and was only 500 miles from the major Japanese military center in the western Pacific, Palau. However, at the start of the war, only the seaplane tender , with three operational Consolidated PBYs