General Orders on the Organization, 4th Military District, Hunters-ROTC
The Hunters/ROTC was a guerrilla group formed in 1942. Initially operating in Rizal Province, the group would also have a sizable presence in Batangas and would be instrumental in providing intelligence to the United States forces leading to the assault landing at Nasugbu on 31 January 1945.
More information about the group is available in this article → “Operations of the Hunters/ROTC Guerillas in Batangas Prior to the 1945 Nasugbu Landing in WWII.”
In this August 1944 document1 Hunters/ROTC Commander Terry Adevoso are contained General Orders Number 3 containing the organization of the 4th Military District of his guerrilla organization. The document is edited her and there for grammar and spelling.
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THE HUNTERS or R. O. T. C. GUERRILLAS
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
Office of the G-3
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General Orders No. 3 |
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1. Our territory is the 4th Military District and comprises the following provinces and cities: Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Tayabas, Cavite, and Batangas.
2. The organization of the 4th MD Theater of War will be as follows:
a. The Zone of [the] Interior, which shall contain the District HQ, Quartermaster, Schools and Technical Officers and men. It shall also contain a combat force to form an “Outer Defense Ring” to secure and deny the area from the enemy at all cost.
b. The Theater of Operation, which will be under the command of the Division Commander, shall compose the following:
(1) Communication Zone which is to contain the largest establishment of reserve supply and evacuation, and communication. It will further be divided into Base Section closest to the Zone of [the] Interior and the Advance Section closes to the Combat Zone.
(2) Combat Zone which will be the area of the Theater of Operation to be required for operation of Combat Units in contact with the enemy.
b. Chief of Staffs Office
c. Office of the G-1
d. Office of the G-2
e. Office of the G-3
f. Office of the G-4
g. Technical and Administrative Staff Office
(2) District Inspector’s Office
(3) District Judge Advocate’s Office
(4) District Quartermaster’s Office
(5) District Finance Officer
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(7) Ordnance Chief’s Office
(8) Chemical Warfare Service Chief’s Office
(9) District Chaplain’s Office
(2) Special Service School
(3) Commando School
4. The District Commander and Staff shall concern itself mainly with contacts from “Outside.” The Administrative and Supply Services within the Zone of [the] Interior operating directly under orders from the respective Service Chiefs shall focus their efforts on supplying the Zone of [the] Interior, and supplying to the Commander of the Field Forces everything he needs that cannot be gotten within the Zone of Operations. These branches continue their services in the Communication Zone of the Theater of Operations, but here they automatically become under the command of the Division Commander.
5. The Theater of Operations is to contain a Division which shall be commanded by a Division Commander. Said commander concerns himself wholly with the Theater of Operation, the Administrative and Supply Service in the Combat Zone, which are organic parts of the Division [and] take over the responsibilities of administration and supply in the Combat Zone. They supply the needs of the Division out of the resources that can be taken from the Theater of Operations. Supplies coming from the outside are handled by the District Supply Services and turned over to the Division.
6. The Theater of Operations shall be divided into three sectors, each sector to initially conform to a regimental area. These sectors shall further be divided into three sub-sectors each to conform to a battalion area. The sub-sectors shall further be divided into company and platoon areas.
7. The Artillery Regiment in the Zone of [the] Interior shall be named the 44th (Gregorio del Pilar) Artillery Regiment. Manila and Rizal shall form the 1st Sector to contain the 44th (Antonio Luna) Infantry Regiment. Cavite and Batangas, another sector to contain the 45th (Miguel Malvar)
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Infantry Regiment, and the Laguna-Tayabas sector to contain the 46th (Andres Bonifacio) Infantry Regiment.
8. The Division shall roughly comprise three Infantry Regiments, one Field Artillery Regiment, on Engineer Regiment, one Medical Regiment, and one Quartermaster Regiment, and the 4th Philippine Army Air Corps, Chaplain Service, and the Special Troops which shall consist the Military Police Battalion, the Ordnance Battalion, the Signal Battalion, and the Headquarters Company and Headquarters of the Division.
9. The Military Police Battalion shall comprise the Town Unit Commanders, the Town Unit Staff, and the Unit Trigger men stationed in the towns.
Commanding
Authentic:
BILL NUEVA-LUNA