[5][6] Sharp commanded the 11th Field Artillery Regiment on the western front in France from July 10 to October 24, 1918.

As a brigadier general, Sharp, headquartered at Cebu, was placed in command of the Visayan-Mindanao Force on Nov. 4, 1941, shortly before Japan brought the United States into World War II.

Sharp's force lacked many of the supplies it desperately needed and much of the equipment was outdated and not in proper working order.

On April 16, Sharp was again made the commander of the Visayan-Mindanao Force, which meant little with much of the Visayan area now under Japanese control.

In late April major attacks were launched which saw the Japanese take control of much of the south and central parts of the island by May 10.

Wainwright at the same time sent a coded message to Sharp naming him as commander of all forces in the Philippines, excepting those on Corregidor and three other islands in Manila Bay.

Many considered Wainwright's surrender of them to be made under duress and many ultimately joined the guerrilla movement led by Col. Wendell Fertig.

The names of Filipino new recruits, for instance, were omitted from the surrender rosters and were ordered to return to their homes and bury their weapons.

[21] The story of William F. Sharp, and the struggles in Mindanao for that matter, has gathered little interest in the military history of World War II.

Sharp told Col. Wendell Fertig and Father Edward Haggerty he had wished to remain a colonel and had no desire be advanced to general rank.

Chynoweth said of Sharp, "It was pathetic to give him the responsibility of commanding combat or guerrilla operations on Mindanao.