NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Battle for the Liberation of Manila

The Battle for the Liberation of Manila from February 3 to March 3, 1945, which culminated in a terrible bloodbath and total devastation of the city, ended almost three years, 1942-1945, of Japanese military occupation in the Philippines and its so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Its capture was marked as General Douglas MacArthur's key to victory in the campaign of reconquest. Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as... US landings in the Pacific, 1942â€“1945 The Pacific War occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ... Image File history File links Manila_capture. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Manilas President Manuel Roxas Boulevard also known as the Baywalk Manila (Filipino: Maynila) is the capital of the Philippines. ... Casus belli is a Latin expression from the international law theory of Jus ad bellum. ... The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of Leyte in the Philippines by Allied forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur between October 20 and December 31, 1944. ... Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Jisaburo Ozawa Strength 17 aircraft carriers 18 escort carriers 12 battleships 24 cruisers 141 destroyers Many other ships, PT boats, and submarines About 1,500 planes 4 aircraft carriers 9 battleships 19 cruisers 34 destroyers About 200 planes Casualties 3,500... The Battle of Ormoc Bay was a series of air-sea battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Camotes Sea in the Philippines between 11 November 1944 and 21 December 1944, part of the Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II. The battles... The Battle of Mindoro presaged the main invasion of Luzon in the northern Philippines by US forces in the penultimate campaign for the liberation of the archipelago. ... Luzon, home to the Filipino capital Manila, saw the showdown between Japanese commander Tomoyuki Yamashita and General Douglas MacArthur on December 15, 1944. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Henry Mucci (6th Ranger Battalion) Robert Prince (C and F Companies, 6th Ranger Battalion) Juan Pajota (USAFFE guerrillas) unknown Strength 107 U.S. troops, 200 Filipino guerrillas estimated 700 Japanese troops Casualties 4 killed and 21 wounded 523 killed and 40 wounded The Great Raid... The Battle for the Recapture of Bataan from January 31 to February 8, 1945 by U.S. Forces from the Japanese, part of the campaign for the liberation of the Philippines was waged to secure the western shore of Manila Bay to enable the use of its harbor and open... The Battle for the Recapture of Corregidor , from February 16 to 26 , on the island fortress used by the USAFFE , which was the last bastion to surrender to invading Japanese forces. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Strength Casualties The Battle of Mindanao was fought on March 10, 1945 between the United States and Japan. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (å¤§æ±äºœå…±æ „åœ dai-tÅa-kyÅeiken) was an attempt by Japan to create a bloc of Asian nations free of influence from Western nations. ... General Douglas MacArthur aboard a battleship toward the end of World War II, 1945 Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 â€” April 5, 1964) was an American military leader who served in World War II. He helped rebuild Japan after the war and played a key role in limiting the Communist takeover...

Pincer Drive to the Capital

On January 9, 1945, the U.S. Sixth Army under Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger waded ashore on Lingayen Gulf and began a rapid drive south. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... A number of nations have had a Sixth Army: US Sixth Army German Sixth Army This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Walter Krueger (1881-1967) was a German-American soldier and general in the first half of the 20th century. ... The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines. ...

Three weeks later on January 31, the U.S. Eighth Army of Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, together with the 188th Glider Regiment of Col. Robert H. Soule, a component of the U.S. 11th Airborne Division under Maj. Gen. Joseph M. Swing landed at Nasugbu in southern Luzon unopposed, and began moving north. Meanwhile, the 511th Regimental Combat Team of Lt. Col. Edward H. Lahti parachuted into Tagaytay Ridge, ahead of the landing forces, and spearheaded the northern advance. January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A number of nations have an Eighth Army: 8th Route Army British Eighth Army US Eighth Army This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general in the United States Army, who commanded the US Eighth Army in the Pacific during World War II. Eichelberger was born at Urbana, Ohio, on 9 March 1886. ... (Redirected from 11th Airborne Division) Shoulder sleeve patch of the 11th Airborne Division. ... Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of LuzÃ³n, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... Tagaytay City is located in the province of Cavite in the Philippines. ...

By February 2, the rapid drive to Manila by U.S. forces began, as units were fortunate to find intact bridges and shallow rivers everywhere they went. February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Santo Tomas Internees Liberated

Next day, February 3, elements of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division under Maj.Gen. Verne D. Mudge pushed into the northern outskirts of Manila, and seized a vital bridge across the Tuliahan River, which separated them from the city proper. A squadron of Brig. Gen. William C. Chase's 8th Cavalry Brigade, the first unit to arrive in the city, began a daring drive towards the sprawling campus of the University of Santo Tomas which was turned into an internment camp.
February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... (Redirected from 1st Cavalry Division) Shoulder sleeve patch of the United States Army 1st Cavalry Division. ... The Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas (UST) is a private Catholic university run by the Order of Preachers. ...

Since January 4, 1942, a total of thirty-seven months, the university’s main building was used to hold civilian POWs and classrooms for sleeping quarters. Out of 4,255 prisoners, 466 died in captivity, three were killed while attempting to escape on February 15, 1942, but one made a successful breakout in early January, 1945. Image File history File links Towards_manila. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

At 9:00 p.m., a lead jeep crashed into the main gate, triggering a firefight, and its driver, Capt. Manuel Colayco, a USAFFE guerrilla officer, became the known first allied casualty for the city's liberation. Simultaneously, a single M4 Sherman tank of the 44th Tank Battalion rammed through the university walls, while four others entered through the Calle España entrance. American troops and Filipino guerrillas immediately followed and after a brief skirmish, freed many of the internees. USAFFE (United States Army Forces - Far East) included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army (2 regular and 10 reserve divisions), and the Far East Air Force (formerly, Philippine Army Air Corps). ... The M4 Medium Tank was the main tank designed and built by the US for use in World War II. In the UK lend-lease M4s were dubbed M4 General Sherman after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, continuing a practice of naming American tanks after famous Generals. ...

The Japanese, commanded by Lt. Col. Toshio Hayashi gathered the remaining internees together in the Education Building, as hostages, exchanging pot shots with the Americans. Next day, February 4, they negotiated with the Americans to allow them to rejoin Japanese troops to the south of the city. The Americans allowed this to save the hostages, allowing them to only carry their rifles, pistols and swords. That same day, a patrol from the 37th Infantry Division came upon more than 1,000 prisoners of war, mostly former defenders of Bataan and Corregidor held at Bilibid Prison, which was abandoned by the Japanese. February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Province of Bataan Region: Central Luzon (Region III) Capital: Balanga City Founded: â€”1754 Population: 2000 censusâ€”557,659 (46th largest) Densityâ€”406 per kmÂ² (12th highest) Area: 1,373. ... Corregidor - Landsat satellite photo from 2000 Corregidor and the entrance to Manila Bay Corregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines Manila Bay. ...

On the morning of February 5, forty-seven Japanese were escorted out of the university to the spot they requested. Each group saluted each other and departed. The Japanese were unaware the area they requested was near the American-occupied Malacañang Palace, and soon afterwards were fired upon and several were killed including Hayashi. Later in the afternoon, the survivors of the same group returned to Santo Tomas, captured as prisoners in the same day. February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Depiction of the MalacaÃ±ang Palace at the back of the 20-peso bill. ...

But 3,785 prisoners: 2,870 Americans, 745 British, 100 Australians, 61 Canadians, 50 Dutch, 25 Poles, 7 French, 2 Egyptians, 2, Spanish, one Swiss, one German, and one Slovak were finally liberated.

The Japanese Defense

As the Americans converged on Manila from different directions, the bulk of the defending enemy troops had earlier engaged on a tactical move to the outskirts on orders of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, commander in chief of Japanese forces in the Philippines. Yamashita had withdrawn his main forces to Baguio City, where he planned to hold back U.S. forces in northern Luzon, poised for the invasion of Japan. Image File history File links Manila_attack. ... Tomoyuki Yamashita General Tomoyuki Yamashita (å±±ä¸‹ å¥‰æ–‡ Yamashita Tomoyuki) (November 8, 1885 â€“ February 23, 1946) was a general of the Japanese Army during the WWII era. ... Baguio City is a 1st class highly urbanized city in northern Luzon in the Philippines. ...

In 1942, President Manuel L. Quezon declared Manila an open city, while in 1945, he did not, Yamashita had not intended to defend Manila; he thought he could not feed about a million city residents, and defending a large area with vast tracts of flammable wooden buildings remained doubtful. This article is about the year. ... Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (August 19, 1878 â€“ August 1, 1944) was the first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. ...

However, Rear Admiral Iwabuchi Sanji, who was entrusted with the holding of the city, and committed to defending it to the last man, disobeyed Yamashita and ordered his Manila Naval Defense Forces a motley assembly of sailors, marines and Army troops into the city, after discovering several good defensive positions, including Intramuros and nearby buildings. After intermittently blowing up every outline facility having even marginal value, like bridges and footpaths, Iwabuchi had set up minefields, barbed wire, interlocking trenches, and hulks of trucks and trolleys, which would create bottlenecks and traps into the sandbagged buildings. He then ordered his poorly trained troops into the defensive zone. Intramuros circa 1920s Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, is the oldest among the districts of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. ...

Encirclement and Massacres

Earlier on February 4, 1945, General MacArthur announced the imminent recapture of the capital while his staff planned a victory parade. But the battle for Manila had barely begun. Almost at once the 1st Cavalry Division in the north and the 11th Airborne Division in the south reported stiffening Japanese resistance to further advances into the city. Image File history File links City_action009_pp4_03. ...

Following the initial American breakthrough on the fourth, fighting raged throughout the city for almost a month. The battle quickly came down to a series of bitter street-to-street and house-to-house struggles. In the north, General Griswold continued to push elements of the XIV Corps south from Santo Tomas University toward the Pasig River . Late on the afternoon of February 4, he ordered the 2nd Squadron, 5th Cavalry, to seize Quezon Bridge, the only crossing over the Pasig that the Japanese had not destroyed. As the squadron approached the bridge, enemy heavy machine guns opened up from a formidable roadblock thrown up across Quezon Boulevard forcing the cavalry to stop its advance and withdraw after nightfall. As the Americans pulled back, the Japanese blew up the bridge. The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that drains Laguna de Bay (via the Napindan Channel) into Manila Bay. ...

On February 5, the 37th Infantry Division began to move into Manila and Griswold divided the northern section of the city into two sectors, with the 37th responsible for the western half and the 1st Cavalry responsible for the eastern part. By the afternoon of the 8th, 37th Division units had cleared most Japanese from their sector, although the damage done to the residential districts was extensive. The Japanese added to the destruction by demolishing buildings and military installations as they withdrew. The most bitter fighting which proved costliest to the 37th occurred on Provisor Island, a small industrial center on the Pasig River. The Japanese garrison, probably less than a battalion, managed to hold off Beightler's infantrymen until February 11.

Mudge's 1st Cavalry Division had an easier time, encountering little opposition in the suburbs east of Manila. Although the 7th and 8th Cavalry fought pitched battles near two water supply installations north of the city, by February 10, the cavalrymen had extended their control south of the river. That night, the XIV Corps established for the first time separate bridgeheads on both banks of the Pasig River. February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The final attack on the outer Japanese defenses came from the 11th Airborne Division, under XIV Corps control since February 10. The division had been halted at Nichols Field on the 4th and since then had been battling firmly entrenched Japanese naval troops, backed up by heavy fire from concealed artillery. The airfield finally fell to the paratroopers, the next day, but the acquisition allowed Maj. Gen. Swing's division to complete the U.S. encirclement of Manila on the night of February 12. Nichols Field (Luzon, the Philippines), during the World War II era, was the location of the Far East Air Forces U.S. 20th Air Base Group. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

In an attempt to protect the city and its civilians, MacArthur placed stringent restrictions on U.S. artillery and air support. But massive devastation to the urban area could not be avoided. Iwabuchi's sailors, marines and Army reinforcements initially resisted American infantrymen armed with flamethrowers, grenades and bazookas - now faced direct fire from tanks, tank destroyers, and howitzers, who attacked one building after another and killed the Japanese -and trapped civilians- inside the structures.

Subjected to incessant pounding - and facing certain death, the beleaguered enemy troops took out their anger and frustration on the hapless civilians caught in the grisly crossfire, committing acts of senseless brutality, which later would be known as the Manila Massacre, joining a litany of war crimes. An orgy of barbaric rapes, mutilations and massacres on the defenseless populace accompanied the battle for control of the city, which now lay practically in ruins. Slain children in the ruins of Manila The Manila Massacre, February 1945, refers to the atrocities conducted against Filipino civilians in Manila, Philippines by retreating Japanese troops during World War II. Various credible Western and Eastern sources agree that the death toll was at least 100,000 people. ... This page summarizes war crimes committed in mainland Asia by the Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy, and their military police during World War II. During the course of war it had become evident that the Japanese mistreated prisoners. ... Massacres are individual events of deliberate mass killing, especially of noncombatant civilians or other innocents. ...

Intramuros Devastated

The fighting for Intramuros from February 23-28, became the fiercest but crucial battleground. Already decimated by bombing, American artillery tried to root out the Japanese defenders who used as cover to good effort, the centuries-old stone ramparts, underground edifices, the Sta. Lucia Barracks, Fort Santiago, and villages within the city walls. Image File history File links Sherman_intramuros. ... The front entrance of Fuerza de Santiago towering 40 metres high . Fuerza de Santiago is a defence fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel LÃ³pez de Legazpi. ...

The last pocket of Japanese resistance at the Finance Building, which was already reduced to rubble, was flushed out by heavy artillery on March 3. March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ...

"That the artillery had almost razed the ancient Walled City could not be helped. To the XIV Corps and the 37th Division at this state of the battle for Manila, American lives were understandably far more valuable than historic landmarks. The destruction stemmed from the American decision to save lives in a battle against Japanese troops who had decided to sacrifice their lives as dearly as possible," a U.S. battle report stated.

Before the fighting ended, MacArthur summoned a provisional assembly of prominent Filipinos to Malacanang Palace and in their presence declared the Commonwealth of the Philippines to be permanently reestablished. "My country kept the faith," he told the gathered assembly. "Your capital city, cruelly punished though it be, has regained its rightful place - citadel of democracy in the East." Depiction of the Malacañang Palace at the back of the 20-peso bill. ...

Aftermath

The battle left 1,010 U.S. soldiers dead and 5,565 wounded. An estimated 100,000 Filipinos were deliberately killed by retreating Japanese forces. About 16,000 Japanese soldiers died, mostly sailors from the Japanese Manila Defense Force.

In the month-long battle, the Americans and Japanese inflicted worse destruction on Manila than the German Luftwaffe had visited upon London, which resulted not only in the destruction of the city, but the death toll was comparably horrifying to the 78,150 killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in August,1945, and the 84,500 who died in the firebombing of Tokyo by the U.S. Air Force in 1945. The Luftwaffe â–¶(?) (German: air force, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ... Main keep of Hiroshima Castle The city of Hiroshima (åºƒå³¶å¸‚; -shi) is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, the largest of Japans islands. ... August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to create a firestorm in the target city. ... View of Tokyos Shibuya district Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ... Seal of the Air Force. ...

Historical Significance

The battle for Manila was the first and fiercest urban fighting in the entire Pacific War, from the time MacArthur started his leapfrogging campaign from New Guinea in 1942, leading to the invasion of Japan in 1945. Few battles in the closing months of World War II exceeded the destruction and the brutality of the massacres and savagery of the fighting in Manila. US landings in the Pacific, 1942â€“1945 The Pacific War occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ... This article is about the year. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as...

In this category, Manila joined the company of Warsaw as the most devastated cities of World War II. Motto: Contemnit procellas (It defies the storms) Semper invicta (Always invincible) Voivodship Masovian Municipal government Mayor MirosÅ‚aw Kochalski (acting) Area 516,9 kmÂ² Population - city - urban - density 1,692,900 (2004) 2,400,000 3258/kmÂ² Founded City rights 13th century turn of the 13th century Latitude Longitude 52...

Filipinos lost an irreplaceable cultural and historical treasure in the resulting carnage and devastation of Manila, remembered today as a national tragedy. Manila, once touted as the "Paris of the Orient" and regarded by historians as a heritage city and famed as a living monument to European culture and colonization for more than 300 years was wiped out.

Contents

Pincer Drive to the Capital

Santo Tomas Internees Liberated

The Japanese Defense

Encirclement and Massacres

Intramuros Devastated

Aftermath

Historical Significance

See also

Contents

Pincer Drive to the Capital GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Santo Tomas Internees Liberated

The Japanese Defense

Encirclement and Massacres

Intramuros Devastated

Aftermath

Historical Significance

See also

Pincer Drive to the Capital