Battle of Corregidor
Part of World War II, Pacific Front
Victorious Japanese troops atop Hearn Battery 6 May 1942.
Date May 5 - May 6, 1942 Location Corregidor island in Manila Bay, Luzon Island, Philippines Result Japanese victory
Combatants
United States and Philippines	Japan
Commanders
Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV George F. Moore Samuel L. Howard	Masaharu Homma Kureo Tanaguchi Kizon Mikami
Strength
13,000 U.S. and Filipino troops	75,000 Japanese troops
Casualties
800 killed 1,000 wounded 11,000 POWs	900 killed 1,200 wounded

The Battle for Corregidor was the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Philippines. The fall of Bataan in April 9, 1942 ended all organized opposition by the U.S. Army Forces – Far East (USAFFE) to the invading Japanese forces on Luzon in the northern Philippines. The island bastion of Corregidor, with its network of tunnels and formidable array of defensive armament, along with the fortifications across the entrance to Manila Bay, was the remaining obstacle to the 14th Japanese Imperial Army of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma. The Japanese had to take Corregidor; as long as the island remained in American hands, they would be denied the use of the Manila Bay, the finest natural harbor in the Orient. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Combatants China (from 1937) United States (from 1941) United Kingdom (from 1941) British India (1941) Australia (1941) Free France (1941) Philippines (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) Soviet Union (from 1945) Mongolia (from 1945) Empire of Japan Wang Jingwei Government (1940) Thailand (1942) Manchukuo Mengjiang Free India (1943... Image File history File links Corregidor_gun. ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Corregidor and the entrance to Manila Bay Corregidor in 1941 Corregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines Manila Bay. ... Photography sunset in Bay City, Pasay (near SM Mall of Asia) Manila Bay is one of the finest natural harbors in the world which serves the port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Philippines. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV (August 23, 1883 – September 2, 1953), was a United States Army general and the commanding officer of Allied forces in The Philippines, at the time of their surrender to the Empire of Japan during World War II. // Early Life and Training Wainwright was born at Fort... George F. Moore (1887–1949), as a Major General in the US Army, was the commander of the Harbor Defences of Manila and Subic Bays, the Philippines, at the time of the 1941 Japanese invasion. ... Masaharu Homma (本間雅晴 Honma Masaharu, 1888 in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan - April 3, 1946 in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, also known as the Poet General, was the Japanese General in charge of the troops and actions that created the Bataan death march in Philippines during 1942 and the bombing of... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Husband Kimmel (USN), Walter Short (USA) Chuichi Nagumo (IJN), Mitsuo Fuchida (IJNAS), Shigekazu Shimazaki (IJNAS) Strength 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 29 destroyers, 9 submarines, ~50 other ships, ~390 planes 6 aircraft carriers, 9 destroyers, 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers, 1 light cruiser, 8... Combatants British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 140,000 70,000 Casualties 5,000 killed, 50,000 prisoners of war no more than 34,000 The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army... Combatants Empire of Japan United States of America Commanders Shigeyoshi Inoue Winfield S. Cunningham Strength 2,500 infantry[1] 523 infantry, 1st Marine Defense Battalion {understrength}, VMF-211, US Navy/US Army personal, Others[2] Casualties 700-900dead, 2 destroyers, 2 patrol boats, 20 aircraft 122 dead, 49 wounded, 12... Combatants British Army Canadian Army British Indian Army Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Mark Aitchison Young Sakai Takashi Strength 15,000 troops 50,000 troops Casualties 4,500 killed 8,500 POWs 2,750 killed 1,500 wounded For the movie, see The Battle of Hong Kong (film). ... The Netherlands East Indies campaign was the shortlived defence of the Netherlands East Indies by Allied forces, against invasion by the Empire of Japan in 1941-42. ... It has been suggested that Japanese Raids into Indian Ocean be merged into this article or section. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders James H. Doolittle N/A Strength 16 B-25 Mitchells N/A Casualties 3 dead, 8 POWs (4 would die in captivity) about 50 dead, 400 injured Lt. ... The Solomon Islands Campaign was a large series of battles that occurred in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This was the first large-scale campaign in the War in the Pacific, and the victories achieved by the Americans in the battles of this campaign helped secure vital bases... Combatants United States Navy Royal Australian Navy Imperial Japanese Navy Commanders Frank J. Fletcher John Crace Shigeyoshi Inoue Takeo Takagi Strength 2 large carriers, 3 cruisers 2 large carriers, 1 light carrier, 4 cruisers Casualties 1 fleet carrier, 1 destroyer, 1 oil tanker sunk 543 killed 1 light carrier, 1... Template:Infobox Military Conflicts The Battle of Midway was a pivotal naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It took place from June 4 to June 7, 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea, about two months after the Japanese capture of Wake... REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Province of Bataan Region: Central Luzon (Region III) Capital: Balanga City Founded: —1754 Population: 2000 census—557,659 (46th largest) Density—406 per km² (12th highest) Area: 1,373. ... April 9 is the 99th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (100th in leap years). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... 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). ... Corregidor and the entrance to Manila Bay Corregidor in 1941 Corregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines Manila Bay. ... Photography sunset in Bay City, Pasay (near SM Mall of Asia) Manila Bay is one of the finest natural harbors in the world which serves the port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. ... Masaharu Homma (本間雅晴 Honma Masaharu, 1888 in Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan - April 3, 1946 in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, also known as the Poet General, was the Japanese General in charge of the troops and actions that created the Bataan death march in Philippines during 1942 and the bombing of...

The Gibraltar of the East

Corregidor, officially named Fort Mills, was the largest of four islands protecting the mouth of Manila Bay from probable attack, and was fortified prior to World War I with powerful coastal artillery. Only 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles across at its head, the tadpole-shaped island lay two miles from Bataan. Its widest but elevated area, known as Topside, contained most of its fifty-six coastal artillery pieces and installations. Middleside was a small plateau containing more battery positions as well as barracks. Bottomside was the low ground where a dock area and the civilian town of San Jose was located. American servicemen alternately dubbed it as "The Rock" or the "Gibraltar of the East", in comparison to the peninsular fortress that guards the main entrance to the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Africa. Fort Mills (Corregidor, the Philippines) was the location of US Major General George F. Moores headquarters for the Philippine Departments Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... Composite satellite image of the Mediterranean Sea. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ...

The tunnel system under Malinta Hill was the most extensive construction on Corregidor. It consisted of a main east-west passage 1,400 feet long and three yards wide and had twenty-five lateral passages, each about 400 feet long, branching out at regular intervals from each side of the main passage. A separate system of tunnels north of this main tunnel housed the underground hospital and had its own twelve laterals. The facility could be reached either through the main tunnel or by a separate outside entrance on the north side of Malinta Hill. The Navy tunnel system, which lay opposite the hospital, under the south side of Malinta was connected to the main tunnel by a partially completed low passageway through the quartermaster storage lateral.

East of this was Malinta Tunnel, location of MacArthur’s headquarters. Reinforced with concrete walls, floors, and overhead arches, blowers to furnish fresh air, and a double-track electric car line along the east-west passage, the Malinta Tunnel furnished bombproof shelter for the hospital, headquarters, and shops, as well as a vast maze of underground storehouses. Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 - April 5, 1964), was an American general who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater of World War II. He was poised to command the invasion of Japan in November 1945 but was instead instructed to accept their surrender on September 2, 1945. ...

The Defense of Corregidor

The defensive arsenal on Corregidor was formidable, with forty-five coastal guns and mortars organized into twenty-three batteries and some seventy-two anti-aircraft weapons assigned to thirteen batteries. The two 12-inch guns of Batteries Smith and Hearn, with a horizontal range of 29,000 yards and all-around traverse were the longest range of all the island's artillery.

Corregidor island

Caballo island (Fort Hughes), just south of Corregidor, was the next largest in size. Only about one quarter of a square mile in area, this island rose abruptly from the bay to a height of 380 feet on its western side. Commander Francis J. Bridget was in charge of its beach defenses with a total of 800 men of whom 93 were marines and 443 belonged to the Navy by the end of April, 1942. Coastal artillery numbered some thirteen assorted pieces, with its antiaircraft defenses tied in with those of Corregidor. Image File history File links Corregidor. ... Image File history File links Corregidor. ... Fort Hughes (Caballo, the Philippines) was part of the US Armys, Philippine Departments, Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays. ...

Fort Drum, which lay about four miles south of Fort Hughes, was the most unusual of the harbor defenses. Military engineers had cut away the entire top of El Fraile Island down to the water line and used the island as a foundation to build a reinforced concrete battleship, 350 feet long and 144 feet wide, with exterior walls of concrete and steel 25 to 36 feet thick. The top deck of this concrete battleship was 40 feet above the low-water mark and had 20-foot-thick walls. Equipped with four 14-inch guns in armored turrets facing seaward, a secondary battery of four casemated 6-inch guns, and antiaircraft defense, the fort with its 200-man garrison was considered, even in 1941, impregnable to attack. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Fort Drum, New York. ...

The last, Carabao island lay only five hundred yards from the shores of Cavite Province. Except at one point along its eastern shore, the island rises precipitously from the sea in cliffs more than 100 feet high. The Americans had placed Fort Frank on this island, which late in 1941 had a military garrison of about 400 men, mostly Philippine Scouts. Its armament consisted of two 14-inch guns, eight 12-inch mortars, four 155-mm. GPFs, as well as antiaircraft and beach defense weapons.
CAVITE is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. ... Fort Frank (Carabao, the Philippines) was part of the US Armys, Philippine Departments, Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays. ...

Allied AA crew at Corregidor.

All four forts in Manila Bay, as well as Fort Wint in Subic Bay, had been formed before the war into an organization called the Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays which by August 1941, became a part of the Philippine Coast Artillery Command. Both were under Maj. Gen. George F. Moore who also commanded the Corregidor garrison. The 5,700 men assigned to the Harbor Defenses were organized into three seacoast and one antiaircraft artillery regiments, headquarters, and service troops. The three seacoast units included the U.S. 59th and the Philippine Scout 91st and 92nd. The 60th Coast Artillery, the anti-aircraft regiment, was composed of Americans. About 500 Philippine Army soldiers in training were organized into the 1st and 2nd Coast Artillery Regiments (PA), but operated under the control of the two Scout regiments. Gen. Moore, in turn, organized his force into four major commands to exercise tactical control, namely: seaward defense, North and South Channels, under Col. Paul D. Bunker, all anti-aircraft and air warning defenses of the 60th Coastal Artillery under Col. Theodore M. Chase, and Capt. Kenneth M. Hoeffel, USN of the inshore patrol. Image File history File links AA_crew_at_Corregidor. ... Image File history File links AA_crew_at_Corregidor. ... Fort Hughes (Grande Island, the Philippines) was part of the Philippine Departments, Harbor Defenses of Manila and Subic Bays. ... Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about 100km northwest of Manila Bay. ... George F. Moore (1887–1949), as a Major General in the US Army, was the commander of the Harbor Defences of Manila and Subic Bays, the Philippines, at the time of the 1941 Japanese invasion. ...

After their evacuation from Olongapo in Zambales, close to Subic Naval Base on 26 December, the 4th Marine Regiment under the command of Col. Samuel L. Howard became the primary fighting unit on the island. Corregidor's garrison received the largest group of reinforcements right after the fall of Bataan, with some 72 officers and 1,173 enlisted men from more than fifty different units were integrated and assigned to the 4th Marine Regiment. Unfortunately, very few of the reinforcements were trained or equipped for ground combat. By April 30, 1942, the 4th Marines actually numbered 229 officers and 3,770 men, of whom only 1,500 were Marines. Olongapo City is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the province of Zambales, Philippines. ... U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 4th Marines Insignia courtesy of www. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

The Siege

On December 29, 1941, the defenders got their first taste of aerial bombardment on Corregidor. The attack lasted for two hours as the Japanese destroyed or damaged the hospital, Topside and Bottomside barracks, the Navy fuel depot and the officers club. Three days later, the island garrison was bombed for more than three hours. Periodic bombing continued over the next four days and with only two more raids for the rest of January, the defenders had a chance to improve their positions considerably. To the amusement of the beach defenders on Corregidor, the Japanese dropped only propaganda leaflets on January 29. On March 12, 1942 under cover of darkness, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was evacuated from Corregidor on four PT boats for Mindanao, where he was eventually flown to Australia.
December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (72nd in leap years). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 - April 5, 1964), was an American general who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater of World War II. He was poised to command the invasion of Japan in November 1945 but was instead instructed to accept their surrender on September 2, 1945. ... PT boats in line A PT boat was a motor torpedo boat (hull classification symbol PT), a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. ... Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. ...

Allied command center inside Malinta Tunnel

Henceforth from December 29, 1941 to the end of April, 1942, despite incessant Japanese aerial, naval and artillery bombardment, the garrison on Corregidor, consisting mainly of the 4th Marine Regiment and combined units from U.S. Navy , Army units and Filipino soldiers, resisted valiantly, inflicting heavy enemy losses in men and planes. Image File history File links Correg-malinta-tunnel-inter. ... Image File history File links Correg-malinta-tunnel-inter. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... The United States Army is one of the armed forces of the United States and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

On top of the bombardment was the increasingly dwindling food supply. The defenders were living on about thirty ounces of food per day. Drinking water was distributed only twice a day but the constant bombing and shelling often interrupted the ration. When the bombardment killed the mules in the Cavalry, they would drag the carcasses down to the mess hall and cook them up. The continued lack of proper diet created major problems for the Corregidor garrison, as men grew weakened and lacked reliable night vision. From Cebu, seven private maritime ships under orders from the army, loaded with food supply sailed towards Corregidor. Of the seven ships only one was able to reach Corregidor.It was the MV Princessa commanded by 3rd Lt. Zosimo Cruz (USAFFE).

Japanese bombing and shelling continued with unrelenting ferocity. Japanese aircraft flew 614 missions dropping 1,701 bombs totaling some three hundred sixty-five tons of explosive. Joining the aerial bombardment were nine 240 mm howitzers, thirty-four 149 mm howitzers, and thirty-two other artillery pieces, which pounded Corregidor day and night. It was estimated that on May 4 alone, more than 16,000 shells hit Corregidor. May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ...

From April 28, a concentrated aerial bombardment by the 22nd Air Brigade of Maj. Gen. Kizon Mikami, supported by ground artillery on Bataan from May 1 to May 5, 1942, preceded landing operations. April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

The Fall

On May 5, Japanese forces led by Maj. Gen. Kureo Tanaguchi boarded landing craft and barges and headed for the final assault on Corregidor. Shortly before midnight, intense shelling pounded the beaches between North Point and Cavalry Point. The initial landing of 790 Japanese soldiers quickly bogged down from surprisingly fierce resistance from the American and Filipino defenders whose 37 mm artillery tolled heavily on the landing fleet. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ...

Japanese artillery in action against Corregidor

The Japanese struggled due to the strong sea currents between Bataan and Corregidor and from the layers of oil that covered the beaches from ships sunk earlier in the siege and experienced great difficulty in landing personnel and equipment. However the overwhelming number of Japanese infantry equipped with 50 mm heavy grenade dischargers and "knee mortars" forced the defenders to pull back from the beach. Image File history File links Japanese_artillery_against_Corregidor. ... Image File history File links Japanese_artillery_against_Corregidor. ... Type 89 discharger wtih Type 89 grenade. ...

The second battalion of 785 Japanese soldiers were not as successful. The invasion force did not prepare for the strong current in the channel between Bataan and Corregidor. This battalion landed east of North Point where the defensive positions of the 4th Marines were stronger. Most of the Japanese officers were killed early in the landing, and the huddled survivors were hit with hand grenades, machine guns, and rifle fire. Some of the landing craft did however make it to the location of the first invasion force and found themselves moving inland enough to capture Denver Battery by 1:30 a.m. on May 6.
May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ...

Map of Japanese landings at Corregidor

A counterattack was initiated to move the Japanese off of Denver Battery. This was the location of the heaviest fighting between the opposing forces, practically face to face. A few reinforcements did make their way to the frontline 4th Marines but the battle became a duel of obsolete World War I grenades versus the deadly accurate Japanese knee mortars. Without additional reinforcements, the battle would quickly go against the defenders. Image File history File links 866corregidor_map. ... Image File history File links 866corregidor_map. ...

By 4:30 a.m. Colonel Howard committed his last reserves, some 500 Marines, sailors and soldiers of the 4th Battalion. These reserves tried to get to the battle as quickly as possible but several Japanese snipers had slipped behind the front lines to make movement very costly. An additional 880 reinforcements for the Japanese arrived at 5:30 a.m.. The 4th Marines were holding their positions at the same time losing ground in other areas. The Japanese were facing problems of their own, several ammunition crates never made the landing. Several attacks and counterattacks were fought now with only bayonets.

Japanese troops landing on Corregidor

The final blow to the defenders came about 9:30 a.m. when three Japanese tanks landed and went into action. The men around Denver Battery withdrew to the ruins of a concrete trench a few yards away from the entrance to Malinta tunnel, just as Japanese artillery delivered a heavy barrage. Particularly fearful of the dire consequences should the Japanese capture the tunnel, where lay 1,000 helpless wounded men, and realizing that the defenses outside Malinta tunnel could not hold out much longer, and expecting further Japanese landings that night, General Wainwright decided to sacrifice one more day of freedom in exchange for several thousand lives. In a radio message to President Franklin Roosevelt, Wainwright says, "There is a limit of human endurance, and that point has long been passed." Colonel Howard burned the 4th Regiment's and national colors to prevent their capture by the enemy. Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright finally surrendered the Corregidor garrison at about 1:30 p.m. of May 6, 1942 with two officers sent forward with a white flag to carry his surrender message to the Japanese. Image File history File links Correg-japanese-landing. ... Image File history File links Correg-japanese-landing. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), often referred to as FDR, was the 32nd (1933–1945) President of the United States. ... Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV (August 23, 1883 – September 2, 1953), as a Lieutenant General, was the commanding officer of the Philippine Department at the time of its surrender to the Japanese, during World War II. Wainwright was married to Adele Holley Wainwright (1887–1979). ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

Outcome

American and Filipino prisoners of war outside Malinta Tunnel, Corregidor

The Japanese losses sustained from January 1 to April 30 and from the initial assault landings from May 5 to May 6, resulted in losses of about 900 dead and 1,200 wounded, while the defenders suffered 800 dead and 1,000 wounded, Image File history File links Malinta_surrender. ... Image File history File links Malinta_surrender. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... May 6 is the 126th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (127th in leap years). ...

Corregidor's defeat marked the fall of the Philippines and Asia , but Imperial Japan's timetable for the conquest of Australia and the rest of the Pacific, was severely upset and her advance was ultimately checked at the battles for New Guinea, to the turning point in the Pacific War at Guadalcanal. World map showing the location of Asia. ... Combatants China (from 1937) United States (from 1941) United Kingdom (from 1941) British India (1941) Australia (1941) Free France (1941) Philippines (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) Soviet Union (from 1945) Mongolia (from 1945) Empire of Japan Wang Jingwei Government (1940) Thailand (1942) Manchukuo Mengjiang Free India (1943... Operation Watchtower On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division performed an amphibious landing east of the Tenaru River. ...

About 4,000 of the 11,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from Corregidor were marched through the streets of Manila to incarceration at Fort Santiago and Bilibid Prison, criminal detention centers turned POW camps. The rest were sent off in trains to various Japanese prison camps. General Wainwright was incarcerated in Manchuria. Over the course of the war, thousands were shipped to the Japanese mainland as slave labor. Some were eventually freed at Cabanatuan and during the battle for Manila's liberation. The front entrance of Fuerza de Santiago towering 40 metres high Fuerza de Santiago is a defence fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. ... Manchuria (Manchu: Manju; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Simplified Chinese: 满洲; pinyin: Mǎnzhōu, Russian: ) is a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ... Combatants United States and The Philippines Empire of Japan Commanders Henry Mucci Robert Prince Juan Pajota unknown Strength 127 U.S. troops 200 Filipino guerrillas est. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders Robert S. Beightler (37th Infantry Division) Verne D. Mudge (1st Cavalry Division) Oscar W. Griswold (U.S. XIV Corps) Joseph M. Swing (11th Airborne Division) Iwabuchi Sanji (Manila Naval Defense Forces) Strength 35,000 US troops 16,000 Japanese sailors, marines, and Army troops Casualties...

General Douglas MacArthur was an acknowledged hero to his countrymen, except perhaps for the starved and disease-ridden men of Bataan and Corregidor^{[citation needed]}, while General Masaharu Homma, who conquered the Philippines in five months instead of the projected two months, ended up being relieved of his command.

Historical Commemoration

An unnamed Marine from the 4th Marine Division wrote the following lyrics to the tune of the ' Marines' Hymn,' just before going into battle in Corregidor. The author of "The Corregidor Hymn" was captured by the Japanese in the battle, which ended 6 May 1942, and was never seen again.

Japanese soldiers take down the Stars and Stripes at Corregidor

"First to jump for holes and tunnels And to keep our skivvies clean, We are proud to claim the title of Corregidor's Marines. Image File history File links Amerflag001_pp1_01. ... Image File history File links Amerflag001_pp1_01. ...

"Our drawers unfurled to every breeze From dawn to setting sun. We have jumped into every hole and ditch And for us the fightin' was fun.

"We have plenty of guns and ammunition But not cigars and cigarettes, At the last we may smoking leaves Wrapped in Nipponese propaganda leaflets.

"When the Army and the Navy Looked out Corregidor's Tunnel Queen, They saw the beaches guarded by more than one Marine!

From 16 February to 26 , 1945 , American liberation forces spearheaded by the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team, swept into Corregidor and took it back during the Battle for the Recapture of Corregidor. February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Pontius Pilate is appointed as Prefect of Judaea. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... The Rock Regiment patch The 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was among the most decorated airborne units during World War II. World War II On February 14 1942. ... Combatants United States Japan Commanders George M. Jones Edward M. Postlethwait Rikichi Tsukada Strength 7,000 U.S. troops 6,650 Japanese troops Casualties 207 killed 684 wounded 6,600 killed 50 wounded 19 prisoners The Battle for the Recapture of Corregidor , from February 16 to 26, 1945 , on the...

Memorial

• The bridge in Chicago, Illinois where State Street crosses the Chicago River is named the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge.

Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Downtown buildings line the Chicago River The Chicago River is 156 miles (251 km) long, and flows through downtown Chicago. ...

See also

• Battle of Bataan
• Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)
• History of the Philippines
• Military History of Japan
• Military History of the Philippines
• Military History of the United States

Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Jonathan Wainwright George M. Parker Edward P. King Masaharu Homma Susumu Morioka Kineo Kitajima Kameichiro Nagano Strength 30,000 U.S. troops 120,000 Filipino troops 75,000 Japanese troops Casualties 10,000 killed, 20,000 wounded, 75,000 prisoners 7... Combatants the Philippines, United States Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur/ Jonathan M. Wainwright Masaharu Homma Strength About 150,000 120,000 Casualties 2,500 killed in action; 10,000 POWs killed/died during Bataan Death March 5,000 wounded 100,000 POWs total 1,200 killed; 500 missing in action 1... The history of the Philippines begins with the arrival of the first humans in the Philippines by land bridges at least 30,000 years ago. ... The military history of Japan is characterized by a long period of feudal wars, followed by domestic stability, and then foreign conquest. ... // List of major battles Battle of Manila Battle of Bataan Battle of Mactan Battle of Corregidor Battle of Luzon Battle of Leyte Battle of Pulang Lupa Balangiga Massacre Small Wars Wars with local Islamic Extremists Wars with local Communist Insurgents Foreign Service International Force East Timor see INTERFET UN Transitional... The military history of the United States spans a period of less than two and a half centuries. ...

References

• American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay (1898-1945) by Mark A. Berhow, Terrance McGovern and Chris Taylor (2002) Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-427-2
• World War II in the Pacific: An Encyclopedia (Military History of the United States) by S. Sandler (2000) Routledge ISBN 0-8153-1883-9
• I Am Alive! By Charles Jackson and Major Bruce H. Norton (2003) Presidio Press ISBN 0-345-44911-8

External links

• U.S. Army Center of Military History: The Fall of the Philippines
• Hyperwar: The Siege and Capture of Corregidor
• Animated History of The Battle of Bataan and Corregidor
• Chicago's Bataan-Corrigedor Memorial Bridge