douglas macarthur was the commander of the american and filipino forces in bataan.
douglas macarthur was the commander of the american and filipino forces in bataan.
commander of the american and filipino forces in bataan?
douglas macarthur
on december 10, japanese forces began a series of small-scale landings on luzon. the main landings by the 14th army took place at lingayen gulf on december 22, with the bulk of the 16th infantry division. another large second landing took place two days later at lamon bay, south of manila, by the 48th infantry division. as the japanese troops converged on manila, general douglas macarthur, began executing plans to make a final stand on the bataan peninsula and the island of corregidor in order to deny the use of manila bay to the japanese. a series of withdrawal actions brought his troops safely into bataan, while the japanese entered manila unopposed on january 2, 1942. on january 7, the japanese attacked bataan. after some initial success, they were stalled by disease and casualties, but they could be reinforced while the americans could not. on march 11, 1942, under orders from president roosevelt, macarthur left corregidor for australia, and lieutenant general jonathan m. wainwright assumed command in the philippines. the defenders on bataan, running low on ammunition and supplies could not hold back a final japanese offensive. consequently, bataan fell on april 9, with the 76,000 american and filipino prisoners of war being subjected to a grueling 66-mile (106-km) ordeal that came to be known as the bataan death march. on the night of may 5–6, after an intensive aerial and artillery bombardment of corregidor, the japanese landed on the island and general wainwright surrendered on may 6. in the southern philippines, where key ports and airfields had already been seized by the japanese, the remaining american-filipino forces surrendered on may 9.
pacific war
despite a lack of supplies, american and filipino forces managed to fight the japanese for three months, engaging them initially in a fighting retreat southward. as the combined american and filipino forces made a last stand, the delay cost the japanese valuable time and prevented immediate victory across the pacific. the american surrender at bataan to the japanese, with 76,000 soldiers surrendering in the philippines altogether, was the largest in american and filipino military histories, and was the largest united states surrender since the american civil war's battle of harper's ferry. soon afterwards, u.s. and filipino prisoners of war were forced into the bataan death march.
battle of bataan