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Battle of Manila

The Battle of Manila in 1945 was a major battle in the Philippines campaign during World War 2. It involved American forces fighting Japanese troops who were defending the capital city of Manila. Over the course of a month of intense urban fighting, over 100,000 civilians were killed and the city was almost completely destroyed. The battle ended the three-year Japanese occupation of Manila and marked a key victory for General Douglas MacArthur in retaking control of the Philippines from Japan.

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86 views

Battle of Manila

The Battle of Manila in 1945 was a major battle in the Philippines campaign during World War 2. It involved American forces fighting Japanese troops who were defending the capital city of Manila. Over the course of a month of intense urban fighting, over 100,000 civilians were killed and the city was almost completely destroyed. The battle ended the three-year Japanese occupation of Manila and marked a key victory for General Douglas MacArthur in retaking control of the Philippines from Japan.

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ElsieJhadeWandasAmando
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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BATTLE OF MANILA (1945)

The Battle of Manila (Filipino: Labanan sa Maynila) (3 February – 3 March 1945) was a


major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944-45, during the Second World War. It was
fought by American forces from both the U.S. mainland and the Philippines against Japanese
troops in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. The month-long battle, which resulted in
the death of over 100,000 civilians and the complete devastation of the city, was the scene of
the worst urban fighting in the Pacific theater. Japanese forces committed mass murder against
Filipino civilians during the battle. Along with massive loss of life, the battle also destroyed
architectural and cultural heritage dating back to the city's foundation. The battle ended the
almost three years of Japanese military occupation in in U.S. colony of the Commonwealth of
the Philippines (1942–1945). The city's capture was marked as General Douglas MacArthur's
key to victory in the campaign of reconquest. It is the last of the many battles fought within
Manila's history.

Background[edit]
On 9 January 1945, the Sixth U.S. Army under Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger waded ashore
at Lingayen Gulf and began a rapid drive south in the Battle of Luzon. On 12 Jan., MacArthur
ordered Krueger to advance rapidly to Manila.[1]:83 The 37th Infantry Division, under the
command of Major Gen. Robert S. Beightler, headed south.[1]:84
After landing at San Fabian on 27 Jan., the 1st Cavalry Division, under the command of Major
Gen. Vernon D. Mudge, was ordered by MacArthur on 31 Jan., to "Get to Manila! Free the
internees at Santo Tomas. Take Malacanang Palace and the Legislative Building.".[1]:83–84
On 31 January, the Eighth United States Army of Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger, consisting of
the 187th and 188th Glider Infantry Regiments of Col. Robert H. Soule, and components of the
U.S. 11th Airborne Divisionunder Maj. Gen. Joseph Swing, landed unopposed at Nasugbu in
southern Luzon and began moving north toward Manila.[1]:182 Meanwhile, the 11th A/B
Division's 511th Regimental Combat Team, commanded by Col. Orin D. "Hard Rock" Haugen,
parachuted onto Tagaytay Ridge on 4 February.[1]:85–87[3][4] On 10 Feb., the 11th Airborne
Division came under the command of the Sixth Army, and seized Fort William McKinley on 17
Feb.[1]:89
Swing was joined by the Hunters ROTC Filipino guerrillas, under the command of Lt. Col.
Emmanuel V. de Ocampo, and by 5 Feb., they were on the outskirts of Manila.[1]:87
Japanese defense[edit]
As the Americans converged on Manila from different directions, they found that most of
the Imperial Japanese Army troops defending the city had been withdrawn to Baguio City, on
the orders of General Tomoyuki Yamashita, commander in chief of Japanese Army forces in the
Philippines. Yamashita planned to engage Filipino and U.S. forces in northern Luzon in a co-
ordinated campaign, with the aim of buying time for the build-up of defences against the
pending Allied invasion of the Japanese home islands. He had three main groups under his
command: 80,000 men of the Shimbu Group in the mountains east of Manila, 30,000 of the
Kembu Group in the hills north of Manila, and 152,000 in the Shobu Group in northeastern
Luzon.[1]:72

Manila declared an Open City, January 1942.


In 1941, General Douglas MacArthur had declared Manila an open city before its capture.
[5]
 Although Yamashita had not done so in 1945, he had not intended to defend Manila; he did
not think that he could feed the city's one million residents[1]:72 and defend a large area with vast
tracts of flammable wooden buildings. Gen. Yamashita had originally ordered the commander
of Shimbu Group, Gen. Shizuo Yokoyama, to destroy all bridges and other vital installations
and then evacuate the city as soon as any large American forces made their appearance.
However, Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi, commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 31st
Naval Special Base Force, was determined to fight a last-ditch battle in Manila, and, though
nominally part of the Shimbu Army Group, repeatedly ignored Army orders to withdraw from
the city. The naval staff in Japan agreed to Iwabuchi's scheme, eroding a frustrated Yamashita's
attempts at confronting the Americans with a concerted, unified defense.[6][1]:72–73 Iwabuchi had
12,500 men under his command, designated the Manila Naval Defence Force,[1]:73 augmented by
4,500 army personnel under Col. Katsuzo Noguchi and Capt. Saburo Abe.[1]:73 They built
defensive positions in the city, including Intramuros, cut down the palm trees on Dewey
Blvd. to form a runway, and set up barricades across major streets.[1]:73 Iwabuchi formed the
Northern Force under Noguchi, and the Southern Force under Capt. Takusue Furuse.[1]:74
Iwabuchi had been in command of the battleship Kirishima when she was sunk by a US Navy
task force off Guadalcanal in 1942, a blot on his honor which may have inspired his
determination to fight to the death. Before the battle began, he issued an address to his men:
We are very glad and grateful for the opportunity of being able to serve our country in this epic
battle. Now, with what strength remains, we will daringly engage the enemy. Banzai to the
Emperor! We are determined to fight to the last man.[7]

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