The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II: Philippine Islands; 7 December 1941–10 May 1942

Geography of the Philippines

“The Philippine Islands, some 7,000 in number, form a natural barrier between Japan and the rich resources of east and southeast Asia. Most Filipinos live on eleven principal islands that account for 90 percent of the archipelago’s landmass. Manila, the capital, is located on Luzon, the largest and most populous of the islands. In 1941 the Philippines formed the westernmost U.S. outpost, 5,000 miles from Pearl Harbor and over 7,000 miles from San Francisco. By contrast, Manila is only 1,800 miles from Tokyo.

The Bataan Death March

“About 600 Americans and between 5,000 and 10,000 Filipinos died on what has become known as the “Bataan Death March.” Although extreme malnutrition, disease, and simple bad planning on the part of their captors deserve the major blame, the deliberate and arbitrary cruelty of some of the guards led to many of the deaths and immeasurably increased the suffering of those who managed to survive.”



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