The Battle for the Philipines
"I saw the bombs drop
Tiny specks which grew as they fell
Twinkling like silver coins
Falling through clear water
I felt neither fear nor hatred
Only desire to have it over quickly"
Lieutenant Henry G. Lee
December 8, 1941 Japanese soldiers landed in the Philipines. The American soldiers on the Philipines acted quickly to hold back the Japanese. General MacArthur was told by President Roosevelt that he could not lose the Philipines; after Pearl Harbor America needed a victory. During this same time Roosevelt was meeting with Winston Churchill and deciding that the American fighting forces would focus all of their might on the war in Europe.
MacArthur retreated to the small penninsula known as Bataan, using the original plan of defense for the Philipines called "War Plan Orange". Unfortunatly supplies were not available for the troops. Food was soon gone and ammunition was running dry. Worst of all, Bataan was one of the most malaria-infested areas in the world and the quinine was gone. On Bataan the soldiers ate whatever came their way. Also, the men were suffering from disease caused by stagnant water. Bataan had two field hospitals that were able to hold up to 1000 men in each; both hospitals were overfilled with troops suffering from battle wounds, disease, and exhaustion. Although supplies and aid were promised from General MacArthur and Washington, they never arrived.
General Jonathan Wainwright took General MacArthur's place of command after MacArthur left the Philipines on Jan. 21 1942, and he moved to the island of Corregidor. Major General Edward P. King, Jr. took command of the forces on Bataan. On April 9, 1942, after over four months of fighting, General King, taking responsibility solely on his shoulders, surrendered Bataan to the Japanese.
Meanwhile, the fighting continued on the island of Corregidor. On May 6, 1942 Wainwright finally surrendered Corregidor. The Philipines had fallen.
