And they brought us down into a staging area and put me in with the rest of the thousands that were assembled on the side of the road, and that's where I spent my first night. We refused to surrender.". The successful retreat into Bataan, called for in War Plan Orange, was a great feat in itself. He was a POW for fourteen days until he escaped from the Death March. The main Japanese invasion force quickly shredded MacArthur's army two weeks later. in Sicily, Silyumbria in 675 BC, Astakos, Chalcedon in 685 BC, and Byzantium in the Propontis, Heraklia in 559 BC. Planes would be coming, men would be coming and what we needed would be there. It was an uprising against the Roman Empire started by the Batavi, a small But with theU.S. Numbering more than 70,000 (Filipinos and Americans), it was the largest American army in history to surrender. Continue with Recommended Cookies. The possible uprising did come to life when Vitellus ordered forced recruitment of the Batavi troops. As fighting had raged to the north, Kimura dispatched amphibious forces to land on the southwest coast of the peninsula. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, they invaded Luzon, Philippines in January 1942. This defect was a prime reason for the successful defeat of the Roman army at that point. Survivors of the Bataan Death March celebrate Christmas in their POW camp. Bianchi graduated from South Dakota State University in 1939, and received an ROTC commission in 1940.[2]. He was the commander of the winter camp of his legion and the remains of another unit. And nobody would go with me, I'd been begging for many days for people to attempt an escape with me. WebABOUT THIS VIDEO Lt. Col. John D. Cowgill, USAF (Ret. He founded a monastic community on the site of what is now St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. The leaders of both parties involved in this revolt played a crucial role in plotting the course of action. American soldiers at rest during the Bataan Death March. On January 17, Parker desperately attempted to restore his position. Just hold tight. Some 20,000 soldiers who'd survived the march and made it to the camp soon died there thanks to disease, sweltering heat, and brutal executions. By the time the Filipinos and the US troops finally surrendered on April 9, 1942, the Philippine scouts were in a very bad position. In July 1941, the US Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) is created, consisting of a majority of Filipinos (about 100,000) and US soldiers (about 20,000). On April 9, 1942, Gen. Edward (Ned) King, the US commander of all ground troops on Bataan, surrendered his thousands of wounded, enervated, and starving Subsequently, in 71 AD, he was appointed Roman Britains Governor. ' Douglas MacArthur and his troops intended to hold their ground on the Bataan peninsula, on West Luzon Island, until theU.S. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. WebRubin's Pathology (Raphael Rubin; David S. Strayer; Emanuel Rubin; Jay M. McDonald (M.D.)) Becoming lost, they instead established a foothold on Canas Point. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Survivors of the Bataan Death March are freed from their prison camp in Cabanatuan. He came from an elite German family and is believed to have worked with the Romans for years before the uprising. Leaders and commanders of both the rebelling group and the imperial army managed to go down in history. April 7, 1942: American and Filipino soldiers in a foxhole during the battle for the Bataan Peninsula. Their main objective was to serve as a buffer between the Japanese and the American colonial possession of the Philippines. We ate the horses of the 26th CavalryGeneral Wainwright took away the horses and sent them to the quarter-master to be slaughtered for food, because the troops were starving. In addition, troops moved against Allied positions on Hong Kong and Wake Island. WebThe Revolt of the Batavi took place in the Roman province of Germania Inferior between AD 69 and 70. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. But it wasn't until January 1941 that Crowley shipped out. But, I'm not going to go in prison camp, no glory in being a prisoner." As a result, he ordered his men to fall back to a defensive line on February 8 to await reinforcements. 'Let the die be cast,' remarked by Caesar as he led his victorious troops across the Rubicon river and headed towards Rome. Taken prisoner with the fall of Bataan, he, too, survived the Death March, then was held at Camp O'Donnell before being moved to Cabanatuan. Holding off the Japanese at first, the situation changed on January 19 when Japanese forces infiltrated behind his lines cutting off supplies to the 1st Regular Division (PA). When efforts to dislodge this force failed, the division was withdrawn and lost most of its artillery in the process. So, there's a great deal in the beginning that is simply chaotic, and as a matter of fact, war is sort of controlled chaos. Both corps commanders anchored their lines on Mount Natib, though the mountain's rugged terrain prevented them from being in direct contact forcing the gap to be covered by patrols. 1942. The United States ended up purchasing the Philippines from the Spanish as part of a settlement of the war, and then the Philippines became a colonial possession of the United States. It was October 1940 more than a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor when an 18-year-old Crowley enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps with two friends. And they would break ranks and the Japanese wouldn't tolerate that. The event will mark the 70th anniversary of the death march. During the Battle of Bataan, the American and Filipino soldiers held out four months against the Imperial Japanese Army. Did you feel as if you were being left there to do the fighting that he wouldn't do? Mr. Ramsey left the army in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Though suffering from combat wounds, disease, and malnutrition, these prisoners were marched north to prisoner of war camps in what became known as the Bataan Death March. Julius Classicus was a military commander of the Roman auxiliaries and belonged to the Treviri tribe. Vitellus ordered the re-deployment of troops from the Rhine borders to Italy to assist him against the rebellion of Vespasian. Rescued POWs receive medical attention. Lieutenant Alexander R. Nininger received the first Medal of Honor of World War II. Tenney was a tank commander with the 192nd Tank Battalion, a survivor of the Bataan Death March,and a dear friend of The National WWII Museum. 1945. Though a victory that boosted morale, USAFFE continued to suffer from a critical shortage of key supplies. ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images. Some prisoners were given the role of "ditch diggers" and forced to bury their fellow prisoners in makeshift graves along the way. An anti-Japanese flier featuring an article about the Bataan Death March. Henry Lassiter Photos & Videos View All Bataan (1943) -- (Movie Clip) Hard Night's Work Dave Karger Intro -- Bataan (1943) Bataan - (Original Trailer) "World War II: Battle of Bataan." Still, He had to withdraw to Castra Vetera due to the betrayal by many of their German auxiliaries. During his captivity he suffered from malnutrition, pneumonia, malaria and dysentery. After three weeks of bitter fighting, the Japanese positions were completely eliminated. As it regained strength, it began to intensify artillery bombardments of the USFIP lines. Amid the chaos, Crowley and the other men were able to swim to an allied freighter anchored in the bay. "World War II: Battle of Bataan." To the north, Homma took February and March to refit and reinforce his army. 7. Wherever they were, however, those in the resistance did all they could to survive and prepare for MacArthur's promised return. 17 Historical Figures You Didn't Know Were Connected In Bizarre Ways, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Around him are bare white walls, boxes of clothes and knick-knacks. It was quite a sight.". However, it is unknown what happened to Labeo at the end of the revolt. At the same time, there were other Filipinos who took advantage of some of the programs that the United States established while the Philippines were America's colonial possession. var googletag = googletag || {}; Richard Gordon:I didn't come down with a surrender group. So, by the time the Battle of Bataan officially began on January 6, 1942, MacArthur's forces were on half rations. Despite insufficient supplies, American and Filipino troops were able to fight for three months. The Battle of Bataan began on January 6, 1942, and almost immediately the defenders were on half This rebellion started with a local tribe and was joined by numerous other tribes due to oppression in the Roman Empire. Because so many people, including myself, felt like perhaps he's running out. For example, the Philippine Scouts were established in 1901 and gave Filipinos the opportunity to help protect and defend the Philippines and the United States in the Pacific. Following their initial success in the rebellion, they were subsequently defeated by the Roman army. I saw a beheading of a Filipino who had broke ranks and ran for that type of water. They wanted to establish a new Roman Empire in Gaul, an Imperium Galliarum. About 12,000 The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. This tribe inhabited Batavia on the delta of the river Rhine. WebHowever, on April 9, 1942, 76,000 Allied troops surrendered to the Imperial Japanese Army; the transfer of those POWs from the battle became known as the Bataan Death March Principles of Managerial Finance (Lawrence J. Gitman; Chad J. Zutter) Intermediate Accounting (Conrado Valix, Jose Peralta, Christian Aris Valix) The Tragedy of American Diplomacy (William Appleman Williams) For example, if you should not want to walk anymore -- let's say you were tired -- well, I've seen them shoot walking prisoners of war -- actually be shot. A gun was leveled to the approaching red darkness that threatened the man standing before the unknown yet But they wouldn't let you go back and take care of him, even at the artesian wells, when the prisoners would break and run for the water. As the Japanese began to attack with greater ferocity in mid-January, MacArthur issued a statement to be read to his troops. Crowley, who had begun the war a healthy, 6-foot, 182-pound man, was a walking skeleton when he was finally released. In World War IIs aftermath, July 4also became Independence Day for the Philippines in 1946. Major Gen. Edward King, who replaced McArthur, decided to surrender to the Japanese in the hopes of protecting his troops from further suffering. First was the morale of the low-ranking Japanese soldiers. A Japanese soldier watches as prisoners line up at the beginning of the Bataan Death March. WebVictor (died August 388 AD) was a Western Roman emperor from either 383/384 or 387 to August 388. A shorter line, it was dwarfed by the heights of Mount Samat which provided the Allies with an observation post overseeing the entire front. After a grisly three-month campaign in early 1942 that left around 10,000 American and Filipino troops dead, the Japanese emerged victorious. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. He survived the Death March and was held at Camp O'Donnell until September, 1942, when the Japanese released most of their Filipino prisoners. Obtaining additional troops on January 27, Wainwright eliminated the Longoskayan and Quinauan threats. Anybody who had a carabao, we ate those. Monopoly is Americas favorite board game, a love letter to unbridled capitalism and our free market society. The prisoners of war came to refer to this long walk as the Bataan Death March. Thanks to the escape of the Davao Dozen from Japanese captivity in April 1943, Americans learned of the Bataan Death March. WebSergeant Bill Dane George Murphy Lieut. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, troops were placed on half rations. There was no latrine facilities, you defecated right where you were and it got pretty bad and stinky come morning and you couldn't walk around. Due to their solid and skilled nature, they constituted almost 4% of the total auxilia. We were in for deep trouble. Bournemouth lose in final seconds. Civilis directed a significant amount of effort in re-capturing and dislodging him. Roman historian Tacitus described Cerialis as a bold soldier rather than a careful general.. In 69 AD, when the revolt began, he played a reasonable role in contributing to the initial victories of the rebellion. The Batavians lived in a comparatively poor country with vast but unfertile lands. With the fall of Corregidor, Wainwright surrendered all remaining forces in the Philippines. https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-bataan-2360457 (accessed March 4, 2023). The Batavian Revolt provided prominence to many leaders who contributed considerably. Seeking to exploit this, Lieutenant General Susumu Morioka, who had superseded Kimura, dispatched reinforcements to Quinauan on the night of the 26th. The trio, Julius Tutor, Julius Classicus, and Julius Sabinus, had a different vision of the revolt than the Batavi. That night, he received orders to retreat south. "The exact time of arrival of reinforcements is unknown No further retreat is possible If we fight we will win; if we retreat we will be destroyed.". If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Under the pretense of siding with Vespasian on his rebellion against Vitellius, Civilis initiated his revolt through the inhabitants of his native country. However, soldiers who handed this ticket in were instead executed by the Japanese. Many of them had no shoes, many of them had no guns. And of course, the orders to cut those rations came from General MacArthur's office. The Batavian leader Julius Civilis called for Tutor and other leaders of the Gallic tribe to join the rebellion as the empire was significantly weak during that period. His secret was uncovered sometime later, and Sabinus and his wife were taken to Rome for questioning. Crowley, who will turn 90 in May, is one of the few Americans still alive and able to recall the battle which preceded the Bataan Death March, in which 90,000 to 100,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to walk more than 60 miles after being taken captive by the Japanese when the U.S. surrendered on April 9, 1942. Then, see some of the most powerful World War 2 photos and Holocaust photos ever taken. Massing his troops, he landed on Corregidor on May 5 and captured the island in two days of fighting. For Dan Crowley, the immeasurable horror he suffered at the hands of his Japanese captors after the Battle of Bataan in the Philippines in World War II plays like a film reel every day inside his head. As the war waged on, Allied Forces reigned victorious in Europe and pushed into Japan, calling for their surrender. The Greenwich native and his friends traveled from Bridgeport to New Haven to Hartford before they found an Army office that was still accepting recruits. He was the son of the magister militum Magnus Maximus, who later became These were largely unsuccessful as only three ships were able to run the Japanese blockade while submarines and aircraft lacked the carrying capacity to bring the needed quantities. Crowley who upon his arrival home became an insurance agent, married and had kids said his anger is what propelled him forward, and his instincts are what allowed him to survive. He was primarily in command of the Treviran cavalry regiment. "You never forget," said Crowley, an Army veteran from Simsbury. Webbattle of bataan casualties 3 julio, 2022 / mysdcars forgot password / en apple playlist music / por / mysdcars forgot password / en apple playlist music / por This led to innocent civilians, including women and children, being exposed to harsh treatment by the Japanese. After the action near Bagac in the Bataan Province, Bianchi was among the troops captured by the Japanese at the fall of Bataan, on April 9, 1942. The sick, lame and lazy, we called them, fell back. Most joined the guerrilla movement. They had no support from the air or sea, many troops were sick with diseases like malaria and dengue fever, and most had to survive on donkey meat and small portions of rice. Due to the ongoing civil wars, the relatively weakened empire benefited the rebels. Over the next two days, Parker fought desperately to save his crumbling left as King attempted to counterattack north. As the Battle of the Points raged, Morioka and Nara continued assaults on the main USAFFE line. Along with being a senator, he also held office in the imperial service as the suffect consul from March to April 47 AD. Three months after the start of the Battle of Bataan, the Bataan Death March began, forcing 60,000-80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war to march through the Philippines. After becoming a prisoner of war of the Japanese, Ben Skardon survived the Bataan Death March and the sinking of two hell ships during the crossing from the Philippines to Japan. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. December 1941: General Masaharu Homma, the "Poet General", on a pier in the Philippines. And, it became to many people a very bitter pill to swallow. The men hid in the water until nightfall, dodging the shower of ammunition coming from the Japanese planes overhead. 1944. Chapter XVII: The Battle of the Points On the same day that General MacArthur made his decision to withdraw from the Abucay-Mauban line, 22 January, the Japanese set in motion a new series of operations potentially as dangerous to the American position on Bataan as General Nara's assault against II Corps. Of course, the Americans that were there were made to walk on the right side of the street to distinguish them from the Filipinos, and on the left side were all the Filipino troops. Coming ashore, elements of Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma's 14th Army began driving south against Major General Jonathan Wainwright's Northern Luzon Force. Alfred X. Burgos:Well, when Bataan surrendered, they gathered all of us in Mariveles, Bataan, and they told us that we had to march all the way to San Fernando Pampanga because we were all going to be accounted for and taken to prison camps. He initiated an uprising in the province of Gallia Belgica. Now a retired Major, Mr. Gordon organizes a group called The Battling of Bataan. ), 95, shares his memories of his commanding officer, then-Lt./Capt. info@nationalww2museum.org One service was being able to serve in the in the United States and for the United States. Though initially successful, the division later broke allowing the Japanese to threaten II Corps' line. As II Corps was overwhelmed, I Corps began falling back on the night of April 8. Due to the losses sustained at Pearl Harbor, this was unlikely to occur. King Harold and his two brothers were killed in the battle. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty ImagesGeneral Masaharu Homma, the "Poet General," who was later executed for his role in the Bataan Death March. He was part of the Bataan "Death March," and was imprisoned in several Japanese prisoner of war camps, enduring horrible conditions. He led the troops to the island of Batavia for a powerful attack. He was crowned king of England on Christmas Day, 1066, and ruled until he died in 1087. In turn, he received his first consulate as an honor by Vespasian. Afraid of betrayal by the forces, Classicus read an oath of allegiance to the legions stationed in Germany, commanding them to swear loyalty to their new emperor Julius Sabinus. Mounting a series of attacks over the next five days, he managed to retake much of the lost ground. Willibald Charles Bianchi (March 12, 1915 January 9, 1945) was an officer in the Philippine Scouts who received the Medal of Honor for actions in Bataan, Philippines during that country's capitulation to Japanese forces during World War II. There are two people I've known in my life that I put in that category. They'd shoot indiscriminately into the crowd and some got shot and laid there. (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). These men largely had no combat experience; many of them happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was among the Gallic leaders approached by Julius Civilis during the revolt to side with their tribe in the rebellion. WebGeneral Douglas MacArthur looks down on dead Japanese soldiers after a fierce battle on Bataan. By New Year's Day the Japanese occupied Manila. 97-year-old Bataan Death March survivor, Colonel Ben Skardon during the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range. Nearly 80,000 Allied troops laid down their weapons, making it the largest American surrender in history. You had to stay there. Edwin Ramsey:Well, we ate anything that we could get our hands on. Reiss Nelson has scored a 97th-minute winner for title-chasing Arsenal, who came from 2-0 down to beat Bournemouth. During the Batavian Revolt, he was the commander of the Rhine army. WebBataan: Directed by Tay Garnett. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. One of our Filipino boys, injured in the fighting on Bataan, January 28, 1942, being brought back to a first aid station by his comrades. Eventually, after Japan's surrender three years later, eight generals, including Masaharu Homma, were all executed for war crimes related to the unforgettable horrors of the Bataan Death March. Flaccus declined the order upon hearing of the possible uprising of the Batavians against the Roman Empire. WebBlessed Victor III, original name Dauferi, Benedictine name Desiderius, (born 1027, Benevento, principality of Benevento [Italy]died September 16, 1087, Montecassino, That came later. David was celebrated in both Wales and Ireland , but what we know about him and his followers mostly comes from the Latin text, Funerary stale of the They suffered from starvation, having to sleep in the harsh conditions of the Philippines. These soldiers had to make these sacrifices in order for forces heading into the Pacific to have supplies. Approximately 250,000 Filipino men joined the U.S. Armed Forces in the months before and the days just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Sabinus took advantage of the weakened Roman Empire due to both Vespasian and Batavian rebellions. The prisoners unable to make it through the march were beaten, killed, and sometimes beheaded. ThoughtCo. Do not, for one minute, think of giving up any grounds. The USAFFE were able to hold the Japanese successfully until December 1941. And, I thought possibly that he would get there in time and they could get convoys in through Australia and send relief to us, but it didn't work that way. "A terrible silence settled over Bataan about noon on April 9," remembered General Jonathan Wainwright, the man who had assumed MacArthur's command after he left for Australia. Richard Gordon:We were told he left, but after he had left. He was a Roman officer and claimed to descend from Julius Caesar based on his great-grandmother being the emperors mistress during the Gallic war. Later that day, seeing that further resistance would be hopeless, King reached out to the Japanese for terms. By March 1942, Japan controlled all of the Western Pacific except the Philippines. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft began conducting an aerial assault on American forces in the Philippines. "We were showered from the air with burning debris," Crowley said. Dressed in a navy sweater and a belted pair of jeans, Crowley shuffles around a coffee table littered with the remnants of his days at war. Navystunned by the attack on Pearl Harbor, there were no ships capable of bringing the necessary reinforcements to Bataan, Crowley said. Interviewer:When MacArthur left, what was your feeling? Some refused to become prisoners and fled, joining a significant resistance movement which grew to perhaps 180,000 guerrillas throughout the Philippines. To the west, Wainwright's corps fared somewhat better against troops led by Major General Naoki Kimura. The Battle of Bataan in the Philippines the first major military campaign of the Asian theater in World War II following the Pearl Harbor attack took a huge toll on He then fought against the Japanese with several different guerrilla outfits until American forces returned to Luzon in January, 1945. WebItem No : 275690496635 Condition : -- Category : Books, Comics & Magazines > Antiquarian & Collectable Seller : checkoutmyunqiuefunitems See more from this seller Items Specifications - Personalised : No - Origin : Japan - Place of Publication : London - Non-Fiction Subject : Biographies & True Stories Richard Gordon:Well, at that point in time [January, 1942], we'd already been put on half rations and morale was beginning to get a little bit tight by virtue of the fact that food was not what it should have been, as far as we were concerned. There were Filipinos who continued to fight against the United States well into the 1900s, trying to push back and gain their independence as a free and sovereign nation. Interviewer:Did you see anybody else die or get killed? When the Batavians took the city of Vetera, Lupercus and his troops had to surrender due to food scarcity. During the Battle of Bataan, troops suffered from disease, hunger, wounds, and deaths. Before the revolt, he had served in Britain during Boudicas rebellion and was a participant in the civil wars after the death of Emperor Nero. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/battle-of-bataan-2360457. The Battle of Bataan was fought January 7 to April 9, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). Bataan Death March, march in the Philippines of some 66 miles (106 km) that 76,000 prisoners of war (66,000 Filipinos, 10,000 Americans) were forced by the Web70413 lego - Der TOP-Favorit unserer Produkttester. Despite the success, Civilis remained ungrateful to his tribe member and sent him to exile among the Frisii. Though the USAFFE was supported by a large amount of artillery, its position was weakened due to a tenuous supply situation. That's General MacArthur and [a lieutenant out of the 31st Infantry]. Hickman, Kennedy. In the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur, commanding United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), began making preparations to defend the archipelago from the inevitable Japanese invasion. A Texas pro-lifer has prevailed in court battles against three abortion organizations alleging defamation. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. All told, the total number of prisoners was double what Japanese Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma was expecting. This was followed by a larger effort in the north at Lingayen Gulf on December 22. Her prophecy power was reluctantly criticized, and she was held in by the then-Governor of Germania, Inferior Rutilius Gallicus. And we were to hold fast. That's the way it was taught to us, every time they read the Articles of War to us. I think I learned about on it on the 12th or 13th, when they made that particular announcement. Reluctantly leaving on March 12, MacArthur traveled to Mindanao by PT boat before flying to Australia on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Did you feel abandoned? Others were made to sit in direct sunlight without helmets or protection. Due to the topography, the peninsula's only natural harbor is Mariveles at its southern tip. Tenaciously defending Canas Point, the Japanese were not expelled until February 13. Webhistory of Bataan Death March. WebThe Bataan Death March is commemorated every year in March since 1993 at the White Sands Missile Range, northeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico, with a trail marathon known as the Bataan Memorial Death March.The full marathon and 15 mi (24 km) run covers paved road and sandy trails, and is regarded by Marathon Guide as one of the top 30 In the Bataan Death March of World War II, 75,000 Filipino and U.S. troops made a hellish 65-mile march to prison camps, but about 17,000 were killed en route. He was a military leader and the prefect of the Batavian ala of auxiliaries. When Gen. Douglas MacArthur left Bataan for service in Australia, Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright became the senior field commander of US and Filipino forces in the Philippine Islands. Meeting with Major General Kameichiro Nagano the next day, he surrendered the forces on Bataan. Later on, and before that, in Bataan, we were eating everything -- monkeys, dogs, cats. In 74 AD, after he left Britain, he was a consul for a second time. They beat prisoners to urge them along or just for fun and bayoneted, shot, and beheaded prisoners who could not keep up with the pace of the march. if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { However, the Liberation of the Philippines makes headway with General MacArthur returning in October 1944. The building was on fire. Several who broke ranks would be shot by the Japanese who were part of that detail. Soldiers use makeshift litters to carry those who cannot walk anymore. But as he tells his story punctuated with jokes and hearty laughs he seems to keep the memory at arm's length. But seeing no chance of victory, the American and Filipino Allied forces were forced to surrender on April 9, 1942.