WWII South Pacific Marines

Two United States Marines posing in the Philippines.

In December of 1941, the Japanese Imperial army invaded the Philippines. By May of 1942, the Japanese had defeated the Filipino army and their allies the US military. Japan's conquest of the Philippines is often considered the worst military defeat in US history. About 23,000 American military personnel, and about 100,000 Filipino soldiers were killed or captured.

The defeat marked the beginning of three and a half years of extremely harsh treatment of allied prisoners. One of the worst atrocities was the Bataan Death March. It was a forced march involving 60,000 to 80,000 American and Filipino soldiers. It was about a 70 mile march that had a high cost. The exact death toll is unknown but casualties from the march alone ranged from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths. Captured soldiers ended up in prison camps or put onto ships dubbed (hell ships) bound for Japan. The captives worked as slaves in mines and factories.

However, Filipino and American forces did not give up. They conducted a guerrilla warfare against the occupying Japanese forces. In October of 1944 the Allied forces (US, Filipino, Mexican, and Australian) launched Operation Musketeer I, II, and III. The Allied forces were making progress in reclaiming territory when the Japanese forces were ordered to surrender by the imperial government on 15 August 1945 after the US dropped two atomic bombs on mainland Japan and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.

Thank you for reading.

Jenny Findsen