Japanese Forces Capture Manila

Japanese forces enter the Philippine capital; American and Filipino troops withdraw to Bataan.

The capture of Manila was part of the Japanese offensive in the Philippines after the attacks of December 1941. The defenders abandoned the city and tried to concentrate resistance on the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island.

The fall of the capital did not end the campaign. US and Philippine forces continued to defend themselves amid shortages of supplies, food and medicine.

The fighting in the Philippines demonstrated how rapidly Japan was expanding its control across Southeast Asia in early 1942.

Source: View historical source ↗