This volume is an official history of the United States Army's involvement in the Philippines campaign at the start of World War II. It details the military events, strategy, and logistics leading to the defeat and surrender of American and Filipino forces, including the sieges of Bataan and Corregidor. The work was published by the Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, as part of the larger series, United States Army in World War II. Its creation was a difficult process, relying heavily on the memories and hidden notes of surviving officers from the campaign due to the scarcity of official records that were lost or destroyed during the war. The account is significant as a testament to the initial, ultimately doomed, resistance against the Japanese expansion, serving as a symbol of hope and determination for the Allied world in a period marked by widespread defeat. The author, a historical officer who served in the Philippines, sought to provide a comprehensive account that underscored the strategic failures that left American forces unprepared, particularly in balancing long-range national policy with military means.
The fall of the Philippines (United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific)