Pacific · 8 Dec 1941 – 8 May 1942
Bataan and Corregidor
Japanese forces took Bataan on 9 April 1942 and Corregidor on 6 May, ending organized Allied resistance around Manila Bay.
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Japan opened its invasion of the Philippines on 8 December 1941 with air attacks on U.S. bases. After major landings at Lingayen Gulf on 22 December, General Douglas MacArthur ordered the defense to withdraw toward Bataan. Manila was declared an open city on 26 December and occupied by Japanese forces by 7 January. The retreat brought U.S. and Filipino forces onto the peninsula, but the rapid advance had prevented them from building the planned six-month supply stockpile. [Source 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippines_campaign_(1941%E2%80%931942))
The Battle of Bataan began on 7 January. Major General Jonathan Wainwright’s I Corps held the western sector and Major General George Parker’s II Corps the eastern sector of the first defensive line, from Mauban to Abucay. Japanese attacks against II Corps began on 9 January. In the west, Japanese troops infiltrated behind Wainwright’s lines, while pressure on the eastern sector forced a withdrawal. By 26 January the defenders had established a shorter position from Bagac to Orion. [Source 2](https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-bataan-2360457)
Japanese landings on the peninsula’s southwest coast threatened the new line in late January. The landings at Longoskawayan and Quinauan were contained, while Japanese troops established a foothold at Canas Point. Fighting continued against the main defensive line; Japanese troops breached Wainwright’s sector near the Toul River, and his forces isolated the attackers in pockets. The last of those pockets was cleared on 17 February. Unable to break the defenses with the forces then available, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma ordered his troops to fall back to a defensive line and await reinforcements. [Source 2](https://www.thoughtco.com/battle-of-bataan-2360457)
The pause did not resolve the defenders’ supply crisis. Disease and hunger spread as food, medicine, and ammunition ran short, and relief did not arrive. MacArthur left Corregidor by PT boat on 11 March and reached Australia. Japanese forces renewed their pressure; U.S. and Filipino troops on Bataan surrendered on 9 April. The surrender was followed by the forced march of prisoners north to Camp O’Donnell. [Source 3](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/bataan-philippines-map/)
Corregidor remained in Allied hands after Bataan fell. The island fortress guarded the entrance to Manila Bay, and its coastal defenses and tunnels were defended by U.S. and Filipino troops, including the 4th Marine Regiment and coast artillery units. Japanese troops landed on Corregidor on the night of 5–6 May. After the landing, General Jonathan Wainwright surrendered the island on 6 May. U.S. vessels in the bay had by then been scuttled, destroyed, or lost. The Japanese victory ended the last organized Allied defense of Manila Bay. [Sources 4](https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1942/bataan-corregidor.html) and [5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Corregidor)