The Battle for the Philippines
American History Hit
History Hit
4.5 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 4 August 2025
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The largest ever surrender of American forces occurred in May 1942. The event resulted in medals of honour for two American military leaders - one who escaped, another who became the highest ranking prisoner of war of the Second World War.
In this episode, Don is joined by Jonathan Horn to discuss the loss of the Philippines, and the fight to get it back.
Jonathan, who previously came onto the podcast to talk about Robert E. Lee, is a former White House presidential speechwriter and author of 'The Man Who Would Not Be Washington'. His new book on this subject is ‘The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines’.
Edited by Tim Arstall, produced by Sophie Gee. The Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | May 1942. Allied forces have largely withdrawn from the Philippines. Only one stronghold |
| 0:11.3 | remains, the fortress island of Corregador standing defiantly at the mouth of Manila Bay. |
| 0:18.1 | Over 10,000 American and Filipino troops are now under relentless Japanese bombardment, |
| 0:23.4 | fired from the recently captured Baton Peninsula. Corregador is a heavily armed |
| 0:28.8 | citadel, its coastal batteries boasting 56 artillery guns that hammer the approaching enemy. |
| 0:35.1 | But the island is cut off, and its defenders have been surviving on dwindling supplies |
| 0:40.3 | since the beginning of the year. |
| 0:42.1 | General Douglas MacArthur escaped in March, under orders, retreating to Australia. |
| 0:47.3 | In his place, command has passed to Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright, now burdened, |
| 0:53.0 | with a fateful decision. A Japanese landing force |
| 0:56.4 | has breached Corregator's shores. With their superior numbers and abundant artillery, they've pushed |
| 1:02.5 | inland and now threaten the Melinda Tunnel, the underground bunker sheltering the last American |
| 1:07.9 | forces, and they're wounded. Wainwright's choice is stark. |
| 1:12.2 | Resist to the last man, or surrender the final allied foothold in the Philippines, and face the consequences. |
| 1:18.7 | The United States. Greetings history hit listeners. This is American history hit. Glad you're listening today. |
| 1:37.8 | In the days of rampant colonialism, 19th to early 20th century, when global powers built vast |
| 1:44.1 | dominions through wars and treaties, |
| 1:46.9 | carving up the globe was like turkey at dinner. |
| 1:50.3 | One nation traded like a side dish was the Philippines, the remote archipelico in the South Pacific. |
| 1:56.6 | A possession of the Spanish for 33 years, from 1565 to 1898. |
| 2:03.0 | After the Spanish-American War was resolved, it became a protectorate of the United States, who governed it until 1941, when the Japanese, fresh from their attack on Pearl Harbor, invaded and occupied the islands for the next several years. |
| 2:16.3 | What made the Philippines such a strategic prize is our topic on today's episode. |
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