Location
Lat 14° 31' 0N Long 121° 0' 0E Capital of the Philippines bordering Manila Bay.

Pre-War History
Manila was a beautiful city prior to the war, the pearl of the orient. MacArthur lived in the Manila Hotel's penthouse from 1935 - 1941 as he served as the Philippines military advisor.

Japanese Occupation
Declared an open city by MacArthur on December 26, 1941 in hopes of saving it from bombing and destruction. American and Filipino forces moved out to Corregidor and Bataan. Despite this, Japanese bombers did hit the city, and on January 2, 1942 Manila fell to the General Masaharu Homma's Army. Civilians were detained at Santo Thomas University and Bilibid Prison. The people of Manila suffered a long and brutal Japanese occupation.

The Battle For Manila
After the American landing at Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945, the US Army sped toward Manila. The city became a battlefield from February 4 to March 3, 1945 in street-to-street fighting with fanatical Japanese resistance. Rear-Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi defended the city, with an estimated 20,000 troops, performed a scorched earth policy on the city, and committed atrocities against the civilian inhabitants.

The battle for Manila was one of the only urban combat experiences for the US Army in the Pacific. General Robert Beitler, US Army 37th Division was given the assignment to capture Manila in house-to-house fighting. Although MacArthur banned air strikes against the city, Artillery was used to pound resistance. MacArthur (prematurely) declared the city liberated on February 6th, and returned to Manila on February 7 from the north. The battle for the city lasted for a month, ending with the fighting in the Spanish walled city of Intramuros, where fanatical Japanese defended until the end. After the battle an estimated 100,000 Filipinos had died in the city as well, likely one of the highest civilian casualties in urban combat of any WWII battle, second only to Stalingrad.

American Occupation of Manila
After the battle of Manila, the city was slowly rehabilitated. Manila Harbor remained closed due to damage to harbor facilities until April 1945. Known as Base X in the US Army Letter Base designation, base located in Manila (exact location unknown). Thousands of American serviceman visited or were stationed in Manila in the last months of the war for R&R or during the postwar years.

Manila Bay
Approaches are guarded by several fortified islands: Corregidor, Caballo and Drum. The city of Manila borders to its eastern side and Cavite to the south. Occupied by the Japanese from 1942 - 1945. Liberated by American forces in mid-February, the Bay was not usable for shipping until April 1945 due to obstructions and damage.

Quezon City
Located to the north of Manila, founded in 1939. Camp Murphy.

Santo Thomas University (University of Santo Tomas)
Founded in 1611, it became a university in 1645 and the second university in the Philippines, and the oldest university in Asia, predated Harvard by 25 years. The university was relocated to the north of Manila afterwards and expanded into a larger campus.  During the war, it was used as a POW Camp for over 3,000 civilians.  Liberated by American forces in early February 1945.

Tondo
Beginning February 3, 1945 Japanese began burning this area of the city. On February 5th a field gun was setup at Tondo Church with civilians hiding inside. Spotted by a liaison plane it was targeted and destroyed.

Cubao
Located adjacent to Quezon City.

Tony Feredo adds:
"It was said that an auxilliary airfield was at Cubao, but I have not photo evidence. All I have in the Cubao area are six large radio antenna mast that were scattered in what is now Araneta Center."

Quiapo
On February 4, 1945 retreating Japanese burned this area of the city.

Stanta Cruz
On February 4, 1945 retreating Japanese burned this area of the city.

Binondo
On February 4, 1945 retreating Japanese burned this area of the city.

Ermita
District of Manila. Most of this district was destroyed during the liberation of early in 1945. Building still standing after the battle were Admiral, Lopez Apartments, Miramor and Mabini Apartments, Bay View Hotel and a few residential homes. Today, the only wartime buildings that survive to this day are: Admiral, Bayview and Mabini Mansions. All have been remodeld and some renamed.

Manila Hotel
Prewar hotel that was General MacArthur's residence and damaged during the war

Muntinlupa City
Southernmost portion of the city, includes Bilibid Prison.

San Miguel
District in southeastern Manila, includes Malacañang Palace and San Miguel Brewery

Intramuros (The Walled City)
Spanish walled city, built beginning in 1589, surrounded by a moat and twenty foot high stone outer wall, that encloses 64 hectors of land. It was inside this walled city that Japanese defenders made their final fanatical stand against US forces.

National Museum of the Philippines (Dept of Finance Building)
Heavily damaged during the liberation of Manila in 1945 by American artillery.

Binodo Church (Malate Church)
Quintin Paredes Street
Also known as Church of our Lady of the Rosary / Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz. faces a small park and beyond that Manila Bay in the Chinatown area. The church was built originally on this spot in the sixteenth century by the Augustinians, during the latter part of the 16th century to accommodate the Christian baptized Chinese and is one of the oldest churches in Manila outside of Intramuros. Noted for its six-story octagonal bell tower the shrine of the first canonized Filipino-Chinese martyr and saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz. British soldiers took refuge in this church during their occupation of the Philippines and attack on Intramuros in 1762-63. Destroyed in 1773, rebuilt, badly damaged in World War II, and later restored again.

Fort Bonifacio (Fort William McKinley)
Army fort built next to Nichols Field. On February 9, 1945 General Yokoyama moved his HQ to Fort McKinley. It includes the Manila American Cemetery.

Genko Line
Defended by the Japanese Navy, during the Battle of Manila. A lot of Japanese equipment and armaments were captured here.

Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB, Cemetery of the Heroes)
Located at Fort McKinley, south-west of the American cemetery. Established in May 1947 as a for Filipinos who brought honor to the country and fought for the sake of freedom and democracy. It includes a tomb of the unknown soldier, memorial gate, black stone walls, and WWII Guerrilla Pylon. As of October 2003, there are 43,592 remains interred at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani and this includes the 32,268 remains of military personnel who died at Camp O'Donnel.

VFP Museum (Veterans For Peace Museum)
Veterans Road, Tuguig (Western Bicutan)

Nichols Field (Manila International Airport)
Prewar American airfield, today it is Manila's International Airport / Nino Aquino Airport

Makati
Area of southern manila.  Today, it is a thriving shopping and commerce area.  A bridge underpass funded by the Japanese government is stated on a large plaque visible to all cars.

Nielson Field
Prewar American built airfield in southern Manila.

Dewey Boulevard Airfield
Japanese used the southern part of the Boulevard as a runway, due to the heavy bombing by American aircraft of Nichols Field.

Kalookan (Caloocan)
Area in north-western Manila.

Grace Park Airfield
Wartime airfield north of Manila

Pasig City (Pasig)
Area of eastern Manila

Mandaluyong
Area of central Manila

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Last Updated
January 23, 2012