Introduction

Syndicated series about World War II battles, in the words of soldiers from both sides of the battleline.

Also stylised as Battleline.

Outline

The Philippines Campaign, also known as the Battle of the Philippines (Filipino: Labanan sa Pilipinas) or the Fall of the Philippines, was the invasion of the Philippines by the Empire of Japan and the defence of the islands by United States and the Philippine Armies during WWII.

The Japanese launched the invasion by sea from Formosa, over 200 miles (320 km) north of the Philippines. The defending forces outnumbered the Japanese by a ratio of 3:2 but were a mixed force of non-combat-experienced regular, national guard, constabulary and newly created Commonwealth units. The Japanese used first-line troops at the outset of the campaign, and by concentrating their forces, they swiftly overran most of Luzon during the first month.

The Japanese high command, believing that they had won the campaign, made a strategic decision to advance by a month their timetable of operations in Borneo and Indonesia and to withdraw their best division and the bulk of their airpower in early January 1942. That, coupled with the defenders’ decision to withdraw into a defensive holding position in the Bataan Peninsula and also the defeat of three Japanese battalions at the Battle of the Points and Battle of the Pockets, enabled the Americans and Filipinos to hold out for four more months. After the Japanese failure to penetrate the Bataan defensive perimeter in February the Japanese conducted a 40-day siege. The crucial large natural harbour and port facilities of Manila Bay were denied to the Japanese until May 1942. While the Dutch East Indies operations were unaffected, this heavily hindered the Japanese offensive operations in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, buying time for the US Navy to make plans to engage the Japanese at Guadalcanal instead of much further east.

Japan’s conquest of the Philippines is often considered the worst military defeat in US history. About 23,000 American military personnel and about 100,000 Filipino soldiers were killed or captured.

Battleline Series

You can find a full index and overview of Battleline here.

Production & Filming Details

• Release Date: 1964.
• Running time: 25-30 minutes.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)