On December 8, 1941, the Japanese destroyed two-thirds of the American aircraft in a surprise attack on Luzon. The island was home to both the Filipino capital city of Manila and headquarters of United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). Within weeks, the Japanese invaded the island on multiple fronts, cut the line of communication from Australia, and established a blockade against the US Asiatic Fleet. These actions enabled the Imperial Japanese forces to gain air and naval supremacy in the area.
On December 23, USAFFE commander General Douglas MacArthur issued War Plan Orange-3 (WPO-3) which withdrew the Allied Forces to the stronghold of the Bataan Peninsula by the new year.
Under WPO-3, forces from the north and south executed a phased retreat along key defensive positions which delayed the Japanese advance. However, the chaos of the rapid withdrawal forced Americans to abandon critical supplies of food, medicine, ammunition, and gasoline.
The Bataan Peninsula served as the access point to Manila Bay, a vital port for operations not only in the Philippines, but also in the broader Pacific Theater. For nearly four months, US and Filipino Forces held the line, but the promised resupply of provisions never came.
Click here to return to the Bataan Death March Overview.
| Find Out More |
 |
| Related Fact Sheets |
| Corregidor |
|
| Note: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the National Museum of the USAF, the U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense, of the external website, or the information, products or services contained therein. |