Abstract

The Filipino-American defense of the Bataan peninsula in 1942 finally collapsed under Japanese might as the United States suffered the most devastating defeat in its history. This article describes the Japanese defenses, weapons, and tactics used when the Americans liberated Bataan in February 1945. Utilizing the key terrain feature of the peninsula, ZigZag Pass, through which wound the only road connecting Subic Bay with Manila and Clark Field, the undermanned Japanese fought with aggressiveness, tenacity, determination, and bravery for eighteen days before withdrawing to central Bataan to engage in guerrilla warfare until the war's end.

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