Battle of Bataan The Battle of Bataan represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan ' s invasion of the Philippines during World War II . The capture of the Philippine Islands was crucial to Japan ' s effort to control the Southwest Pacific , seize the resource - rich Dutch East Indies , and protect its Southeast Asia flank . It was the largest surrender in American and Filipino military history , and was the largest United States surrender since the Civil War ' s Battle of Harper ' s Ferry . Invasion . After Japanese carrier planes attacked the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941 ( 8 December , Manila time ) , Taiwan - based aircraft within 6 – 7 hours pounded the main bases of the American Far East Air Force at Clark Field in Pampanga , Iba Field in Zambales , Nichols Field near Manila , and the headquarters of the U . S . Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines at Cavite . Many American planes were caught on the ground and summarily destroyed . In one day , the Japanese had gained air superiority over the Philippine Islands . This forced the U . S . Asiatic Fleet to withdraw its surface ships from its naval base in Cavite and retreat southwards , leaving only the submarine force to resist the Japanese . From 8 to 10 December , scattered resistance by ground troops and remaining American air and naval forces failed to stop preliminary landings to seize airfields at Batan Island , Aparri , and Vigan City . Army Air Force B - 17s , often with minimal or no fighter escort , attacked Japanese ships offloading at Gonzaga and the Vigan landings on Luzon . Submarines of the Asiatic Fleet were also assigned to the effort . In one last coordinated action by the Far East Air Force , U . S . planes damaged two Japanese transports , the flagship " Nagato " , a destroyer and sank one minesweeper . These air attacks and naval actions , however , did not significantly delay the Japanese assault . These small - scale landings preceded the main assault on 22 December 1941 at Lingayen Gulf in Pangasinan and Lamon Bay , Tayabas by the 14th Japanese Imperial Army , led by Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma . By effectively neutralizing U . S . air and naval power in the Philippines , the Japanese gained supremacy that isolated the Philippines from reinforcement and resupply , and provided itself with both airfields for support of its invasion forces and staging bases for further operations in the Netherlands East Indies . War Plan Orange - 3 . After securing the beachhead s , the Japanese launched a large - scale pincer attack and the three PA divisions assigned to contain the beachhead were pushed back by the invading forces . In the face of this onslaught , the American commander , General Douglas MacArthur , realized that the beachhead defense plan had failed . On 26 December , he notified his commanders that War Plan Orange - 3 ( WPO - 3 ) was now in effect , thereby reactivating a prewar plan to defend only Bataan and Corregidor in a delaying action . A fighting retreat by units to the Bataan peninsula , whereupon the defending forces , in accordance with WPO - 3 , would regroup and hold out for six months , at which time the plan assumed ( but did not specify ) that relief would arrive from the United States . They hoped that with this change in strategy , the Japanese invasion plans might be altered . The concept of WPO - 3 was to delay invading Japanese forces until the U . S . Pacific Fleet could be mustered at full strength and fight its way to the Philippines . At the Bataan peninsula , with its defensive terrain , and backed by artillery from the harbor defenses in Manila Bay and the nearby island fortress of Corregidor , the defenders were expected to hold out until reinforcements arrived . The U . S . Navy had estimated that the Pacific Fleet would need two years to fight its way across the Pacific , but in any case , with the Pacific Fleet having been crippled at Pearl Harbor , no aid would be forthcoming . Due to MacArthur ' s decision , with tacit approval from Washington , to change the plan under War Plan Rainbow 5 , it was ordered that the entire archipelago would be defended , with the necessary supplies dispersed behind the beachheads for defending forces to use while defending against the landings . With the return to War Plan Orange 3 , the necessary supplies to support the defenders for the anticipated six - month long defensive position were not available in the necessary quantities for the defenders who would withdraw to Bataan . Meanwhile , Manuel L . Quezon , the president of the Philippine Commonwealth , together with his family and government staff were evacuated to Corregidor along with MacArthur ' s USAFFE headquarters on the night of 24 December 1941 , while all USAFFE military personnel were removed from the major urban areas . That same day , Manila was declared an open city , and Japanese forces occupied it on 2 January 1942 . The Fighting Retreat . Gen . MacArthur intended to move his men with their equipment and supplies in good order to their defensive positions . He charged the North Luzon Force under Maj . Gen . Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV with holding back the main Japanese assault and keeping the road to Bataan open for use by the South Luzon Force of Maj . Gen . George Parker , which proceeded quickly and in remarkably good order , given the chaotic situation . To achieve this , Wainwright deployed his forces in a series of five defensive lines outlined in WPO - 3 : Layac Line . When the Japanese invaded the Philippine Islands on 22 December 1941 , the untrained Philippine Army troops assigned to beach defense collapsed . After U . S . General Douglas MacArthur had withdrawn his army down the island of Luzon ' s central plain into the Bataan Peninsula , one last line existed before the Japanese invaders reached the main line of resistance . The Americans would slow the Japanese entry into Bataan by fighting a delaying action at Layac , thus gaining time and deceiving the enemy as to the location of the main defensive positions . For the first time in World War II , American troops faced Japanese soldiers on the ground . Brigadier General Clyde A . Selleck commanded the Philippine Army ' s 71st Division and was responsible for establishing the Layac line . Born in 1888 , ' Pappy ' Selleck was an artilleryman , a West Pointer and a graduate of the Command and General Staff School and the War College . Although the plan for defending Layac was seemingly known to all senior officers in the Philippines , it was not known to Selleck . His short time in the islands — he had arrived on 23 October — the few briefings made on war plans , and a lack of information about the position itself resulted in one of the least knowledgeable officers on Luzon commanding the Layac line . Porac - Guagua Line . From 1 to 5 January 1942 , as the entire USAFFE converged from south and north , delaying actions were fought to allow the struggling withdrawal to Bataan . The bloodiest fighting occurred at the hastily emplaced Porac - Guagua line , where the 11th Division and 21st Division , respectively led by Brigadier Generals William E . Brougher and Mateo Capinpin with the 26th Cavalry Regiment of Colonel Clinton A . Pierce in reserve , held the line , mostly on open and unprepared ground , against massive aerial and artillery bombardment , strong tank assaults , and infantry banzai attacks by the Takahashi and Tanaka Detachments . Both sides suffered heavy casualties . Overlooked in this report are the actions of the 23rd infantry regiment of the PA led by Senior Instructor Col Wallace A Mead , USA . The 23rd regiment established the defensive line at porac - pampanga on or about 2 January 1942 . Colonel Mead was later awarded the Silver Star for his actions there . The 23rd ' s defence allowed Capinpin ' s forces to withdraw and establish new defensive positions . It was Capinpin ' s recount of the fighting that day that was offered as support for Mead ' s citation . Abucay - Mauban Line . WPO - 3 called for two defensive lines across Bataan . The first extended across the peninsula from Mauban in the west to Mabatang , Abucay in the east . Gen . Wainwright , commanding the newly organized I Philippine Corps of 22 , 500 troops , held the western sector . I Corps included the Philippine Army ' s 1st Regular , 31st , and 91st Infantry Divisions , the 26th Cavalry ( PS ) and a battery of field artillery and self - propelled guns . Gen . Parker and the new II Philippine Corps , which included the Philippine Army ' s 11th , 21st , 41st , and 51st Divisions and the 57th Infantry ( PS ) , and numbered 25 , 000 men , defended the eastern sector . All of the divisions , understrength at the onset of war , had suffered serious combat losses , particularly to desertions . The U . S . Army ' s Philippine Division , made up of the 31st Infantry , the 45th Infantry ( Philippine Scouts ) , and supporting units became the Bataan Defense Force Reserve . Mount Natib , a - high mountain that split the peninsula , served as the boundary line between the two corps . The commanders anchored their lines on the mountain , but , since they considered the rugged terrain impassable , they did not extend their forces far up its slopes . The two corps were therefore not in direct contact with each other , leaving a serious gap in the defense line . With the fighting withdrawal completed , the Abucay - Mauban line , the USAFFE ' s main battle position was now finally in place . The Stand . On 9 January , Japanese forces under Lt . Gen . Susumu Morioka assaulted the eastern flank of the Abucay - Mauban line , and was repulsed by the 91st Division of BGen . Luther Stevens and Col . George S . Clark ' s 57th Infantry ( PS ) . On 12 January , amid fierce fighting , 2nd Lt . Alexander R . Nininger , a platoon leader in the 57th Infantry , with uncommon valor , sacrificed his life when , armed with only a rifle and hand grenades , he forced his way into enemy foxholes during hand - to - hand combat , permitting his unit to retake Abucay Hacienda ; for his actions he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Another extreme act of bravery was put forth by a Filipino named Narcisco Ortilano . He was on a water - cooled heavy machine gun when the Japanese burst out of a canebrake in a banzai attack . He shot down dozens of the Japanese with his machine gun , then pulled out his Colt . 45 and shot down five more when the machine gun jammed . Then , when one Japanese soldier stabbed at him with a bayonet , he desperately tried to grab the gun , but got his thumb cut off . But he still held on , and then with a sudden burst of adrenaline he turned the gun on the enemy soldier and stabbed him in the chest . When another Japanese soldier swung a bayonet at him , he turned his rifle on the soldier and shot him dead . Narcisco received the Distinguished Service Cross . Another attack on 14 January at the boundary of positions held by the 41st Division and 51st Divisions of Brigadier Generals Vicente Lim and Albert M . Jones , respectively , aided by the 43rd and Colonel Wallace A Mead ' s 23rd Infantry , stubbornly refused the Japanese their left flank . The Japanese advanced to the Salian River valley through a gap made by the 51st Infantry ' s withdrawal . But a patrol discovered the infiltration , and units of the 21st Division rushed to the valley , and repulsed the attackers after a savage encounter . At another engagement farther to the west , a Japanese force surprised and routed the 53rd Infantry of Col . John R . Boatwright . This force also penetrated deep behind the Abucay - Mauban line along the Abo - Abo river valley . But their advance was held up by combined units of the 21st and 51st Divisions , the 31st Division of BGen . Clifford Bluemel , and Col . John H . Rodman ' s 92nd Infantry at the Bani - Guirol forest area . The 31st Infantry and the 45th Infantry , Philippine Scouts of Col . Thomas W . Doyle partially restored the abandoned line of the 51st Division . On 15 January , the reinforced 1st Regular Division of BGen . Fidel Segundo , defending the Morong sector came under heavy bombardment , but held the line . The Japanese penetrated through a huge gap in the Silangan - Natib area , established a roadblock on Mauban ridge , threatening to cut off the division ' s rear . Repeated attacks by the 91st Division and 71st Division , and 92nd Infantry failed to dislodge the Japanese . The attackers ' nightly raids and infiltration tactics became more frequent . Previously , Gen . Parker ' s II Corps had prevented a similar encirclement at the Salian river battle , but the position of Gen . Wainwright ' s I Corps was deemed indefensible , and the Abucay - Mauban line had to be abandoned on 22 January . Battle of Trail 2 . Within four days , the Orion - Bagac line was formed . But the defenders had yet to complete their withdrawal to the reserve battle position when the Japanese struck again , through a gap held by I Corps . General Bluemel hastily organized a defense along Trail 2 , consisting of 32nd Infantry , 41st Infantry and 51st Division reinforcements , in time to stop a major offensive and plugged the gap . Battle of the Pockets . The remaining Japanese troops managed to get through , however , and held out at some rear sectors of the Orion - Bagac line at the Tuol River valley behind the 11th Division , and in the Gogo - Cotar River behind the 1st Regular Division . From 23 January to 17 February , coordinated action by the defenders , to eliminate these salients of resistance , became known as the Battle of the Pockets . Fierce fighting marked the action . Capt . Alfredo M . Santos of the 1st Regular Division outmaneuvered and outsmarted the enemy during their attempt to pocket their area . In both attempts , his unit successfully broke through the Gogo - Cotar and Tuol Pockets , thus earning for himself the moniker " hero of the pockets " . For his heroic feat in battle , he was promoted to Major in the field . Major Santos was then given the hazardous mission of closing the gaps and annihilating the enemy troops who had infiltrated the lines as the gap posed a serious threat to the positions and the security of the division . With utter disregard for his personal safety , he led a counter - attack against the strong and numerically superior Japanese forces positioned between the MLR and the Regimental Reserve Line ( RRL ) . The fighting began at dawn of 29 January 1942 . With dogged determination , the defenders fought assiduously and without pause against all odds to restore the defensive sector assigned to the 1st Regular Division . On 3 February 1942 , 1st Lt . Willibald C . Bianchi of the 45th Infantry , Philippine Scouts voluntarily led a reinforced platoon forward against two enemy machine - gun nests , silenced them with grenades , and then manned an antiaircraft machine gun until his wounds disabled him . His Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously . Of the 2 , 000 Japanese soldiers engaged , only 377 were reported to have escaped . General Homma on 8 February ordered the suspension of offensive operations in order to reorganize his forces . This could not be carried out immediately , because the 16th Division remained engaged trying to extricate the pocketed 3d Battalion 20th Infantry . With further casualties , the remnants of the 3rd Battalion , 378 officers and men , were extricated on 15 February . On 22 February the 14th Army line was withdrawn a few miles to the north , with USAFFE forces re - occupying positions evacuated by the Japanese . Battle of the Points . In an attempt to outflank I Corps and isolate the Service Command Area commanded by USAFFE Deputy Commander Brig . Gen . Allan C . McBride , Japanese troops of the 2nd Battalion , 20th Infantry , 16th Division , were landed on the west coast of southern Bataan on the night of 22 January . Intercepted by U . S . PT boat PT - 34 , two barges were sunk and the rest scattered into two groups , neither of which landed on the objective beach . The Japanese forces were contained on their beachheads by members of Philippine Constabulary units , a hastily organized naval infantry battalion , and by personnel of several U . S . Army Air Corps pursuit squadrons fighting as infantry . The naval infantry consisted of 150 ground crewmen from Patrol Wing Ten , 80 sailors from the Cavite Naval Ammunition Depot , and 130 sailors from USS Canopus ( AS - 9 ) with 120 sailors from the base facilities at Cavite , Olongapo , and Mariveles , and 120 Marines from an antiaircraft battery . Sailors used " Canopus " machine shop to fabricate makeshift mountings for machine gun s salvaged from Patrol Wing Ten ' s damaged aircraft . The Marines were distributed through the ranks and the sailors were told to " watch them and do as they do . " The sailors attempted to make their white uniforms more suitable for jungle combat by dying them with coffee grounds . The result was closer to yellow than khaki , and the diary of a dead Japanese officer described them as a suicide squad dressed in brightly colored uniforms and talking loudly in an attempt to draw our fire and reveal our positions . Japanese commanders , in an attempt to hold onto their lodgments , reinforced the beachheads piecemeal but could not break out . Battles were fought ferociously against a company - sized group at the Lapay - Longoskawayan points from 23 to 29 January , at the Quinawan - Aglaloma points from 22 January to 8 February , and at the Silalim - Anyasan points from 27 January to 13 February . Out of the 2 , 000 Japanese troops committed to these battles , only 43 wounded returned to their lines . These engagements were collectively termed the " Battle of the Points " . The Fall of Bataan . On the night of 12 March , General MacArthur , his family , and several USAFFE staff officers left Corregidor for Mindanao aboard four PT boat s commanded by Lieutenant Commander John D . Bulkeley . For this and a number of other feats over the course of four months and eight days , Bulkeley was awarded the Medal of Honor , the Navy Cross , the Distinguished Service Cross and other citations . MacArthur was eventually flown to Australia where he broadcast to the Filipino people his famous " I Shall Return " promise . MacArthur ' s departure marked the end of the USAFFE and by 22 March , the defending army was renamed United States Forces in the Philippines ( USFIP ) and Lt . Gen . Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV was placed in command . After the failure of their first attack against Bataan , the Japanese General Headquarters sent strong artillery forces to the Philippines in order to smash the American fortifications . They had 190 artillery pieces , which included bigger guns like 150 mm cannons or the rare Type 96 240 mm field howitzer , with Bataan being its only known campaign . The 1st Artillery Headquarters under Maj . Gen . Kineo Kitajima , who was a known authority on IJA artillery , also moved to the Philippines along with the main forces to command and control these artillery units . Also the Japanese High Command reinforced Gen . Homma ' s 14th Imperial Army and toward the end of March , the Japanese forces prepared for the final assault . On 3 April , the entire Orion - Bagac line was subjected to incessant bombings by 100 aircraft and artillery bombardment by 300 artillery pieces from 9 : 00 a . m . to 3 : 00 p . m . , which turned the Mount Samat stronghold into an inferno . Thereafter , over the course of the next three days ( Good Friday to Easter Sunday , 1942 ) , the Japanese 65th Brigade and 4th Division spearheaded the main attack at the left flank of II Corps . Everywhere along the line , the American and Filipino defenders were driven back by Japanese tanks and infantry . Based on his two prior attempts , General Homma had estimated that the final offensive would require a week to breach the Orion - Bagac line and a month to liquidate two final defense lines he believed had been prepared on Bataan . When the opening attack required just three days , he pushed his forces on 6 April to meet expected counterattacks headon . The Japanese launched a drive into the center , penetrated into flanks held by the 22nd and 23rd Regiments of the 21st Division , captured Mt . Samat and outflanked all of II Corps . Counterattacks by the U . S . Army and Philippine Scout regulars held in reserve were futile ; only the 57th Infantry gained any ground , soon lost . All along the battle front , units of I Corps together with devastated remnants of II Corps , crumbled and straggled to the rear . The commanders on Bataan lost all contact with their units except by runner in a few instances . In the last two days of the defense of Bataan , the entire Allied defense progressively disintegrated and collapsed , clogging all roads with refugees and fleeing troops . By 8 April , the senior U . S . commander on Bataan , Maj . Gen . Edward P . King , saw the futility of further resistance , and put forth proposals for capitulation . The next morning , 9 April 1942 , Gen . King met with Maj . Gen . Kameichiro Nagano and after several hours of negotiations , the remaining weary , starving and emaciated American and Filipino defenders on the battle - swept Bataan peninsula surrendered . Radio Broadcast – Voice of Freedom – Malinta Tunnel – Corregidor – 9 April 1942 : Outcome and historical significance . The surrender of Bataan would hasten the fall of Corregidor , a month later . However , without this stand , the Japanese might have quickly overrun all of the U . S . bases in the Pacific . Ultimately , more than 60 , 000 Filipino and 15 , 000 American prisoners of war were forced into the infamous Bataan Death March . On 7 September 1944 the Japanese ship " Shinyo Maru " was sunk by USS " Paddle " ; on board the Maru were US POWs of whom 668 died and 82 survived . American and Filipino forces later retook the Bataan peninsula on 17 February 1945 . In film and television . Among the many films and television programs that feature the story of Bataan are " Bataan " ( 1943 ) starring Robert Taylor , the John Ford classic " They Were Expendable " ( 1945 ) , starring Robert Montgomery , John Wayne , and Donna Reed , " Back to Bataan " ( 1945 ) starring Wayne and Anthony Quinn , and two movies about the nurses of Bataan " So Proudly We Hail ! " ( 1943 ) and " Cry ' Havoc ' " ( 1943 ) . Dozens of documentaries have also featured stories from the Battle of Bataan including " Ghosts of Bataan " ( 2005 ) and an episode of the History Channel series " Shootout " , entitled " Raid on the Bataan Death Camp " ( 2006 ) . Though largely focusing on the Cabanatuan Raid in 1945 , this last program also featured stories from the 1942 battle ; notably the stand of the 57th Infantry Regiment ( PS ) at Mabatang .