Before the Fall
"We're the Battling bastards of Bataan,
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces,
...and nobody gives a damn"
- the men of Bataan, 1941
World War II has already started, and it has spread everywhere. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On the same day, across the International Date Line, the Clark Airfield in the Philippines was bombed, marking the start of the Japanese occupation. Soon, the once peaceful paradise became ravaged by war. The United States brought in troops to aid the resistance, but the Japanese were winning.
Bataan became one of the last Allied strongholds in the Philippines. For three months, the Filipino and American forces, or Fil-Am for short, fought off their enemies, but they were steadily retreating. Some Allied troops went into hiding or became part of guerrilla groups, like Captain Robert Lapham. The American leader, General Douglas MacArthur had left the Philippines, leaving his men clinging onto his last words on the shores of the Philippines: "I shall return." It seemed as if all hope was lost and it was only a matter of time before Bataan and its men would fall.
No mama, no papa, no Uncle Sam,
No aunts, no uncles, no nephews, no nieces,
No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces,
...and nobody gives a damn"
- the men of Bataan, 1941
World War II has already started, and it has spread everywhere. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. On the same day, across the International Date Line, the Clark Airfield in the Philippines was bombed, marking the start of the Japanese occupation. Soon, the once peaceful paradise became ravaged by war. The United States brought in troops to aid the resistance, but the Japanese were winning.
Bataan became one of the last Allied strongholds in the Philippines. For three months, the Filipino and American forces, or Fil-Am for short, fought off their enemies, but they were steadily retreating. Some Allied troops went into hiding or became part of guerrilla groups, like Captain Robert Lapham. The American leader, General Douglas MacArthur had left the Philippines, leaving his men clinging onto his last words on the shores of the Philippines: "I shall return." It seemed as if all hope was lost and it was only a matter of time before Bataan and its men would fall.