The Surrender of Bataan
"Bataan is about to be swept away... You, dear soldiers, give up your arms and stop resistance at once."
-Commander in Chief of the Imperial Japanese Forces, early 1942
The Allied forces, ridden with malaria, beriberi of sorts, dysentery, and other tropical ailments, were already steadily retreating.
Dr. Ralph Hibbs was one of many men on Bataan suffering from malaria. He was with the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment when they were retreating. "We were participants in a lousy game," Hibbs wrote. "We couldn't live mch longer, let alone fight."
Though superior in number, the weaknesses in the coastal defense, due to lack of organization and command, led to the Fil-Am force's inevitable defeat. The Japanese 14th Imperial Army, led by General Masaharu Homma, exploited this weakness and had the Allied soldiers retreating, stopping many times to fight the advancing Japanese. For the Allied forces, the Battle of Bataan had started to become a hopeless cause. One of the soldiers said that defeat came to the defenders of Bataan "in mean little doses".
-Commander in Chief of the Imperial Japanese Forces, early 1942
The Allied forces, ridden with malaria, beriberi of sorts, dysentery, and other tropical ailments, were already steadily retreating.
Dr. Ralph Hibbs was one of many men on Bataan suffering from malaria. He was with the 2nd Battalion of the 31st Infantry Regiment when they were retreating. "We were participants in a lousy game," Hibbs wrote. "We couldn't live mch longer, let alone fight."
Though superior in number, the weaknesses in the coastal defense, due to lack of organization and command, led to the Fil-Am force's inevitable defeat. The Japanese 14th Imperial Army, led by General Masaharu Homma, exploited this weakness and had the Allied soldiers retreating, stopping many times to fight the advancing Japanese. For the Allied forces, the Battle of Bataan had started to become a hopeless cause. One of the soldiers said that defeat came to the defenders of Bataan "in mean little doses".
With no reinforcements, dwindling supplies, and heavy losses, Major General Edward King decided to surrender on April 9, 1942, despite the fact that he hadn't discussed this with the commander of the American forces in the Philippines, General Jonathan Wainwright. With their white flags raised, King discussed the terms of their surrender with Colonel Motoo Nakayama, General Masaharu Homma's senior operations officer.
Though the numbers vary wildly, it is believed that between 75,000 and more than 100,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered at twelve-thirty Pacific Time, making this the largest surrender in American military history.
After almost three months of fighting, Bataan had finally fallen.
Though the numbers vary wildly, it is believed that between 75,000 and more than 100,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered at twelve-thirty Pacific Time, making this the largest surrender in American military history.
After almost three months of fighting, Bataan had finally fallen.