Liberation of the Philippines: The End of the Brutal Japanese Occupation

[@blockmasterscott]

My grandmother told me that when the Americans came to liberate the Philippines, a corpsman treated her and her father, and afterwards gave her father some medical supplies and for her, he gave her chocolate. She was a diehard American lover until the day she died. Her brother flew an American flag in front of his house until he passed.

[@Aaron-zu3xn]

the bataan death march the japanese were executing people who fed the prisoners but families did it anyways to be defiant until the end they even snuck things to american soldiers

[@catherinezigler7098]

My dad was in Manila, Feb 1945, 1st Division Cavalry, freed the internees at Santo Tomas and the water treatment plant, etc. Horrific. He, Vincent Dempewolf, always said the Filipino people were the best people in the world.

[@f.b.l.9813]

but now Philippines got corrupt politicians shilling for CCP officials and universities infiltrated by Communist professors, all the while Philippine fishermen are harassed daily by CCP Coast Guard and Maritime Militia vessels...

[@JasonRadcliffe-rw8gg]

As

[@mwhitelaw8569]

Had two uncles on the 2nd offensive They were both very good men And had a deep respect for the people of the Philippines to their very last days. One saying if it weren't for the people's resistance they wouldn't have had such success. He was my favorite uncle by far. Taught me how to be a man.

[@Sicarius125]

I was raised by my grandparents almost staying completely silent of the hardships they lived through under Japanese occupation. Thank you for making this video and covering it!

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

On my moms side of the family, we have deep link to the war in the Philippines. While both my moms parents were only teenagers in the 1940’s the war touched their lives profoundly. My grandmother was the niece of a prominent poltician, and spent the war hiding in the mountains protected by free army units as the IJA hunted for her uncle and his family. My grandpa became a young guerrilla fighter, delaying entry into university and medical school until after the war.

[@MrStretchification]

Stories like this are why I have so much love and respect for the Filipino people. I wish my county had treated them better, like an ally and not a colony, but the past is in the past. We can't change it, we can only change the present and future. We learn and grow.

[@TheReidmeister96]

Are you specifically referring to the United States or Spain? (I'm pretty sure Spain was the first European country to colonize the Philippines). But regardless if you're talking about Spain or the US, you are correct in both cases.

[@MrStretchification]

@Reid Gieseke referring to the US

[@balmorrablue3130]

@@MrStretchification weird but I’d always grownup with the belief that the Philippines were never a “colony” more just an unstable ally in a dangerous part of the world that needed help (still needs honestly)

[@icelugedoctor]

Did you even watch this? The US did treat them like an ally.

[@Kaiserboo1871]

@@icelugedoctor After 1935, the US basically treated the Philippines like an independent country (or a self-governing country). Unlike the Europeans or Japan, America had no intention of permanently holding onto the Philippines as part of an “American Colonial Empire”. The ink from the treaty that annexed the Philippines in 1898 hadn’t even finished drying before US congressmen began debating on how to go about achieving Philippine independence (other European countries hadn’t even considered the possibility of colonial independence at the time).

[@brentgranger7856]

A correction to this video: The Battle of the Philippine Sea was called the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” more as a remark to describe the one-sided ratio of Japanese aircraft losses compared to Allied losses rather than the catastrophic losses of their naval forces. The losses were responsible for pushing forward the “Special Attack Units” (the kamikazes) that would later appear during the Battle of Leyte Gulf during the Philippines campaign,

[@warographics643]

Thank you for the correction.

[@nogoodnameleft]

The Japanese were going to do kamikazes with or without the Turkey Shoot. Btw the reason why that turned into a disaster for the Japanese was because MacArthur's Filipino rebels and spies captured and stole a bunch of plans for the Japanese operations in that area. The highest ranking Japanese admiral's airplane crashed into the sea while traveling and the Filipinos captured his subordinate vice admiral (the admiral himself died) and captured all the plans and maps of defenses intact. MacArthur was able to send the captured plans to Nimitz in Pearl Harbor just in time and Halsey and Spruance knew exactly what was the Japanese plan. For some reason people don't want to credit MacArthur and his forces for this spy operation that was similar to the Enigma operation in the Atlantic.

[@aymonfoxc1442]

You are correct, the Japanese found themselves relying on kamikaze attacks much sooner because of the Great Turkey Shoot; they had suffered what would prove to be an irreparable loss in experienced pilots and could not train new ones to a sufficient level fast enough.

[@Wasteland88]

@@nogoodnameleft Yeah, he mentioned how they got the Japanese battle plans in the video.

[@ColeRoa]

"GIVE ME A THOUSAND (10,000) FILIPINO SOLDIERS, AND I WILL CONQUER THE WORLD" the way Simon says that send me chills. thankyou for making a video about my country

[@freddiemercury2075]

Meanwhile 10,000 million russians won't be enough.

[@sikadcommuter6702]

Those warriors were mostly from the north of luzon. They're known warriors/headhunters during pre-Spanish era. Elders of those ethnic northerners speaks fluent english.

[@thewallsofdereko]

My wife is from the Philippines 🇵🇭 and she said that Douglas MacArthur is a hero there. there is even a big bronze statue of him in the main island.

[@fixmix9857]

almost every island in the phlippines have a statue, bust or a road named after him.

[@duncancurtis5971]

He left them at the Gates of Old Bataan...

[@joshuaperry8729]

Douglas MacArthur was a fool. He failed the Philippines in there defence by refusing to retreat to the Bataan penisilar. He was to arrogant to think his plan was better and he could defend the Philippines

[@cd5433]

How much did she cost ?

[@kingofthesandbox7467]

@@duncancurtis5971 Yea he did, as the top American general he was ordered to leave by the president. Before then he refused until he was downright ordered to leave. The fact remains he advocated to attack the Philippines when other generals wanted to focus in the north.

[@JustJezBeingJez]

My great uncle was one of those killed on the death march. My grandmother up until she passed away in 2019 still couldn't forgive the Japanese for killing her brother. Such a senseless war globally.

[@JoshuaC923]

The Japanese military were truly brutes, the occupied countries never forgot

[@johncarterofmars47]

Don't blame her, the Japensese have never apologised or even acknowledged half of what they did. They don't deserve forgiveness for what they did

[@rombertv]

Same here. My granddad's youngest brother went missing during the Death March. After the war, the family retraced the route and sought out survivors to learn what had happened to him. It was later revealed that he was able to escape (with a group of other prisoners), but he was unable to overcome his injuries and died a lonely death not far from the infamous route..

[@fxhndav]

You're on fire Simon. Can't believe the empire you've constructed! Been helping me relax for years. Thank you for being you

[@joshgreen2730]

@No Name I p0yppras

[@joshgreen2730]

One of 777î7 up I'll 000pp00p

[@howiethehowitzer7398]

Word

[@warographics643]

Empires are in my blood. Bad joke considering.

[@fxhndav]

@@warographics643 you replying = boost I needed today

[@eba0202]

my great granfather was a high ranking military official under general macarthur . stories have been passed down to me and those stories are so intense and reality shattering , absolutely brutal . makes my heart boil yet seeing our people fight till the very end and never giving up makes me proud . us filipino ppl have gone through so many horrible things yet we never get the recognition that other people get . whether its filipino american history or filipino history our people have been thru so much shit but have always kept pushing and tried to be as positive as possible . i am so proud that our people dont have a victims mentality even tho we have every right to be . we keep pushing and never make excuses . many have tried but nobody has been able to dim our light or break our spirit . always proud to be pinoy 🇵🇭❤️

[@2000ViperGTSsubscribe]

Did he make it out alive from the war? Respect from an American who has a girl in PH. My grandfather fought there in PH too as US navy to help liberate it.

[@sn1per194]

Thanks Simon! A heap of the US service members in the March were 1-194 Armored Batallion from Minnesota. That was their first expeditionary combat mission as that unit, it's last was A/1-194 AR in a remote and austere part of Iraq on 2004/2005. The Bataan Death March left Brainerd and Little Falls, MN without many of the men in the communities and is a major piece of history in the area. The MN National Guard still holds a memorial march every year to remember the lost and we bring in any remaining survivors to the armory for recognition. Survivors are all but gone, but not forgotten in a few small towns in Central Minnesota!

[@johnbender49]

Thanks for sharing this. It gives me chills to even attempt to imagine what they had gone through.

[@TheLittlemonster333]

Ok lol

[@Wasteland88]

@@TheLittlemonster333 What's funny?

[@JanelleTheKid]

The Imperial Japanese took over my grandmother's house during the occupation as a base for anti-guerilla warfare. Little did they know my family was working with the guerillas and my great grandfather was even a leader for them despite knowing the potential consequences if they got caught. They had to change the spelling of their last name to appear more Japanese-Korean instead of Chinese to further appeal to the Japanese. My family were truly heroes fighting for their freedom. Maraming salamat sa akong pamilya ❤

[@byproductofcheese]

Ok

[@TheReidmeister96]

Fuck what that other guy said, that's a kick-ass anecdote. Your family are legends with balls of made of tungsten.

[@TheLittlemonster333]

Lol

[@hillzone44]

😂

[@semaj_5022]

Your grandparents were some OG badasses.

[@danielsass1826]

My grandpa was actually a paratrooper in the Philippines and was part of the largest prisoner of war camp liberation (i.e. thru combat operations rather than diplomacy) ever at Los Banos. Dunno if you get into that in the video it could honestly take up an entire episode as it did on the history channel in the 2000s. Titled los Banos raid at dawn

[@benjaminlevine8571]

Same with my grandfather. I'm immensely proud of both sides of my family. My father's father liberated distant relatives in Europe and my mother's father participated in this theater

[@itsapittie]

The Los Banos liberation was a textbook example of of a coordinated, three-pronged attack by Filipino guerrillas, US paratroopers, and US amphibious forces. The timing required to make something like this work is very delicate and if any one part of the attack had been too early or too late the entire operation would likely have failed. In addition to the History Channel documentary, there's a feature film entitled "The Great Raid" which is a dramatized but reasonably accurate portrayal of the event. As an aside, your grandfather's unit the 11th Airborne Division was reconstituted and stood up in June of this year as an "arctic airborne" unit stationed in Alaska.

[@cd5433]

I like people who weren't captured

[@rombertv]

@@cd5433 Wars unfortunately, are brutal and unforgiving. Great victories result from courage and willingness to take extraordinary risks. Some pay the ultimate price and some live on with debilitating, life altering injuries. Some are unfortunately captured as a result of poor planning, poor assessment of the enemy or objectives that are simply unrealistic, factors clearly beyond an enlisted man's control. Your comment reflects a poor knowledge of history and a selfish, self centered view of the world and how it works. Trump and the likes of you live in a fantasy world. I highly doubt if you have even have the b*lls to fight for your country.

[@ennui9745]

@@itsapittie "The Great Raid", the film you mentioned, is actually a film not about the Los Banos liberation mission but about another (yes, there were two!) extremely successful mission by US Rangers and Filipino guerrillas to rescue American POWs from a different Japanese prison camp in Cabanatuan, a different area. The Cabanatuan raid was remarkable to me for the utterly lopsided casualty ratio - on the Allied side, the Americans only lost four men (two Rangers and two POWs died), and the Filipino guerrillas had no KIAs at all, only 9 wounded. In contrast, they killed 500-1000 Japanese soldiers during the raid.

[@mattgunnell9416]

My grandfather was a Navy corpsman at Leyte. He didn't say much about his experience, but he clearly loved the country.

[@macmcgee5116]

I read a book once from an American soldier who was stationed in the Phillipines at the onset of WWII. He was the deceased husband of one of my pest control customers when I did that years ago. This man survived the last battle and the Bataan Death March due to being sick with Malaria. He was sent by truck. After roughly 2 years as a POW he escaped and spent the rest of the war in the Phillipines as one of the leaders of a band of Filipino guerrillas. It was an amazing book, but I believe it is no longer in print. The copy I was given, I gave away and encouraged that person to pass it on as well in the hopes that more people would read it. It's been years, but I believe it was titled... The Sea Was My Last Hope... It was a short book. But fascinating. But most interesting to me was his description of the food he was given by villages after he escaped and became a guerrilla fighter. He remembered almost everything he ever ate and described it so thoroughly. At first I thought it was strange. Then I remembered how he had written about how the guards of the POW camp kept them starved to the point of near death to keep them from escaping. Then I understood why food became so important to him.

[@Charlie-fk4ly]

I own a book that recalls the accounts about the Filipino Resistance on Cebu island. The name of the book is "The Koga Papers" by Manuel F. Segura, a former resistance fighter on Cebu. It records the accounts of Cebuano resistance fighters on how managed to successfully deliver the Koga papers to US intelligence. And it also talks about the efforts of the Cebuano resistance to disrupt Japanese occupation of the island.

[@freddiemercury2075]

Filipino are very warm and nice people, very smart and hardworking too. Their shortcoming is that some of them can be pretty prideful. Having said thay Gen Douglas MacArthur is so respected in Philippines because unlike most western generals (or just westerners) at that time he sees the local Filipinos as equal and refuse to treat them any lesser. Now, that's how a real General commands respect.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:45 - Chapter 1 - The rising sun 8:00 - Chapter 2 - Life under occupation 16:35 - Chapter 3 - Mac arthur arrives 19:15 - Chapter 4 - The return to luzon 22:55 - Chapter 5 - Picking up the pieces - Chapter 6 -

[@jerimeyperry3282]

My great grandfather was a BAR gunner and fought in both philippines liberation campaigns and was one of the avengers of Batan. He survived, but I never got to meet him.

[@TheArchemman]

My grandmother was just a child when war broke out. She knew a lot of guerilla fighters, some of them were family members. When she was still alive she would sometimes tell stories of how life was like back then.

[@margaretestangco4911]

Thank you for covering this, Simon! I love the way this has been discussed, especially the recognition of my countrymen's bravery during the war.

[@GrievousReborn]

I've learned more about Japan's role in World War II from Simon's channels then I ever did in school

[@olixpatdo8181]

This hits very close. My parents both were young kids when Manila fell and were both pretty vivid on what happened during the 3 dark years of Japanese occupation

[@andyyang3029]

People always talk about what Germany did in WWII, but in many ways I think Japan was the greater evil....

[@armandotalampas4800]

@@andyyang3029 we completely agree with you! Imperial Japan actually killed more innocent people than the Nazis and Turks combined. The Ottomans carried out the genocide of three million Christians in WW1. Historians attest that Imperial Japan could've killed at least 20 million

[@shinsenshogun900]

The major Axis powers are, in their own ways as seen in their respective theaters of war, equally cruel to their opponents

[@markwinters12]

I remember my grandfather telling me the story of how he hid in the mountains of Masbate, an island in the southern part of Luzon, with a sack of sweet potatoes and a hunting knife just to avoid conscription for the local guerilla front. After a month, he came back down and actually saw an American battleship anchored off the coast. It fired its guns towards the central town of his province. When no one returned fire, it sailed away. These are stories he told me as a child, and stories that led me to love learning about the past. Thank you for this Simon, my lolo would have been so happy to watch this.

[@beccamoran2678]

Thanks for making such great content, Simon!! Warographics is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels

[@waynemathias8074]

My dad was one of the Philippine Scouts who escaped Bataan just hours before the Death March. With the help of brave civilian refugees he made it back to Manila. After recovering from malaria, he lived undercover as a nightclub manager in Quezon City, gathering intel for the Resistance. When the Japanese shut down the clubs in 1944, Dad was field-promoted to Captain, to train & lead a company of guerillas for the liberation campaign. I only learned this from his Army records -- like many veterans, he never spoke about his experiences. There are countless untold stories like this; we'll never know everything that happened.

[@haggis525]

I love the Philippines and the amazing people there! It's as close to paradise as I think you can get. This was an outstanding presentation! Bravo Zulu! The battle of Leyte Gulf is mentioned here - but there was part of that battle that definitely deserves its very own Warographics. The story of Taffy 3. Iron men with hearts of oak!

[@JoshuaC923]

It could have gone so wrong, the courage of the Tin Cans never fails to bring a tear to the eye

[@juergenbreidenstein696]

For a channel called Warographics these videos are rather short on actual graphics and maps which in my opinion would enhance the understanding of these complex events quite a bit.

[@Keinn068]

That random fisherman needs his own recognition. Man deserves the world, if it weren't for him I'd be talking in Japanese.

[@backpackscaps185]

I commend you on the information provided, your precise depiction including Australian and New Zealand troops involved is a breath of fresh air compared to US accounts , this battle in regards to the pacific and the safety of south east Asia and Oceania is understated compared to many battles fought in ww2. As beautiful the Philippines is, it’s never recovered as to-what it was. It was once the economic centre of south east Asia. Beautiful place , with true determination to keep it their own

[@rvgdustin1670]

Your pronunciation of the cities and Islands in the Philippines is amazing. A lot of KZbinrs can't get "Leyte" right. People usually relate it with English pronunciation and read it like "Late", but You got it correctly. Kudos

[@natedcarr6148]

It's appropriate that Warographics features this video because about 4 or 5 days before this video, Geographics released a video on Camp O'Donnell where those on the Bataan Death March went to. I do recommend watching that.

[@armandotalampas4800]

We truly love this video! Simon Whistler and his team did a brilliant job! The gallantry, resilience and fighting spirit of the Filipino people is emphasized. I especially like the last line in this video, quoting General Douglas MacArthur: "Give me ten thousand Filipinos and I will conquer the world!"

[@homeric29]

Despite the orgy of killing the Japanese forces inflicted on Manila, the majority of troops captured (and managed to evade people seeking vengeance) were repatriated en masse to Japan with only the most prominent of Japanese officers particularly Gen. Yamashita and some of his officer-staff prosecuted and then convicted for war crimes. Recently I read "Rampage" by James M. Scott recounting the stages of the Battle of Manila from different perspectives. The stories told by survivors are horrific in the savagery wrought by the Japanese Imperial forces against any luckless Filipino and foreign civilians they crossed paths with. What interested me though was the possibility that Gen. Yamashita who was prosecuted and eventually executed under the principle of command responsibility may have played the role of scapegoat for another Japanese officer who was in command of the naval forces left to hold Manila and, in pursuit of his orders, authorized the troops under his command to pillage Manila and reduce it to an open graveyard of burnt and mutilated inhabitants. Prior to the Manila Massacre, Yamashita and his Army forces had retreated from Manila to the mountains of northern Luzon to shift the conflict to a less populous area. The book did not specify whether Yamashita was aware of the plan by his naval counterpart to decimate Manila but this was the defense argued by the legal team appointed to act in Yamashita's defense. However, the defense stood no chance against the sentiments of the entire Filipino population who diligently monitored the trial as well as the insistence of McArthur to have Yamashita bear the entire responsibility for the atrocities committed during the Battle of Manila. To further contextualize Yamashita's position before and after his surrender to US troops - Yamashita was an Army man while the officer who ostensibly commanded the Japanese forces in Manila was from the Japanese Navy - both branches of the Japanese Imperial Forces were involved in a bitter rivalry that precluded coordination and cooperation between their respective troops so it's not too far-fetched to assume that while.one branch of the Japanese forces rationally chose a calculated retreat and avoid a civilian bloodbath, the other branch chose to fanatically pursue a course of wanton cruelty and mass executions. I am Filipino by the way. My grandfather was detained by the Kempeitai during the occupation and was released eventually thanks to the bravery of his wife (and my grandmother) who went and supposedly obtained his release from the Japanese without being detained herself or subjected detainment, torture or worse. I'm skeptical of the latter part of her account knowing how the Japanese treated Filipino women (especially attractive ones like my grandmother who had performed in vaudeville prior to the war) during the occupation but it certainly does not detract from her bravery and determination to save my grandfather from torture and possible execution..

[@cassandrahey701]

It is pretty much established (in my opinion) that the Japanese Army and the IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) when ashore did not obey any (western) rule of law or rules. I have read the transcripts of Gen. Yamashitas trial and I agree that Yamashita got the rough end of the stick. To me , Yamashita was not accused of any atrocities in Singapore or Malaya. Magandang Araw. I hope to go back to the Philippines someday and live out my life in your beautiful country and people.

[@homeric29]

@@cassandrahey701 I hope you manage to come back and enjoy the country to your heart's content.

[@markross2124]

My Father fought in the Philippines with the 11th airborne with the rank of gunnery Sargent, also believe it or not his first name was Homer. However, the locals called him Andy, from our last name Antonette. I've always wanted to visit that country and hopefully will do so one day.

[@homeric29]

@@markross2124 Good luck on your plans - I hope you manage to visit our country.

[@patrickscalia5088]

This is a distinction that people who only have a superficial understanding of the war in the Philippines rarely learn about. Gen "Tiger" Yamashita did indeed declare Manila to be an "open city" and removed his soldiers to a rural area just as you stated, to avoid the casualties among noncombatants that he knew would result. When talking about the Japanese "naval" unit that invested the city and fought bitterly and murdered and raped an uncounted number of noncombatants, it might be more helpful to think of them as Japanese marines rather than a bunch of sailors who just stepped off their warship. Meaning they were naval infantry, like the US marines of then and today. In almost every other country marines or naval infantry are not a separate branch of their own as in the USA but instead still a part of those nations's naval service. Usually they are much smaller units and considered an elite, in the same sense as Rangers and SAS. A great example is the UK's Royal Marine Commando which is still a unit in the British Navy. The Japanese marine was known for extreme fanaticism even in a country rife with it and unfortunately in Manila that manifested as a murderous and cowardly rampage against people who could not fight back. Unfortunately Yamashita was not in the chain of command for the naval detachment and couldn't order them to stand down and leave the city like he'd done with his own troops. So it's a bit of sad irony that Yamashita was eventually hung for it. It has been alleged that the true reason Yamashita was tried and hung was at the insistence of the British, whose soldiers and generals Yamashita had humiliated during the lightning Malaya campaign at the outset of the war. With yet more irony Yamashita was reportedly an honorable man and, rare among the Japanese, treated prisoners of war fairly and in accord with international law. It would have been fair and desirable to kill Yamashita in battle, as he was a soldier and a fair target and his actions killed many of the opposing side. But it was a travesty to execute him for something he explicitly tried to prevent. It's also enlightening to compare what MacArthur and his command did, to the utter collapse of the British in Malaya and Singapore who surrendered over 100000 soldiers before most of them had even had a chance to fire at the enemy. The British locally outnumbered the Japanese but Yamashita's strategy so unbalanced the British that they surrendered while they were still quite capable of fighting it out. By contrast MacArthur and his American and Filipino soldiers, vastly outnumbered and outgunned, with sparse supplies, fought the Japanese to a months-long stalemate in Bataan and ruined more than one Japanese general's career with their inability to take the peninsula by force. If MacArthur had been in command of the British at Malaya it's a good bet that he'd have run the Japanese out of Malaya instead of the other way around. As Simon noted in the video, MacArthur lauded the Filipinos as the greatest soldiers he had ever worked with his respect for them was absolute. They're at least as responsible as MacArthur himself for Bataan not being the cowardly debacle that the British suffered in Malaya. His respect for them speaks volumes, coming from a man who spent fifty-one years in uniform in the service of his country.

[@carsonsmith9606]

My great-grandfather was actually in Manila and became one of the Battling Bastards of Bataan. He was captured with everyone else and survived the Bataan Death March before being shipped down to Mindanao with other Americans to build an airfield. He unfortunately died at the start of the US invasion as his labor camp was to be taken back to Japan to work when the unmarked civilian ship they were transporting the prisoners in was bombed the U.S. From men I’ve talked to about the surrender at Bataan that knew said that they never had a chance against the Japanese as they were using weapons left over from WW1 with faulty cartridges while having to split their single daily rations with the Philippine people and by the time they were captured 2/3 of they had malaria or dysentery. Thanks for covering this video Simon! It’s really nice to see someone cover this in such depth, most people just cover the battle of the Philippine Sea such it’s such a relief to see a in depth breakdown do the land battles.

[@geraldmantanona6116]

Great videos. It’s not pronounced, “Bah-tahn” like a Baton. It’s pronounced, “Bah-tah-Ahn” and even spelled to annotate, Bataan. My grandfather was a “Bataan death march” survivor. Until the day he died he corrected people the proper pronunciation. 🇵🇭 🇺🇸👍🏾

[@119jle]

We that live here don’t care what he calls it. We say it different in our culture

[@chasemeredith4675]

I've been watching Simon for years now. I'm a huge history buff and I'm a huge fan of all of this content

[@textmachine09]

I remember stories of my grandparents during the occupation. My grandma (mom's mom) was between 7-11 during the occupation and she was the one who had to go down to the city from the mountains they were hiding from to buy/get supplies because she had a lot of older sisters and it was RISKY to send them and her older brothers were part of the resistance. And my grandma also suffered from appendicitis and had to go an operation with no anesthesia. And my grandpa (dad's dad) was a guerilla who solo killed around 50-70 japanese from 1942-1945 (joined the resistance at age 15) and became a formal soldier of the philippine constabulary, fought his former comrades who became communist guerillas during the 50s, and died from intestinal cancer in 1984. My grandma lived to age 96 dying in 2017, had a great and long pension from grandpa's service.

[@angel.heart007]

I’m so proud of my Grandpa. He survived the Bataan death march. And it must of been a terrible time because my mom was born that year when my Grandpa was held pow. Nonetheless he survived. 🙏🏼

[@kkriley91]

My grandmother lived in postwar Philippines for 3 years. Thanks for this history lesson 👍

[@daniell1483]

Great video. The war in the Pacific is often overshadowed by the European and other theaters, but was just as important.

[@TheSnarkyBrit]

Germany: "The Nazi regime did horrific things and we fully recognize the atrocities they inflicted". Japan: "War crimes? Never heard of her".

[@cantsay2205]

My great grandparents and grandmother survived the Japanese occupation by hiding in the mountains for years, and I think about what they went through when I need to find strength.

[@jajssblue]

I feel like the complicated history of the US and Philippines could be a video completely on its own on one of your channels.

[@sykeraid4944]

Yeah like the brutal occupation of the Philippines by the Americans.

[@adameckard4591]

The Aztec Eagles deserve their own episode Simon. Go for it.

[@timothywalker4563]

Simon that’s the most through overview on the Philippines I’ve heard in awhile, nice job!

[@galistun9319]

My grandpa's brother experienced the Death March. What you've said about it, is all true but much much worse.

[@yeSplus2]

This is better than what we were taught back during my elementary days, great job Fact Boy!!

[@troiscinq7650]

The atrocities committed by the Japanese are some of the most gut wrenching and heinous crimes in the history of humanity. It is such a shame that so many of those criminals never saw proper justice and some went on to be part of Japan’s post war political class

[@FT4Freedom]

My family is FilAm. The Philippines is a rich people and country. And the people are ferocious defenders. Daily.

[@peinek]

In 25 minutes told a story that never gets taught in American WW2 history classes from middle school to college I as a Filipinos American, learned more about the Soviets and theor war effort than I did of the people of my my mother's birth. Thank you for this

[@patrickhasachannel]

a super-detailed warographics on Leyte gulf is sure to be a winning topic soon!

[@codyj1162]

Mr Simon, you make going to work tolerable. Often listening to your channels is the only thing that keeps me from jumping out of the windows. 😉

[@kendracrispin5327]

Simon, have you considered a video on Taffy 3? Or a series of videos on the Battle of Leyte Gulf? Fans like myself would be in heaven. Whenever I see a video I haven't seen yet, it's a treat. Thank you for your efforts

[@andyyang3029]

Loving this channel lately! keep it up Simon & Assorted Blazement Writers

[@jin1063]

Excellent Episode! Kudos to you and your team, Simon. So much history there and so much misery that is hardly know. My Uncle fought there with the 7th Infantry Division and my Father-in-Law was a guerrilla fighter in Luzon and even took part in the Raid at Camp Cabanatuan POW Camp"The Great Raid". I have visited Battaan; walked on the Death March trail; Been to the site of the American surrender to the Imperial Japanese, seen the interrogation cells of the Imperial Japanese Kempi Tai at the General Homma HQ, seen the monument at Mt. Samat, what American's call "Last Stand hill", see the memorial at Camp Cabanatuan and the American Cemetray in Manilla - which is even larger than the ones in Normanday, France. Glad you and your Team covered this.

[@badluck5647]

Suggestion: American-Philippines War Bridge the Spanish-American War and the Pacific Front of WW2.

[@theawesomeman9821]

I'd like to recommend the Filipino Insurrection. One of the few insurgencies America actually beat.

[@shinsenshogun900]

Same war, the former takes the legitimacy to be the conflict’s title because Americans then do not acknowledge Philippine sovereignty, which downplays the insurrection they’ve labeled upon early anti-colonial resistance. Also, this conflict is not one happy little splendid war that America enjoyed with the previous spat against the Spanish. Only cruelty and innovative ingenuity truly finished the Tagalog, faith militant, and Moro wars, at a price of geopolitical regret and military losses dealt by the plighted local population.

[@badluck5647]

@@theawesomeman9821 The insurrection failed because America already granted autonomy and created a path towards independence. Few wanted to die for cause that was just going to happen with patience.

[@my_other_side473]

@@theawesomeman9821 so your proud of that?? But hey Atleast we killed 3x more Americans than the Spanish did 👏👏. Why are you guys so salty when someone mentioned the Atrocities you did with Filipinos??

[@my_other_side473]

@@theawesomeman9821 If you guys shows the savagery that you did Filipinos to the Vietcong and Afghans. Maybe you would have won that too. At that time Americans were so f*cking Stupid that they didn't even knew what is happening in the Philippines. Imagine killing Atleast a Million Filipinos. And Most Americans didn't have a clue and Most of the world just turned a blind eye. Unlike In Vietnam war where's there's media coverage. Until now Most Americans didn't even knew about This.

[@stevelawrie8265]

There seems to be very little in the way of memorials and knowledge of local sites in the Philippines, at least among Filipinos. I was totally taken aback that my wife (from northern Luzon) and her family had no clue about the existence of Japanese tunnels in the Philippines, much less that they existed in their immediate area. I took them to visit the tunnel in Ilagan City, where the tour guides told us that the site was hardly ever visited by Filipinos, but that US visitors come regularly. Even in Baguio City at Camp John Hay, there is no memorial to the fact that this is where the the first Japanese bombs fell, and where Yamashito signed the surrender document. When we visited, there was almost no information available on where any of this took place, and it was only by luck that we found someone who knew something and pointed us in the right direction (even though we couldn't visit the actual site). Thanks for this video that hopefully will raise awareness of this history. My wife's family were extremely interested in finding out more about it; there seems to be not much of it taught in schools.

[@jqa16]

As a Japanese-Filipino I'm extremely conflicted. I'm really proud of my both heritage. MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS 日本万歳

[@imgvillasrc1608]

A large portion of Japanese Catholics that escaped Tokugawa persecution went to the Philippines and remained there. So Japanese-Filipinos do have an identity centuries old in the Philippines :)

[@SJstackinbodys]

The main reason of why we have Japanese Philippine people is because of the rape of Manila

[@EmilyJelassi]

Excellent and fascinating video! I learn more from your videos than I learned in school and college. Great job Simon and team 👏💯😊

[@ethannaftalin2395]

Excellent Episode Simon. You should do a whole episode on the Battle of Leyte Gulf if for no other reason than the Story of Taffy 3.

[@DieNextInLINE]

You know, given how integral aircraft carriers became in naval warfare, I wonder what would have happened if there was one visionary that could have convinced their higher ups. Look at all the resources that were dumped into ships like Yamato and Bismarck. Gigantic mobile platforms of absolute hellfire that ultimately sat in port for fear of losing such a 'valuable' asset. Also, the loss of some of the Royal Navy's most famous ships like HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Hood while damaging to morale didn't feel like they made significant strategic advances. Feel free to correct me, though, as I am neither a historian or an expert in WWII strategy and tactics.

[@MrTexasDan]

In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter where Japan invested their resources. By early-1945, the US, along with the UK, showed up just off the coast of Japan with no fewer than sixteen fleet carriers, with 12 more on order or under construction. It was inevitable. The Japanese had no chance against a country of more than 5 times greater GDP.

[@Dank-gb6jn]

Definitely need to cover the Siege of Fredericksburg. One of the key battles of the US War Between the States; this battle had a significant moment of courage, heroism, and compassion when 2nd Lt. Richard Rowland Kirkland of the CSA brought water to wounded Federals despite major risks to his person.

[@ChristinaMaterna]

Nice that the Anzacs got a mention, many forget how much of a role (small as our home forces were) in the Pacific theatre

[@thesheepersgame5199]

Never met my grandfather but he is said to be part of the resistance forces in thier home province when he was like 19 or 20. He was captured by the Japanese at some point but luckily survived the war. There is even a Japanese sword in our grandparents house most likely taken during the war. I wished I heard his stories during the war, sadly he died months before I was born.

[@dilloncrowe1018]

My Step-Great-Grandfather was an American survivor of the Bataan Death March, he was captured at Corregidor, and I believe it's safe to assume he fought at Bataan aswell. Thankfully, he survived the camps, and after the war, he returned to Texas.

[@danielcamacho7459]

My grandmother told me stories that in the provinces they had scouts and runners. Whenever japanese forces were spotted at a nearby province a runner will be tasked to "run" and warn their area prompting the community to pack supplies and head for the mountains to seek shelter only to return when japanese forces had moved on or left. She told me they would camp in the mountains with their gas lights covered with big cans enough only for dim light so as to avoid standing out during the night in the mountains.

[@ZeeDeveel19]

Love this vid. Made me a little bit teary.

[@bkjeong4302]

The idea that Halsey almost cost the invasion of the Philippines if not for Kurita throwing away a golden opportunity ignores one major detail; by that point the American landings had progressed so far most of the troops AND the supplies were already off the transports. The landings were already a success at that point.

[@johnkerich876]

I was a little surprised at the end of this video that you didn't explain one of the major reasons Independence was not delayed was the US then didn't have to put the bill to rebuild the philippines. Basically we stuck on with the bill.

[@jamegumm]

My grandfather was one of those who escaped the Bataan Death March and joined up with the guerrillas to fight the Japanese in the mountains

[@briankorbelik2873]

My wife is from Legaspi in the southern Bicol region on Luzon. Both her parents were young and went through the Japanese occupation. My mother in lawwas 12 when we Americans liberated Lesgaspi. The day before the American invasion all the young women and children went to the mountains to hide do the Japanese could not rape and murder them when the Americans landed on April 1, 1945. My mother in law was 12 when Legaspi was liberated.

[@DSS-jj2cw]

My late father served in the Pacific Theater during WWII. He was a bulldozer operator with the U.S Army Air Corps. and took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He also saw Gen. MacArthur sometime afterwards.

[@theawesomeman9821]

cool

[@ShoopdaShoop]

I come from a long line of military men on My dad's side. Dad was in desert storm Gramp was in Vietnam Great gramps was in ww2 The liberation and reclaiming of Bataan specifically He and 5 others were in a foxhole when they were struck with a morter shell Only he had survived I never met him but I have huge respect for that man survivors guilt is a real thing.....

[@donsandsii4642]

Thank you to the writing team for both technical and creative writing to forge a compelling story

[@pgwchaos]

The Battle of Leyte Gulf would make a good video, it was really a number of different battles with the Battle off Samar being one of the largest battles, with the main Japanese force attacking a small American fleet after successfully luring the main American force away. (they did just find one of the ships sunk during that battle, USS Samuel B. Roberts)

[@weirdshibainu]

Ask anyone who survived Japanese Occupation if the use of the Atom Bombs were "inhumane"

[@ktm42080]

My grandfather was one of the soldiers left there. He saw many horrific things and was never "right".

[@nolongerblocked6210]

Glad u covered the genocide in the Philippines. Many people I've discussed WW2 with didn't even know it happened... now if that happens I can show em your video

[@griffinsalmon5798]

My grandfather and great-grandfather were in the Bataan Death march, My great grandfather died. My grandfather a half-filipino merchant marine saved my grandmother a half-filipino plantation worker by getting her on a refugee boat before he himself was captured. at the end of war he was released from a japanese labor prison, he was 5'10 (180cm) and weighed 85 lbs (38 kg), he ended up marrying my grandmother and having 5 children with her and unknown amount of other children after he left his family and married another woman in japan. dude had a wild first half of his life.

[@wildshadowstar]

I just read Bruce Henderson’s Rescue at Los Banos, which is about the liberation of one of the Japanese internment camps on Luzon.

[@senormooples2354]

It hurts me to know how many kind hearted souls got subjected to literal hell for years

[@grapeshot]

The 1st Cav fought in the Battle of Manila. Probably the toughest urban fight for US forces in the Pacific Theater.

[@deadeyedaddy7418]

I'm surprised no specific mention of Wendell Fertig and USFIP.

[@dsgdsg9764]

I've only ever known one person from the Philippines she was also a teacher they don't make him like they do in the Philippines anymore🇵🇭

[@BobDiot]

I'm extremely disappointed in you not mentioning the defense of Fort Drum in Manila bay

[@TheMacC117]

I get s significant amount of satisfaction upon hearing toward the end there about how we allowed the Japanese soldiers to return to one of their outposts, only to be shot by our forces that had already captured it.

[@MrPrussianjester]

Hits different after Camp O'Donnel video on Geographics.

[@clarimax]

It really saddens me to hear about the Manila massacre. In the end, its the civilians that suffers the most in wars.

[@all9472]

Id like to here more about the Aztec eagle Mexican squad u rarely here about Mexico in ww2 20:34

[@NewDealChief]

16:32 Should've been titled *"MacArthur Returns".*

[@anti-Russia-sigma]

Thanks for featuring Filipino rebels & for the good show.

[@M.J.R.]

My great grandfather 2 brothers including their help was brutally massacred by Japanese soldiers.

[@jordynmarie7766]

You should do a video on the siege of Marawi, I would love to see it!

[@krato890]

Yay a new episode!

[@locklearlumbee83]

World War 2 took a deep look into these events during their normal weekly coverage and also on their War Against Humanity coverage. Very in depth as it covers the events as they happened, week-by-week. Very glad to see Warographics covering this.

[@claydelaino5852]

Somewhere in the picture of Mac coming ashore in the pilot house of one of the landing craft is my grandfather

[@chesh3712]

US and Philippines shouldn't be just allies but brother nations.

[@upintheairstudio]

Do a video on Operation: Frequent Wind aka the Saigon Airlift.