May 6, 1942 - Japanese forces win the Battle of Corregidor. Invading the Philippines in late December 1941, Japanese forces quickly drove back US and Filipino troops. Forced to shift to a defensive position on the Bataan Peninsula, Gen. Douglas MacArthur made his headquarters on the heavily fortified island of Corregidor in Manila Bay. Ordered to Australia in March 1942, he turned over command to Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright. With the fall of Bataan in April, Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma turned his attention to Corregidor. Hammering the island with aerial bombardment and artillery, he sent forward troops on the night of May 5. Though meeting heavy resistance, they succeeded in gaining a foothold on the island. Reinforced through the night, they began to overwhelm the defenders. The landing of three tanks the next morning compelled Wainwright's men to retreat to the entrance of the massive Malinta Tunnel complex. Seeing no alternative and with over 1,000 wounded in the Tunnel, he elected to surrender. Though he only wished to surrender Corregidor, he was forced to surrender all Allied forces in the Philippines by Homma. The fall of Corregidor ended the defense of the Philippines and the island remained in Japanese hands until February 1945.
Photograph Courtesy of the US Government
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