yet a lot of filipinos nowadays are very addicted on japanese made animes it's still disappointing that a lot of filipinos nowadays don't know what those senseis did to us especially on our ancestors
@@iminbreadbutfrench8625 well if japaj didnt lose the war there would be no anime and the current japanese culture. Also the japanese occupation also helped improve our culture you know? Our TechVoc strand only existed because japan focuses on technical vocation and japanese languange classes on the philippines
@@RonEmeraldia let me clarify my comment for you the thing is yes I admit that japan really helped us a lot especially nowadays but the thing is we should never forget what they did on us just because they help us nowadays
@@RonEmeraldia but for real is anime that important? I mean if japan didn't lose the war there would be no anime? Like try to say that on 20+ million people died bcs of the japanese atrocities alone and to their families and let's see if anime is that important
again let me clarify liking japanese products nowadays including anime but again never ever forget the history of our countries (Philippines and Japan)
My dad used to tell me about an interview with an old Japanese soldier. The (American) interviewer was asking the soldier who the best jungle fighters he fought against were. He thought a few moments, then said, "The Australians" The interviewer was taken a bit aback... "well... who was second best?" The Japanese soldier thought again... "The English". Frustrated, the interviewer asked, "well, what about the Americans?" The Japanese soldier answered, "I don't know; we never fought them in the jungle. The Americans would blow the jungle away and fight in the craters".
@2manynegativewaves Well the problem is that I’ve actually been there before. I don’t think you’ve actually seen how it looks in person. It really is a Jungle, I mean you can look up pictures and see. Calling it “Light forests” would be an understatement
Walter Krueger, a general born 1881 in West Prussia (German Empire) in the service of the US Army, wins the Asian Stalingrad. What an irony of history.
History is full of irony. The winning of the American war of independence had significant contributions from Kosciuszko and Pulaski (known as the fathers of American artillery and cavalry respectively) - two Poles. Let's just say the Americans have never really repaid the favour when we've been in need.
Many of the civilians died due to starvation. My mom was a teenager and she remembers they only survived by eating sweet potatoes (kamote) planted in their back yard. She was so tired of kamote but she knew that was all they could eat. She also had stories about the dreaded Kempeitai who would execute anyone even slightly suspected of resisting the Japanese occupation.
In 1898 the Americans were executing civilians in the Philippines. The US occupation forces also sent 300,000 civilians to concentration camps where many died of disease and starvation. Three years later after an anti american uprising in 1901, US Brigadier General Jacob H. Smith ordered his subordinates to kill every Filipino male "able to bear arms". When asked to specify what this meant the general clarified every male over the age of ten.
@@BrettonFerguson So what every nation committed a war crime, The thing is japanese and germany committed a war crime in regular basis in ww2. Without them you will be under communist/fascist or even islam rule.
Fun Fact to those who don't know. The Flagpole in the US Embassy in Manila was never changed up until today and you can still see the bullet marks left after the battle.
It's even more insane that he does it himself. To my knowledge he doesn't have a crew or anyone that helps. Even if he had some help the stories are stuff you never heard about.
Seeing the European and African theatres is one thing, but it really does have a different feel when the events that Dr. Felton's describing happened somewhere familiar to you.
i didnt even know much about the asian fights at all. like that anything ever happened there. i only learned about europe and germany in my school in germany.
@@nutzeeer I graduated HS in 1985 and knew nothing of the atrocities committed by Japan. In the army I was in Korea and was lucky to interact with Koreans who told me the truth about the Japanese Empire. All we were taught was US bad because of the use of atomic weapons, nothing on the murder of millions of Chinese and Koreans. At that time, 1986, the animosity felt about Japan was very very strong.
The reverse is also true. Manilla is on the opposite side of the world to Europe. I have met people who fought the Japanese in India and Malaya None of my family were out there. I saw aware of what happened in the Philippians but never to this detail.
@@TarTw45 yea basically like nazi germany. just that japan was not rebuilt like germany was, so they still have (more) problems with their past. would be a move for germany today to help japan cope with what they have done and find a brighter future.
My local history professor told us that Manila was the second most devastated capital city in the Second World War, next to Warsaw. When I checked an article online, my professor was indeed right, as per Douglas MacArthur who witnessed the city lying in ruins.
The Filipino people were very kind to our troops during this entire campaign. They would bring water to our men during the street fighting and help with our wounded. God bless those wonderful people. 1st Cavalry Division - Iron Horse Brigade.
@V P the United States annexed the Philippines in 1898 after a war with Spain and began preparing the islands for independence in 1935. There had been Americans on the islands for 47 years in 1945. Maybe you should educate yourself on American and Philippine history before you say stupid things like that.
Especially during the Bataan Death March. The casualties could be much worse if it wasn't because of those brave locals who feed the hungry american and Filipino prisoners
@@AllecJoshuaIbay Some people just doesn't appreciate history anymore, as if it isn't important for their lives. Don't worry there's still a lot with the same interests for war and history.
Yes Allec, where is the prosperity in Manila that American allied nations are supposed to enjoy? Where is that prosperity in America itself? I suppose in both, it has been gathered into the hands of private property elites. What to think of all this Freedom, and so-called Democracy, and this wonderful, famous, economic system for which so much fighting is done?
My dad works within Intramuros, and for the past years i can still see the scars of the War during the liberation of the city. I'm glad Manila is being featured on this channel.
When I was a kid... maybe 4 or 5 my grandfather, a WWII veteran had a old time magazine about the war in the Pacific. In it was a Arial photo of Manila after it was retaken from the Japanese. I remember the city was totally destroyed, the only buildings still standing were Manila City Hall and the walls of intramuros and Fort. Santiago. I was always amazed at the deviation in that photo. I would look at it for hours. Years later in 2016 I would marry my maganda asawa in Manila City Hall...... ironic.
Mark ! Nobody and I mean nobody does these details videos better than you. Thank you. My wife is Filipina. Much too young to know this. But how detailed and precise your history research is, great Mark - keep going.
There’s a book called “It Took 4 Years for the Rising Sun to Set”, written by Joachim Garcia which is an eyewitness account of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. It describes in great detail what happened, especially when the Americans returned. There’s another school called De La Salle College in Manila where the Japanese occupied one end of the campus. As the Americans came closer to the city, a lot of families were forced to evacuate their homes by the Japanese. These families moved into the other end of the campus. As the Americans got closer, the Japanese slaughtered the families. That school has all years from prep through to tertiary level. As a kid, I can remember in the mid-60’s walking past a certain wall of the that school that had bullet holes from the fighting. It was years later that I realised the significance of it. Thanks Mark for your video account.
My family knew one of the families that were slaughtered at the De La Salle campus. My aunt said those families were gunned down in the chapel of the school. I graduated from that same school decades later.
I mean, I agree and disagree in some respects. Yes, Germany gets all the mention because their political movement was a large scale thing that had an impact all over the world. Japan was insular and uninterested in involving anyone else so their leaders dont stand out like Hitler and his cabinet. To anyone interested in the military history of the war however the pacific is often glorifed with among many, many others the huge aircraft carrier battles at Coral Sea and Midway, Iwo Jima, retaking the Philippines, Okinawa, etc being some of the most filmed and best covered actions of the war. The Germans had more of a cultural impact that makes them significant today. The Japanese had arguably a larger military impact, with the massive conquering of territory, lengths they were willing to go to to defend in the dying days of the war, and spontaneous large scale atrocities. As such, those are the legacies we're left with.
My grandpa on my moms side (Filipino) fought against the Japanese with the Americans. He has a Japanese Katana wrapped in a rising sun flag with bloodstains on it. Also, my grandpa on my dads side of the family was in the 76th Infantry Division Combat Engineer Battalion, Company C. He went from England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslavakia, Austria, and finally Germany. We recently got pictures of him during his service in WW2. The pictures are awesome! He has a picture of himself and his buddies in the snow during the Battle of the Bulge. Kinda cool to think both sides of my family fought in WW2 on both fronts. Another amazing video, Mark!
BlissGore My grandpa on my moms side was a gorilla fighter for the Filipino resistance. It wasn’t just officers that carried Katanas. Almost every Japanese soldier carried them. @Herr derr Nice try though smart ass, can’t say anyone in your family has done anything to help your country during war time. I also have proof of everything I’m stating in my comments. Sad that little kids would disrespect people like this but when you’re safely behind a screen, that’s pretty easy to do.
@@richiecuzzz1 Damn he was a gorilla fighter? Does that mean the Japanese deployed gorillas? Also, rank and file soldiers did not have katanas. It's certainly not true that "almost every soldier carried them"
I am a German Filippino. I can relate to this. My German Grandfathers older Brother fell in Stalingrad, he was only 20 years old. My Filippino Grandparents were hiding in the jungle because of Japanese ocupying their village. Now its all in the past and we should never forget and never repeat this madness of war.
An elderly Philippine woman I knew in NYC was an eyewitness to the atrocities. She told me that the Japanese soldiers would go from house to house, pillage, murder and rape, then throw babies into the air and stab them with their bayonets as they fell. She survived by hiding, but her family didn't make it. War is an uncontrollable monster of depravity. We should not forget these lessons from history, but as Santayana aptly stated, I know _only the dead have seen the end of war_ ...
Lol you think that is fake my elementary history teacher told us the exact same story terrorizing the civilians , rape and killing babies with bayonet . Im from the PH. Btw if that is not enough sources for you guys
As a Japanese myself. I could agree about the war crimes our fellow Japanese had done. If they didn’t do that, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and also Burma and China could’ve been a better country like ours. And Manchuko Empire would still exist.
@@spaceartist1272 All countries occupied by Japan during WW2 were treated brutally, the evidence is overwhelming. How is it "western propaganda" when the stories mostly come from the Far East? You idiot.
@@joeyjamison5772 Are you accusing Deftone of being somewhat tone deaf? Perhaps I'm doing the same, but I did find the video wrenching, and in no way fun.
I get stuck on this channel. I have to literally take a break sometimes. Great channel, high quality, real footage, great narration and accurate information. Great job. I've been a subscriber for a while now. 👍
Finally a video about the darkest days of my home city, Manila, during WWII. Thank you for featuring this piece of history that not all Filipinos actually have an idea about the severe brutality and the massive destruction it had brought out. Btw, I am an avid fan of your documentaries. More power to you.
John Michael Boy: I was 18 years old in the navy in 1968, and i was so in love with the philippines. I had friends in Olongapo City and would stay at their house when we were in port. I couldn't believe how beautiful the culture is , and the way the families took care of each other. i went back many times on vacation after i got out of the navy. I would go on vacation and just ride my bicycle thru the countryside without any schedule or plan, just following what happened and relying on the hospitality of people i would meet. Never did i not receive or reject the hospitality some one offered. Had such wonderful adventures and never had any trouble with anyone. I think filipino people are the most beautiful and kind folks on earth. I thank them all.
One of the most iconic images of the battle is the mini-battle over the baseball stadium. A place that would've brought so much joy to both sides during peacetime, turned into a bloodbath
Interesting fact: when the Japanese looted MacArthur's former apartment in Manila, the only items they left alone were two vases gifted to the MacArthur family by Hirohitos grandfather.
My Grandfather was part of the push into Manila. He at the time was a 1st Lt charged with clearing out Zig Zag pass. The battle was one of the worst ones he had been apart of ending with him and several of his men receiving the bronze star.
I am 63 years old and my father told us about this landing. He was in the 3rd wave and directed communications for his group. He was granted a Bronze Star for what he did. He only spoke of it once with few details and we did not know about the Bronze Stars (He had more than one) until after his passing. We found them and all the paperwork and accommodations in a shoe box. The war really screwed his nerves up and was harsh and jumpy most of the time but he made us three brothers into men.
Like all the others who ever died or got injured in any war for "America", this could've been avoided by staying home, enjoying your beautiful country and having a nice whisky.
@@supermuskelmann8557 If they did stay at home: Europe would be German and Asia Japanese and by default, You would be "SS-USA" too, so we REALLY have to thank all ALLIED war participants for their sacrifice.
@@supermuskelmann8557 "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." Fortunately for the entire world, good men stood up and fought for "America" and did not just have a freaking whisky. "Men" like you are the reason the world is going to hell. Smdh.
My father fought in the Pacific Theater and in the Battle of Manila. He never spoke of his war experiences, as they brought back painful memories. He only wanted to forget the war. He did confess to my mother that in this battle, which was fought block by block, he turned a corner and came face-face with a younger-looking Japanese foot soldier. They stared at each other and my father had to shoot him. It pained him as he stated that they boy looked fifteen (my father was 19). War is tragic and cruel, but sometimes necessary. God's blessing on all those who suffered from this battle, Filipino, Japanese and America.
@michael boultinghouse Liberate yet oppress? Liberate yet slaughter? Is that liberation to you? Even if you say yes, why would the Japanese do that? If their aim was to liberate the Filipino people, why invade them? If you know basic history, the Philippines would have been independent by 1946 as per the Tydings-Mucduffie Act of 1935. If the Japanese hadn't invaded, Manila and the rest of the Philippines, along with its population, would have been intact.
I remember in 5th grade about a decade ago, my classmates would laugh at me for knowing too much about WWII history. Made me think that Filipinos are indeed in need of learning history with proven and in-depth content.
i worked a the Canadian Embassy in Manila for 8 years. There are still many reminders of the war especially in the section of the city called Intramuros.
This part of history doesn't get taught in Swedish schools. The Asian part of the war is brushed over very quickly. Kinda like, Japan invaded stuff, then Pearl Harbor, then the US fought back, then they dropped the bomb twice, and game over. If lucky, the Nanking massacre might get mentioned, at least.
Not much different here in the USA. Most WW2 movies and documentaries are about the war with Germany. Comparatively few about the Pacific War and most of it is only about a few key battles. Kids in school are taught nothing aside from Pearl Harbor and the Atomic Bomb.
The Pacific war is completely brushed over in the England other than a mention of Pearl Harbour, how the US funded penicillin production to help its soldiers on the pacific front and how the atomic bombs were/weren't justified and how they contributed to the cold war.
@@davrosdarlek7058 not surprised. The UK was humiliated by the loss of Hong Kong, Singapore, and all of Malaya. Even Hitler didn't know how to react to it, on the one hand he was ecstatic his ally dealt Britain, one of his greatest rivals, a decisive defeat, but then he realized this completely challenges his notions of a "superior" white race. I believe that meme with Steve Harvey laughing and then subsequently staring blankly in disbelief best describes Hitler's reaction to the Japanese victories.
@@DK-gy7ll Nah not true. Midway's covered, Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, some islands are recaptured (Guam, Phillipines & Okinawa) and the marines storm Iwo Jima. If anything it's China, Manchuria and Burma which are neglected.
@@josepiscano2757 Also not true. Burma campaign is quite celebrated in UK and Wavell, Mountbatten and Slim very respected. While Singapore was a major defeat, HK was never considered defensible. Humiliation more around loss of PoW and Repulse, but Imphal, Kohima and Merryll's raids in the Arkan box are viewed more positively.
Dad had a childhood friend in the army who was involved earlier in the Luzon campaign than what he was. They actually met during the war. The friend told him the Japanese occupation was just brutal towards civilians. The stories of all the atrocities were true.
@@poikoi1530 citation or source? I see this sometimes said by Filipinos (on social media usually). But I never could find an actual source that supports it. I did find a journal years ago titled "The Koreans in Second World War Philippines: Rumour and history" which dispelled this myth as unsubstantiated rumors, but I haven't seen other prominent research articles in this area (which is probably why this rumor persists). More knowledge about this would be good. Edit: the person I was replying to seems to have deleted their comment. For context, they said that (as I remember) Koreans committed the war crimes in the Philippines and the Japanese commanders tried to control them because the Japanese told the Koreans that Asia is for Asians and America is the enemy.
@@poikoi1530 Come on, that is revisionist history, even if it was Korean troops, who taught them? The Korean culture was pretty much suppressed under Japanese occupation.
Not all are true there is a well documented japanese occupation in the provinces here in the Philippines that the commanding officer of his place of jurisdiction tended to be be lenient and generous to the natives of that province
Well that was a grim 22 mins description of misery and destruction. The war in the east has always taken a backseat to the European theatre. A very disturbing but necessary re-telling. Thank you Mark.
I was there, a five year old, son of an American father and a filipina mother. We were hiding in a remote village of Abong, Batangas, always in the grip of fear. My American father was in a concentration camp in Manila. At five years of age I was given the last rites. No food, no home, no medicine, no change of clothing, nothing. Miraculously, I survived.
It's such a shame this war happened. Manila was the most beautiful city in Asia, very diverse and modern at the time. And the war destroyed it. We never really recovered. Such a poignant reminder of people's greed & ambition.
If only that one stubborn Japanese commander decided to surrender then many historical and diverse sites in Manila could've still restored and seen by modern generations and probably would become one of tourist attractions. it's really a shame what happened. and now Manila is known as a dirty city no longer that prosper and "Paris of the East" of Asia.
It's worth mentioning the large cemetery in Ft. Bonifacio, Manila. The final resting place of American (and Filipino?) soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to free the Philippines.
@Jonathan Williams No they were not. While they may have considered each other kindred spirits (especially during the war), the Filipinos were not treated equally and I don't think it'd be fair to characterize them as American.
@Lord Gaylord Ondor Many veterans here in PH have delayed pensions or being deprive receiving pensions most of them are Huks not include under american guerilla forces campaign.
@Lord Gaylord Ondor The problem was due to the Rescission Act of 1946 (38 U.S.C. § 107), not Philippine independence. "Service before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, while such forces were in the service of the Armed Forces of the United States pursuant to the military order of the President dated July 26, 1941, including among such military forces organized guerrilla forces under commanders appointed, designated, or subsequently recognized by the Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area, or other competent authority in the Army of the United States, shall not be deemed to have been active military, naval, or air service for the purposes of any law of the United States conferring rights, privileges, or benefits upon any person by reason of the service of such person or the service of any other person in the Armed Forces ".
Jonathan Williams Filipinos back then were considered American nationals and not citizens as the Philippine Islands were converted as an American commonwealth (previously unincorporated overseas territory of the US)
All of those places, buildings, landmarks. I live in Manila all my life and recognize them all. Thanks you Mark I was able to imagine the large scale of the battle that took place. It was quite an enlightening experience Sir Mark Feldon.
My gunsmith Rudy Crumbly took part in the battle for Manila, among other battles. After seeing what the Japanese had done there and elsewhere, he said he felt no remorse for killing as many of them as he could. He passed away age 83 and never got over his hatred of the Japanese.
The most disgusting thing is that most of the war criminals who bore responsibility for these atrocities were never charged; their crimes erased from Japanese history books, their deeds sworn to secrecy for decades, and their names enshrined in Shinto temples.
As a German, I don't like the Japanese very much. I am disgusted by the way they deny their war crimes in WW2. Germany has an extensive remembrance-culture focused on our war crimes, an honesty that I am actually proud of.
It is ironical that the Nazis are remembered as devils, while as a kind of reverse racism, the Japanese are not. This though their brand of racism--toward all non Japanese-- was more inbred than than of the Germans.
@@JRobbyShjapan didn't discriminate on the basis of race because it didn't exist. If you wrre a korean, Taiwanese, okinawanan or ainu you would become Japanese under the japan empire. That's why they tried to integrate them instead of mass genocide like the germans did
Married to my Filipino wife and knowing Manila rather well it is heartbreaking to see how beautiful Manila really was and then seeing it destroyed. Thanks for the story!
My wife’s grandfather fought the Japanese as a guerrilla fighter for years until the end of WW2. He almost never spoke about it and never really spoke ever again after the War. He died and we never got to fully hear his story until after letters started to come in from old friends about how brave and fearless he was. They sent photos and wrote memories of him and my wife never knew most of these things about him. All of his sons served in the US military and became Americans, deciding to fight for the country that fought so hard with them against the Japanese. We always remember him.
Little contributions made the greatest differences in the War, it tipped the scales . Japanese soldiers are ready to die during the siege, why? They are being killed one by one by Filipino Guerillas . Farmers, peasants and ordinary men by day ( being victimized/murdered Filipino had no resort but to fight but they fought back guerilla style ) Guerilla Commandoes by night.
@@WeCube1898 Tbh no, The Japanese would rather die than to surrender because they see surrendering as a dishonorable act and would bring shame to their Family Name, There are lots of Battle where the Japanese fought to the death outside of the Philippines such as the Brutal Battles of Tarawa, Peleliu (Which is arguably more brutal than Manila if we remove the Civilian Casualties), Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Saipan and Guam
Thank you very much, sir. I was born in Manila and few of the buildings in the videos are still there, although rebuilt. Fortunately, my parents weren't trapped in Manila during the battle (they left for their province). All what you stated were well known among Filipinos who took time to read our history. One of my late uncles was actually pressed by the Japanese to dig entrenchments for them -along with other male civilians taken by force- and then fed one bowl of rice after. That night, the Japanese left one guard, so he was able to escape. He was quite sure that if he hadn't escaped, he would have been executed the next day with the other civilians pressed into forced labor. Once again, thank you for featuring this battle.
@12:36 - Hold on here: MacArthur initially was extremely reluctant to use artillery or tank rounds on buildings. He gave orders that those weapons were not to used against habitable structures. Only when American casualties resulted did he reverse that policy.
MacArthur is a scumbag. What difference does it make he was INITIALLY reluctant? He sacrificed thousands of lives, and pardoned genocidal maniacs after the war. No surprise 1000 American lives were worth more to him than 100, 000 Filipino lives
Great work! I've been studying this war for nearly 50 years, my dad, gone since 2014, was in the Philippines 42-45. He saw the Japanese cruelty and always kept 1 bullet for himself having stated; I wouldn't let them take me alive.
Somewhere in the Philippine islands is a Japanese sub below the surface. My father in law's minesweeper was on patrol when they caught the sub on the surface probably to resupply their troops. They sank it with their one 3" gun. He was really proud of that accomplishment. I've been having a hard time finding the ship's books to pin down the exact location but the logbooks remain elusive, if they still exist anyway.
Mark, another excellent video! I was born in Australia but I live in Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao with my Filipina wife. The harbor here was where General Douglas MacArthur landed when escaping to Philippines and traveling to Australia in 1942. My wife's maternal grandfather was a Filipino guerilla fighter in this area. Coincidentally, his father, who he never knew, was Japanese! The Japanese torched a large portion of the city here before 200 of them escaped to the mountains in Bukidnon when the Americans arrived in May 1945 to liberate Cagayan de Misamis, as it was then known. There had been atrocities like rape and murder of civilians, and locals here speak of the Japanese soldiers throwing Filipino babies into the air and catching them on their bayonets. If that wasn't bad enough, the Japanese troops that escaped to Bukidnon hunted, killed and ate 70 Higaunon tribespeople. The Higaunon people are my wife's tribe. The Battle of Manila was terrible, but not the only example of the atrocities of war in the Philippines. Extra kudos for the correct pronunciation of "Yamashita".
@@k-studio8112 nor will we forget the bravery of Filipinos who time and again throughout history stood up for their people against foreign invaders, or when called to fight. Mabuhay sa Pilipinas!
My paternal grandfather was part of the American force that landed at Mindanao in 1945. Don’t know a lot about his war experience, because he never talked much about it but I’ve been looking into it recently. It turns out he had 2 Bronze Stars for his time in the Philippines
@@thecentrifugalescape I guess that he would have been in Cagayan de Misamis, as it was called then, because the city here has the largest port in Northern Mindanao, and of course Douglas MacArthur returned, as he said he would. You can find photos online of the monument to MacArthur here in Barangay Macabalan on the dockside. It's in the shape of his distinctive cap and there is a scale model of the Elco 77 foot Motor Torpedo Boat on which he arrived there in March 1942. My wife's mother was born in 1946. I don't think many returned soldiers spoke much about their experiences.
@@gaufrid1956 after the war the Philippines still managed to become the second richest country in asia. From 1986 to now the presidents have been the most useless people. It's really sad to see the old rich Philippines to now
This is too heartbreaking, having lived in Manila for the past 10 years, I see everyday the scars of war, the remnants of the old glorious Manila, and sadly its present state of decay, not only architecturally but socioeconomically as well.
"old glorious Manila" There's a bit of truth right there but even if it was not destroyed, It would not mean that Manila would be really good to live in right now. The Manila the video was talking about had just a 700k population. Lower population means it would be easier to manage it. And even if it was not destroyed, Manila would still not be in a good shape in the modern world, it would just be a capital with a lot of old buildings and an aging infrastructure. The problem is the government itself. Philippines was not politically and economically stable when it became independent from US until recently.
@@joshuakevinserdan9331 The elites of the country are pragmatic, it would be easier for them to build the likes of Ortigas and the Makati CBD from scratch, rather than rebuild war torn Manila. Plus the fact that war reparations were not enough, and much of that money, well, went inside the pockets of officials.
@@cutterPillow01 My opinion is that they should not rebuild the pre-war Manila. Manila is way bigger than the pre war Manila. Manila should be built in the international standard with good public transportation, and other public services.
@@joshuakevinserdan9331 well we are way past rebuilding old Manila. They can't even save those architectural gems still standing at Escolta. You mean Metro Manila? Because the City of Manila is only a part of that, and rehabilitating Manila is never a bad idea, it still has its history to attract tourists, and you know so students don't have to contend with Manila's urine and puke smelling, rat infested streets.
gio fuellos Things are looking up though, the Philippines is rapidly industrializing bringing in lots of investment and jobs. More money is flowing in than ever before, hopefully some of that gets distributed to Manila. Also is the traffic in metro Manila really as bad as they say?
I'm a Filipino American born and raised. My grandpa said he and my grandma ran so many miles away from the Japanese through farms and jungles of the Philippines. I should ask about this time frame and show my grandpa this video! Such an awesome UA-cam channel! Thank you!
Rod Serling was a paratrooper in the Army who landed in the Philippines and was one of the first troops to fight at the Battle of Manila, his unit sustained a 50% casualty rate, in which Serling himself was wounded. However he volunteered to go back and did stating he had to “clean up”. He often would run into the line of fire and showed true capability in combat.
Well done Mr.Felton. I am British, and have been living in the Philippines for twelve years. Your documentary is correct in every particular. Many thanks.
If the Allied forces lost all the battles of the second world war the whole humanity would have been the biggest loser of them all. People must remember the Alliance were fighting cruel racialist totalitarian nations who committed barbaric atrocities to others who they deemed racially lower class. We of the new generation will find it very difficult to comprehend the experienced of the past hence the reason why we humans tend to repeat it. The Second World War-era the Greatest Generation fought in was simply good against evil.
My Filipina wife confirmed my understanding that Filipino soldiers also formed a vital part in liberating Manila, an important fact this video neglected to mention. Otherwise, very helpful presentation. Thank you.
@@cameronsprague101 True, it's not that much of a reliable source. What's reliable tho is that Philippines is a Filipino country, which strongly means that the locals (Filipinos) did help greatly in providing directions, supplies, and comfort.
@@cameronsprague101 regardless, it's common fact that Filipino soldiers fought alongside the Americans during the occupation. Nothing wrong with stating the obvious right?
Good point. In the book, “ Ghost Soldiers” one does indeed learn of the Invaluable assistance and bravery of Filipino soldiers during the Japanese occupation and help during the American landing.
@@TheSecretsquirrel222 At least those cities are doing fine now. Manila never recovered from this battle, if you've been there you'll know what I'm talking about. It's a really shitty place nowadays. Before WW2 it was one of the nicest cities in Asia
@@TheSecretsquirrel222 At least those cities are doing better than our capital now. and remind you, 80% of Manila's architectural buildings, houses, mansions, plazas, cathedrals, villages, and historical sites never got rebuilt but rather got replace by some boring ass modern buildings. unlike those mentioned cities.
First off...I love the Marines, I am in awe of their efforts at Iwo Jima, Pelelieu, Guadalcanal, Okinawa and others...and they were great at communicating their greatness...nothing wrong with that. Sadly, few recognize the U.S. Army in the Pacific "silently" did incredible things as well.... little is heard or known of the Army in the Phillipines, New Guinea, Burma, the Aleutian Islands and others....again I am not the slightest anti-Marine...they were amazing, but the Army's efforts are sadly unknown....Great job Mr. Felton!
My grandfather was in New Guinea and the Philippines with 6th Infantry Division. He was wounded outside of Manilla in February 1945. The Army is really overlooked in some parts!
Yes, as the SF guys say, the reason their are more people assigned to SEAL and Marine units is because they are there to record the action for the media.
In the pacific theatre I had an Uncle in the Marines, an Uncle in the Navy and my Dad in the Army. Two uncles in the ETO and one uncle running around in the CBI doing stuff that I later learned was classified. Bonus. They all came home alive.
The beautiful “Pearl of the Orient Seas”, Manila, was raised to the ground along with countless architectural and cultural entities. The most beautiful city in Asia at that time. 😭
That's what libraries are for. You can't fit all of the details of the Pacific theater of war in a few lessons. I learned most of what i know about WW2 in our country from my grandfather who was a guerrilla fighter during the Japanese occupation.
I guess it's only because it's heavily summarized as in >invasion>colonisation>war crimes> death march > Mcarthur's return>we win but i get why, i mean i guess telling 1st graders about all the war crimes would be pretty bad but yeah i kinda wish they'd get more in -depth
Is it just me or were the Japanese war crimes just kinda ignored. I never learned about any Japanese war crime trials ever until I watched a video on it.
Is it just me, or has it, until this day, always been completely ignored in any given incidence where Amricans performed war crimes? I never learned about any American war crime trials ever until....well I'm still waiting.
@@supermuskelmann8557 yeah bombing of dresden was a war crime arguably the nuclear bombs because the goal to kill innocent civilians. Had the allies lost it would have been judged differently.
@@dubstepXpower the atom bomb was by no means a war crime, not only did it save millions of lives by preventing a bloody invasion of japan but Hiroshima and Nagasaki were important military centres, bristling with factories, army bases and naval facilities
My grandfather was fighting in the less glamorous but equally brutal Luzon - scaling mountains and digging the Japanese out of heavily defended positions...
Another tale about underrated story of Manila as well as struggle for Filipinos at the hands of Japanese Thank you Mark sir for this invaluable information
I knew about the battles for Stalingrad , Budapest and Berlin were epic struggles but I had not head about the battles in the Pacific region for capitals (apart from the ones in the early part of the war).
This could have been avoided had Yamashita declared Manila an "Open City" as happened when the Japanese first captured Manila. He deservedly paid the ultimate price as a war criminal
No. Yamashita was the nominal commander of Japanese forces, but Japan's military command structure was so that the navy forces attached to Yamashita's army acted independently from the army, the navy forces having their own commanders with their own orders. Simply blame the general even if he didn’t authorize or order the crimes committed - no, that’s not good: by that account ALL Allied generals whose troops committed crimes should have been trialed. Yamashita was not even an advocate of the war - he had called for Japan to end the war in China and he had been vocal in his call for peace with Britain and America - which made him unpopular with the pro-war faction and led to him being reassigned to Manchukuo away from the frontlines, despite his victories and being one of Japan’s most talented generals, before being sent to the Philippines. Yamashita was made the scapegoat.
For stuff like raping and pilliaging the Philippine countryside, as well as his actions during the Malaya campaign, I would agree, to a certain extent, but you can't deny he was a bit of a scapegoat for the crap the Japanese Navy did in the Battle of Manila.
Insane destiny- not platforms, spraying down gun barrels. You fire that many rounds that fast and without cooling the barrels can and will warp, which ruins them.
I'm glad to see history channels with as much dedication to facts and attention to detail as yours covering the Pacific Theater, Dr. Felton. Thank you. Even in Filipino secondary education, very little was taught about WWII apart from the broadest of events, not nearly enough to have students really grasp the horrors and sacrifices that went down back then. During my university years, it was always surreal to walk into Baker Memorial Hall for PE classes and concerts after I found out that it was once an internment camp under the Japanese that held American and Filipino prisoners of war.
Some of the locations in the video: 00:54 - Rizal Baseball Stadium, Malate 1:00 - Manila City Hall, Ermita 9:55 - Monumento, Caloocan 13:46 - San Juan de Letran, Intramuros
The Battle of Manila was divided into several battles within the city. Battle of the Ballpark (Rizal Stadium) Battle of Paco Battle of Pandacan Battle of Sta. Mesa Battle of Escolta Battle of Morayta Battle of Sta. Cruz (Avenida Rizal) Siege of Lawton (Manila Ice Plant and Post Office) Battle of Intramuros And other numerous firefights and skirmishes.
Ooooh I would love to see the Battle of Intramuros depicted in a movie. I went there once and it looks almost exactly the same to El Castillo Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, literally on the other side of the world, but same exact spanish architecture. It amazes me how much both countries have in common.
There is footage of the Battle of the Ballpark (Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium) wherein a trio of Sherman tanks are firing machine guns on the stands where, 5 years earlier, Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees wowed a packed stadium during an exhibition game.
I have seen so much of Mark Felton's videos in Europe and for him to feature the Philippines meant so much for me as a Filipino American. It's ventdicating to learn detailed account of what actually took place when the Americans liberated the country. Hearing you mention my hometown of Baguio City struck close to home. It is saddening that centuries of historical infrastructure was wiped out in just few months and even sadder that the countries inhabitant chose to restore very little of it. To hear the words Vatican or Pearl of the orient is merely historical now akin to the Gardens of Babylone. If one is to see the capital it's charm is slowly subdued as it's developers rush to secure building contracts and destroy the past. Poland in the other hand painstakingly rebuilt it's cities in half a century, both countries were equally destroyed by the war but this video reminds us of how it unfolded.
You do. War causes generational curses upon families who become famine struck after war. Japanese occupation directly affects occupied countries TO THIS VERY DAY. Asshole parents? Grown by wartorn parents. Cycle continues on the citizen.
Hi Dr Mark Felton, I hope you notice me. I'm from the Philippines I want to suggest another video from you. I hope you can make a video of Hiroo Onoda. The Japanese soldier who hid in the jungles of the Philippines and did not surrender not until 30 yrs after the war was over. Thank you for all you informative and historical videos about the wars that changed our world.
Thanks for making this excellent short documentary. I finally understood the context by which my grandparents, an uncle and an aunt died during the liberation of Manila. Our old family home was located just outside Fort McKinley which your documentary identified as a Japanese stronghold. Since the Japanese soldiers were determined to fight to the last man, American troops, according to my mother, subjected the area to intense artillery fire. Not surprisingly, some artillery shells fell on civilian neighborhoods around Fort McKinley. This was how my grandparents, uncle and aunt were killed. Earlier that month, another aunt was bayoneted by Japanese soldiers who were under orders to kill civilians fleeing the conflict. Fortunately she survived by playing dead. Growing up in the 60s, I recall that she would show us her bayonet wounds. She had about 7 or 8 stab wounds in different parts of her body
xXxSkyViperxXx There’s a couple places outside the city where the river crossings I’ve seen blown up tanks I forgot exactly where at I’m looking more into it to see if I can find it again
Japan just paying his debts to the Island Nation, that once before the pre-colonial era was once of its major trading partner. Japan would never again dare to do War against the Philippines, they know they will loss again.
@escorpiuser Some were rebuild like Manila Cathedral, some are rubble, but are historic sites, I believe we got the largest share in reparations 500 million (5.5 billion today) if I remember it right.
@escorpiuser It's pretty hard to rebuild some, especially most of those historic buildings has "Bahay Na Bato" style. and it's evident on the old architecture of Ateneo de Manila. it's pretty hard to mimick its original architecture especially the marvelous design of its doorway entrance.
Zero should have been retired from front lines and succeeded by Reppu and the Manila garrison should be flying Hayate around the time of Midway. It never happened. The only plane that could go toe to toe with Hellcat in IJAAF arsenal and less than 100 of them were in Manila when McArthur landed.
I’ve been following Mark Felton’s channel for a long time, and appreciate his dedication to revealing factual details not covered even by most historians. When I saw this video pop out, I got mixed feelings: I’m from Manila, and the way that the Battle of Manila has been covered by both American and Japanese historians often does not do justice to the sheer horror that the city and its habitants went through in February 1945. I’m happy that after watching this, Mark Felton did not disappoint, highlighting the appalling lack of compassion for Filipino civilian lives on the part of the Imperial Japanese forces, but tragically, also the erstwhile liberators - the Americans led by Douglas MacArthur. The quotes from the period included in this video, such as on “the value of American lives in comparison to historical buildings”, are deafening in the absence of any reference to the fates of 1 million Filipinos who had been fighting for and awaiting liberation for three years. Thank you Mark. You’re the first person to refer to Manila as “The Asian Stalingrad”. Rightfully so, a fitting epitaph to what was once one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. My great grandmother, who died as Japanese troops set fire to her home in the southern district of Malate, and a hundred thousand other Filipinos whose lives were snuffed out so cruelly, deserve to be remembered. Thank you for making this possible in 2020.
I always find it irritating when I read about how the Japanese soldier was so indoctrinated with living a code of honor, and that is why they treated prisoners badly because they, themselves, would never surrender. Then you read about the things they did to innocent people that were only trying to survive, and realize the whole honor thing was b#&*s@!t. I remember reading about the US and Filipino guerrillas the POW camp at Cabanatuan. The Japanese executed over a thousand Filipinos in retaliation.
Crazy my parents both came from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. I remember seeing the movie The Great Raid. My lolo's father also was a guerilla fighter who never came back.
@@iamawesome2811 It's strange how "the west" fought WWII using two armies: one to fight and crush Axis powers, and another to apparently fabricate the tons and tons and tons of evidence documenting Axis war crimes that was done perfectly enough to fool investigators and historians up to the present day!
it's sad that Manila was literally razed to the ground, japanese occupation decimated 100% of the commercial districts in the once known "Paris of the East". even now manila became a shell of its former glory. the city never recovered from its destruction. with rising poverty, crime, vandalism, and corruption. imagine the architectural legacies and economic growth potential of Manila that are destroyed in ww2. it's a shame, really.
@Steven Lee wtf, no. during the american occupation manila flourished, it is an important city in the pacific rivaling those of british hongkong or even tokyo itself.
@Steven Lee - Manila was the most wealthy city in Asia at that time... lots of cars were already in the streets of Manila at that time, while if you look at some of the old footage of other Asian cities at that time, you'd see far less cars and most of the transportation is either pulled by horse of humans.
@Defensa Filipina i'd have to disagree with you there. the japanese bombed and already destroyed manila even when mcarthur has declared an open city. the battle of manila was literally just fighting on urban debris and broken infrastructure (except those repaired by the japanese for logistic purposes) don't blame everything within the "hurr durr western powers".
@@manahanjulsbernardd.6793 Manila is doing good nowadays with its new leadership there. Not as better yet as it was, but it's currently improving to say the least.
@@chadhaire1711 how about to actually free some people who had to suffer under japanese opression and indure slave labor..never to late to stop something like that..
@@Dronestriketerrorists The war was going to be over in 6 months.....this operation had NO IMPACT on winning the war that was being won elsewhere. ......the people there were going to be freed anyway. Instead about 50,000 civilians got killed instead, not to mention a lot of Americans...just because some general had a big ego and said "I shall return"......
@@chadhaire1711 the war wasnt gonna end in that time because when that invasion was planned so was the invasion of japan..the nukes was a plan B that got turned into plan A after the the fact.. it was these actions and them slaughting civilians and sacreficing themselves so late in the war after every one knows its over that made America use the nukes..
Luzon - this is where my grandfather would end up fighting in WW2. He said that there was no water to be found anywhere and it took too long for it to be brought up. He told me they fought the Japanese over a tiny pond of water for an entire day. One of the men under his command had his tongue swell up and nearly died from dehydration. I only note this because he told me so few stories. He said that when they finally forced the Japanese to leave, that the tepid stagnant jungle water from the pond was the best water he ever tasted in his life.
@@Generalfund Heat death of the universe refers to the theoretical expansion of our universe to the point where all the stars die out and there's nothing but it's nothing but a bunch of floating debris, causing the extinction of all known life in existence. It's essentially the literal end of time.
'Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila' (2018) by James M Scott makes for some nerve-shredding reading. I knew nothing about the Battle of Manila until I stumbled across this book. It is truly horrifying. I can't understand why we all know about Stalingrad, Pearl Harbour, etc, but this gruesome, protracted street battle and the sheer barbarity of the Japanese occupying force has somehow escaped the public sphere. Absolutely baffling. I shudder to think what Manila went through. A vision of Hell on Earth.
Filipinos know very well the saying that 3 years of Japanese occupation were worse than 333 years of Spanish rule
yet a lot of filipinos nowadays are very addicted on japanese made animes it's still disappointing that a lot of filipinos nowadays don't know what those senseis did to us especially on our ancestors
@@iminbreadbutfrench8625 well if japaj didnt lose the war there would be no anime and the current japanese culture. Also the japanese occupation also helped improve our culture you know? Our TechVoc strand only existed because japan focuses on technical vocation and japanese languange classes on the philippines
@@RonEmeraldia let me clarify my comment for you the thing is yes I admit that japan really helped us a lot especially nowadays but the thing is we should never forget what they did on us just because they help us nowadays
@@RonEmeraldia but for real is anime that important? I mean if japan didn't lose the war there would be no anime? Like try to say that on 20+ million people died bcs of the japanese atrocities alone and to their families and let's see if anime is that important
again let me clarify liking japanese products nowadays including anime but again never ever forget the history of our countries (Philippines and Japan)
My dad used to tell me about an interview with an old Japanese soldier.
The (American) interviewer was asking the soldier who the best jungle fighters he fought against were.
He thought a few moments, then said, "The Australians"
The interviewer was taken a bit aback... "well... who was second best?"
The Japanese soldier thought again... "The English".
Frustrated, the interviewer asked, "well, what about the Americans?"
The Japanese soldier answered, "I don't know; we never fought them in the jungle. The Americans would blow the jungle away and fight in the craters".
Im not gonna lie hearing the soldier say australia is the best jungle fighters makes me proud
seems this was repeated in Vietnam.
Americans, the best crater fighters
Guadalcanal was in the Jungle though..
@2manynegativewaves Well the problem is that I’ve actually been there before. I don’t think you’ve actually seen how it looks in person. It really is a Jungle, I mean you can look up pictures and see. Calling it “Light forests” would be an understatement
Walter Krueger, a general born 1881 in West Prussia (German Empire) in the service of the US Army, wins the Asian Stalingrad. What an irony of history.
History is full of irony. The winning of the American war of independence had significant contributions from Kosciuszko and Pulaski (known as the fathers of American artillery and cavalry respectively) - two Poles. Let's just say the Americans have never really repaid the favour when we've been in need.
It was also the American 6th army 😂😂
Also, the American 6th Army was successful in Manila, whereas the German 6th army in Stalingrad were... well...
@@PolakInHolland Those two were mercenaries, in fact European wars of that era were full of mercenary officers from unaffiliated states.
@@PolakInHolland ok next time your in trouble we will send you 2 men.
Many of the civilians died due to starvation. My mom was a teenager and she remembers they only survived by eating sweet potatoes (kamote) planted in their back yard. She was so tired of kamote but she knew that was all they could eat. She also had stories about the dreaded Kempeitai who would execute anyone even slightly suspected of resisting the Japanese occupation.
camote or.camoteng kahoy mao rana kan on sd nila sa akng mga lolo lola papa panahons ww2
In 1898 the Americans were executing civilians in the Philippines. The US occupation forces also sent 300,000 civilians to concentration camps where many died of disease and starvation. Three years later after an anti american uprising in 1901, US Brigadier General Jacob H. Smith ordered his subordinates to kill every Filipino male "able to bear arms". When asked to specify what this meant the general clarified every male over the age of ten.
@@BrettonFerguson So what every nation committed a war crime, The thing is japanese and germany committed a war crime in regular basis in ww2. Without them you will be under communist/fascist or even islam rule.
@@BrettonFerguson rookie number compared to crimes of the japanese xenos
@@robertungsod691 Comparing the atrocities of imperialist nation is an act borne of futility.
Fun Fact to those who don't know. The Flagpole in the US Embassy in Manila was never changed up until today and you can still see the bullet marks left after the battle.
Interesting.
cool
No physical evidence for battle of stalingrad
@@mustang1912 you clearly never been to the museum of volograd. Literally has a bomb out apartment on the front lawn to this day🤣
@@mustang1912 Pavlov House
I can’t believe how many high quality videos you churn out. It’s insane
He's a professional.
It's even more insane that he does it himself. To my knowledge he doesn't have a crew or anyone that helps. Even if he had some help the stories are stuff you never heard about.
Incredible. Loving it. :))
Documentary of U.S.A. during world war 2, official videographer
Lovers of history!
Seeing the European and African theatres is one thing, but it really does have a different feel when the events that Dr. Felton's describing happened somewhere familiar to you.
i didnt even know much about the asian fights at all. like that anything ever happened there. i only learned about europe and germany in my school in germany.
@@nutzeeer Japanese Imperial back then was brutal, they saw us (South East Asian) as lower race, probably lower than Chinese and Korean.
@@nutzeeer I graduated HS in 1985 and knew nothing of the atrocities committed by Japan. In the army I was in Korea and was lucky to interact with Koreans who told me the truth about the Japanese Empire. All we were taught was US bad because of the use of atomic weapons, nothing on the murder of millions of Chinese and Koreans. At that time, 1986, the animosity felt about Japan was very very strong.
The reverse is also true. Manilla is on the opposite side of the world to Europe. I have met people who fought the Japanese in India and Malaya None of my family were out there. I saw aware of what happened in the Philippians but never to this detail.
@@TarTw45 yea basically like nazi germany. just that japan was not rebuilt like germany was, so they still have (more) problems with their past. would be a move for germany today to help japan cope with what they have done and find a brighter future.
My local history professor told us that Manila was the second most devastated capital city in the Second World War, next to Warsaw. When I checked an article online, my professor was indeed right, as per Douglas MacArthur who witnessed the city lying in ruins.
MacArthur lived in Manila as the Supreme military leader of the Philippines before the war. When he returned, his silverware set was undisturbed.
Catholic Cities
The Filipino people were very kind to our troops during this entire campaign. They would bring water to our men during the street fighting and help with our wounded. God bless those wonderful people. 1st Cavalry Division - Iron Horse Brigade.
@V P did.... did you even watch the video
@V P the United States annexed the Philippines in 1898 after a war with Spain and began preparing the islands for independence in 1935. There had been Americans on the islands for 47 years in 1945. Maybe you should educate yourself on American and Philippine history before you say stupid things like that.
Especially during the Bataan Death March. The casualties could be much worse if it wasn't because of those brave locals who feed the hungry american and Filipino prisoners
@V P just like they did in the marshal islands
@V P What's the matter bro? you mad? Don't hate, appreciate.
I live just southeast of Manila. It is rather sad that this once magnificent and beautiful city is more like Gotham now.
Your an a avgeek
Why did you watch this video
@@livingnystripsteak8427 I also have an interest for the war.
@@AllecJoshuaIbay Some people just doesn't appreciate history anymore, as if it isn't important for their lives. Don't worry there's still a lot with the same interests for war and history.
Yes Allec, where is the prosperity in Manila that American allied nations are supposed to enjoy? Where is that prosperity in America itself? I suppose in both, it has been gathered into the hands of private property elites. What to think of all this Freedom, and so-called Democracy, and this wonderful, famous, economic system for which so much fighting is done?
My dad works within Intramuros, and for the past years i can still see the scars of the War during the liberation of the city. I'm glad Manila is being featured on this channel.
Manila is such a beautiful city I love intramuros and fort Santiago
Yeah. It think some parts of the wall there still have battle damage from 45 I think...
@@alwayscurious3357 kept it like that ever since since my school is infront of the wall
Apparently, some sections of the city were never rebuilt.
When I was a kid... maybe 4 or 5 my grandfather, a WWII veteran had a old time magazine about the war in the Pacific. In it was a Arial photo of Manila after it was retaken from the Japanese. I remember the city was totally destroyed, the only buildings still standing were Manila City Hall and the walls of intramuros and Fort. Santiago. I was always amazed at the deviation in that photo. I would look at it for hours. Years later in 2016 I would marry my maganda asawa in Manila City Hall...... ironic.
Mark ! Nobody and I mean nobody does these details videos better than you. Thank you. My wife is Filipina. Much too young to know this. But how detailed and precise your history research is, great Mark - keep going.
Right on!
There’s a book called “It Took 4 Years for the Rising Sun to Set”, written by Joachim Garcia which is an eyewitness account of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. It describes in great detail what happened, especially when the Americans returned. There’s another school called De La Salle College in Manila where the Japanese occupied one end of the campus. As the Americans came closer to the city, a lot of families were forced to evacuate their homes by the Japanese. These families moved into the other end of the campus. As the Americans got closer, the Japanese slaughtered the families. That school has all years from prep through to tertiary level. As a kid, I can remember in the mid-60’s walking past a certain wall of the that school that had bullet holes from the fighting. It was years later that I realised the significance of it. Thanks Mark for your video account.
Christ Almighty
When are you gonna fall out the fukkin sky? What THEE HELL is it gonna take?
@MultiBagram 'spose ain't got nuthin to do widdit
My family knew one of the families that were slaughtered at the De La Salle campus. My aunt said those families were gunned down in the chapel of the school. I graduated from that same school decades later.
@MultiBagram I hate to tell you, but praying is in itself meaningless.
My mama said no one care becaused you never care too becaused you're heavily influenced by greedy foreigners.
It is good we have videos like these, the Pacific Theater is largely forgotten.
Definitely. The Nazis get all of the attention but Japan was arguably even more brutal
Except for Pearl Harbor
@@JDP2104 Exactly.
I mean, I agree and disagree in some respects.
Yes, Germany gets all the mention because their political movement was a large scale thing that had an impact all over the world. Japan was insular and uninterested in involving anyone else so their leaders dont stand out like Hitler and his cabinet.
To anyone interested in the military history of the war however the pacific is often glorifed with among many, many others the huge aircraft carrier battles at Coral Sea and Midway, Iwo Jima, retaking the Philippines, Okinawa, etc being some of the most filmed and best covered actions of the war.
The Germans had more of a cultural impact that makes them significant today. The Japanese had arguably a larger military impact, with the massive conquering of territory, lengths they were willing to go to to defend in the dying days of the war, and spontaneous large scale atrocities. As such, those are the legacies we're left with.
How is it forgotten
My grandpa on my moms side (Filipino) fought against the Japanese with the Americans. He has a Japanese Katana wrapped in a rising sun flag with bloodstains on it. Also, my grandpa on my dads side of the family was in the 76th Infantry Division Combat Engineer Battalion, Company C. He went from England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czechoslavakia, Austria, and finally Germany. We recently got pictures of him during his service in WW2. The pictures are awesome! He has a picture of himself and his buddies in the snow during the Battle of the Bulge. Kinda cool to think both sides of my family fought in WW2 on both fronts.
Another amazing video, Mark!
Your ancestors were chads
BlissGore My grandpa on my moms side was a gorilla fighter for the Filipino resistance. It wasn’t just officers that carried Katanas. Almost every Japanese soldier carried them.
@Herr derr Nice try though smart ass, can’t say anyone in your family has done anything to help your country during war time. I also have proof of everything I’m stating in my comments. Sad that little kids would disrespect people like this but when you’re safely behind a screen, that’s pretty easy to do.
@@richiecuzzz1
Im pretty sure chad is a complement
Or was Herr derr being sarcastic?
Idk
I love katana 🗡️
@@richiecuzzz1 Damn he was a gorilla fighter? Does that mean the Japanese deployed gorillas?
Also, rank and file soldiers did not have katanas.
It's certainly not true that "almost every soldier carried them"
I'm so happy I'm still learning. At the age of 50, I'm glad to be back in School.
I'm 66 and still in school.
I am a German Filippino. I can relate to this. My German Grandfathers older Brother fell in Stalingrad, he was only 20 years old. My Filippino Grandparents were hiding in the jungle because of Japanese ocupying their village. Now its all in the past and we should never forget and never repeat this madness of war.
Eh?
Eh?
Eh?
oooo... german filipino... can you teach me german?
@@cgndnm ja aber mit Aufpreis= yes but it will cost extra money :p
An elderly Philippine woman I knew in NYC was an eyewitness to the atrocities. She told me that the Japanese soldiers would go from house to house, pillage, murder and rape, then throw babies into the air and stab them with their bayonets as they fell. She survived by hiding, but her family didn't make it. War is an uncontrollable monster of depravity. We should not forget these lessons from history, but as Santayana aptly stated, I know _only the dead have seen the end of war_ ...
@@spaceartist1272 lol i'm gonna throw babies and no one will believe me because it's all " bla bla blaa western propaganda bullshit"
@@spaceartist1272 they did
Lol you think that is fake my elementary history teacher told us the exact same story terrorizing the civilians , rape and killing babies with bayonet . Im from the PH. Btw if that is not enough sources for you guys
As a Japanese myself. I could agree about the war crimes our fellow Japanese had done. If they didn’t do that, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and also Burma and China could’ve been a better country like ours. And Manchuko Empire would still exist.
@@spaceartist1272 All countries occupied by Japan during WW2 were treated brutally, the evidence is overwhelming. How is it "western propaganda" when the stories mostly come from the Far East? You idiot.
Mark makes learning fun. Always something new I’d never heard about.
Well, I don't know that I would call it 'fun' (particularly after seeing a video like this), but he does make it interesting.
11:15 it's not Malacalang,, it is malacañang (malacanyang), Im fillipino by the way
@@buntags2621 Do you use the "ñ" in Filipino? I'm Spanish and I thought it's only used in Spanish.
@@joeyjamison5772 Are you accusing Deftone of being somewhat tone deaf? Perhaps I'm doing the same, but I did find the video wrenching, and in no way fun.
@@franciscoj.lopezperez5544 Yes we use "ñ", its part of our alphabet. Spain colonized us for 300+ years until the Spanish-American war.
I get stuck on this channel. I have to literally take a break sometimes. Great channel, high quality, real footage, great narration and accurate information.
Great job. I've been a subscriber for a while now. 👍
Finally a video about the darkest days of my home city, Manila, during WWII. Thank you for featuring this piece of history that not all Filipinos actually have an idea about the severe brutality and the massive destruction it had brought out. Btw, I am an avid fan of your documentaries. More power to you.
John Michael Boy: I was 18 years old in the navy in 1968, and i was so in love with the philippines. I had friends in Olongapo City and would stay at their house when we were in port. I couldn't believe how beautiful the culture is , and the way the families took care of each other. i went back many times on vacation after i got out of the navy. I would go on vacation and just ride my bicycle thru the countryside without any schedule or plan, just following what happened and relying on the hospitality of people i would meet. Never did i not receive or reject the hospitality some one offered. Had such wonderful adventures and never had any trouble with anyone. I think filipino people are the most beautiful and kind folks on earth. I thank them all.
John Michael Boy How would you compare the battle depicted here to the Battle of Marawi?
@@ToddDavey ALMOST THE SAME LEVEL OF DESTRUCTION😭😭😭... DAMN ISIS!!!
@@NEOSCISSORSJAGUARPRIME just awful. Marawi is a story that far too few people know
@@ToddDavey IT CANT BE HELPED...ITS EITHER A FEW MONTHS OF WAR, OR AN INFERNAL FOOTHOLD FOR THE BLASTED EXTREMISTS WHICH MIGHT EXPAND GEOMETRICALLY...
One of the most iconic images of the battle is the mini-battle over the baseball stadium.
A place that would've brought so much joy to both sides during peacetime, turned into a bloodbath
Indeed.
What a bizzare but typical merkincentic comment.
@@hornetobiker Pardon?
@@hornetobiker Did you mean to say American centric?
WHat a stupid comment.
Interesting fact: when the Japanese looted MacArthur's former apartment in Manila, the only items they left alone were two vases gifted to the MacArthur family by Hirohitos grandfather.
The correct verb is given. Try to do better.
@@thimpage651 Thank you.
@Bobby Sands I have a thick skin, no offense taken. Besides, grammar was never my strong point. Thanks for the thought though.
How ironic
@Lord Gaylord Ondor No it isn't. He could've corrected him perfectly well without being snide. Politeness is a virtue.
My Grandfather was part of the push into Manila. He at the time was a 1st Lt charged with clearing out Zig Zag pass. The battle was one of the worst ones he had been apart of ending with him and several of his men receiving the bronze star.
I am 63 years old and my father told us about this landing. He was in the 3rd wave and directed communications for his group. He was granted a Bronze Star for what he did. He only spoke of it once with few details and we did not know about the Bronze Stars (He had more than one) until after his passing. We found them and all the paperwork and accommodations in a shoe box. The war really screwed his nerves up and was harsh and jumpy most of the time but he made us three brothers into men.
Like all the others who ever died or got injured in any war for "America", this could've been avoided by staying home, enjoying your beautiful country and having a nice whisky.
@@supermuskelmann8557 If they did stay at home: Europe would be German and Asia Japanese and by default, You would be "SS-USA" too, so we REALLY have to thank all ALLIED war participants for their sacrifice.
God Bless your Dad.
@@supermuskelmann8557 "Evil triumphs when good men do nothing." Fortunately for the entire world, good men stood up and fought for "America" and did not just have a freaking whisky. "Men" like you are the reason the world is going to hell. Smdh.
Sounds like he had a case of PTSD
My father fought in the Pacific Theater and in the Battle of Manila. He never spoke of his war experiences, as they brought back painful memories. He only wanted to forget the war. He did confess to my mother that in this battle, which was fought block by block, he turned a corner and came face-face with a younger-looking Japanese foot soldier. They stared at each other and my father had to shoot him. It pained him as he stated that they boy looked fifteen (my father was 19). War is tragic and cruel, but sometimes necessary. God's blessing on all those who suffered from this battle, Filipino, Japanese and America.
@michael boultinghouse Liberate yet oppress? Liberate yet slaughter? Is that liberation to you? Even if you say yes, why would the Japanese do that? If their aim was to liberate the Filipino people, why invade them?
If you know basic history, the Philippines would have been independent by 1946 as per the Tydings-Mucduffie Act of 1935. If the Japanese hadn't invaded, Manila and the rest of the Philippines, along with its population, would have been intact.
@michael boultinghouse Troll
@michael boultinghouse In a town of assholes, you fit right in.
@michael boultinghouse lol Japanese “liberation” hhahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahhahahhahahhahahahaha
@The Philippines was literally a US colony since 1898.
They took it from Spain because they saw the remnants of the Spanish Empire as an easy target.
I remember in 5th grade about a decade ago, my classmates would laugh at me for knowing too much about WWII history. Made me think that Filipinos are indeed in need of learning history with proven and in-depth content.
They'll turn on the Americans if they do.
Nerd
It's sadly a part of the Filipino culture for some (not all) to mock those who are intelligent and knowledgeable. Really sad, honestly
@@JuggerKnight717 Nerd
@@thegiantratthatmakesalloft9415 troll is what you are.
i worked a the Canadian Embassy in Manila for 8 years. There are still many reminders of the war especially in the section of the city called Intramuros.
This part of history doesn't get taught in Swedish schools. The Asian part of the war is brushed over very quickly. Kinda like, Japan invaded stuff, then Pearl Harbor, then the US fought back, then they dropped the bomb twice, and game over. If lucky, the Nanking massacre might get mentioned, at least.
Not much different here in the USA. Most WW2 movies and documentaries are about the war with Germany. Comparatively few about the Pacific War and most of it is only about a few key battles. Kids in school are taught nothing aside from Pearl Harbor and the Atomic Bomb.
The Pacific war is completely brushed over in the England other than a mention of Pearl Harbour, how the US funded penicillin production to help its soldiers on the pacific front and how the atomic bombs were/weren't justified and how they contributed to the cold war.
@@davrosdarlek7058 not surprised. The UK was humiliated by the loss of Hong Kong, Singapore, and all of Malaya.
Even Hitler didn't know how to react to it, on the one hand he was ecstatic his ally dealt Britain, one of his greatest rivals, a decisive defeat, but then he realized this completely challenges his notions of a "superior" white race. I believe that meme with Steve Harvey laughing and then subsequently staring blankly in disbelief best describes Hitler's reaction to the Japanese victories.
@@DK-gy7ll Nah not true. Midway's covered, Coral Sea, Guadalcanal, some islands are recaptured (Guam, Phillipines & Okinawa) and the marines storm Iwo Jima. If anything it's China, Manchuria and Burma which are neglected.
@@josepiscano2757 Also not true. Burma campaign is quite celebrated in UK and Wavell, Mountbatten and Slim very respected. While Singapore was a major defeat, HK was never considered defensible. Humiliation more around loss of PoW and Repulse, but Imphal, Kohima and Merryll's raids in the Arkan box are viewed more positively.
Dad had a childhood friend in the army who was involved earlier in the Luzon campaign than what he was. They actually met during the war. The friend told him the Japanese occupation was just brutal towards civilians. The stories of all the atrocities were true.
iSHALLRETURN What a load BS you’re spilling
iSHALLRETURN What planet are you living on?
@@poikoi1530 citation or source? I see this sometimes said by Filipinos (on social media usually). But I never could find an actual source that supports it.
I did find a journal years ago titled "The Koreans in Second World War Philippines: Rumour and history" which dispelled this myth as unsubstantiated rumors, but I haven't seen other prominent research articles in this area (which is probably why this rumor persists). More knowledge about this would be good.
Edit: the person I was replying to seems to have deleted their comment. For context, they said that (as I remember) Koreans committed the war crimes in the Philippines and the Japanese commanders tried to control them because the Japanese told the Koreans that Asia is for Asians and America is the enemy.
@@poikoi1530 Come on, that is revisionist history, even if it was Korean troops, who taught them? The Korean culture was pretty much suppressed under Japanese occupation.
Not all are true there is a well documented japanese occupation in the provinces here in the Philippines that the commanding officer of his place of jurisdiction tended to be be lenient and generous to the natives of that province
Well that was a grim 22 mins description of misery and destruction. The war in the east has always taken a backseat to the European theatre. A very disturbing but necessary re-telling. Thank you Mark.
I was there, a five year old, son of an American father and a filipina mother. We were hiding in a remote village of Abong, Batangas, always in the grip of fear. My American father was in a concentration camp in Manila. At five years of age I was given the last rites. No food, no home, no medicine, no change of clothing, nothing. Miraculously, I survived.
wow
It's such a shame this war happened. Manila was the most beautiful city in Asia, very diverse and modern at the time. And the war destroyed it. We never really recovered. Such a poignant reminder of people's greed & ambition.
Yeah I mean a lot of historical sites on manila are still being repaired as a lot of it was just bombed out by the Americans and Japanese
Stop Living on the Illusion that you will live on a perfect world everything happens for a reason.
@@gregorjerman973 lol a lot of history nonthinkers
If only that one stubborn Japanese commander decided to surrender then many historical and diverse sites in Manila could've still restored and seen by modern generations and probably would become one of tourist attractions. it's really a shame what happened. and now Manila is known as a dirty city no longer that prosper and "Paris of the East" of Asia.
It did not help that you were so poorly governed. But m guess is that we did not help the Philippines sufficiently.
It's worth mentioning the large cemetery in Ft. Bonifacio, Manila. The final resting place of American (and Filipino?) soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to free the Philippines.
I’ve been past there and noticed it while passing. I told myself next time I’m in Manila I’ll go there. I was staying in BGC at the time.
@Jonathan Williams No they were not. While they may have considered each other kindred spirits (especially during the war), the Filipinos were not treated equally and I don't think it'd be fair to characterize them as American.
@Lord Gaylord Ondor Many veterans here in PH have delayed pensions or being deprive receiving pensions most of them are Huks not include under american guerilla forces campaign.
@Lord Gaylord Ondor The problem was due to the Rescission Act of 1946 (38 U.S.C. § 107), not Philippine independence. "Service before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, while such forces were in the service of the Armed Forces of the United States pursuant to the military order of the President dated July 26, 1941, including among such military forces organized guerrilla forces under commanders appointed, designated, or subsequently recognized by the Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area, or other competent authority in the Army of the United States, shall not be deemed to have been active military, naval, or air service for the purposes of any law of the United States conferring rights, privileges, or benefits upon any person by reason of the service of such person or the service of any other person in the Armed Forces
".
Jonathan Williams Filipinos back then were considered American nationals and not citizens as the Philippine Islands were converted as an American commonwealth (previously unincorporated overseas territory of the US)
All of those places, buildings, landmarks. I live in Manila all my life and recognize them all. Thanks you Mark I was able to imagine the large scale of the battle that took place. It was quite an enlightening experience Sir Mark Feldon.
My gunsmith Rudy Crumbly took part in the battle for Manila, among other battles. After seeing what the Japanese had done there and elsewhere, he said he felt no remorse for killing as many of them as he could. He passed away age 83 and never got over his hatred of the Japanese.
My dad was the same way. They were always the "japs" or the "dirty japs". He was a Marine bomber pilot in the south Pacific.
The most disgusting thing is that most of the war criminals who bore responsibility for these atrocities were never charged; their crimes erased from Japanese history books, their deeds sworn to secrecy for decades, and their names enshrined in Shinto temples.
History in a nutshell.
You probably didn't know about the Manila Trials.
As a German, I don't like the Japanese very much. I am disgusted by the way they deny their war crimes in WW2. Germany has an extensive remembrance-culture focused on our war crimes, an honesty that I am actually proud of.
@@thomaskositzki9424 bless your country's honesty.
Shouldn’t have let them surrender after the atomic bombs. Should of just killed every last one of them
Thank you Dr. Felton for another history lesson.
Thanks for not playing down Japanese atrocities. Lest we forget.
"Lest we forget" is it a movie?
It is ironical that the Nazis are remembered as devils, while as a kind of reverse racism, the Japanese are not. This though their brand of racism--toward all non Japanese-- was more inbred than than of the Germans.
@@Aunzo91 Google.those words.
@@JRobbyShjapan didn't discriminate on the basis of race because it didn't exist. If you wrre a korean, Taiwanese, okinawanan or ainu you would become Japanese under the japan empire. That's why they tried to integrate them instead of mass genocide like the germans did
We really love and appreciate your documentaries Mark!! Keep em' coming!!
Proud to be a Filipino listening to another masterpiece of Dr. Mark Felton
True
Married to my Filipino wife and knowing Manila rather well it is heartbreaking to see how beautiful Manila really was and then seeing it destroyed. Thanks for the story!
Need to teach me some of that Jason Bourne Sayoc Kali
The Filipino people have a lot to be proud of. There are many stories of their bravery during WW2.
Beer.
My wife’s grandfather fought the Japanese as a guerrilla fighter for years until the end of WW2. He almost never spoke about it and never really spoke ever again after the War. He died and we never got to fully hear his story until after letters started to come in from old friends about how brave and fearless he was. They sent photos and wrote memories of him and my wife never knew most of these things about him. All of his sons served in the US military and became Americans, deciding to fight for the country that fought so hard with them against the Japanese. We always remember him.
School is bad with history, thanks to this guy he makes it better.
Textbooks are the worst of all sources of real knowledge. They are all written by hacks.
Thank you Mr. Felton from manila Philippines
16:42 salute to that Filipina woman who's helping the exhausted liberators by giving water.
@FlickeRRing Lightswitch Filipinos are such great people even in the midst of trials, they deserve better honestly.
Even smiled for the camera. 😁
Little contributions made the greatest differences in the War, it tipped the scales .
Japanese soldiers are ready to die during the siege, why? They are being killed one by one by Filipino Guerillas .
Farmers, peasants and ordinary men by day ( being victimized/murdered Filipino had no resort but to fight but they fought back guerilla style ) Guerilla Commandoes by night.
Filipino hospitality is legendary.
@@WeCube1898 Tbh no, The Japanese would rather die than to surrender because they see surrendering as a dishonorable act and would bring shame to their Family Name, There are lots of Battle where the Japanese fought to the death outside of the Philippines such as the Brutal Battles of Tarawa, Peleliu (Which is arguably more brutal than Manila if we remove the Civilian Casualties), Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Saipan and Guam
Thank you very much, sir. I was born in Manila and few of the buildings in the videos are still there, although rebuilt. Fortunately, my parents weren't trapped in Manila during the battle (they left for their province). All what you stated were well known among Filipinos who took time to read our history. One of my late uncles was actually pressed by the Japanese to dig entrenchments for them -along with other male civilians taken by force- and then fed one bowl of rice after. That night, the Japanese left one guard, so he was able to escape. He was quite sure that if he hadn't escaped, he would have been executed the next day with the other civilians pressed into forced labor.
Once again, thank you for featuring this battle.
Always brings a smile to my face when Mark Felton has uploaded a new video
ComboSlicer. Not exactly a smile I hope...
@12:36 - Hold on here: MacArthur initially was extremely reluctant to use artillery or tank rounds on buildings. He gave orders that those weapons were not to used against habitable structures. Only when American casualties resulted did he reverse that policy.
MacArthur is a scumbag. What difference does it make he was INITIALLY reluctant? He sacrificed thousands of lives, and pardoned genocidal maniacs after the war. No surprise 1000 American lives were worth more to him than 100, 000 Filipino lives
Great work! I've been studying this war for nearly 50 years, my dad, gone since 2014, was in the Philippines 42-45. He saw the Japanese cruelty and always kept 1 bullet for himself having stated; I wouldn't let them take me alive.
So nice to see battles. That happened in my country that is rarely talked about
Somewhere in the Philippine islands is a Japanese sub below the surface. My father in law's minesweeper was on patrol when they caught the sub on the surface probably to resupply their troops. They sank it with their one 3" gun. He was really proud of that accomplishment. I've been having a hard time finding the ship's books to pin down the exact location but the logbooks remain elusive, if they still exist anyway.
Ur a Filipino too me I am
@@LuvBorderCollies thats crazy
@Cpl. Rook it means there's no Filipino or pinoy to discuss it
@@LuvBorderCollies What's the name of the sub?
Mark, another excellent video! I was born in Australia but I live in Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao with my Filipina wife. The harbor here was where General Douglas MacArthur landed when escaping to Philippines and traveling to Australia in 1942. My wife's maternal grandfather was a Filipino guerilla fighter in this area. Coincidentally, his father, who he never knew, was Japanese! The Japanese torched a large portion of the city here before 200 of them escaped to the mountains in Bukidnon when the Americans arrived in May 1945 to liberate Cagayan de Misamis, as it was then known. There had been atrocities like rape and murder of civilians, and locals here speak of the Japanese soldiers throwing Filipino babies into the air and catching them on their bayonets. If that wasn't bad enough, the Japanese troops that escaped to Bukidnon hunted, killed and ate 70 Higaunon tribespeople. The Higaunon people are my wife's tribe. The Battle of Manila was terrible, but not the only example of the atrocities of war in the Philippines. Extra kudos for the correct pronunciation of "Yamashita".
We will also never forget how Australians help in liberating the Philippines.
@@k-studio8112 nor will we forget the bravery of Filipinos who time and again throughout history stood up for their people against foreign invaders, or when called to fight. Mabuhay sa Pilipinas!
My paternal grandfather was part of the American force that landed at Mindanao in 1945. Don’t know a lot about his war experience, because he never talked much about it but I’ve been looking into it recently. It turns out he had 2 Bronze Stars for his time in the Philippines
@@thecentrifugalescape I guess that he would have been in Cagayan de Misamis, as it was called then, because the city here has the largest port in Northern Mindanao, and of course Douglas MacArthur returned, as he said he would. You can find photos online of the monument to MacArthur here in Barangay Macabalan on the dockside. It's in the shape of his distinctive cap and there is a scale model of the Elco 77 foot Motor Torpedo Boat on which he arrived there in March 1942. My wife's mother was born in 1946. I don't think many returned soldiers spoke much about their experiences.
@@gaufrid1956 after the war the Philippines still managed to become the second richest country in asia. From 1986 to now the presidents have been the most useless people. It's really sad to see the old rich Philippines to now
In a matter of one week I’ve watched more than 60 of your videos some many times , this is a remarkable channel thank you for all your hard work
I watched them all up until recently and thumbs upped every single one. Incredible information gathered by Mark
This is too heartbreaking, having lived in Manila for the past 10 years, I see everyday the scars of war, the remnants of the old glorious Manila, and sadly its present state of decay, not only architecturally but socioeconomically as well.
"old glorious Manila"
There's a bit of truth right there but even if it was not destroyed, It would not mean that Manila would be really good to live in right now. The Manila the video was talking about had just a 700k population. Lower population means it would be easier to manage it. And even if it was not destroyed, Manila would still not be in a good shape in the modern world, it would just be a capital with a lot of old buildings and an aging infrastructure.
The problem is the government itself. Philippines was not politically and economically stable when it became independent from US until recently.
@@joshuakevinserdan9331 The elites of the country are pragmatic, it would be easier for them to build the likes of Ortigas and the Makati CBD from scratch, rather than rebuild war torn Manila. Plus the fact that war reparations were not enough, and much of that money, well, went inside the pockets of officials.
@@cutterPillow01 My opinion is that they should not rebuild the pre-war Manila. Manila is way bigger than the pre war Manila. Manila should be built in the international standard with good public transportation, and other public services.
@@joshuakevinserdan9331 well we are way past rebuilding old Manila. They can't even save those architectural gems still standing at Escolta. You mean Metro Manila? Because the City of Manila is only a part of that, and rehabilitating Manila is never a bad idea, it still has its history to attract tourists, and you know so students don't have to contend with Manila's urine and puke smelling, rat infested streets.
gio fuellos Things are looking up though, the Philippines is rapidly industrializing bringing in lots of investment and jobs. More money is flowing in than ever before, hopefully some of that gets distributed to Manila. Also is the traffic in metro Manila really as bad as they say?
I'm a Filipino American born and raised. My grandpa said he and my grandma ran so many miles away from the Japanese through farms and jungles of the Philippines. I should ask about this time frame and show my grandpa this video! Such an awesome UA-cam channel! Thank you!
Rod Serling was a paratrooper in the Army who landed in the Philippines and was one of the first troops to fight at the Battle of Manila, his unit sustained a 50% casualty rate, in which Serling himself was wounded. However he volunteered to go back and did stating he had to “clean up”. He often would run into the line of fire and showed true capability in combat.
The twilight zone guy? The purple testament episode was set in the Phils.
No way!? The host of The Twilight Zone landed in my country!? I’m amazed...
@@firemangan2731 I believe that Rod Serling went back to Philippines years later after the War and was honored there during his visit.
In a photo of Rod Serling in the 50s you can see him with a silver ID bracelet that has his jump wings on it.
@@Yorkshire2006 A man of high intelligence and character. May he rest in peace.
Fascinating. Thank you for these amazing videos! Reminds me of the glory days of the history channel back in the day!
Thanks for telling the story: My father was there and spoke often about how brutal the fighting was in Manila.
Well done Mr.Felton. I am British, and have been living in the Philippines for twelve years. Your documentary is correct in every particular. Many thanks.
No matter who wins a battle civilians always loose.
As the saying goes, kings do the fighting peasants do the dieing
Grave of the fireflies strengthens this statements.
@@admiralgoodboy aye
If the Allied forces lost all the battles of the second world war the whole humanity would have been the biggest loser of them all. People must remember the Alliance were fighting cruel racialist totalitarian nations who committed barbaric atrocities to others who they deemed racially lower class.
We of the new generation will find it very difficult to comprehend the experienced of the past hence the reason why we humans tend to repeat it.
The Second World War-era the Greatest Generation fought in was simply good against evil.
theunholysoul ngl i would probably like it better under a postwar nazi regime than communist or capitalist
My Filipina wife confirmed my understanding that Filipino soldiers also formed a vital part in liberating Manila, an important fact this video neglected to mention. Otherwise, very helpful presentation. Thank you.
Amazing historical source... word of mouth from something someone else was told lmfao. Great job...
@@cameronsprague101 True, it's not that much of a reliable source. What's reliable tho is that Philippines is a Filipino country, which strongly means that the locals (Filipinos) did help greatly in providing directions, supplies, and comfort.
@@cameronsprague101 regardless, it's common fact that Filipino soldiers fought alongside the Americans during the occupation. Nothing wrong with stating the obvious right?
Good point. In the book, “ Ghost Soldiers” one does indeed learn of the
Invaluable assistance and bravery of Filipino soldiers during the Japanese occupation and help during the American landing.
@@hairglowingkyle4572 one thing is fighting there, another one is being vital for the battle
I remember growing up watching documentaries on the history and military channel. Keep up the amazing work and thank you for teaching me so much!
Manila was the second most devastated city after Warsaw during WW2...
Yeah I think, Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki might have something to say about that.
@@TheSecretsquirrel222 At least those cities are doing fine now. Manila never recovered from this battle, if you've been there you'll know what I'm talking about. It's a really shitty place nowadays. Before WW2 it was one of the nicest cities in Asia
@@TheSecretsquirrel222 At least those cities are doing better than our capital now. and remind you, 80% of Manila's architectural buildings, houses, mansions, plazas, cathedrals, villages, and historical sites never got rebuilt but rather got replace by some boring ass modern buildings. unlike those mentioned cities.
@@TheSecretsquirrel222
Whirlwind Whirlwind!!
@@TheSecretsquirrel222 But those cities deserved it IDIOT, they were were the aggressors cities!!
First off...I love the Marines, I am in awe of their efforts at Iwo Jima, Pelelieu, Guadalcanal, Okinawa and others...and they were great at communicating their greatness...nothing wrong with that.
Sadly, few recognize the U.S. Army in the Pacific "silently" did incredible things as well.... little is heard or known of the Army in the Phillipines, New Guinea, Burma, the Aleutian Islands and others....again I am not the slightest anti-Marine...they were amazing, but the Army's efforts are sadly unknown....Great job Mr. Felton!
More light needs to be shone on this theatre of WW2 , my grandad fought there, needs more attention
My grandfather was in New Guinea and the Philippines with 6th Infantry Division. He was wounded outside of Manilla in February 1945. The Army is really overlooked in some parts!
Yes, as the SF guys say, the reason their are more people assigned to SEAL and Marine units is because they are there to record the action for the media.
@@jetsrule09 It certainly is overlooked in the Pacific. A lot of Philippines action was overlooked because of Iwo Jima, IMHO any way.
In the pacific theatre I had an Uncle in the Marines, an Uncle in the Navy and my Dad in the Army. Two uncles in the ETO and one uncle running around in the CBI doing stuff that I later learned was classified. Bonus. They all came home alive.
The beautiful “Pearl of the Orient Seas”, Manila, was raised to the ground along with countless architectural
and cultural entities. The most beautiful city in Asia at that time. 😭
It was indeed tragic 😔🇵🇭
Imagine if the Japanese won... Terrifying thought
As a filipino, we never learned anything this in-depth.
That's what libraries are for. You can't fit all of the details of the Pacific theater of war in a few lessons.
I learned most of what i know about WW2 in our country from my grandfather who was a guerrilla fighter during the Japanese occupation.
@@ablanuza76 bro our strict parents in the Philippines don't even permit us to go outside anywhere even tp important events we're invited to.
@@planetkc Truly a bruh moment for the Filipino youth.
I guess it's only because it's heavily summarized as in >invasion>colonisation>war crimes> death march > Mcarthur's return>we win but i get why, i mean i guess telling 1st graders about all the war crimes would be pretty bad but yeah i kinda wish they'd get more in -depth
Planet KC that’s sad
Is it just me or were the Japanese war crimes just kinda ignored. I never learned about any Japanese war crime trials ever until I watched a video on it.
Is it just me, or has it, until this day, always been completely ignored in any given incidence where Amricans performed war crimes?
I never learned about any American war crime trials ever until....well I'm still waiting.
Stop playing whataboutism. The crimes of Japan will not go unnoticed
@@supermuskelmann8557 yeah bombing of dresden was a war crime arguably the nuclear bombs because the goal to kill innocent civilians. Had the allies lost it would have been judged differently.
Japan did pay war reparations, and until this day, still donates equipment to the armed forces.
@@dubstepXpower the atom bomb was by no means a war crime, not only did it save millions of lives by preventing a bloody invasion of japan but Hiroshima and Nagasaki were important military centres, bristling with factories, army bases and naval facilities
My grandfather was fighting in the less glamorous but equally brutal Luzon - scaling mountains and digging the Japanese out of heavily defended positions...
My grandfather fought at Guadalcanal
My gramps was at Luzon, served in the 158th Combat Regiment. Arizona Bushmasters stand tall with their motto being "Cuidado!"
I dont know what my grandpa did during those times he never spoke of it to me until he died
@@Yuudachi_Pois So...after he died was when he began talking with you ?
@@thomasmitchell4128 no he never spoke of it at all
Love all your video's. So informative and professional. A real credit to you. Great work Mark
Thank you for this. Lessons about WW2 here in the Philippines is barely taught. This video gives so much detail.
Another tale about underrated story of Manila as well as struggle for Filipinos at the hands of Japanese
Thank you Mark sir for this invaluable information
I knew about the battles for Stalingrad , Budapest and Berlin were epic struggles but I had not head about the battles in the Pacific region for capitals (apart from the ones in the early part of the war).
I knew that Manila was bad in 1945, but didn't realise the true scale of what happened. Thanks for putting together this analysis.
This could have been avoided had Yamashita declared Manila an "Open City" as happened when the Japanese first captured Manila. He deservedly paid the ultimate price as a war criminal
The problem was the Japanese Navy would not have obeyed his orders which they didn't anyway.
No. Yamashita was the nominal commander of Japanese forces, but Japan's military command structure was so that the navy forces attached to Yamashita's army acted independently from the army, the navy forces having their own commanders with their own orders. Simply blame the general even if he didn’t authorize or order the crimes committed - no, that’s not good: by that account ALL Allied generals whose troops committed crimes should have been trialed. Yamashita was not even an advocate of the war - he had called for Japan to end the war in China and he had been vocal in his call for peace with Britain and America - which made him unpopular with the pro-war faction and led to him being reassigned to Manchukuo away from the frontlines, despite his victories and being one of Japan’s most talented generals, before being sent to the Philippines. Yamashita was made the scapegoat.
For stuff like raping and pilliaging the Philippine countryside, as well as his actions during the Malaya campaign, I would agree, to a certain extent, but you can't deny he was a bit of a scapegoat for the crap the Japanese Navy did in the Battle of Manila.
If he did that todays social media wouldn't have something to complain about how the Americans are bad.
TLDR IJA IJN rivalry fucked it up again
2:27 Holy hell, the fact they were having to spray down their platforms with sea water shows how long and how consistent they were firing.......
Insane destiny- not platforms, spraying down gun barrels. You fire that many rounds that fast and without cooling the barrels can and will warp, which ruins them.
Yes, the naval guns are seen blast-steaming off the water upon contact.
Videos like this makes Mr. Felton more amazing
address him as Dr. Felton, you uncultured swine!
Bravo sir! I've learned a great deal of history from your marvellous videos. Keep up the good work. Cheers!
I'm glad to see history channels with as much dedication to facts and attention to detail as yours covering the Pacific Theater, Dr. Felton. Thank you. Even in Filipino secondary education, very little was taught about WWII apart from the broadest of events, not nearly enough to have students really grasp the horrors and sacrifices that went down back then. During my university years, it was always surreal to walk into Baker Memorial Hall for PE classes and concerts after I found out that it was once an internment camp under the Japanese that held American and Filipino prisoners of war.
Some of the locations in the video:
00:54 - Rizal Baseball Stadium, Malate
1:00 - Manila City Hall, Ermita
9:55 - Monumento, Caloocan
13:46 - San Juan de Letran, Intramuros
Could you imagine a Rising Storm game where the map features baseball field with Japanese navy and US army troops battling? It would be insnae
The Beatles' only tour in the Philippines held at Rizal Stadium in 1966.
@@Kabutoes Hey yeah, why don't ww2 have battle of manila as a level? It would make an interesting urban warfare map.
10:57 - University of Santo Tomas - Main Building
3:24 - Pangasinan Provincial Capitol, Lingayen
It was more like Asia's Warsaw though...
good point
Yeah I'd say Guadalcanal was the Stalingrad of the Pacific War.
I’d say that Shanghai is more of Asia’s Stalingrad considering how much of a bloodbath it was there.
@@HaloFTW55 don't take it seriously...this guy just click baiting with the word Stalingrad for views
Yeah, it's the Asian Warsaw, I also compare Nanking to Berlin (too much rape)
I'm from Philippines and we barely got to this topic in our history class about ww2.
Yeah our education system is too simplified
@BJ Hawwke I don't care
@John Kevin we lived in Cebu not in Manila
Nobody Cares
@@aoip-1097 So you think history isn't important? In a time like this? 1918?
The music you use and your voice make this channel priceless my favorite for sure
The Battle of Manila was divided into several battles within the city.
Battle of the Ballpark (Rizal Stadium)
Battle of Paco
Battle of Pandacan
Battle of Sta. Mesa
Battle of Escolta
Battle of Morayta
Battle of Sta. Cruz (Avenida Rizal)
Siege of Lawton (Manila Ice Plant and Post Office)
Battle of Intramuros
And other numerous firefights and skirmishes.
Ooooh I would love to see the Battle of Intramuros depicted in a movie. I went there once and it looks almost exactly the same to El Castillo Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, literally on the other side of the world, but same exact spanish architecture. It amazes me how much both countries have in common.
Battle of Nichols/Ft McKinley 🇵🇭🇺🇸
There is footage of the Battle of the Ballpark (Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium) wherein a trio of Sherman tanks are firing machine guns on the stands where, 5 years earlier, Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees wowed a packed stadium during an exhibition game.
Even stalingrad was divided in
Uranus
Winter storm little Saturn
Koltso and some I forgot
I have seen so much of Mark Felton's videos in Europe and for him to feature the Philippines meant so much for me as a Filipino American. It's ventdicating to learn detailed account of what actually took place when the Americans liberated the country. Hearing you mention my hometown of Baguio City struck close to home.
It is saddening that centuries of historical infrastructure was wiped out in just few months and even sadder that the countries inhabitant chose to restore very little of it. To hear the words Vatican or Pearl of the orient is merely historical now akin to the Gardens of Babylone. If one is to see the capital it's charm is slowly subdued as it's developers rush to secure building contracts and destroy the past. Poland in the other hand painstakingly rebuilt it's cities in half a century, both countries were equally destroyed by the war but this video reminds us of how it unfolded.
We will never know of the pain experienced by civilians... so so sad....
We hope to never experience what they have experienced.
Yes we do, when the civilians had the fight the german army in the Warsaw Uprising using sewers to surprise attacks and minimal ailied aupport.
Strange mercy for us.
You do. War causes generational curses upon families who become famine struck after war.
Japanese occupation directly affects occupied countries TO THIS VERY DAY.
Asshole parents? Grown by wartorn parents. Cycle continues on the citizen.
Hi Dr Mark Felton, I hope you notice me. I'm from the Philippines I want to suggest another video from you. I hope you can make a video of Hiroo Onoda. The Japanese soldier who hid in the jungles of the Philippines and did not surrender not until 30 yrs after the war was over. Thank you for all you informative and historical videos about the wars that changed our world.
Thanks for making this excellent short documentary. I finally understood the context by which my grandparents, an uncle and an aunt died during the liberation of Manila. Our old family home was located just outside Fort McKinley which your documentary identified as a Japanese stronghold. Since the Japanese soldiers were determined to fight to the last man, American troops, according to my mother, subjected the area to intense artillery fire. Not surprisingly, some artillery shells fell on civilian neighborhoods around Fort McKinley. This was how my grandparents, uncle and aunt were killed. Earlier that month, another aunt was bayoneted by Japanese soldiers who were under orders to kill civilians fleeing the conflict. Fortunately she survived by playing dead. Growing up in the 60s, I recall that she would show us her bayonet wounds. She had about 7 or 8 stab wounds in different parts of her body
Love this, Battle of Manila is so underrated. Thanks Mark for highlighting this piece of history.
It’s crazy because I was in Manila in 2009 and you can still see remnants of blown up tanks and vehicles Outside of the city
what? where? in the museums? or resorts or hacienda tour places? those were the only places i remember seeing them
xXxSkyViperxXx There’s a couple places outside the city where the river crossings I’ve seen blown up tanks I forgot exactly where at I’m looking more into it to see if I can find it again
@@gabrielhuin probably been removed but I'd love to see some in-person
Get back to reality. You may still be dreaming. LImit watching WW2 films.
Most Ive seen are some bullet holes in the walls of IntraMurros which may have been from the filipino spanish or filipino american wars.
Times has changed and Philippines and Japan are friends, but we will never forget. So that it won't ever be repeated again.
Japan just paying his debts to the Island Nation, that once before the pre-colonial era was once of its major trading partner.
Japan would never again dare to do War against the Philippines, they know they will loss again.
@escorpiuser They did. Well... most of them.
@escorpiuser Some were rebuild like Manila Cathedral, some are rubble, but are historic sites, I believe we got the largest share in reparations 500 million (5.5 billion today) if I remember it right.
@escorpiuser It's pretty hard to rebuild some, especially most of those historic buildings has "Bahay Na Bato" style. and it's evident on the old architecture of Ateneo de Manila. it's pretty hard to mimick its original architecture especially the marvelous design of its doorway entrance.
How do you do that, Russia and Poland will never be friends when a country does atrocities.
Last time I was this early, the zero had air superiority.
good one
Zach. Story of my life...
Zero should have been retired from front lines and succeeded by Reppu and the Manila garrison should be flying Hayate around the time of Midway. It never happened.
The only plane that could go toe to toe with Hellcat in IJAAF arsenal and less than 100 of them were in Manila when McArthur landed.
Ki-84>>> zero
@@thanakonpraepanich4284 Alas sacrifice personnel rather than material, in opposite to Americans who improve the material to save on personnel.
I’ve been following Mark Felton’s channel for a long time, and appreciate his dedication to revealing factual details not covered even by most historians.
When I saw this video pop out, I got mixed feelings: I’m from Manila, and the way that the Battle of Manila has been covered by both American and Japanese historians often does not do justice to the sheer horror that the city and its habitants went through in February 1945.
I’m happy that after watching this, Mark Felton did not disappoint, highlighting the appalling lack of compassion for Filipino civilian lives on the part of the Imperial Japanese forces, but tragically, also the erstwhile liberators - the Americans led by Douglas MacArthur.
The quotes from the period included in this video, such as on “the value of American lives in comparison to historical buildings”, are deafening in the absence of any reference to the fates of 1 million Filipinos who had been fighting for and awaiting liberation for three years.
Thank you Mark. You’re the first person to refer to Manila as “The Asian Stalingrad”. Rightfully so, a fitting epitaph to what was once one of the most beautiful cities in Asia.
My great grandmother, who died as Japanese troops set fire to her home in the southern district of Malate, and a hundred thousand other Filipinos whose lives were snuffed out so cruelly, deserve to be remembered. Thank you for making this possible in 2020.
Oh my God, I don't remember being sticked to the screen and watching some WW2 history for quite some time now... Great job.
My step father.. fought in this campaign. I'm now almost 60 he was a Master sargent during this time period.
I always find it irritating when I read about how the Japanese soldier was so indoctrinated with living a code of honor, and that is why they treated prisoners badly because they, themselves, would never surrender. Then you read about the things they did to innocent people that were only trying to survive, and realize the whole honor thing was b#&*s@!t. I remember reading about the US and Filipino guerrillas the POW camp at Cabanatuan. The Japanese executed over a thousand Filipinos in retaliation.
Executing civilians in retaliation for guerrilla activity was a tactic pioneered by the West and was employed by them both before and after the war.
@@HYDRAdude I guess women and kids are fair game? Saying it was done before doesn't make it okay.
Its just west propaganda .
Crazy my parents both came from Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija. I remember seeing the movie The Great Raid. My lolo's father also was a guerilla fighter who never came back.
@@iamawesome2811 It's strange how "the west" fought WWII using two armies: one to fight and crush Axis powers, and another to apparently fabricate the tons and tons and tons of evidence documenting Axis war crimes that was done perfectly enough to fool investigators and historians up to the present day!
it's sad that Manila was literally razed to the ground, japanese occupation decimated 100% of the commercial districts in the once known "Paris of the East".
even now manila became a shell of its former glory. the city never recovered from its destruction. with rising poverty, crime, vandalism, and corruption.
imagine the architectural legacies and economic growth potential of Manila that are destroyed in ww2. it's a shame, really.
@Steven Lee wtf, no.
during the american occupation manila flourished, it is an important city in the pacific rivaling those of british hongkong or even tokyo itself.
@Steven Lee - Manila was the most wealthy city in Asia at that time... lots of cars were already in the streets of Manila at that time, while if you look at some of the old footage of other Asian cities at that time, you'd see far less cars and most of the transportation is either pulled by horse of humans.
@Defensa Filipina i'd have to disagree with you there.
the japanese bombed and already destroyed manila even when mcarthur has declared an open city. the battle of manila was literally just fighting on urban debris and broken infrastructure (except those repaired by the japanese for logistic purposes)
don't blame everything within the "hurr durr western powers".
@@manahanjulsbernardd.6793 Manila is doing good nowadays with its new leadership there. Not as better yet as it was, but it's currently improving to say the least.
Mismanagement of leaders led to what the philippines is today
Buried in debt
Corrupt leaders
Bad system of funding
Bad economy
I keep trying to comment and nothing I can come up feels right. A battle that no one won. Both sides lost, especially the Filipino civilians.
The Japanese went to great lengths to make sure of that
Entire operation this late in the war was just stupid.
@@chadhaire1711 how about to actually free some people who had to suffer under japanese opression and indure slave labor..never to late to stop something like that..
@@Dronestriketerrorists The war was going to be over in 6 months.....this operation had NO IMPACT on winning the war that was being won elsewhere. ......the people there were going to be freed anyway. Instead about 50,000 civilians got killed instead, not to mention a lot of Americans...just because some general had a big ego and said "I shall return"......
@@chadhaire1711 the war wasnt gonna end in that time because when that invasion was planned so was the invasion of japan..the nukes was a plan B that got turned into plan A after the the fact.. it was these actions and them slaughting civilians and sacreficing themselves so late in the war after every one knows its over that made America use the nukes..
Luzon - this is where my grandfather would end up fighting in WW2. He said that there was no water to be found anywhere and it took too long for it to be brought up. He told me they fought the Japanese over a tiny pond of water for an entire day. One of the men under his command had his tongue swell up and nearly died from dehydration. I only note this because he told me so few stories. He said that when they finally forced the Japanese to leave, that the tepid stagnant jungle water from the pond was the best water he ever tasted in his life.
Which will come first? The heat death of the universe or Mark Felton running out of WWII stories to tell us?
The former, if I have anything to do with it!
Mark Felton Productions thanks for the effort and time you put into the videos I’m sure 800,000 people would agree with me
Hehaye Georgia flag
Oh... the fake global warming? Dont worry about that, the world already ended in 2014, just ask Al Gore...
@@Generalfund Heat death of the universe refers to the theoretical expansion of our universe to the point where all the stars die out and there's nothing but it's nothing but a bunch of floating debris, causing the extinction of all known life in existence.
It's essentially the literal end of time.
Love the titles that you use to catch enthusiasts attention! Great content Mark!
That is some truly grand historical combat footage. Seeing those full broadside coastal bombardments must have been breathtaking in person
'Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila' (2018) by James M Scott makes for some nerve-shredding reading. I knew nothing about the Battle of Manila until I stumbled across this book. It is truly horrifying. I can't understand why we all know about Stalingrad, Pearl Harbour, etc, but this gruesome, protracted street battle and the sheer barbarity of the Japanese occupying force has somehow escaped the public sphere. Absolutely baffling. I shudder to think what Manila went through. A vision of Hell on Earth.