On the surface, it seems that the Japanese army has completely given up resistance.
After entering downtown Manila, the U.S. military could not find a single Japanese soldier in broad daylight for a long time.
Most of the American soldiers, like MacArthur, believed that the battle in Manila was over.
They can chew gum, whistle, and walk struttingly on the streets.
Maybe, we can have a good romantic encounter.
However, this arrogance soon suffered a backlash.
When the American tanks, like their infantry, entered triumphantly, countless Japanese troops appeared out of thin air, firing from holes in the ground, from cracks in the walls, and from any unimaginable place.
The US military, who had been chatting and laughing just now, was caught off guard, and a large number of soldiers fell down in an instant.
The officers started shouting.
Shouts, whistles, and screams came and went.
It's a mess, it's a complete mess.
The offensive and defensive momentum was instantly reversed.
U.S. military officers desperately called for reinforcements.
The soldiers were hiding there, firing aimlessly.
They have no idea where the enemy is.
…
Manila, Agriculture Building.
It is a solid granite building.
It was also the location of the Japanese headquarters in Manila.
Major Koiso put down the phone and nodded three times towards Iwabuchi.
A smile appeared on Iwabuchi's face three times.
here we go!
The moment you have been waiting for finally begins.
Let Manila become a graveyard for Americans!
…
"What the hell, what the hell!"
Butler, who had just entered Manila, couldn't help but curse loudly: "These damn Japanese monkeys!"
"General, the problem is that we have no way of knowing how many bunkers are hidden in Manila and how many combat troops the Japanese army has deployed."
"General, Major Charles is here."
"Oh, is it so?"
Butler immediately invited the people in and asked as soon as they met: "Major, do you have any good news for me?"
Meng Shaoyuan put the three briefcases in his hand in front of Butler: "General, here are all the Japanese army's firepower deployment and troop allocation in Manila!"
In an instant, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Meng Shaoyuan!
Everyone knows what these mean.
There is no more precious gift in Manila than this!
It took Butler a long time to come to his senses, and he saluted Meng Shaoyuan: "Major, for everything you have done, on behalf of the 37th Infantry Division and all the soldiers fighting in Manila, I will express my deepest respect for you. !”
…
The war quickly evolved into a street-to-house battle.
In the north, the U.S. Army commanded by Major General Griswold crossed the Pasig River from the University of Santo Tomas to the south. At dusk on February 4, he ordered the 2nd Company of the 5th Cavalry Regiment to cross the Quezon Bridge. The Japanese army destroyed the bridge that allowed one to cross the Pasig River.
As they entered the bridge, Japanese machine guns at the Quezon Boulevard barricade opened fire violently, forcing the U.S. troops to halt their advance and withdraw around sunset. After the U.S. and Filipino troops retreated, the Japanese troops reoccupied the bridge.
As Meng Shaoyuan said before, in Manila, it will become a cold weapon contest.
There is also the Tramulos Castle mentioned by Meng Shaoyuan. The US tanks and artillery have no effect on it. They can only rely on the outflanking of the infantry detachment and the blasting operations of engineers to penetrate deeper into the Japanese defense little by little.
This is a real bloody battle.
Every time the U.S. military takes a step forward, it will encounter stubborn resistance from the Japanese army.
On February 5, the "gift" that frontline US military officers had been waiting for finally arrived.
The entire Japanese defense map in Manila.
This time, the US military finally no longer has to act like a blind man.
Their attacks also became more purposeful.
"Thank those intelligence officers, thank Charles."
In the headquarters, Butler put down the telescope and said with emotion: "Otherwise, we will suffer several times the sacrifice, but the efforts of an intelligence officer have allowed us to avoid such heavy losses!"
…
The Battle of Manila was a battle unlike any other in the Pacific War. It was a bloody urban street battle.
Forcing American soldiers to fight building by building, house by house, and even room by room.
The Japanese army also began to carry out large-scale population massacres in an organized manner according to the plan!
The Japanese once issued an order:
"When Filipinos are to be killed, they must be gathered in one place and disposed of, taking into account that ammunition and manpower must not be overused. The disposal of the corpses is troublesome and should be stuffed into houses destined to be burned or blown up , or thrown into the river.”
The Japanese army began to execute the order!
After Manila became a battlefield, in this battlefield, except for Japanese soldiers, civilians, and some special construction teams, everyone would be executed, even the Red Cross.
This is an internationally recognized humanitarian organization, but the Japanese army directly rushed into the headquarters of the Red Cross and shot them room by room.
Among them were two babies who were only 10 days old.
This inhumane massacre by the Japanese had no purpose.
There are Russians, Germans, Indians, strong ones, weak ones, even babies with no fighting ability.
Later investigators in the United States called this massacre demonic, inhumane, and barbaric. Even if they exhausted all their vocabulary, they still could not fully describe this massacre.
In order to carry out the order to save bullets, the Japanese army gathered Manila citizens in schools, churchgoers and hospitals to carry out massacres with bayonets.
The Bay View Hotel is a major killing area, from the University of St. Paul all the way to the Manila Cathedral.
The Japanese army raped and massacred wantonly on the south bank of the Pasig River. They burned churches and libraries, burned refugees in shelters, and ordered men and women in the city to line up in separate streets. They killed the men first and then all the women.
And those who "cooperated" with this massacre were actually Americans.
After encountering fierce resistance, the U.S. frontline commander decided to refuse to implement MacArthur's request to keep Manila intact as much as possible.
They began frequently calling for artillery support.
Artillery shells roared toward Manila and began an indiscriminate bombardment.
Those Filipinos who were lucky enough to escape the massacre by the Japanese army could only watch helplessly as the shells fell and then blew them to pieces.
They have even forgotten to cry out and ask for help.
Who will come to save them?
In front of the U.S. or Japanese troops who are armed to the teeth, they are just lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Therefore, the Battle of Manila is also known as the "Manila Massacre" and "Manila Massacre".
In this tragedy, the Japanese army, led by Iwabuchi Sanji, played a major role.
The US military has become an accomplice.
As for the victims? Commemorate it, they don’t deserve anything but commemoration!
