American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay 1898–1945

Mark Berhow, Terrance McGovern, Chris Taylor

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN:
  9781841764276
• eBook ISBN:
  9781849080033
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: 20th Century History

The Philippines were declared an American Territory on January 4, 1899, and fortification construction soon began on the islands in the mouth of Manila Bay.

Among the sites built were Fort Mills (Corregidor), Fort Frank, and the formidable "concrete battleship" of Fort Drum. The defenses suffered constant Japanese bombardment during World War II, leading to the surrender of American forces. In 1945 the forts were manned by Japanese soldiers determined to hold out to the bitter end.

This title details the fortifications of this key strategic location, and considers both their effectiveness and historical importance.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction
• Construction of the Manila and Subic Bay fortifications 1902–19
• The quiet years 1922– 40
• The fall of the Philippines and the siege of Corregidor 1942
• Retaking the island fortresses 1945
• A guide to the gun batteries of the Manila Bay defenses
• An assessment of the defenses of Manila Bay
• The fortified islands today
• Further reading
• Appendix
• Index
• Imprint