On 5 February 1945, after a gruelling month-long battle, American forces under General Douglas MacArthur triumphantly entered Manila, marking the beginning of the end of Japan’s brutal three-year occupation of the Philippines.
The city, once the "Pearl of the Orient", lay devastated, its streets scarred by relentless combat, with both military and civilian casualties mounting to tragic proportions. As US troops pushed forward, fierce resistance from Japanese forces turned Manila into a theatre of destruction, with entire districts reduced to rubble and thousands of innocents caught in the crossfire.
Nevertheless, the American advance heralded a long-awaited liberation for Filipinos, who had endured years of oppression, deprivation, and atrocities under the Japanese Imperial Army.
MacArthur’s return fulfilled his historic pledge to reclaim the Philippines, setting the stage for the eventual conclusion of World War II in the Pacific.
