Reference Entry
ASSAULT TO RETAKE CORREGIDOR
On February 16th, 1945, United States forces launched a daring combined airborne and amphibious assault to retake Corregidor, the rocky island guarding the entrance to Manila Bay in the Philippines. Corregidor had become a symbol of resistance when United States and Filipino defenders held out there in 1942 before surrendering to Japanese forces. Three years later, with the liberation of the Philippines well underway, recapturing the “Rock” carried both strategic and symbolic weight.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
Assault to Retake Corregidor
On February 16th, 1945, United States forces launched a daring combined airborne and amphibious assault to retake Corregidor, the rocky island guarding the entrance to Manila Bay in the Philippines. Corregidor had become a symbol of resistance when United States and Filipino defenders held out there in 1942 before surrendering to Japanese forces. Three years later, with the liberation of the Philippines well underway, recapturing the “Rock” carried both strategic and symbolic weight. Paratroopers from the 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team dropped onto the island’s small plateau while amphibious forces came ashore along the coastline under heavy fire and difficult terrain. Fierce fighting followed in tunnels, gun positions, and ravines as Japanese defenders resisted to the end. Securing Corregidor restored United States control of the main approach to Manila and underscored the fulfillment of General Douglas MacArthur’s promise to return. It also demonstrated how airborne and amphibious forces could work together in one of the war’s most challenging pieces of terrain.
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