Jon Diamond, The Liberation of the Philippines (Pen & Sword, 2021)
In this latest edition of Pen & Sword’s Images of War series, Jon Diamond surveys the United States’ clearance of the Japanese occupiers from the Philippines towards the end of World War II.
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The connection between the USA and the Philippines stemmed from the US invasion of the archipelago in 1898. Diamond fast-forwards to the outbreak of WWII when the Philippines presented a major obstacle to Imperial Japan’s plans for expansion. Their inevitable invasion took place in December 1941 and caught the American and Philippines defenders almost completely unprepared; surrender and the horror of the Bataan death march followed. No one was more synonymous with this defeat than General Douglas MacArthur who escaped the enemy and vowed to return. He did, in 1944. The final three-quarters of this book tell that story in words and pictures. There are many photographs of US soldiers peering into underground bunkers; tanks, artillery, and mortars firing at enemy positions before the troops move in, some with flamethrowers; urban warfare; Japanese casualties; and naval and air operations in the Leyte Gulf. Diamond discusses the main commanders on both sides, and he acknowledges the role that ordinary Filipinos played in their own liberation. Diamond concludes by noting that when the atom bombs dropped on Japan, there were still 115,000 Japanese soldiers active in the Philippines. They did not surrender until 2 September. Some of his final photographs are of General MacArthur, who had returned but at an incredible cost to all involved in the occupation and liberation.
The Images of War series works well on two levels: as an introduction to the campaign or battle and as a visual supplement to other more in-depth works. Diamond’s contribution here satisfies both requirements. His text and photographs convey the magnitude of the fighting while keeping their sense of a very human conflict often fought at close quarters. What also comes across is the variety of combat situations the Americans and Filipinos encountered, and the range of tactics used to defeat the Japanese. This is therefore a solid addition to the Images of War series.
