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The Final Battle of Bataan Marker

A marker, not far from Mt. Samat and its shrine, notes where the last battle of importance took place on Bataan, on April 3, 1942.

By this point the Filipino and American forces had been fighting for months, were low on ammunition and food, and had few, if any, reinforcements.

Swift moving Japanese forces from the north were able to outflank these Allied lines, by cutting through the jungle.

A good introduction to the campaign is Bill Sloan’s Undefeated: America's Heroic Fight for Bataan and Corregidor, after which, should you choose, you can explore more detailed volumes and memoirs.

Getting around Bataan without a car is do-able but something of a challenge. There are buses and taxi's, and hotels along the route of the Death March, which was about sixty miles from Mariveles to Capas and Camp O’Donnell, where thousands of Filipinos and Americans were imprisoned.

As a day trip out of Manila, with a car and driver, the terrain of the battle can be seen. But it makes for a long, tiring day. Better to give yourself two days.

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Source

  • Text: Matthew Stevenson
  • Photos: Matthew Stevenson

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