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The Liberation of the Philippines: Manila the Approach March (Picture of Destroyed Highway and Railroad Bridges)

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JAA

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The picture attached to this Journal entry was taken by my father in early February 1945 during the approach march to Manila. The picture shows one of the many highway and railroad bridges which were destroyed by the Japanese to slow the American advance.

After securing Ft. Stotsenburg and the important Clark Field Air Base the XVI Corps attacked south through the Central Plains toward Manila.

(See my earlier Journal entry for historical details and picture of Ft. Stotsenburg http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/JournalDetail.aspx?JournalEntryID=10743)

The Central Plains between Ft. Stotsenburg and Manila is crossed by many deep and broad rivers. The main bridges over these rivers were the route 3, route 5 and Manila Railroad bridges. In order to slow the American advance the Japanese destroyed these bridges as they retreated.

The Route 3 and Manila Railroad crossing at Calumpit are located twenty-five miles below Clark Field and about an equal distance from Manila. This was an important XVI Corps objective because the crossing at Calumpit was "a flat land defile through which passed the only highway and rail connections providing direct access to Manila from the western side of the Central Plains. To the northeast of Calumpit lies the formidable Candaba Swamp, passable only to light vehicles even in dry weather; to the south and west are virtually impassable swamplands, fish pounds, and marshy river deltas forming the northern shore of Manila Bay. Although the Japanese had destroyed the bridges at Calumpit XVI Corps had to secure the crossing sites before the Japanese took advantage of the natural defense opportunities afforded by the deep, unfordable Pampanga to block the western approach to Manila." (Ross, 1993 page 211)

The destroyed bridges in this photo are the Route 3 and Manila Railroad Bridges over the Pampanga River at Calumpit.

If you are interested in U.S./Philippine coins please visit my USA/Philippines Type Set at: http://coins.www.collectors-society.com/registry/coins/SetListing.aspx?PeopleSetID=51257

REFERENCES

Original letters written by my father during the Luzon Campaign

Smith, Robert Ross, "Manila: The Approach March" in U.S. Army in World War ll. The War In the Pacific: Triumph in the Philippines, (Center of Military History United States Army, Washington D.C., 1993) pages 211-236.

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