WORLD WAR IIPHILIPPINE DEFENDERS 1941-1945

OUR STORYNO ARMY HAS EVER DONE SO MUCH WITH SO LITTLE

The Philippine Islands were in totality, unprepared for war. Despite the Japanese

superiority in manpower and weapons, the Fil-American forces held out for 5 months. By holding the Japanese forces at bay for this period of time, it gave the United States

time to send manpower and armaments to Australia. Essentially, the Philippine Defenders saved Australia from being invaded by the Japanese Imperial Army. The

troops in the Philippines were knowingly sacrificed in order to assist England in its war with Germany. Subsequently, those courageous troops in the Philippines became

prisoners of war and were severely mistreated and utilized as slave labor by the Japanese government. 11,107 Americans died in Japanese prisoner of war camps from

malnutrition, starvation, decapitation, torching, vivisection, and lack of medical attention, among other causes of death, in violation of the 1907 Hague Convention,

Laws and Customs of Wars, and the 1929 Geneva Convention relating to prisoners of war.

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Few Supplies

Death March

Overwhelmed General King Surrenders Death March Malnutrition Malnutrition

Slave Labor

Decapitation

Planning Defense of Philippines President Roosevelt & April 1941 Winston Churchill

Although the United States had maintained military forces, including a substantial number of indigenous units, in the Philippines since their annexation in 1898, the islands were largely unprepared for hostilities with Japan. This unpreparedness was the result of several factors. As signatory of the Washington Naval Treaty in

1922, the United States agreed, in exchange for limitations on Japanese shipbuilding, to halt construction of any new fortifications in its Pacific possessions.

For the Philippines, this meant that only the islands near the entrance of Manila Bay, mainly Corregidor, were well protected. Similarly, the act to grant the

Philippines commonwealth status in 1935--with independence scheduled for 1946--meant that the defense of the islands had to devolve gradually on the Philippine

government despite its limited resources.Listen to Mr. Jackfert

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 1941

GeneralMarshall &

StaffPlanning

Defense OfPhilippine

IslandsApril 1941

BATAAN

Reflecting these realities, the U.S. Joint Army and Navy Basic War Plan ORANGE, last updated in April 1941, limited defense of the islands to Manila

Bay and critical adjacent areas. If attacked, the U.S. Army garrison was expected to withdraw to the Bataan Peninsula, a tongue of land on Luzon

forming the northwest boundary of Manila Bay, and to the island of Corregidor. The plan did not envision reinforcement of the Philippine garrison. With a small army committed to continental defense, and a

general agreement that in the event America went to war it would adopt a defeat Germany first strategy, the U.S. military had reluctantly concluded

that the Philippines must be sacrificed if the Japanese attacked.Listen to Mr. Jackfert

WAR PLANS APRIL 1941

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Speech To Congress Declaring WarOn The Japanese Empire On December 8, 1941

Listen to President Roosevelt

Edward Jackfert, Past National Commander American Defenders Of Bataan & CorregidorOur nation seems to have forgotten to recognize those distinguished heroes who fought so gallantly defending the Philippine Islands at the outbreak of World War II. Their story must be told because of their courage and their heroism. Their victory was measured in their survival, and in maintaining their faith and loyalty to our nation, when the reward for maintaining loyalty was continued starvation and death. Their strong heart, great spirit, and unyielding faith served as an inspiration to the rest of the nation. They placed their

honor before anything else, even before a whole self. They absorbed with their bodies the blows that were intended for our nation and its people and they sacrificed their own

freedom for the freedom of the world. And finally, they returned from the service, regained their rightful place in society and strengthened their families, their communities, and our nation through their example of courage. Our nation owes them a debt of gratitude that

can never be repaid---they must not, and should not be forgotten.Listen to Mr. Jackfert

On September 11, 1940, Jackfert enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, was schooled in aircraft

maintenance and immediately assigned to the 28th Bomb Sqd., 19th Bomb Grp, Clark Field, Philippine Islands.

Survived the Japanese attack on Clark Field on December 8, 1941. Evacuated to Bataan on Decembe 24, 1941 and then reassigned to Mindanao, where he was placed in an

infantry status and was located when General Wainwright surrendered all forces in the Philippines on

May 10, 1942. The next three years and four months were spent as a prisoner of war of the Japanese Imperial Army, severely mistreated and utilized as a slave laborer. Was

discharged from the Air Corps in April 1946 and matriculated at Bethany College, where he received a

degree in Economics after three years of study.

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Employed as a Special Agent with the Internal Revenue Service, working primarily in the fields of corruption of public officials and organized crime,

retiring in 1977. Was elected Commander of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Inc. in 1984 and then again in the year 2000. Currently the treasurer of the group and chairman the litigation and

legislation committees of that organization.This program has been an introduction to the story of the Defenders of the Philippine Islands from

December 8, 1941 to the end of World War II on August 15, 1945. It is a story of courage, loyalty, wisdom and patriotism. The following pages in this

website reveal much of what they suffered in defending our nation and being mistreated by the Japanese Imperial Army as prisoners of war. This site is an

educational tool for all to peruse and utilize to prevent such incidents ever recurring again. There is much to be learned from the information on this

web site. All the information contained in this web site is stored at the Brooke County Public Library, Wellsburg, WV official repository for the

American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor, Inc.Contact Mary Kay Wallace, official head of the this project at 304-737-1551.

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