The Massacre Of Manila

The campaign to liberate Manila from Japanese forces began on February 3, 1945, led by US forces headed by General Douglas MacArthur and aided by Filipino resistance fighters. They had expected a swift war; MacArthur even declared that the city had been taken only three days after the invasion began, despite the fact that the most horrific incident of the campaign had only just begun.

For approximately a month, allied troops had to wage a bloody, close-quarters struggle against reinforced Japanese soldiers who were ruthlessly exterminating the city's population behind their lines. Infants were tossed in the air for sport and then bayoneted to death, thousands of people were massacred by beheadings in one building, women of all ages were raped and violently mutilated, and entire families were buried alive after being forced to dig their own graves, among countless other atrocities. One section of town was deliberately set on fire with artillery and incendiary bombs, igniting an inferno that burnt alive everyone caught within.

The suffering lasted until March 3, with 100,000 to 240,000 people killed during the whole conflict. According to bits and pieces discovered on the field, the Japanese force was under clear instructions to slaughter every non-Japanese in the city.

• Year: 1945
• Location: Manila, Philippines
• Deaths: 100,000–500,000 people