The Fall of the Philippines: The Desperate Struggle Against the Japanese Invasion, 1941-1942

World War II began for the United States with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, followed by the invasion of the Philippine Islands the next day. Unlike the rapid capture of Hong Kong, Wake Island and Singapore, the war in the Philippines lasted for seven months before the unprepared American and Filipino forces--cut off from supplies and fighting with obsolete equipment and without air or naval support--were overwhelmed.

Drawing on diaries and personal accounts, this bo...