The Battle for Manila

The book details the thorough destruction of the most beautiful part of Manila which was south of the Pasig river. I was there during the shelling by American forces and the killing and raping by the Japanese marines. Friendly fire killed as many civilians as Japanese atrocities. What is lacking in the book is the perspective of the battle from a Filipino’s eyes. All the examples written by the authors and all the anecdotes are those of Europeans. If 200,00 civilians were indeed killed during the battle, 99% of them were Filipinos! Yet, hardly any Filipino sources were used by the authors. Just look at the photos of the victims: all Europeans!
Rating: 3 / 5

Experienced British military historians add little to existing accounts of the greatest urban battle fought in the Pacific during WW II, judging without evidence, with little original research, failing to utilize most published sources and failing to realize the Japanese defenders had been ordered by Imperial General HQ to fight to the death. My view is based on extensive reading of those sources, talks with survivors and my personal presence at the scene
Rating: 3 / 5

This is a highly detailed account of the bitter fighting which left Manila in ruins. The voice of the book appears to be that of a committee, and it lacks the unified vision and humanity of say, a Cornelius Ryan. The authors seem to be smugly “wise after the event”, bringing modern-day sensitivities to what was essentially a fight-to-the-death city wide bar-room brawl. Nonetheless, it’s a must read if you are planning to go to Manila, where you can still visit the scenes where these vast, and minor, tragedies were played out. Soak in the atmosphere, but ignore the judgmental pronouncements.
Rating: 3 / 5

My mother was born and raised in Manila and met my father there. I grew up hearing these stories first hand and saw the war damage with my own eyes. For myself, my mother, and her family and friends this book was an emotional juggernaut and extremely difficult to read. It’s easy to say in hindsight, that what we did was wrong but, on the other hand when your friends, family and city is raped and mutilated before your very eyes there is no easy solution. History and war is seldom brought to the reading public on a personal level like this. This book personalizes it. The people and places are real. I know they are real. My family was there.
Rating: 4 / 5