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Corregidor: The Rock Force Assault
"The two-week battle for Corregidor was complicated by the American's gross underestimation of enemy expecting a few hundred demoralized defenders, they encountered more than 6,000 Japanese soldiers and marines deployed in tunnels and caves, every man dedicated to the Bushido code that dictated a fight to the death. As the dust was settling, MacArthur himself came ashore and was greeted by the commander of the victorious U.S. Army troops. 'Sir,' said Col. George Jones, 'I present to you the Fortress Corregidor'--a stirring conclusion to a dramatic and well-told story."--Publishers Weekly
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1988
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About the author
Edward M. Flanagan Jr.
9 books2 followersE. M. Flanagan Jr. is America's leading expert on airborne history. He is the author of many books, including "Rakkasans and" Corregidor. A World War II combat veteran with the 11th Airborne Division in the Philippines, he commanded troops at all levels up from company to field army during his thirty-six-year career. Flanagan retired from active duty in 1978 as a lieutenant general. He lives in Beaufort, South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 3, 2024
A very comprehensive work, probably not for everyone as Gen. Flanagan goes into a level of detail that may be very off-putting to casual readers, but to the nerdier type who wants a play-by-play retelling of the historical events, it proves a wonderful resource.
January 24, 2022
In the early months of American involvement in World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States suffered many defeats. None was more significant than the loss of the Philippines with the four-month-long siege of Bataan and Corregidor and the aftermath. The treatment of the sick and starving American prisoners after their surrender by the Japanese served as a powerful motivator for American forces to extract revenge.
Corregidor was an island fortress in the Bay of Manila that controlled sea access to the city of Manila. It was extremely well constructed and had it been possible to re-supply the fort, the defenders could have held out for a longer time. Yet, once isolated, it was only a matter of time before the commander was forced to surrender to the Japanese.
While the background history of American involvement in the Philippines and the events before the Japanese attack are covered, most of the ink is used to create a detailed description of the American attack that retook the island. Flanagan is very detailed in describing the units that participated in the attack, their commanding officers, the mode of attack and the heroic actions of individual soldiers. Most of the Japanese chose a suicidal attack rather than surrender, and there were significant American casualties. There would have been more if some very gallant American soldiers had not stood their ground and blunted Japanese attacks.
The most unusual aspect of the American effort to retake Corregidor is that paratroopers were dropped on the island in order to surprise the Japanese defenders. The areas on the island suitable for air drops were quite small and there were experts in the American and Japanese militaries that did not think it could be done. Using precision tactics, paratroopers were able to land on the island and form the spear of the attack. Some of their success was due to luck when the Japanese officer in command on Corregidor was killed early on, so the potential for an early Japanese counterattack was wasted. It is stated very clearly that a Japanese counterattack against the American paratroopers in the first few hours would likely have been successful.
Written in the style of a detailed military history of a battle with precise unit designations, this is a tale of military thinking outside the box in order to retake a fortress held by soldiers that were determined to fight to the death.
Corregidor was an island fortress in the Bay of Manila that controlled sea access to the city of Manila. It was extremely well constructed and had it been possible to re-supply the fort, the defenders could have held out for a longer time. Yet, once isolated, it was only a matter of time before the commander was forced to surrender to the Japanese.
While the background history of American involvement in the Philippines and the events before the Japanese attack are covered, most of the ink is used to create a detailed description of the American attack that retook the island. Flanagan is very detailed in describing the units that participated in the attack, their commanding officers, the mode of attack and the heroic actions of individual soldiers. Most of the Japanese chose a suicidal attack rather than surrender, and there were significant American casualties. There would have been more if some very gallant American soldiers had not stood their ground and blunted Japanese attacks.
The most unusual aspect of the American effort to retake Corregidor is that paratroopers were dropped on the island in order to surprise the Japanese defenders. The areas on the island suitable for air drops were quite small and there were experts in the American and Japanese militaries that did not think it could be done. Using precision tactics, paratroopers were able to land on the island and form the spear of the attack. Some of their success was due to luck when the Japanese officer in command on Corregidor was killed early on, so the potential for an early Japanese counterattack was wasted. It is stated very clearly that a Japanese counterattack against the American paratroopers in the first few hours would likely have been successful.
Written in the style of a detailed military history of a battle with precise unit designations, this is a tale of military thinking outside the box in order to retake a fortress held by soldiers that were determined to fight to the death.
November 6, 2021
Corregidor not only tells the story of the reconquest of the island in 1945, but also gives us some of the history of the island and details its capture by the Japanese in 1942. I was a bit surprised by the fact that 'only' the second half of the book covered the 1945 operations.
With the 1942 part in mind, one can only imagine what it must have been like to be part of the operation reconquering the island. It proved to be more than a handful. Geograpic circumstances, but also the fierce opposition by the Japanese, present in a far larger number than intelligence had shown, made this a tough battle. With a tiny drop zone, high winds and rough terrain every effort was made to minimize lossed during the drop. Everything is described in quite some detail and makes for an interesting read.
The combat operations were, as mentioned earlier, hard and the Japanese again proved to be a cunning foe. And one not easily defeated. It took a lot of on the spot improvisations to take out the Japanese defensive positions. And with their bushido spirit the Japanese soldiers fought on till the end.
Overall the book gives the reader a compelling account of what happened on Corregidor during combat operations early in the war and during its reconquest.
With the 1942 part in mind, one can only imagine what it must have been like to be part of the operation reconquering the island. It proved to be more than a handful. Geograpic circumstances, but also the fierce opposition by the Japanese, present in a far larger number than intelligence had shown, made this a tough battle. With a tiny drop zone, high winds and rough terrain every effort was made to minimize lossed during the drop. Everything is described in quite some detail and makes for an interesting read.
The combat operations were, as mentioned earlier, hard and the Japanese again proved to be a cunning foe. And one not easily defeated. It took a lot of on the spot improvisations to take out the Japanese defensive positions. And with their bushido spirit the Japanese soldiers fought on till the end.
Overall the book gives the reader a compelling account of what happened on Corregidor during combat operations early in the war and during its reconquest.
August 3, 2023
Fantastic book. The best book written covering the loss and recapture of Corregidor in WW II. As a qualified paratooper (173rd Abn Bde (Sep) in Vietnam and an official Honorary Member of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, I salute those valiant personnel in the regiment who with the support
of Navy, Marines, Air Forces and other Infantry forces, took on and defeated the fanatical Japanese.
A magnificently detailed book that describes the full story of this legendary battle .
AIRBORNE....ALL THE WAY!
of Navy, Marines, Air Forces and other Infantry forces, took on and defeated the fanatical Japanese.
A magnificently detailed book that describes the full story of this legendary battle .
AIRBORNE....ALL THE WAY!
April 5, 2016
I've long been wanting to explore Corregidor on a bicycle. Reading this makes me want to double those efforts at planning, and soon. A few pages into the book, you just tune out, get desensitized to the carnage--Japs, GIs, guerillas, even babies. The one thing I expected to read about, having heard about it from some veterans and relatives who experienced WWII, were the cruelty, let alone the presence, of the Japanese army's Korean mercenaries. It has been curiously left out.
October 18, 2022
While the surrender of Corregidor in 1942 is fairly well known, its reconquest by US forces is far less well known despite the dramatic and fearless efforts by the troops who took it back from the Japanese. This book discusses the fall and retaking in a very readable book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews