American Troops Move Inland on Luzon

January 1945Photograph

Despite heavy resistance from kamikaze attacks and Japanese artillery fire aimed at the landing fleet, infantry forces came ashore to only light enemy resistance on the beach. Once U.S. troops had successfully landed on the island, MacArthur pushed his forces towards Manila, determined to wrest control of the capital from the Japanese. The climate of the Philippines initially took more of a toll on the Americans than the enemy did, but as they moved closer to Manila the attacks intensified as Japanese forces sought to prevent them from moving into the city. 

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration

American troops moving inland on Luzon, Philippines.