January 9: MacArthur Lands in Lingayen

macarthurOn 9 January 1945, General Douglas MacArthur landed in the Lingayen Gulf of Luzon; an important step in liberating the Philippines from the Japanese.

MacArthur’s father had been Governor General of the Philippines at the turn of the twentieth century. At that time, MacArthur met Manuel Quezon who became President of the Philippines in 1935. That same year, Quezon asked MacArthur to supervise the creation of the Filipino army. On 24 August 1936, Quezon officially made MacArthur a field marshal. However, the first conscripts did not report until 1937.

MacArthur’s position changed on 26 July 1941 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recalled MacArthur to active service; a day on which Roosevelt also federalized the Filipino army. As Commander of the U.S. Army Forces of the Far East, MacArthur remained in the Philippines until he was ordered by Roosevelt—because of the encroaching Japanese forces—to move his headquarters to Australia. When MacArthur left the Philippines on 12 March 1942, he vowed to return to liberate the island; a promise he began to fulfill in October 1944.

In spite of the loss of 5,000 kamikaze pilots and having sunk 34 American ships, the Japanese Imperial Fleet was essentially destroyed in the battle of Lingayen.

To liberate the Philippines for Japanese control, 13,844 American soldiers lost their lives and another 48,541 were wounded. Japanese casualties to hold their positions were more than 250,000.

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The Philippines were conquered by the Spanish in the sixteenth century. They were ceded to the United States in 1898 at the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. In 1935, Quezon began a 10 year transition toward independence; a transition which was interrupted when the Japanese invaded the country in 1942. After being liberated from the Japanese, the transition continued. The Repúblika ng Pilipinás gained full independence on 4 July 1946.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

Photo Caption: General Douglas MacArthur returns to the Philippines on 9 January 1945.



Although Today in History is primarily student written, there are some days when we do not have a student author. You will enjoy another student entry tomorrow.

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