A detailed and fascinating exploration of the combined 1945 assault by the US, land, naval, and air forces, aiming to liberate Corregidor and other Japanese-held islands in Manila Bay from a determined and well-entrenched enemy. The islands guarding the entrance to Manila Bay, Luzon, had been occupied by the Japanese in May 1942. In February 1945, American forces returned and closed in on Manila from the north and south, facing fierce Japanese resistance. A combined aerial and amphibious assault was planned to capture the largest island, Corregidor, using the reinforced 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment and elements of the 24th Infantry Division and 2nd Engineer Special Brigade. Their opponents were over 6,000 Japanese soldiers who had recently been removed from Bataan, where they had been cut off by advancing American forces. General MacArthur wished the island, once a symbol of American defiance, to be gracefully liberated. This highly illustrated work explores the ambitious American assault on Corregidor, which included the most dangerous and daring parachute drops in aeronautical history, as well as intense and desperate battles by the defenders as they tried to prevent the American forces from capturing the island. It also covers the recapture of other islands defending Manila Bay: El Fraile/Fort Drum, Caballo, and Carabao.