New Books in Military History · Marshall Poe
Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, "The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War" (Oxford UP, 2025)
·1 hr 11 min·5 clips
Why was Manila the first urban battle where Americans and Japanese clashed in World War II?
As heard by us
A careful look at divided command and the human cost of Manila.
The episode treats the Battle of Manila as a study in split command, bad calls, and what happens when a city becomes a battlefield. Yamashita chooses attrition in the mountains after Leyte, while Rear Admiral Iwabuchi Sanji refuses cooperation and drags Manila into its own…
Why you'd press play
You want Manila explained through the split between Yamashita and Iwabuchi.
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