This tour is a comprehensive assessment of the defence and recovery of the Philippines and Douglas MacArthur’s inextricable relationship with those islands. We visit Manila, where we find the haunts of American and Spanish colonial past; we trace the heroic resistance on the Bataan peninsula; explore the lynchpin of its defence on the little rocky island of Corregidor; and follow the route of the ensuing cruel Bataan Death March to internment. At Red Beach outside of Tacloban we will stand in MacArthur’s footsteps on Red Beach where he proclaimed, “I have returned”, walk those beachheads and follow the breakout up to Breakneck Ridge. Returning to Luzon we stroll along the Lingayen Gulf beaches and drive into the mountainous jungle terrain tenaciously defended by the Japanese. And like MacArthur our visit to the island ends with an approach to Manila stopping en-route at the scene of ‘The Great Raid’, the audacious liberation of POWs at Cabanatuan, and at the Manila internment camp at Santo Tomas.

Travel will be by road, sea and air: be prepared for some long days, travel along uneven roads and the infamous Manila traffic. Whilst we will be staying at The Manila Hotel, elsewhere we will stay at the best available.

“The days of frontal assault are over”. So said Douglas MacArthur on 26th July 1944 as he assiduously planned for his ‘return’ to the Philippines some three years after he had escaped them. He had anticipated ending his life in the forlorn defence of Bataan, the last bastion of his beloved islands, but instead in March 1942 Roosevelt instructed him to direct the defence of Australia and build a Southwest Pacific Army with which to take the fight to the Japanese. Initial blunders aside, through a series of skilful amphibious assaults, feints and leapfrogging strongpoints that would “wither on the vine” he had wrested control of New Guinea and its outlying islands by the middle of 1944. Combining ULTRA intelligence, his own prescience and meticulous planning, he then embarked on a masterly six-month campaign of manoeuvre reminiscent of that of Napoleon which would fulfil his promise to “return” and liberate the Philippines, one that contrasted sharply with the direct approach of Nimitz’s Marines in the Central Pacific. In the face of an overwhelming Japanese army of occupation he would conduct seaborne landings which were comparable in scale to that of D-Day in Normandy: first on Leyte and then three months later at Lingayen Gulf. While the fighting on Luzon would continue until the end of the war, by March 1945 he was back in Manila, although a suicidal defence by Japanese sailors would ensure that the city was no longer the one that he had once known.

Day 0. Outward Travel.
Overnight flight from London to Manila airport or make your own arrangements to join the tour at our Manila airport hotel on Day 1.

Day 1. Arrival.
Arrive Manila and transfer to our airport hotel. If you are making your own way to Manila, rooms will be available from 14:00. The tour commences at 18:30 with an introductory talk over drinks followed by dinner. (D)

Day 2. Bataan.
Follow the belated implementation of War Plan Orange: the vital Calumpit bridge; delaying actions around Baliuag, Plaridel and along the Pampanga River; the First Line of Defence memorial; the Battle of the Pockets along the Orion-Bagac Line; the stunning vista from atop Mt Samat; walk the first kilometre in Bagac from KM0 to KM1 to the Japanese Friendship Tower. Continue to Mariveles for two nights. (B,L,D)

Day 3. Corregidor.
Travelling by traditional banca we spend the whole day exploring the fortress island known as ‘The Rock’. Visits include the Malinta Tunnel, the Memorial Museum, Mile Long Barracks and the many memorials and remnants of fortifications. (B,L,D)

Day 4. Death March
Walk the first kilometre of the march from Mariveles. Then visits to: Maj-Gen King’s surrender site and museum at Balanga; San Fernando rail station, the end point of the Death March from where GIs boarded trains to Camp O’Donnell; Clark Veterans Cemetery and the gates of old Fort Stotsenburg. Check-in at the Quest Hotel, Clark Field for one night. (B,L,D)

Day 5. S-Day Lingayen Gulf.
Visit the Capas National Shrine which commemorates Allied soldiers who died on the march, in internment and the famous ‘Battling B’s of Bataan’. Drive to Lingayen Gulf to view the landing beaches of 6 – 9 January 1945. Although the landings were on a comparable in scale to Normandy, incredibly there is little evidence of this momentous event. We explore Lingayen Beach from where we can gaze right across the gulf and visit the Veterans Memorial Park. Continue to Cabanatuan for one night. (B,L,D)

Day 6. Japanese at Bay
Visit the American Memorial and the site of Pangatian POW camp to discuss The Great Raid of 30 January 1945. Admire a fine personal collection of WW2 weaponry and the Japanese Navy command tunnels around Bamban. Thence to Manila Airport hotel for the night. (B,L,D)

Day 7. The Return
Fly to Tacloban and drive to the A-Day landing beaches including MacArthur Landing Park at Red Beach with its iconic statue ensemble. At Palo climb Hill 522 for stunning views of X Corps landings and the breakout fight. Check-in to our hotel situated on the edge of Red Beach for three nights. (B,L,D)

Day 8. Tacloban
Spend the morning in Leyte’s capital visiting the ‘Price Mansion’, MacArthur’s HQ during the battle, the Old Capitol Building and the wonderful colonial Alejando Hotel with is wonderful collection of photographs from the liberation of the island. Enjoy a lunch time cruise on the San Juanico Straits and then return to the hotel for some welcome downtime. (B,L,D)

Day 9. The Battle for Leyte.
Visit Dulag where XXIV Corps came ashore and ascend Hill 120 seized by 96 Div. Drive across the central mountains to the island’s west coast following the Battle of the Ridges, including the staunch defence by 32nd Infantry on Shoestring Ridge and 77 Div landing beaches at Ipsil. Visit the Veteran’s Park, museum and ruined Tan residence in Olmuc. Continue up the Olmuc Valley to Breakneck Ridge with its great views over Leyte Valley. (B,L,D)

Day 10. Los Banos and Tagatay Ridge
Fly Tacloban to Manila and drive to Los Banos, the scene of a lesser known, but no less successful, American raid on an internment camp. Visit the site of Yamashita’s post trail execution. Thence to Tagaytay Ridge to discuss the forgotten drop by 11th Airborne Div. Check in to our hotel which boasts magnificent sunset views over Taal Volcano and its surrounding lake. (B,L,D)

Day 11. Liberation.
Visit Santo Tomas University campus, the major Manila Japanese internment camp, its liberation being prioritised by MacArthur. At De la Salle university visit the scene of the atrocious Japanese massacre of priests and civilians. Subject to permission being granted, take a tour of the US Embassy and the ballroom in which the trial of General Yamashita took place. Check into The Manila Hotel for two nights. (B,L)

Day 12. Battle for Manila.
Explore Intramuros, Manila’s colonial centre, to explore its extant walls and fortifications, despite the virtual levelling of the city in 1945 and explore the dark tunnels and dungeons deep inside Fort Santiago. A walk through the old city passes the poignant 1945 memorial and cathedral. The last visit of the tour is to pay respects to the fallen at the deeply moving Manila American Cemetery. (B,L,D).

Day 13. Home
Return overnight flights home or perhaps extend your stay in The Philippines. (B)