Reception: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. CT | Event: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. CT

This event is free and open to the public. Register today to join us in person or to view the event online.

Join us in conversation with historian Nicholas Evan Sarantakes, author of The Battle of Manila: Poisoned Victory in the Pacific War, which offers the first in-depth account of this crucial campaign from the perspectives of the American, Japanese, and Filipino forces.

A reception from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. will precede the event, and Sarantakes will sign copies of his book following the presentation. Preorder your signed copy from the Museum Store.

For additional information, please email Connie Gentry, Conference and Programs Manager, at connie.gentry@nationalww2museum.org.

About The Battle of Manila

In 1945, the United States and Japan fought the largest and most devastating land battle of their war in the Pacific: the month-long struggle for the city of Manila. The only urban fighting in the Pacific theater—and the third-bloodiest battle of World War II—it played a decisive role in the campaign to reclaim the Philippines and break Japan’s remaining strategic power. In The Battle of Manila, Nicholas Sarantakes shows how American troops and Filipino guerillas were forced to adapt to the new combat environment as they fought fierce Japanese resistance, building by building. US units learned on the fly how to use tanks, flamethrowers, air, and artillery assets in support of infantry assaults—firepower that would contribute to the city’s destruction and a catastrophic loss of civilian lives. And while the battle was a strategic US victory, Sarantakes reveals how closely it hinged upon a series of key decisions in both American and Japanese headquarters, as well as the military culture that allowed US forces to adapt faster than their opponents. The Battle of Manila also explores the importance of the Filipino guerillas on the ground, the use of irregular warfare, the effective use of intelligence, the impact of military education, and the limits of Japanese resistance.

About the Author

Nicholas Evan Sarantakes earned a BA from the University of Texas, an MA from the University of Kentucky, and a PhD from the University of Southern California, all of which were in history. He is the author of seven books and is currently writing another on the US Home Front in World War II. He has won five writing awards and three teaching awards.