American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay 1898–1945 (Fortress)

This book was in perfect condition and will be a valuable resource as I research my father's service on Corregidor

...this book is somewhat uneven; it is almost implicitly written as a travel guide for those who might wish to visit the remnants of these fortifications and in that regard, the authors' amply accomplish their purpose. In essence, this volume seems to suffer from Osprey's failure to establish a uniform structure for this new Fortress series, leaving it up to the authors to decide what to focus upon. Thus a reader looking for greater detail about the fortifications will find that this volume does not suffice...The authors cover the fall of the Manila Bay fortifications and their recapture in two sections totaling 19 pages. These sections are adequate, but provide relatively sparse detail on the garrisons and critical aspects of the siege...Graphically, this volume is quite appealing. There are five 2-D maps (the Manila Bay environs, the defenses of Manila Bay in 1941, a strategic map in December 1941, the Japanese assault on Corregidor, the American recapture of Corregidor) and two very nice 3-D maps (Corregidor island and Carabao Island). However, none of the maps depict the range fans of the American coastal batteries, which is rather important. The artwork is also excellent and includes cut-away diagrams of Battery Cheney, Fort Drum as well as depictions of Battery Smith in action, Battery Gillespie, and the destruction of Battery Geary. The authors provide a bibliography and two appendices (American coast artillery weapons and a list of batteries around Manila Bay). In sum, this volume is very good in areas that the authors have chosen to emphasize, but it is noticeably lacking in areas that they found less interesting.

excellent book for those interested in WWII

Excellent.

Great overview, obscure historical photos and graphics not great but acceptable. Pre-1941history OK but war history spotty-partly because fortifications did little actual fighting and what records were there didn't survive the surrender or war. History of Philippine Defense more based on post-war anecdotal accounts than accurate and verifiable records. Just concentrate on the graphics and small selection of archival photos supplemented by unsatisfying maps. Philippine Defense a Legend hard to quantify but this book fills in some hard itmes the remnants of which still exist

Excellent book on this subject.

I have spoken to a number of survivors of the fall of Corregidor (May 6, 1942,) and they are all asking me to send them more copies of this book to pass around to their fellow survivors. They contend that it is the only book which shows the island and its batteries as they were in 1942. This is perhaps the best tribute I can give the authors. The book has also proved immensely helpful to me as I continue to collect the oral histories of those who served on Corregidor. Well done!

I had the original "The Concrete Battleship" and I also have the revised issue. The story behind the American capture is abridged as follows: An American officer entered the entrance to the fort demanding they surrender but was shot dead. In a short period of time diesel fuel and satchel charges were inserted into the fort and every one in there got what was due them. Death.Outside of Corregidor and Fort Drum, I have never seen any pictures or stories of the two other forts guarding the entrance to Manila bay, which were Caballo and Carabao. There is an island at the entrance to the channel to Subic Bay/Olongapo. At the time (early-mid 1960's) part of the island was an RR spot where I went spear fishing but a lot of the island was off limits probably due to live ordnance strewn around the coastal defense batteries.While stationed at Subic Bay, I had the opportunity to tour Corregidor and I still have all the picture on 35mm slides. The tunnels had been cleaned up except for one tunnel which had a collapsed roof. I wondered, at the time, whether this was a peace time or war time event. If the roof collapsed prior to the Japanese take over, and the rubble has never been removed, then that certainly would be of historical interest. As you approach the dock (not necessarily the same one MacArthur used to escape by PT boat), to the left was a huge mountain of live ordnance which if lit off would most likely have blown the whole island to bits.