The Military History Club of the Missouri Athletic Club commences its 2025 campaign at noon on Tuesday, January 28 with a return Zoom visit by Chris Kolakowski, Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison, who will speak on Corregidor, the island at in Manila Bay that played such a crucial role in the defense against the Japanese invasion in 1941-1942 and was the scene of heavy fighting during the American return in 1945. The meeting will begin at noon, Central time. For link information, contact Jim Gallen at jmgallen1@juno.com.
Chris has spent his career interpreting and preserving American military history with the National Park Service, New York State government and has served as Director of the General George Patton Museum and Center of Leadership in Fort Knox, Kentucky and as MacArthur Memorial Director in Norfolk, Virginia. He has written and spoken on various aspects of military history from 1775 to the present. He is a contributor to the Emerging Civil War Blog, and his study of the 1941-42 Philippine Campaign titled Last Stand on Bataan was released by McFarland in 2016.
Last Stand on Bataan: The Defense of the Philipiines, December 1941-May 1942. by Chris Kolakowski, author. Publisher: McFarland & Company, March, 2016. Softcover, 220 pages.
From the publisher:
In the opening days of World War II, a joint U.S.-Filipino army fought desperately to defend Manila Bay and the Philippines against a Japanese invasion. Much of the five-month campaign was waged on the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island. Despite dwindling supplies and dim prospects for support, the garrison held out as long as possible and significantly delayed the Japanese timetable for conquest in the Pacific. In the end, the Japanese forced the largest capitulation in U.S. military history. The defenders were hailed as heroes and the legacy of their determined resistance marks the Philippines today. Drawing on accounts from American and Filipino participants and archival sources, this book chronicles these critical months of the Pacific War, from the first air strikes to the fall of Bataan and Corregidor.
"Book Reviews and Awards
'Through extensive research, Kolakowski has adeptly provided a book on military history not only form the tactical and operational level, but also has shown, from a strategic level, how the last stand at Bataan and Corregidor were vital in the final Allied victory in the Pacific'—On Point
'The author’s use of photos is commendable, and they certainly add to his narrative by putting faces to many prominent individuals…. Kolakowski succeeds in telling the story of the desperate, and ultimately futile, fight to defend the Philippines at the outbreak of World War II.'—Army History"
Comments
Hi Scott, thank you for inviting me. I recently videotaped a short segment about the liberation of the Philippines for the National Museum of the Pacific War to celebrate the 80th anniversary of WWII ending. I look forward to hear Christopher Kolakwski's talk on Bataan.