By: HISTORY.com Editors

1942

Troops surrender in Bataan, Philippines, in largest-ever U.S. surrender

Published: November 05, 2009Last Updated: June 30, 2025

On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King Jr. surrenders at Bataan, Philippines—against General Douglas MacArthur’s orders—and 78,000 troops (66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans), the largest contingent of U.S. soldiers ever to surrender, are taken captive by the Japanese.

The prisoners were at once led 55 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan peninsula, to San Fernando, on what became known as the “Bataan Death March.” At least 600 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos died because of the extreme brutality of their captors, who starved, beat and kicked them on the way; those who became too weak to walk were bayoneted. Those who survived were taken by rail from San Fernando to POW camps, where another 16,000 Filipinos and at least 1,000 Americans died from disease, mistreatment, and starvation.

After the war, the International Military Tribunal, established by MacArthur, tried Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the Philippines. He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.

Bataan Death March

By: HISTORY.com Editors

Timeline

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Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on April 9th

1859

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1865

Robert E. Lee surrenders

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1866

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1881

Billy the Kid convicted of murder

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1939

Marian Anderson sings on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

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1940

Germany invades Norway and Denmark

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1945

Anti-Nazi theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer is hanged

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1947

The Journey of Reconciliation—considered the first Freedom Ride—sets out from D.C.

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1959

NASA introduces America’s first astronauts

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1962

Rita Moreno becomes the first Hispanic woman to win an Oscar

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1969

“Chicago Eight” plead not guilty to federal conspiracy charges

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1984

Man attempts to kill wife for money using car bomb

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2003

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2005

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles wed

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