Chapter V, Retreat, pgs. 205-276 Summary and Analysis

It was after three in the morning when the attack on Pearl Harbor became known. There is some confusion as to what happened in the hours after the attack. MacArthur and others felt that the Japanese wouldn't attack the Philippines and for more than eight hours there was no order to attack the Japanese. The Japanese attacked other installations in Asia as the day went on, including Clark in the Philippines. The attack continued during the week. Most of the United States air fleet was destroyed.The United States Naval fleet departed from the Philippines. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. By Christmas, the Japanese were on the ground in the Philippines.

MacArthur blew up many of the bridges to prevent the Japanese from advancing to Manila. He also told...