| General Douglas MacArthur's long return to the Philippines finally reached the island of Leyte in October 1944, but the main objective was Manila and the prison camps throughout Luzon. In February 1945, American troops entered Manila and liberated the Santo Tomas Prison Camp, which housed foreign civilians. By the end of February, Manila was in ruins and an estimated 120,000 Filipinos died from fighting and Japanese atrocities. |
