Samat (mountain)
| Mount Samat | ||
|---|---|---|
| height | 553 m | |
| location | Bataan Peninsula , Philippines | |
| Coordinates | 14 ° 36 '21 " N , 120 ° 30' 32" E | |
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The Mount Samat is a mountain in the Philippine province of Bataan and location of the Dambana ng Kagitingan or "Shrine of Valor".
Mount Samat, together with the island fortress Corregidor, was the site of the most brutal battle against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Battle of Bataan in 1942 .
After heavy losses against the Japanese all over Luzon , US and Filipino soldiers retreated to the Bataan Peninsula to regroup for one final battle. This withdrawal was part of the US strategy formulated in the War Plan Orange .
After three days of fierce battle, 78,000 exhausted, sick and starving soldiers surrendered under Major General Edward P. King of the Imperial Japanese Army. This was, and is to date, the largest single surrender by US forces. These troops were then led on the Bataan death march .
Today the mountain is a war memorial. On the top of the mountain there is a silent but eloquent reminder to the men who died here in a huge white cross. Together with a nearby war museum, the cross forms a tourist attraction that shows an extensive collection of paintings of Filipino "war heroes" and the weapons used by the US and Japanese armed forces during the battle.