The Philippine Islands during WWII played a major part in many campaigns and operations by both the Americans and Japanese. Invaded in December of 1941 by a Japanese amphibious force, the islands were captured and American General MacArthur made his famous vow "I shall return" to Filipinos. American forces liberated the island after the Naval and island fighting at Leyte at the end of 1944 that preceded the American recapture of Luzon which started on January 9, 1945.

The many parts of the enormous island archipelago were effected by the war both directly and indirectly. Japanese soldiers fought on the island until the end of the war, and some beyond then! See Japanese Holdout site for more information. Cataloging wrecks in such a large area is much harder than for the smaller island groups and chains in other parts of the Pacific. Please submit information on wrecks, dive sites and relics to contribute information in this section. The Philippines gained full independence from the United States on July 4, 1946.