Fully illustrated, this study examines the US Army and Japanese troops who fought for control of the Philippine Islands in the climactic months of World War II.

In October 1944 the Sixth US Army landed on Leyte in the Japanese-held Central Philippine Islands, initiating a series of battles that became the largest contest between the US and Japanese armies. Determined to liberate the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur's forces confronted the Japanese troops intent on extracting a bitter price from their adversaries, amid challenging terrain ranging from the urban streets of Manila to the mountains and jungles of Leyte. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, archive photographs, and full-color mapping, this book examines three important battles of the Philippines campaign.

The IJA's 1st Division faced the US Army's 24th Division as it attacked toward the port of Ormoc (Breakneck Ridge, November 5–15, 1944), in a fight that pitted one of Japan's crack divisions against prewar US Regular units. The US 38th Division battled the reinforced 39th Infantry Regiment at Zig Zag Pass (January 31–February 15, 1945), an action that saw a relatively green US division facing IJA veterans located in highly defensible terrain. Finally, Gregg Adams examines the battle for the Ipo Dam (May 19, 1945), where the veteran US 43rd Division fought the Kawashima Force. This absorbing study casts light on the fighting men on both sides.