Back to Bataan The Plans for Opening Manila Bay Although the
seizure of Manila had gained important military advantages for
the Allies, the exploitation of those advantages would be
severely limited until MacArthur's forces also secured Manila
Bay. It availed little to have captured Manila's port, railhead,
and storage facilities if access to those facilities could not
be obtained by sea--even repairs to port and transportation
installations would have to wait until Manila Bay was safe for
Allied shipping. The necessity for developing Manila's base
facilities became more pressing with each passing day. The
Lingayen Gulf beaches and the temporary subbase established at
Nasugbu Bay for the 11th Airborne Division were strained to the
utmost to support Sixth Army. An extended period of bad weather
would make it next to impossible to continue moving supplies
over the Lingayen beaches and down the Central Plains, and the
rainy season was approaching. During the battle for Manila XIV
Corps had cleared the eastern sh