The fires over Manila finally ceased burning as the winds of change swept them away.
In the months following the assault, the German Army drowned the ruins in a tidal wave of steel and concrete, rebuilding what they had burned and demolished with almost divine efficiency.
The occupying force provided relief, stability, and order to the city they had shattered, and in doing so, the locals held opinions of them that were equal parts hatred and reluctant admiration.
On one hand, the Germans were enemies brought to their shores by the Americans, and were only doing their best to deny their own enemy a foothold in the region.
But on the other hand, their onslaught had been relentless and brutal. Civilian casualties were often, if not always, disregarded in pursuit of overwhelming tactical and strategic victory.
