On 16 February, the 1^st Cavalry Brigade (5^th and 12^th Regiments) passed from the 1^st Cavalry Division’s operational control to that of the 37^th Infantry Division for the assault on the central city.  At this point, the 5^th Cavalry Regiment relieved the 148^th Infantry Regiment, and the 12^th Cavalry Regiment continued advancing northward and on 20-22 February cleared the High Commissioner’s Residence, Burnham Green, and the Manila Hotel.  There was a hard fight, floor by floor, for the Manila Hotel, and MacArthur himself appeared on the scene, since he had resided in a penthouse apartment of the Manila Hotel during his former stay in the Philippines.

Dr. Thomas M. Huber