[colorado tanker]

Yamashita's battle plan was to fight the decisive engagement in the mountains of the Northwest, excellent defensive terrain. He did not intend to defend Manila, which had no strategic value and too many mouths to feed.

Subordinate commanders ignored Yamashita's orders and instigated a bloodbath that in the process destroyed most of the old city.

[M1903A1]

Even more complicated than that...the naval commander of Manila had been disgraced for losing his command (the battleship Kirishima) in the Solomons/Gilberts area, and his land assignment was a permanent punishment. He chose to hold the city when Yamashita withdrew, and since there was no concept of joint command in the Japanese military (the Army and Navy were more rivals than peers) Yamashita couldn’t order the naval garrison of Manila (who committed the bulk of the atrocities) to do a thing.

And yet, after the war Yamashita was effectively hanged for something over which he had no control.