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The Japanese operated many camps in the Philippines. There were about 10 major camps, most located on Luzon. They included: (Los) Baños, Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, Davao Prison and Penal Farm, (Camp) Holmes Internment Camp, (Camp) John Hay, (Camp Manganese--Guindulman Bohol, (Camp) Malolos--Bulcan, (Camp) O'Donnell, Palawan, Puerto Princesa Prison Camp, Santo Tomas Internment Camp. The larger camps like Los Baños and Cabanatuan are well known. They included both POWs and civilians often mixed together. They were primarily for Americans (POWs and civilians internees and Filipino Scouts). Some 20,000 Filipinos and 1,500 Americans are believed to have perished there. Most died from disease and inadequate food, but there were also summary executions and murderous beatings.
Bacolod Internment Camp was located on Negros. Civilians internees were held there. It only operated for a few months. The internees were moved to Santo Tomas in Manila.
Baguio Internment Camp was opened at Camp Holmes/Camp #3. It was located in the Luzon highlands and was a popular vacation spot before the War. The elevation meant that it was healthier location and conditions there were reltively good. It mostly held missionaries, women, and children.
Bilibid in Manila was a prion built by the Spanish (1865). The Americans built a new prison (1936). It was infamous for being the processing camp for the POWs put on Hell Ships transports to labor camps throughout the Japanese Empire. Some civilians were detained there, but it was a rare camp that was not notable for brutality.
Cabanatuan Prison Camp on Luzon is surely the most notorious of the various camps. Cabanatuan became known as the 'Zero Ward'. There was no chance of escaspe. Forced slave labor was part of the camp routine. Starvation, malnutrition torture, and beatings were common. The healthier prisoners were selected for transport on 'hell ship' for hard labor. Filipino guerrillas and American special forces rescued the POWs on the same day the the Americans recaptured Camp O'Donnell.
Davao Prison was built in 1932 by the Americans. There was an attached penal farm. It was a prison for both criminals and anti-American guerrillas. The Japanese used it as the Army's official garrison. POWs were interned there. The Japanese officers in charge of the camp were known to amuse themselves by beheading selected prisoners with their personal swords.
Camp John Hay was another relatively benign camp. There was no forced labor. Many of the internees were women and children. It was also situated in the highlands with favorable health conditions. The camp was built by the Americans in 1903. It was a vacation spot with facilities for about 60 people. The Japanese crowded some 500 mostly civilians into the camp. Conditions gradually deteriorated. The American and other internees were moved to Baguio. And John Hay was used for Filipinos who resisted the occupation.
Los Baños was another university converted into an internment camp. Conditions were livable for the first 2 years of the War (1942-43), but as the war turned against the Japanese and mismanagement of Philippines economy created food shortages, food became a real problem. And the Japanese guards more brutal. Los Baños is best known for the rescue mission undertaken by Filipino and American forces.
Puerto Princesa on Palawan was one of the smaller camps, never more than a few hundred prisoners. As the Allies approached the Philippines, the Japanese marched the American POWs to their own camp and then forced them into a trench, poured in gasoline, and lit it. They shot the men who tried to escape. It is known as the Palawan Massacre. As with the Bataan Death March, there were a few who escaped and reported what had happened. When the Americas invaded and began the liberation of the Philippines, rescuing the POWs and internees before the Japanese could kill them became a high priority.
Santo Tomas was a university in Manila. The Japanese converted it into a prison for mostly civilians. Thousands of mostly civilians were confined with their families in the camp. They were mostly Americans, but there were also some British, Dutch, and other civilians. Conditions were terrible, especially the lack of food. The Japanese did allow the prisoners a community garden.
The Japanese operated many camps in the Philippines. There were about 10 major camps, most located on Luzon. They included: (Los) Baños, Bilibid Prison, Cabanatuan, Davao Prison and Penal Farm, (Camp) Holmes Internment Camp, (Camp) John Hay, (Camp Manganese--Guindulman Bohol, (Camp) Malolos--Bulcan, (Camp) O'Donnell, Palawan, Puerto Princesa Prison Camp, Santo Tomas Internment Camp. The larger camps like Los Baños and Cabanatuan are well known. They included both POWs and civilians often mixed together. They were primarily for Americans (POWs and civilians internees and Filipino Scouts).
Some 20,000d Filipinos and 1,500 Americans are believed to have perished there. Most died from disease and inadequate food, but there were also summary executions and murderous beatings.
Baguio Internment Camp was opened at Camp Holmes/Camp #3. It was located in the Luzon highlands and was a popular vacation spot before the War. The elevation meant that it was a heather location and conditions there were relatively good. It mostly held missionaries, women, and children.
Bilibid in Manila was a prion built by the Spanish (1865). The Americans built a new prison (1936). It was infamous for being the processing camp for the POWs put on Hell Ships transports to labor camps throughout the Japanese Empire. Some civilians were destined there, but it was a rare camp that was not notable for brutality.
Cabanatuan Prison Camp on Luzon is surely the most notorious of the various camps. Cabanatuan became known as the 'Zero Ward'. There was no chance of escape. Forced slave labor was part of the camp routine. Starvation, malnutrition torture, and beatings were common. The healthier prisoners were selected for transport on 'hell ship' for hard labor. Filipino guerrillas and American special forces rescued the POWs on the same day the the Americans recaptured Camp O'Donnell.
Davao Prison was built in 1932 by the Americans. There was an attached penal farm. It was a prison for both criminals and anti-American guerrillas. The Japanese used it as the Army's official garrison. POWs were interned there. The Japanese officers in charge of the camp were known to amuse themselves by beheading selected prisoners with their personal swords.
Camp John Hay was another relatively benign camp. There was no forced labor. Many of the internees were women and children. It was also situated in the highlands with favorable health conditions. The camp was built by the Americans in 1903. It was a vacation spot with facilities for about 60 people. The Japanese crowded some 500 mostly civilians into the camp. Conditions gradually deteriorated. The American and other internees were moved to Baguio. And John Hay was used for Filipinos who resisted the occupation.
Los Baños was another university converted into an internment camp. It was a camp for civilian internees loataed south of Manila. The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Agriculture and UP College of Forestry were converted into an internment camp. Barbed wire surround clusters of thatched huts. The internees were mostly American, but there were also Australians, British, Canadians, .Dutch, Norwegians, and Poles. There were eleven navy nurses and quite a few missionaries and nuns. There were only a few POWs. Most all of the internees were civilian businessmen, teachers, and bankers along with their families. Conditions were livable for the first 2 years of the War (1942-43), but as the war turned against the Japanese and mismanagement of Philippines economy created food shortages, food became a real problem. A sadistic new deputy camp commander, Lt. Sadaaki Konishi, made the situation especially difficult. The Japanese guards became more brutal. Conditions were so bad that about two internees were dying daily because the Japanese cut the internees rations to starvation levels. This was a deliberate action. There was no lack of food in the area. Ominously, the Japanese were digging trenches outside the camp. Internees in three of the four Luzon camps had already been rescued, but Los Baños was still well behind Japanese lines. Los Baños is best known for the precision rescue mission undertaken by Filipino guerillas and the American 11th Airborne Division forces (February 23, 1945). It was an especially dangerous mission because the Japanese 8th Division some 10,000 men were located close to the camp. The raid was conducted wile the Battle for Manila was raging. For days the internees could hear the guns and the fires at night from the fierce battle. The rescue operation proved to be a perfectly executed three pronged attack. Total surprise was needed lest the 250 Japanese guards turn on the internees. Filipino guerrillas reinforced with a few 11ithDuvision men attacked just as several hundred paratroopers made a low level jump. At the sane time other paratroopers landed on Amtracks just north of the camp. All 2,147 of the surviving internees were saved and only five Americans ad Filipino guerillas were killed. Konishi and a few officers managed to escape. The Camp was evacuated by Amtrack over the nearby lake. Konishi return to the camp after the evacuation. Finding the internees gone, he led the massacre of some 1,500 civilians in the town and surrounding area. He was found guilty of war crimes after the War and hanged. r
Puerto Princesa on Palawan was one of the smaller camps, never more than a few hundred prisoners. As the Allies approached the Philippines, the Japanese marched the American POWs to their own camp and then forced them into a trench, poured in gasoline, and lit it. They shot the men who tried to escape. It is known as the Palawan Massacre. As with the Bataan Death March, there were a few who escaped and reported what had happened. When the Americas invaded and began the liberation of the Philippines, rescuing the POWs and internees before the Japanese could kill them became a high priority.
Santo Tomas was a university in Manila. The Japanese converted it into a prison for mostly civilians. Thousands of mostly civilians were confined with their families in the camp. gey were mostly Americans, but there were also some British, Dutch, and other civilians. Conditions were terrible, especially the lack of food. The Japanese did allow the prisoners a community garden.
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