*** World War II -- prisoners of war POWs nationsality








Japanese Treatment of World War II POWs: Nationality

Bataan death march
Figure 1.--The Japanese captured 25,000 Americans in the Philippines, mostly after thec surrebder vof Bataan and later Corrigedor. [MacArthur] The brutalization of the Americans and Filipino POWs began in force wih the Bataan Death March. The Japanese forced the Americans and Filipinos who surrendered on Bataan on a grueling march. General Homma ordered that the men who surrendered be moved to Camp O'Donnell in central Luzon, about 100 miles to the north. Information is sketchy. There is no evidence that I know of that Homma intentially ordered a death march, however, it is demonstrable that he was extrodinarily callous and felt no real responsibility toward the welfare of POWs. Healthy troops provided with food and water would not have found this a horendous undertaking to march this distance. The men who surrendered on Bataan, however, were not healthy. The major reason they surrended was they had run out of food and munitions and were starving. Many were sick. Notice the Japabese photographer who has a canteen. The Amerticns and Filipinos were not allowed canteens or access to watar.

The Japanese treatment of POWs in World War II was barbaric. Most of the POWs were taken by the Imperial Army. The Imperial Navy, however, beaved in much the same way with the POWs they captured. Treatment to a large extent was affected by nationality. The most severe treatment was directed at the Chinese who were killed in large numbers by a variety of brutal means. Few Chinese survived being taken prisoner by the Japanese. The numbers of Chinese soldiers captured by the Japanese run into the millions. The killings were conducted in many ways including shooting, burrird alive baynoetting, beheading, medical experimentation, and other methods. This was a fraction of the much larger number of civilians murdered by the Japanese Army. Western POWs were taken in much smaller numbers and usually were not killed outright like the Chinese. American, Australian, British, Canadian, and Dutch POWs were starved, brutalized, and used for forced labor. Most of the over 130,000 Western POWs were taken in the months immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941). The Japanese took 50,000 Australians and New Zealanders at Singapore, 52,000 Dutch and British in Java, and 25,000 Americans in the Philippines. [MacArthur] Of the Euripoean POWs, the Dutch were treted most harshly. We do not understand just why. Perhaos because the Japanese had nohing to fear from the tiny Dutch nation. Other POWs incuded Indians serving with the British and Filipinos seving with the Americans.

Americans

The Japanese captured 25,000 Americans in the Philippines, mostly after the surrender of Bataan (April 1942). Llater more ceere taken at Corrigedor (May 1942). [MacArthur] The brutalization of the American and Filipino POWs began in force wih the Bataan Death March. The Japanese forced the Americans and Filipinos who surrendered on Bataan on a grueling march. General Homma ordered that the men who surrendered be moved to Camp O'Donnell in central Luzon, about 100 miles to the north. Information is sketchy. There is no evidence that I know of that Homma intentially ordered a death march, however, it is demonstrable that he was extrodinarily callous and felt no real responsibility toward the welfare of POWs. Healthy troops provided with food and water would not have found this a horendous undertaking to march this distance. The men who surrendered on Bataan, however, were not healthy. The major reason they surrended was they had run out of food and munitions and were starving. Many were sick.

Australians

The Japanese captured took 50,000 Australians and New Zealanders at Singapore (February 1942).

British


Chinese

The most severe treatment was directed at the Chinese who were killed in large numbers by a variety of brutal means. Few Chinese survived being taken prisoner by the Japanese. The numbers Chinese soldiers captured by the Japanesed run into the millions. The killings were conducted in many ways including shooting, burrird alive baynoetting, beheading, medical experimentation, and other methods. This was a fraction of the much larger number of civilians murdered by the Japanese Army. Western POWs were taken in much smaller numbers and usually were not killed outright like the Chinese.

Dutch

The Japnese captured 52,000 Dutch and British POWs in Java. Of the Euripoean POWs, the Dutch were treted most harshly. We do not understand just why. Perhaps because the Japsnese had nohing to fear from the tiny Dutch nation, occupied by he Germans at the time. Unlike the French in Infochin, the Dutch did try to resist thevJapanese invasion.

French

The French were not immediately taken as POWs when Jpaan launched the Pacufic War (December 1941). France was seen as allinged wih NAZI Germany, Japan's principal ally. The Japanese had sized control of French Indochina in the prelude to the War (!940-41). They allowed Vichy to coninue to administer the colony under Japanese supervision. Thy took various maures such as controlling the food supply. The result was a terrible famine, especially in he north. After the libertion of France, Vichy collapsed and the new French Government ordered the colonial officials to resist the Japanese. They had little capability to do so. As a result, French soldiers and civilians were quickly rounded up and interned.

Filipinos

Filipinos were seving with the Americans when the Japanese invaded. The Filipino Scouts were to be the nucleus of the planned independent Phillipines Army. They fought with the Ametican on Bataan.

Indians

The Japanes cptured Indin Army units, part of the British Forces. This primarily occured in Singapore, but other Indian Army units were captured elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Singapore surrendered (February 1942). Some 40,000 Indian soldiers became Japanese POWs. Most, about 30,000 ,joined the pro-Japabese Indian National Army (INA). This was eventually commanded by Subhas Chandra Bose ho alligned with the NAZIs and Japnese because he believed their offer of indeondence for India was genuine--the Asia for Asisns narrative. BOSe sont most of the War in Germny cooperting with the NAZIs, but rrived in Singapoer ti tak iver leasderhip of the INA. It is difficult to assess the motivation of thes soldiers. om surly believed the Jonses nd their INA puppet leaders. For many it wa oprobbly the better trearment offerd by the Japanese for INA forces as opposed to POW camps. The INA forces remined in Singapore or were dployed to Burma to fight the Allied firces there. The POWs who refused to change sides were sent to transit camps in the Dutch East Indies island of Java--Batavia (now Djakarta) and Surabaya. From there they were shipped off to combat areas where they were set to work as slave labor building military emplacemnts and facilities. The horrors began with the transport. he pOWS were given little wate or food. he men were so closely cramped in hot, fetid conditions that it was almost impossible to lay down. The few suvivors provided horific tales of thir treatment emerrfed even before the war was over. "On the ship that took them to the Admiralties, two thousand were herded below like cttle, wre lloed on ythe hstchwys only once a day." [Times] On another ship, the Japanse told the Army doctior Cpt. Pillay that "water and air were not for prisoners." They had to survive with just two cups of water every day. hey were forced to drink seawater. As a result, many perished before reaching thuir destinations. The destinatioins included New Guinea and the Solomons (New Britain, and Bougainvillea) as well as other islnds. As the War progressed, the Japanese logistical system was unakle to supply and prtoperly feed thur soldiers, esocially in fr flung combt reas like New Guinea and the Solomoms. The Japanese soldiers in New Guinea and the Solomons beegn to starve. So you can imagine how the Indin POWs fared. At the camps, the Japasnese made no distinction between Indian officers nd nen. The slytest infraction of camp rules, lrgelybunintentionl, brought severe punisment, often life-thretening beatings. As the starving men lost their ability to work, they woukd be mrvhed ot of camp and ofren used as live-fire targets to help train green recruits. Those not killed out right were bayonetted. The primary Japanedse base in he South Pcific was Rbul on New Britain. There massive fortifictuins were nuilt for the large Japanese garrison. One report describes condiond there. "At Rabaul, therir normal eorking day was frim 10-12 hours, but bon days when heavy bombing raids were put in by the Americans, they would work 12 to 14 hours. Towards the end, their diet cinsusted of sweet bopotstoes and tpioca. It vwa only stealing livestock and small quntities of rice that he men were able exist. Men caught or evn suspected of stealing food were shot." [Sharma] Much more came out in thear crimes trials after the War. Trils were held t mny locations, including Rabul. Indian readers were horifuied t the details that tricked in from those trils. A Reuters cabled a message to the Times of India "The Japanese Lieutenant Hisata Tomiyyasu found guilty of the nurder of 14 Indian soldiers and of caniblism at Wewak (Mew Guina) in 1944 has been sentenved to death by hanging from Rabaul." [Sharma] Disgracefully, many nationlists grouos in India today idelise Biose bd the INA and refuse to honor the Indian oldiers that bravely defied the Japanese.

Sources

MacArthur, Brian. Surviving the Sword: Prisionors of the Japanese in the Fat East, 1942-45 (Random House, 2005), 458p.

Sharma, Manimugdha S. "Japanese ate Indian PoWs, used them as live targers in WW II,"Times of India" August 11, 2014).

Times of India (May 16, 1944).







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Created: 12:59 AM 2/28/2022
Last updated: 12:59 AM 2/28/2022