Japanese and Prisoners Of War
Image taken from wikipedia.org
In 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. This was the beginning of a huge move that was about to take place all over the pacific. Wake Island was invaded, as were numerous other island along with the Philippines. General MacArthur, who was in charge of the military forces stationed in the Philippine islands ordered the relocation of all troops to the Bataan peninsula. With their backs to the ocean, the outnumbered Americans had to fight on with the little supplies they had.
With the Japanese taking control over all the islands, the American soldiers had no choice but to surrender to the Japanese forces. They could no longer fight, were out of food, and the U.S. military was not sending them any reinforcements. Hoping that this surrender would present less casualties than there already were, General MacArthur’s forces surrendered, yet the General himself escaped to Australia, vowing to return one day.
The American and Phillipino troops who surrendered were denied any privaleges guaranteed to them under the rules of the Geneva Comvention. The Japanese viewed surrender as a disgrace. They were trained to fight on until the death, so the them these cowards were the lowest form of life on earth. The captors were subject to daily tortures, including beatings, mass killings, and starvation.
The Japanese took their weakened prisoners on a brutal 60 mile forced march towards Prisoner of War camps. Any prisoner who fell down or out of line was bayoneted or shot. Barely any food was provided and many died on which has now become known as the Bataan Death March. The main camp they were gathered in was known as Cabanatuan. All able-bodied prisoners were then transported to different areas of Asia to be used as forced labor.
As for the prisoners who were left at Cabanatuan, their life was one of misery and cruelty. They lived in a constant state of hunger, torture, and fear. Many lost their lives from disease and starvation. The Japanese were of no help to the prisoners. The morale and feeling of hope dwindled over a period of three years when finally American forces under the command of General MacArthur landed in the Philippines as Lingayen Gulf. It was the largest landing ever undertaken in the pacific war.
The plan was to take the Philippines out of Japanese control within a few months. However, the challenge was also getting the prisoners out safely. The fear was that when the Japanese were faced with a retreat from American forces, they would execute the prisoners in order to not leave any evidence. A plan was organized rather quickly. Soldiers from the elite 6th Ranger Battalion were called on for this extraodinary task.
Under the command of Lt. Col. Henry Mucci, the plan was to walk through Japanese lines before the main allied force was on the move, and rescue prisoners from the camp then bring them back safely. This plan seemed like a suicide mission to the casual observer. Yet under the leadership of Captain Prince, the Rangers broke into the camp during the night, destroyed the Japanese garrison stationed there and got all of the bare-boned prisoners out of the camp and back to allied lines.
