On this day in 1942, survivors of the Bataan Death March staggered into Camp O’Donnell in the Philippines. They were the lucky few, if you considered the next few years of captivity to be lucky. The march began on April 9, after the surrender of American and Filipino soldiers in Bataan. Approximately 75,000 prisoners were marched from Mariveles to San Fernando, where they were loaded on trains to be taken to the camp. The march was 65 miles in brutal heat. It lasted 5 days of hell. The men were put in groups of 100. The brutality began immediately, although commanding general Homma had ordered that the prisoners be treated well. Unfortunately, this order went against the Japanese philosophy that to surrender was to disgrace yourself and your family. Most of the Japanese officers and guards did not think the prisoners deserved fair treatment. The abuses were widespread. Early on, in the Pantingen River Massacre, several hundred Filipinos were shot, bayonetted, and beheaded. Any captive found with Japanese money or souvenirs were summarily executed. Gold teeth were knocked out of prisoners’ mouths. The march was a continual stream of abuse. Little food or water was provided. If you tried to drink from a stream, you were killed. Exhausted marchers were bayoneted. Some were buried alive. Other prisoners did the digging and sometimes mercy-killed their mates with the shovel before the burying. The “sun treatment” was when the Japanese forced the men to sit in the hot sun without any head cover. Anyone who begged for water was killed. Passing trucks drove over men lying in the road. Troops riding in the trucks would hit the men. When they arrived at San Fernando, they were sardined into box cars like Jews going to concentration camps. Many died on the way. Dysentery was a major problem. It is estimated that by the time the survivors arrived at Camp O’Donnell, 5,000-18,000 Filipinos and 500-650 Americans had died. After the war, Gen. Homma was executed for war crimes.
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bataan-death-march
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataan_Death_March
https://www.britannica.com/event/Bataan-Death-March/The-march-and-imprisonment-at-Camp-ODonnell
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