Around the time when the infamous bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred, invasions also took place in the Philippines. Japanese forces caused severe damages to the American Air Force and American Pacific Naval Fleet. The American troops on the Bataan Peninsula suffered so many losses that, to prevent a complete slaughter of his troops, U.S. Major General Edward P. King was forced to surrender them. What followed was a horrific event in our history that involved the loss of many lives, an event known as the Bataan Death March.
Once Major General King had surrendered his troops, the Japanese took them captive and forced the POWs to march north to Camp O’Donnell. The troops, already suffering from malnourishment due to low food and supplies, were weak and exhausted. Some soldiers were ill from quickly spreading diseases such as malaria. No matter what condition the POWs were in, the Japanese forced them to march the approximately 100 kilometers to the camp. Those who fell behind were left or executed on the spot. The soldiers were denied food and water for days at a time, and when they were offered food, it was only a handful of rice not fit for eating.
The harsh treatment continued even when the troops that remained reached Camp O’Donnell. Of the 70,000 soldiers that originally occupied the Bataan Peninsula, only 54,000 reached the camp. Once there, some POWs successfully escaped, but many others died from the extreme conditions.
In June 1942, the surviving POWs were moved to a new camp until the Japanese finally surrendered. In April 1946, Masaharu Homma, the Japanese officer who led the death march, was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death.
Timeline of Events
Related Links
The Bataan Death March
Poem about the march
First Person Account
Encyclopedia Definition
A Survivor's Story
Ghost of Bataan (facts)
Mike Weaver Bataan Death March Survivor
