{UAH} 17 Photos That Show How Excruciating The Bataan Death March Really Was

The start of the Communist struggle in the Philippines. In 1942, The American army as well as the entire Philippines armed forces surrendered to Japan after over 10,000 American soldiers were killed in the battle of Bataan. Over 80,000 Allied troops all surrendered at the same time. It was a day of national humiliation for the Philippines. While the allied forces and the Philippines army were surrendering, only one armed group said they would never surrender even an inch of Philippines territory and would fight to last man to defend Philippines sovereignity. These were the Filipino Communists. They formed  THE PEOPLES ARMY AGAINST JAPAN or Hukbalahap Laban Hapon-  shortened HUKS- to resist Japanese aggression and liberate the Philippines from foreign occupation. Comprised mainly of agrarian rebels and militant students from the cities, the communists fought some of the most brutal battles witnessed in the  Second World War. What they lacked for in weaponry, they made up for in bravery, determination and willingness to sacrifice. The Communists eventually  defeated Japan in the war, but were out-manouvred in the post -war settlement when the Americans returned and imposed a puppet government on the country and immediately declared war on the Communists.  Communists have been fighting various shades of American imposed puppet regimes ever since in the longest communist insurgency the world has known.

Bobby

17 Photos That Show How Excruciating The Bataan Death March Really Was

By Gabby Duran

Published January 13, 2018

Updated March 13, 2018

Bataan Death March prisoners were forced to march as they were beaten and stabbed and random, then shot or run over if they got tired.

 

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17 Photos That Show How Excruciating The Bataan Death March Really Was

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In World War II's Pacific Theater, the Philippines was a hotly contested area due to its proximity to Japan and its status as a U.S. Commonwealth. Throughout the war, many a bloody battle was fought there, including the Battle of Bataan.

After a grisly three-month campaign in early 1942 that left around 10,000 American and Filipino troops dead, the Japanese emerged victorious. Nearly 80,000 Allied troops laid down their weapons, making it the largest American surrender in history.

All told, the total number of prisoners was double what Japanese Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma was expecting. Since he lacked the vehicles to move the prisoners elsewhere, he decided to make the prisoners march 70 miles in the sweltering tropical heat. On April 9, 1942, the Bataan Death March began.

With little food or water, the prisoners soon began dropping like flies. Others were made to sit in direct sunlight without helmets or protection. Some were stabbed or beaten at random while others were shot if they asked for water. Trucks would run over those who were unable to continue the march.

After the long march, the prisoners arrived at the train station of San Fernando, where they were forced into boxcars in which temperatures reached heights of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Many prisoners died in the trains.

After disembarking from the train, the prisoners then marched another 10 miles to Camp O'Donnell. At long last, this was the final destination of the Bataan Death March, but not the end of its terror.

Some 20,000 soldiers who'd survived the march and made it to the camp soon died there thanks to disease, sweltering heat, and brutal executions.

Eventually, after Japan's surrender three years later, eight generals, including Masaharu Homma, were all executed for war crimes related to the unforgettable horrors of the Bataan Death March.

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After this look at the Bataan Death March, read up on some of the war's worst war crimes committed by the U.S. and the worst Japanese war crimes as well. Then, see some of the most powerful World War 2 photosand Holocaust photos ever taken.

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