The brutal experience of being a WWII POW in the Pacific

The war in the Pacific had begun with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941.

This had brought the United States into the conflict on the side of the Allies.  The Allies, now led by the United States, back fought against the Empire of Japan and its allies, which included Thailand, Manchukuo, and other puppet states.

Ultimately, the war would only end with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively, and the Japanese surrendered on 2 September 1945. 

However, during the years of 1941-5, the Japanese took prisoners for a variety of reasons.

On a basic strategic level, capturing enemy soldiers provided the Japanese military with potential sources of labor and military intelligence.

Since the Japanese Imperial Army was engaged in a vast territorial expansion across Asia and the Pacific, the manpower needed for various construction projects like airfields and railways increased.

As a result, the opportunity to use captured enemy soldiers as a form of slave labor became a potential short-term solution for the Japanese.

In particular, after fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942, over 80,000 British, Indian, and Australian troops were taken into captivity.

This was one of the largest surrenders of British-led military personnel in history.

While Japan was a signatory to the 1929 Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, it did not ratify it.

This meant that even though it was aware of the standards set by the convention, it had not committed legally to abide by them.

As a consequence, the Japanese military often subjected prisoners to brutal conditions, torture, starvation, disease, forced labor, and execution.

In fact, more than 30 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the Pacific theater during the course of the war.

Among the Allied POWs captured by the Japanese were Australians, British, Canadians, Chinese, Dutch, Filipinos, Indians, New Zealanders, and Americans.  

However, the treatment of these prisoners was heavily influenced by the Japanese military code of Bushido.

This emphasized martial valor and considered any kind of surrender to the enemy to be the ultimate disgrace.

Therefore, prisoners of war were often viewed as less than human, unworthy of the basic dignities usually afforded to enemy combatants under international law.

In addition, the dehumanizing view of prisoners also made them subjects for medical experiments conducted by units like the infamous Unit 731, which carried out lethal human experimentation under the guise of medical research. 

One of the most famous events involving the slave labor of prisoners of war was the Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway.

This was a 415-kilometer railway between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), which was primarily built by the forced labor of Allied POWs and Asian laborers.

The conditions on this construction project were horrific and resulted in thousands of deaths.

When soldiers were captured, they were transferred to ready-made camps. Here, the men would be given the barest necessities for survival.

Several POW camps in the Pacific Theatre during World War II gained notoriety for their brutal conditions and the mistreatment of prisoners.

Some of the most infamous include: 

Cabanatuan Camp 

Located in the Philippines, Cabanatuan held over 5,000 prisoners at its peak and was the site of numerous atrocities. It was initially used to house survivors of the Bataan Death March. The conditions here were appalling, with rampant disease and malnutrition. The camp was liberated by American Rangers and Filipino guerrillas in January 1945 in a daring rescue mission. 

Changi Prison 

Situated in Singapore, Changi Prison was initially built to house civilian criminals but was repurposed by the Japanese to detain POWs after the fall of Singapore in 1942. Although conditions were somewhat better compared to other camps, prisoners still suffered from malnutrition, forced labor, and occasional physical abuse. The prison is infamous for the "Selarang Barracks Square Incident", where approximately 17,000 POWs were forced into cramped quarters as a form of collective punishment. 

Sandakan Camp 

Located in British North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia), Sandakan Camp held British and Australian troops at different times. Prisoners were used to construct a military airfield near the camp. Tragically, it became famous for death marches that were characterized by extreme deprivation and brutality. 

Omori Camp 

Situated on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Omori Camp housed both military and civilian prisoners. The camp was known for its harsh conditions, including inadequate food supplies and additional forced labor. Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner and U.S. Army Air Forces officer, was one of its most famous inmates.

Ofuna Camp 

Located near Yokohama, Japan, Ofuna was primarily used for holding officers and non-commissioned officers. It was unofficial and, therefore, not registered with the Red Cross, making it a "secret" camp. Prisoners were often subjected to solitary confinement and were used for forced labor.

The term "Death Marches" in World War II often refers to forced marches of prisoners of war.

The most infamous of these is the Bataan Death March, which took place in the Philippines in April 1942.

Following the surrender of the Bataan Peninsula to Japanese forces, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to march 65 miles to prison camps.

Extreme physical abuse, lack of food and water, and even executions resulted in thousands of prisoners not surviving the march.

Those who fell behind were often bayoneted or shot, and some were even beheaded.

Another notorious example is the Sandakan Death Marches.

In 1945, as the Allies advanced, Japanese forces decided to move prisoners inland from the Sandakan camp to the village of Ranau.

Required to cover a distance of over 160 miles, the prisoners, who were already weakened by malnutrition and disease, had to march without adequate food, water, or medical care.

Of the approximately 2,400 prisoners forced to march, only six survived. The Sandakan Death Marches remain one of the greatest atrocities committed during the war, with a mortality rate that is almost incomprehensible. 

Following the defeat of Japan, the POW camps were liberated. The POWs who survived were still suffering the effects from their malnutrition, injuries, and illnesses.

Many of them also had difficulties adjusting to civilian life after their liberation and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, guilt, anger, or isolation.

Sadly, some of them also faced discrimination or stigma from their own societies or governments for being POWs.