Japan's Prisoner of War Camps * (1 Viewer)

[BLReed]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5080519/When-Japanese-used-British-prisoners-target-practice.html

During the war, Japan captured nearly 140,000 Allied military personnel from Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States

These photographs show the barbaric treatment of Commonwealth soldiers after they were captured by the Japanese in the Second World War.
In some of the images, British Indian Army soldiers from the Sikh Regiment can be seen sitting blindfolded with targets on their hearts as troops take aim.
After being murdered by the Japanese soldiers, the British troops were then impaled with a bayonet to ensure they had died during the degrading target practice session.
The Japanese treatment of prisoners in the war was infamously barbaric and this scene from Singapore in 1942 tallies with other instances of their degenerate behaviour.
The pictures were found among Japanese records when Allied troops entered Singapore in 1945 and returned it to British rule.
Tens of thousands of British servicemen died from starvation, overwork, torture and disease in Japan's prisoner of war camps during the Second World War.

 

[semperrandyfi]

And allow us to expand upon other Jap 'niceties'ala Nanking,China.....Doolittle air crew..
Makin raid......Wake Island civilians massacred 43/44? Nice chaps..no?

 

[villagehorse]

Very proud of my dad who was a Japanese prisoner for three and a half years. He died in 1976 at 58 no doubt associated with this event. Robin.

 

[jazzeum]

Very proud of my dad who was a Japanese prisoner for three and a half years. He died in 1976 at 58 no doubt associated with this event. Robin.

He must have been a heck of a person to survive that experience.

 

[farmertony]

I have some family history of this which may be of interest to forum members.Two of my father's elder brothers,FRANK MOFFATT ARNELL and "JACK" JOHN ARNELL,both served in the 2/10th Battalion RAA,part of the Australian 8th Division.Frank was KIA in Malaya and John(who was in hospital with maleria at the time)was captured at the fall of Singapore.He spent time in Changi POW camp and on the Burma railway.Prior to the war they both had been very fit young men who had represented Qld in Rugby Union and Frank had toured with the Wallabies in the late 1930's.On joining the army,John had weighed 14 stone.On returning to Australia in 1945,he weighed just 6 stone(84 lbs) and had to be carried from the boat.He made a good recovery though,married one of his nurses,raised three daughters and died at 92 after having had a distinguished career in the Qld Public Service.However,he had the habit,especially when working by himself,of suddenly singing or talking out loud to himself.With all the insensitivity of a child I once asked why he did this ,to which he quietly replied,"When the bad thoughts come,I sing to drive them away." A form of PTSD I suppose.On another occasion,when I was 8or 9,I saw the movie"The bridge on the river Kwai" and was shocked by the behaviour of the Japanese guards.So ,with my usual insensitivity,I asked him if this was a true representation.With a faraway look on his face he said,"Those Japs in the picture were very kind Japs." I cannot recall his ever speaking bitterly about his treatment or of the Japanese people in general.

 

[Desertkiwi]

I hold very strong views on this subject and won't be committing further, other than to say the below link is an example of Japanese war-crimes gone unpunished.

What the article doesn't mention is that the Japanese have so far refused the event ever took place and therefore have so far refused to inform the NZ Government where the 17x coast-watchers were buried. Most of them were civilian volunteers and not soldiers.

Lest we forget.


https://nzhistory.govt.nz/page/nz-coastwatchers-executed-japanese

 

[Louis Badolato]

I do not now, nor have I ever, had an axe to grind against Japanese or German people. That being said, I have always felt that the Allies were far too merciful in their treatment of Japanese politicians and military personnel. For my money, the politicians and soldiers were all war criminals, and I would have sent them all to the Soviets for interment alongside the Nazis they captured. The Soviets would have meted out a more fitting punishment,

 

[Mirof]

Not only camp :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre

For those who wish it, a maker made a bust of of one of the Brigade Fuhrer... Not for me

 

[Horus]

Two of my Dad's uncles were captured and made POW's during the War, one in what was then part of Germany now Poland where they were forced to dig in coal mines the other in Malaya. I never knew either of them as although they both survived the war it effected them with both having to deal with the demons of that time and it very likely led to their premature deaths.

Steve

 

[hotel3alpha]

All,

Farmer Tony-that was a poignant story and yes as kids we say childish things...because we are kids. I remember some of the "looks" I got from my Father (Korea) and Uncle (Vietnam) when I asked flippant questions about their war experiences. Thankfully, the were just "looks" and nothing more. Funny thing is, now I give "the look" when asked certain questions.

Louis-I wholeheartidly agree that the Japanese were kid gloved in regards to punishment for atrocities. When I was there I read and read as many books as I can find to answer that question. I really did not get an answer until I read a book on the Japanese Torture Unit 731 in Manchuria. Ugh, what a story. I can only say that thier "research" was valuable and the US wanted it. Oh, and for the sake of debate: is it possible that the there were just too many cases of war crimes of the Japanese that it would have taken decades to resolve and McArthur did not want to pursue? Rather forgive and rebuild? Or was there war tribunal "fatigue" after the tribunals in Nurenberg? I don't know, but yeah...kid gloves.

Desertwiki-I understand. I too am frustrated at the past and current lack of ownership (on atrocities) of the Japanese government...Lest we forget.

Semperrandyfi-...and those are the ones we know about. God knows how many un reported incidents happend back then that are lost in history.

On a side note, I read a book about an American Indian who was a POW on the Japanese mainland. For the life of me I cannot remember the title, but the personal experiences he went through were horrendous. Maybe some of you know that book and can help me out with the title.

John from Texas