Special Sub-Topic: Bataan - Beginning to End Click Here To Play: Bataan - Beginning to End

What was the name of the American General who surrendered Bataan to the Japanese?

Edward King. General King surrendered Bataan despite orders to continue the fight. He knew that to continue to fight meant the slaughter of thousands of his men who were cornered, with no help on the way. His act of surrender was heroic in that he violated orders, knowing he would be courtmartialed after the war, and he did not consult any other officers, including Wainright and MacArthur, so that they would not share in the blame.

Washington knew that Bataan was a lost cause, but continued to give the men fighting there false hope by pledging that food, medicines, and ammunition were on the way. Who stated the famous farce, 'Help is on the way', in a report written directly to troops on January 15, 1942?

General MacArthur. MacArthur maintained this false optimism until President Roosevelt ordered him to leave his bunker in Corregidor because defeat was imminent. MacArthur left the Phillipines sorrowfully, but pledged that he would return. He did so, of course, but unfortunately too late for many of the men in Bataan.

When Bataan was surrendered, did Corregidor surrender as well?

n. Although Corregidor was a separate island, militarily the two were considered one and the same. At first the Japanese refused to accept the surrender of Bataan without the inclusion of Corregidor. However, General King was eventually able to persuade them during negotiations. Corregidor, under General Wainright's command, surrendered about a month after the fall of Bataan.

Why was the surrender of Corregidor so militarily important to the Japanese?

It allowed them to control Manila Bay. Corregidor was located directly in the center of Manila Bay. Its surrender meant the Japanese could have free reign over the finest natural harbor in Asia. Without Corregidor, holding Manila Bay was futile because their war and merchant ships could not come and go freely.

Which section of the Japanese army fought against the men in Bataan?

14th Imperial Army. It was the 14th Imperial Army under General Homma's command that defeated the Americans and prompted the second biggest surrender in American history.

General Homma led the Japanese army that defeated the Americans in Bataan. What was he nicknamed by his countrymen?

the poet general & ' the' poet general. He was nicknamed this because he often wrote verse during battle. He was a very introspective, mild-mannered man often chastized by his superiors for moving too slowly. He was very tall for a man of that time, standing 6'2". Homma was eventually tried for war crimes in the Phillipines and convicted. Although he was not even aware of most of the atrocities that occurred during the Bataan Death March, he alone bore the brunt of the blame. He was executed by firing squad in 1946.

What was the major factor that led to the collapse of General Homma's initially humane plan for the POWs?

His men underestimated the number of prisoners. Homma was a kind man and sincerely wanted to treat his prisoners kindly. However, when he formulated his plan for what to do with them, he based it on bad information. His intelligence scouts estimated that there would be around 40,000 Filipino and American prisoners. In actuality, over 100,000 people surrendered. Therefore, all of his calculations for food, housing, and medicine were out by around 60,000 people. Ultimately, the Japanese did not have the resources to care for this many people and things quickly spiraled out of control.

Thousands of prisoners died during the Bataan Death March - so many that if they were spaced out equally, there would have been a body every 20 yards along the 75 mile route. What did the prisoners call this journey, that was later dubbed the "BDM" by the press?

The hike. The prisoners referred casually to the horrific experience simply as 'the hike.' It was later referred to by the press as the Bataan Death March.

Before being dispersed to various prison camps, to what place did all of the prisoners march?

Camp O'Donnell & Camp O`Donnell. Everyone passed through Camp O'Donnell on their way to other prison camps. Prisoners said the squalor of the place was unimaginable and the worst they experienced their whole time in captivity. Built to house around 9,000 people, the Japanese had close to 75,000 people coming in and out at one time. Disease in Camp O'Donnell was rampant and there was no medicine to be had. More prisoners died here than in any other camp.

The largest prison camp, once the prisoners were subsequently moved became Cabanatuan because it was only 4 miles from a large city. What was the name of the city?

Cabanatuan City. A large number of Japanese troops were massed in Cabanatuan City, therefore making the camp conveniently close to troops passing through on their way in and out of the city. Cabanatuan City is the capitol of Nueva Ecija province.

Some of the guards at Cabanatuan were extremely brutal towards their captives. Men were killed for the simplest of actions. What was the preferred method of murder for the Japanese towards the end of the war?

Beheading. While many prisoners were shot, most were beheaded because the Japanese wanted to save precious ammunition that was becoming scarce. Men were beheaded for so little as taking a sip of water without asking permission from a guard. For mass executions, the guards would tie prisoners together and then systematically behead them one by one. The guards also, but less frequently, disembowled prisoners.

Even more than the Japanese, the prisoners' worst enemy in captivity was disease. Medicine was almost non-existent in Cabanatuan and men died by the thousands of easily treatable diseases. What is the name of the disease that caused many of the mens' limbs to swell to many times their normal size?

Beriberi. Along with beriberi, the men suffered from malaria, diptheria, STD's, dysentry, and a variety of other diseases. With simple medicines, the lives of thousands of men could have been saved.

The death rate of American POW's in German prison camps was 4%. What was the death rate of POW's in Japanese camps?

27%. The death rate in Japanese camps was a mind-boggling 27%! The tropical diseases coupled with the brutality of the Japanese army led to this horrible result.

When the tide of the war began to turn in favor of the Americans again, what did the Japanese do with the healthy prisoners?

Sent them to Japan. When it was obvious that MacArthur was reclaiming the Phillipines, the Japanese began to send droves of healthy prisoners to Japan so that they could work for the Imperial Army, which was preparing for the homeland invasion. They left only the weakest and most decrepit prisoners behind.

When MacArthur finally landed on Luzon, he told General Krueger to push towards Manila at all costs. On the way, an American leader of a Filipino guerilla group came to Krueger with some disturbing news about Cabanatuan. What was the name of this American guerilla?

Robert Lapham. Robert Lapham intercepted Krueger and told him of the 500 or so prisoners still wasting away at Cabanatuan. He feared that the closer Krueger got to Manilla, the more likely the Japanese would massacre the remaining prisoners, as they had been doing elsewhere. It is upon Lapham's guerilla's information that Krueger based his decision to send a rescue mission to Cabanatuan.

The Japanese had been massacring entire prison camps as the enemy drew nearer. The American guerilla leader told Krueger that the men of Cabanatuan would suffer the same fate if nothing was done. Krueger decided to send a top secret rescue mission to Cabanatuan. What group of men did he decide to send?

6th Ranger Battallion. It was specifically C company and one platoon from F company of the 6th Ranger Battallion. The Rangers were an elite squad trained in stealth battle techniques and survival skills. They were assisted by 2 guerilla groups who provided invaluable assistance during the operation.

Who was the head of the group who attempted the rescue mission at Cabanatuan?

Henry Mucci. Colonel Mucci was Krueger's first choice for the mission. Mucci was a small, strong man and his Rangers admired him. He was thrilled to recieve a mission of such importance, despite the extreme danger. He and the Rangers had to march 30 miles across enemy territory, overrun the camp and evacuate 500 sick prisoners, some who could not even walk, and then escort them 30 miles back to safety.

A group of men stationed in the nearest barrio (town) to Cabanatuan scouted the camp for intelligence vital to the rescue mission. What was the name of this group of scouts who provided the intelligence of the camp?

Alamo Scouts. These Alamo scouts had a very difficult time recovering information about the inside of the camp because they could only get within about a mile from the camp at ground level. The mission was inoperable without detailed information of the inner workings of Cabanatuan, so 2 of the scouts risked their lives slinking accross an open field, in full view of the guard towers, dressed as local Filipinos and climbing into a hut that was up on stilts. From there, they could see the entire camp. Thus, they were able to provide the information to Mucci and the raid was able to go on as planned.

How did the rescuers plan to transport those prisoners who were too ill to walk back to safety?

Carabao. The guerilla leaders were able to round up many locals who were willing to use their own carabao and carts to transport the prisoners. These locals risked their lives and the lives of their families to help men they did not even know. Most of the Filipino people were extremely loyal to the Americans and stood on the side of the road, many in tears, as the parade of POW's passed through the barrios. Locals would hand them food and clothing and wish them well all throughout the march.

Was the rescue mission successful?

y. The mission was successful, with startlingly few casualties. Few were injured and 2 Rangers were killed during the raid. The Rangers showed unparalleled bravery and kindness towards their countrymen who had been through an unimaginable ordeal. They had been captive for 4 years and they were all that remained of the thousands of Cabanatuan prisoners. Many of them weighed only 90 pounds when they left the camp. Rangers gave them the clothes off their backs and sometimes carried those who could no longer walk. As the trail of ex-POW's walked to freedom the Rangers formed a tight circle around them, vowing to let no harm come to the men they risked their lives to rescue.