Bataan Death March

The Bataan Death March

Kaitlin Walsh

History 348: World War II

Professor Gary Oedewaldt

July 14, 2012

            Over the last few centuries in wartime there have been different examples of abuse and misconduct relating to the mistreatment of the enemy soldier. For World War II the Bataan Death March is a prime example of a gross, perverse and exploitative injustice by the Japanese towards American and Filipino soldiers.

              The Bataan Death March followed the grueling Battle of Bataan fought between January to May of 1942. For the United States, the Battle of Bataan turned from a strong defense against the invading Japanese on the beaches north of Manila to a retreat deep into the heart of the Bataan Peninsula where they would fight a last stand in hopes of lasting long enough for a rescue from the United States Navy. General Douglas MacArthur commanded the forces at the Battle of Bataan and it was contested that, “he or any other general could [not] have prevented the outcome in the Philippines but his errors and those of his subordinates put his forces at great risk from the beginning.”[1] During the early defensive part of the battle MacArthur’s mistakes were his, “underestimation of the Japanese, [his] overestimation of the capability of the Philippine army, [his] failure to stockpile supplies north of Manila when he abandoned the original defense plans, and [his] disregard for the Japanese force in the south doomed his defensive plans to failure.”[2] These mistakes led to the retreat onto the Bataan Peninsula. Other mistakes MacArthur made were, “His indecision about the positioning of aircraft resulted in most of them being destroyed…the fact that his forces did not have an adequate stockpile [of] the supplies needed [to] defend Manila…[and] he failed to maintain effective contact or control of the forces in Bataan.”[3] “General Douglas MacArthur’s, “role in the Battle of Bataan demonstrated his unique leadership style: when he was good, he was very, very good, and when he was bad, he was horrid.”[4] Although a valiant effort was made by the U.S and Philippine forces, defeat was inevitable and on April 9, 1942 under Major General Edward King’s orders, they surrendered. Russell A. Grockett recalls the surrender, “When the surrender came, men were waiting in huddled groups. Many weeping unashamedly, Filipino and American alike.”[5]

            On April 10, 1942 only one day after the defeat, the Japanese forces transferred almost 80,000 POW’s (about twelve thousand American troops and an estimated sixty-eight thousand Filipino troops) sixty-two miles on foot to the rail station and then six miles by train to Camp O’Donnell. The Death March was a blood bath leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. An important thing to note is that the Japanese had no respect for men who would rather surrender than to die in battle. This is one of the main reasons the treatment of the soldiers was so harsh on the Death March. The Death March was not just a long line of 80,000 men. They were grouped into sections of about three hundred men and taken one at a time. Alf R. Larson (who departed on April 12, 1942) recalls the first scene of brutality on day one of his march, “On the first day, I saw two things I will never forget. A Filipino man had been beheaded. His body lay on the ground with blood everywhere. His head was a short distance away. Also, there was a dead Filipino woman with her legs spread apart and her dress pulled up over her. She obviously had been raped and there was a bamboo stake in her private area. These are instances I would like to forget.”[6] There are lines in war that should not be crossed and during the Bataan Death March the Japanese crossed too many to count. Alf R. Larson’s first sight of brutality was only the beginning.  

            Larson goes on in his interview to mention what a typical day was like for the soldiers on the march, “We walked all day. At night, the Japanese took us to a field to sleep. You would lie down and pass out right there.”[7] Larson talks about the “Oriental Sun Treatment” which was a punishment for the POW’s in which they would be forced to sit smoldering in an open field for hours on end with the hot sun beating down on them and no shade to protect them. Some of the soldiers had helmets but some of the others were not so lucky. Often when soldiers were captured all of their possessions would be taken including their supplies and uniforms. Food was also scarce for the soldiers; some groups were given one to two rice balls (about the size of golf balls) for the entire six-eight day journey. Japanese soldiers also cooked food in front of the POW’s and ate it while they watched. It was often that there would be fresh springs nearby that the Japanese would drink from, however, they would not allow the POW’s time to stop and drink. Richard Gordon recalls the water shortage for the soldiers, “Others dying for water, would prostrate themselves along the side of the road and drink water from puddles. All this water was contaminated with flies and fly feces and brought on death from dysentery. Thousands of Filipinos and several hundred Americans died this way. The Japanese beat any who attempted to break ranks and obtain water, killing a number of them in the process.”[8] Gordon also recalls seeing his dead battalion commander, “I passed my battalion commander, Major James Ivy, and he had been tied to a tree and he was stripped to the waist and he was just covered with bayonet holes. He was dead obviously. And he had bled profusely. He had been bayonetted by many, many bayonets. And that's when I knew we had some troubles on our hands.”[9] Often times men in high power in the military would be killed in a brutal way and left on display to set an example by the Japanese to show their victory over the U.S. and Filipino forces.

            Captain William Dyess recalls the growing ferocity of the Japanese soldiers throughout the march, “they were no longer content with mauling stragglers or pricking them with bayonet points. The thrusts were intended to kill.”[10] Alf R. Larson recalls American soldiers being buried alive, “They were buried alive in slit trenches, which we used for bathroom facilities. When the trenches were almost full, the Japanese would take a detail of prisoners to fill them up with dirt. On one occasion I saw a soldier who had diarrhea really bad and went to the bathroom. After he finished, he could barely get up. He slipped and fell backwards into the trench. The Japanese ordered the prisoner detail to cover him up right there, which they did. They had no choice!”[11] Larson ends his interview with, “Once the march started, everything just sort of froze in my mind. I was pretty numb the whole time. I didn't think and I didn't feel. I was like a robot and just kept moving. Other than daylight or dark, I lost all track of time. I had to blank everything out and focus straight ahead. I lived from day to day, in fact, hour by hour. The only thing I thought about was the moment and, "The good Lord willing, I'll get through the day."[12]

            Russell A. Grockett remembers the March vividly. Helmets, canteens, and abandoned packs lined the road, “Occasionally, they would pass a naked corpse, the face swollen and covered with maggots. The body stiff and beginning to blacken in the intense heat.”[13] For laughs, the Japanese soldiers would push Americans and Filipinos off of cliffs. Grockett recalls the treatment of the Filipinos even worse than the Americans, “Young girls were pulled out of ranks and raped repeatedly. Anyone who resisted was shot.  Frightened mothers would rub human dung on their daughters' faces to make them unattractive to the guards.”[14] Grockett remembers large tractors running over the men, women, and children left for dead on the roads. Once Grockett reached the camp he faired a little better than others: he was prepared. He scuffed up his shoes, watch, and other small items so the Japanese would have no need for them. He also sewed almost two thousand dollars into his jacket which bought food and medicine while in the camp. Grockett was also moved to coal mines via the “Hell ships” in October 1942 where he stayed until the Japanese surrender in 1945.

            Elias Coloma was a Filipino soldier that lived through the Death March. He remembers the ride on the train to Camp O’Donnell, “No one could sit down, there was no place to defecate, no bathroom, nothing, it was so hot and so filled that some people died on their feet.”[15] On the way to the camp where Coloma would be a POW, a Filipino civilian pulled him out of line and snuck him into the crowd. Eventually, Coloma found his way home where he regained his strength and rejoined the fighting as a guerrilla soldier. He then joined the American army where they promoted him and when the war was over brought him over to America where he retired in 1962 as a Master Sergeant. His family urges him to talk about his time in the war so people will know what a hero he was. One thing is for sure, he was certainly a survivor.

            Alf R. Larson recalls his time at Camp O’Donnell, “What a miserable place. Because of the conditions, American prisoners died like flies!”[16] He mentions that they had nicknames for the guards like, “the Scarecrow, the One-Armed Bandit, the Snake, and the Toad…the damn Japanese commandant, who was nicknamed "The Scarecrow," was a real SOB.”[17] He talks about how they were made to stand out in the sun for hours on end while the commanders loomed at them from platforms above. Most Japanese soldiers did not speak English so some POW’s would bow and say, “Good morning, Shit Face,” most times they wouldn’t understand what you were saying but if they did, you were in big trouble.[18] There were rumors daily from people on work detail talking about relief from allies and the Red Cross; men would go crazy listening to them. The Japanese would torture the men in the camps by turning off their water supply, “When they wanted to harass us, the damned Japanese would shut the thing off for no reason! They would leave it off for hours at a time. You would have to stand there and wait for them to turn it on again.”[19] Larson mentions the etiquette of the camp, “You bowed. And you better bow! They would club you if you didn't.”[20] They ate a gruel compiled of rice and water to thin it out, so it would pour easily, once a day. There were no medical tents in the camp so when you got sick they sent you to the “death ward” where you stayed until you died. The Americans and the Filipinos were separated into different camps. The Filipinos had even worse conditions than the Americans and were dying like flies. Eventually the Japanese began to pardon them so they could go home. Sleeping conditions were harsh, “There wasn't enough room in the barracks for everyone. If you weren't in a barracks, you slept right out in the open. If it rained, you got wet!”[21] There was nothing to do all day so they sat around with men they knew before the march and mostly kept quiet. Eventually Camp O’Donnell was closed because of the inadequate facilities. Alf R. Larson was transported to Clark Field after ten days at Camp O’Donnell and he was very happy to leave.

            Another man at Camp O’Donnell was John Mims who is still alive today. His story at the POW camps is a little more gruesome than Alf Larson’s. Mims was so weak when he finally reached the camp, the Japanese soldiers beat him and hung him up from a yard rail. Mims said, “My feet wouldn't touch the cement and my hands were tied behind my back. My neck broke in three places, but the good Lord spared me.”[22] Mims was eventually transferred to Clark Field where he regained his strength and tried to escape. Mims was unsuccessful in the escape and the Japanese caught him and broke both of his legs with a bulldozer. He recovered once again and went to work for the Japanese in a coal mine, “near Japan, traveling by a "hell ship." Of the 3,000 prisoners who left, only 500 survived.”[23] He was still a POW when the Japanese surrendered in 1945. Mims said that they just let all of the POW’s go; to fend for themselves until American help could arrive to pick them up. Luckily, Mims could speak Japanese and wanted to live to tell his story, and the story of his friends, so he held on until help arrived. Mims ended the interview with, “Fortunately, the good Lord loved some of us, but He took a lot of my buddies.”[24]

            Almost ninety percent of my findings on the Bataan Death March portrayed the Japanese soldiers as horrible people. On the contrary, one story I found on the Stars and Stripes webpage told a different story. The interview recalls the Bataan Death March from the point of view of an eighteen year old American Soldier named Richard Francies. During the Bataan Death March, he was so tired he found a bush to lie in for a few moments while he regained his strength. A Filipino man saw him hiding in the bushes from fatigue and left only to bring back a Japanese medic. Francies thought he was a dead man. Instead of killing Francis on the spot like so many others, he gave him a shot (Francies was never sure what the shot contained, morphine perhaps) that allowed Francies to carry on. Francies told the interviewer, “That shot probably saved my life.”[25] An interesting point Francies brings up is the fact that when the soldiers got home from the Bataan Death March (those that survived) many people didn’t believe their stories, “When we came home, people didn’t believe us, they told us, ‘no group of men could be treated that badly.’ So we stopped talking.”[26] When soldiers bottle up their experiences and do not talk about them, they often find themselves faced with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Many of the men who survived the Bataan Death March found themselves faced with this tragic disorder. However, there were people who knew the atrocities were true and it sparked true outrage in the U.S. Coupled with the anger still being felt from the attack on Pearl Harbor Americans wanted revenge.

            In 1946 after the fall of Japan Lieutenant General Homma was charged as a War Criminal for his participation in and during the Bataan Death March. He was executed. There were also several other officers that were directly involved with mistreating soldiers as well as giving orders to mistreat soldiers who were executed soon after. Smaller sentences (between 5-25 years in prison) were given to members of the Japanese army who were indirectly involved with the Bataan cruelty.

            In reading survivor stories I have noticed one common denominator for the men who lived to come home: Japanese racism. For example, when asked about the cruelty of Japanese soldiers, Alf Larson said, “I'll tell you, everything you have read or heard about those little yellow slant-eyes happened on the march!”[27] Political correctness would determine this sentence as racist; however considering what these men went through, is it justified in their eyes? This was also during a time when racism meant less harm that it does now, or should I say less people cared about political correctness? We will never truly understand exactly what the American and Philippine forces went through on the eighty mile trek to Camp O’Donnell and the world is never solely in black and white. There are shades of grey that can encompass all manner of feelings. It wasn’t until May 2009 when Japan finally issued a formal apology for the soldiers, “We extend a heartfelt apology for our country having caused tremendous damage and suffering to many people including prisoners of war, those who have undergone tragic experiences in the Bataan peninsula the Corregidor Island, Philippines and other places.”[28] In my opinion it was too little too late. Sixty-seven years after the atrocity took place the Japanese finally wanted to apologize for the Death March? They did not even go into detail about what they were sorry for which begs the question…Do they even know what happened? Do they care? If I was a survivor of the Death March I would also find it difficult to forgive such heinous acts on myself, my fellow survivors, and those that didn’t make it home.

            The Bataan Death March left a large legacy behind. Albert Brown was the oldest survivor of the Bataan Death march and he died at the age of 105 on August 16, 2011. There was a monument constructed in Las Cruces New Mexico in April 2001 that was dedicated to the victims of the Death March. There has also been an Annual Bataan Memorial Death March every year since 1989 in New Mexico to remember those that made it home and to those that were left behind. There are also several monuments in the Philippines dedicated to the memory of the Bataan Death March.

            The Bataan Death March has been a very difficult topic to research not because there is a lack of information but because of the stories that are told. I have read over fifteen firsthand accounts on the Death March and they seem to hold worse and worse information. There are also thousands of pictures on the subject that absolutely must be incorporated in study because they allow you to see a part of history that you would never be able to see yourself for text alone. Throughout this research I feel like I have gotten to know a few certain soldiers, Alf R. Larson especially. I count myself lucky that men like Alf and so many others fought for our country and died for our country. I will never forget the soldiers who risked their lives and died trying to make it home. I will never forget the Filipino men and women who tried to help the soldiers on the march by giving food and water. I will never forget.

We're the Battling Bastards of Bataan,

No Mama, No Papa, No Uncle Sam,

No aunts, no uncles, no cousins, no nieces,

No pills, no planes, no artillery pieces,

And nobody gives a damn!

-Frank West Hewlett

U.S. American Journalist during WWII
Elias Coloma

 Alf Larson

 Richard Gordon

 John Mims

Richard Francies

Russell A. Grockett

The Bataan Death March

Surrendering

 Getting ready to March

 Marching

 Dead POW's

In Remembrance for the fallen soldiers during the Bataan Death March and the whole of WWII

Bibliography

American Experience. Capture and Death March. (Accessed July 12, 2012).             http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/sfeature/bataan_capture.html.

Aviles, Elaine. "Bataan Recalled." Airman 45, no. 7: 38. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost          (Accessed July 12, 2012).

Berg, Tom. Interview with Elias Coloma. Death March Survivor finally tells story. The Orange     County Register. May 16, 2012. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/coloma-354477-says-      one.html

Burgess, Lisa. Veteran recalls horrors of Bataan Death March: Richard Francies. Stars and            Stripes. May 30, 2004. Accessed July 12, 2012). http://www.stripes.com/news/veteran-        recalls-horrors-of-bataan-death-march-1.20427

Cervone, John P. "Remembering the Bataan Death March." Military History 16, no. 5        (December 1999): 30. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed July 12, 2012).

Grockett, Estelle. Tweleve Hundred Days: Russell A Grockett’s story. Accessed July 13, 2012.             http://home.comcast.net/~rgrokett/POW/contents.htm.

Las Cruces Convention and Vistors Bureau. Bataan Death March Memorial. (Accessed July 21,   2012). http://www.lascrucescvb.org/html/bataan_death_march_memorial.html.

Murry, Williamson and Allan R. Millet. A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War.        Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000

National Museum of the US Air Force. “Bataan Death March.” (Accessed July 12, 2012.)                   http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=15183.

National Museum of the US Air Force. “Imperial brutality: Bataan death march.” (Accessed July             12, 2012.) http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3667.

Oedewaldt, Gary. Week 3 Summary. Week 4 - The Allied Fight for Survival in Europe. Posted     May 5, 2012 6:45AM.

Peterson, Rick, “The Bataan Death March: Interview with Alf R Larson” Composed by Rick       Peterson. (Accessed July 12.      2012.) http://www.bataansurvivor.com/content/the_bataan_death_march/1.php

Udenans, Vija. Japan Apologizes for Bataan Death March. May 30th, 2009.             http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7717227&page=1.

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. Annual Bataan Memorial Death March.    (Accessed July 12, 2012). http://www.bataanmarch.com/default.htm.

Wheeler, Lydia. Interview with John Mims. Bataan Death March survivor story at memorial         walk. Hampton Roads. April 15, 2012. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/bataan-death-      march-survivor-shares-story-memorial-walk

Photo Bibliography

Berg, Tom. Interview with Elias Coloma. Death March Survivor finally tells story. The Orange     County Register. May 16, 2012. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/coloma-354477-says-      one.html

Brooke County Public Library. Richard Gordon POW. Accessed July 14, 2012. http://philippine-            defenders.lib.wv.us/html/gordon_richard_bio.html.

Burgess, Lisa. Veteran recalls horrors of Bataan Death March: Richard Francies. Stars and            Stripes. May 30, 2004. Accessed July 12, 2012). http://www.stripes.com/news/veteran-        recalls-horrors-of-bataan-death-march-1.20427

Brooke County Public Library. Richard Gordon POW. Accessed July 14, 2012. http://philippine-            defenders.lib.wv.us/html/gordon_richard_bio.html.

Brooke County Public Library. Richard Gordon POW. Accessed July 14, 2012. http://philippine-            defenders.lib.wv.us/html/gordon_richard_bio.html.

Wheeler, Lydia. Interview with John Mims. Bataan Death March survivor story at memorial         walk. Hampton Roads. April 15, 2012. http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/bataan-death-      march-survivor-shares-story-memorial-walk

WWII Letters. Blogspot. Accessed July 14, 2012.    http://wwiiletters.blogspot.com/2009/01/bataan-death-march-1942-photos.html,

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[1] Gary Oedewaldt, Week 3 Summary, Week 4 - The Allied Fight for Survival in Europe, Posted May 5, 2012 6:45AM.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Williamson Murry and Allan R. Millet, A War to Be Won: Fighting the Second World War, (Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000), 185.

[5] Elaine Aviles, Bataan Recalled, Airman 45, no. 7: 38, MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost, (accessed July 12, 2012).

[6] Alf R. Larson, “The Bataan Death March”, Composed by Rick Peterson, accessed July 12, 2012, http://www.bataansurvivor.com/content/the_bataan_death_march/1.php.

[7] Ibid.

[8] John P. Cervone, Remembering the Bataan Death March, Military History 16, no. 5, MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost, (accessed July 12, 2012).

[9] American Experience, Capture and Death March, Accessed July 12, 2012, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/sfeature/bataan_capture.html.

[10] National Museum of the US Air Force, “IMPERIAL BRUTALITY: BATAAN DEATH MARCH,” (Accessed July 12, 2012.) http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3667.

[11] Alf R. Larson, “The Bataan Death March”, Composed by Rick Peterson, accessed July 12, 2012, http://www.bataansurvivor.com/content/the_bataan_death_march/1.php.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Estelle Grockett, Tweleve Hundred Days: Russell A Grockett’s story, Accessed July 13, 2012, http://home.comcast.net/~rgrokett/POW/contents.htm.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Tom Berg, Interview with Elias Coloma, Death March Survivor finally tells story, The Orange County Register, May 16, 2012, http://www.ocregister.com/articles/coloma-354477-says-one.html.

[16] Ibid.

[17] Ibid.

[18] Ibid.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Lydia Wheeler, Interview with John Mims, Bataan Death March survivor story at memorial walk, Hampton Roads, April 15, 2012, http://hamptonroads.com/2012/04/bataan-death-march-survivor-shares-story-memorial-walk.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Lisa Burgess, Veteran recalls horrors of Bataan Death March: Richard Francies, Stars and Stripes, May 30, 2004, Accessed July 12, 2012, http://www.stripes.com/news/veteran-recalls-horrors-of-bataan-death-march-1.20427.

[26] Ibid.

[27] Alf R. Larson, “The Bataan Death March”, Composed by Rick Peterson, accessed July 12, 2012, http://www.bataansurvivor.com/content/the_bataan_death_march/1.php.

[28] Vija Udenans, Japan Apologizes for Bataan Death March, May 30th, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7717227&page=1

The Tet Offensive

The Tet Offensive

            The Tet Offensive was a surprise attack on the United States Army (US) and the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) by the Viet Cong (VC) and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) during a “cease fire” agreement. The cease fire agreement was a halt in fighting due to the important Vietnam holiday Tet, the beginning of the lunar new year.¹ Over 84,000 VC and NVA soldiers attacked five of the six largest cities, thirty-six of the forty-four provincial areas, and sixty-four of the two-hundred and forty-two district capitals making it one of the largest attacks by either party up until this point in the war.²  Even though the U.S and ARVN were taken by surprise they were able to fight back quickly using their superior fire power and mobility allowing the attackers no time to secure any of their positions.³ In this essay I will give my assessment of the Tet Offensive as well as what I think could have been done differently to avert the negative domestic political effects in America that resulted from the attack.

            When you look at a basic summary of the Tet Offensive you may assume it was a failure for the VC and the NVA. They had a few major goals for the attack. Firstly, they wanted to destroy the ARVN and bring down the South Vietnamese government. Secondly, they assumed that their attack would bring uprising by the South Vietnamese toward the South Vietnamese government in the North’s favor. Lastly, once the South Vietnamese government fell, the United States would no longer have a reason to stay in Vietnam and they would pull out of Vietnam leading the way towards an independent and unified Vietnam.⁴ When you see those basic goals for the Tet Offensive you may think it might have been a failure because none of those things were achieved by the offensive alone, however, some other very important things were achieved by the offensive that the VC and the NVA did not count on. Media coverage of the event spread like wildfire across America. Americans were surprised that the enemy could have mounted such a major military effort all over South Vietnam that caught the Allies by surprise. It shattered all illusions of impending American victory in the war.⁵ How could an “almost dead” VC and NVA launch such a large military operation covering so much of South Vietnam? People all over America started to think that the war with Southeast Asia was a stalemated war at best.⁶ Another important point that the Tet Offensive made was that it gave the anti-Vietnam War movement a serious boost in credibility. More and more people were beginning to flock to the idea that being involved in this unwinnable war was a bad idea from the start. Like many other things that came before it, the Tet Offensive should have been a sign to the United States that the VC and the NVA would stop at nothing to win the war and their vision of a free and independent unified Vietnam.

            It is never easy to determine what the result of a situation could have been had America chosen a different path. Perhaps if the Johnson Administration had been more forth coming about events in Vietnam America would not have been so shocked when North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive. Having said that, if the Johnson Administration had been so forth coming about the direction of the war, the support for the war could have been way down by the time the Tet Offensive was even launched. At the end of the day nothing truly could have altered people’s feelings of the Tet Offensive in a positive way. The Vietnam War was unwinnable even with the mighty United States on South Vietnams side and people saw that.

            Overall the Tet Offensive did not accomplish exactly what the VC or the NVA wanted but it did provide one positive outcome for them: increased anti-war sentiment in the United States. There was no way the United States could turn this offensive into a true win for America because of the political effect it had on the American people.