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Bataan Death March (SS 101)

The document summarizes the Bataan Death March that occurred in 1942 after the surrender of American and Filipino forces in the Philippines to the Japanese. Over 76,000 prisoners of war were forced to march over 66 miles to Camp O'Donnell prison camp over 5-10 days, suffering inhumane conditions and abuse. Many prisoners did not survive the march. It also provides background on Japan's invasion of the Philippines in 1941-1942 and the fall of US and Filipino forces under General Douglas MacArthur.

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Steven Conejos
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82 views2 pages

Bataan Death March (SS 101)

The document summarizes the Bataan Death March that occurred in 1942 after the surrender of American and Filipino forces in the Philippines to the Japanese. Over 76,000 prisoners of war were forced to march over 66 miles to Camp O'Donnell prison camp over 5-10 days, suffering inhumane conditions and abuse. Many prisoners did not survive the march. It also provides background on Japan's invasion of the Philippines in 1941-1942 and the fall of US and Filipino forces under General Douglas MacArthur.

Uploaded by

Steven Conejos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BSIT-1ST YEAR Philippine History (SS101)

THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH (1942)

According to the documentary created by Simple History. The 9 TH of April 1942


after the subsequent surrender of the American and Filipino forces against Imperial
Japan, the Japanese ordered 76,000 Prisoners of War (POWs) to march to the Camp
O’Donnell Prison Camp. Accounts of the total distance of the march vary but it was
approximately 66 miles or 106 kilometers on foot. During the march that lasted five to
ten days depending on when the prisoner joined, the allied prisoners of war suffered
inhumane conditions and severe maltreatment from the Japanese soldiers whom many
of them would never reach the final destination. The reason Japanese forces wanted to
seize the Philippine Archipelago is because of its geostrategic importance of controlling
Southeast Asia, which will give the Japanese forces an advantage against the Allied
forces in the Pacific Theater. On 10 th of December 1942 Japanese troops have landed
In the Philippine Archipelago though the main offense started on 22 nd of December
1941. The Philippine Archipelago was defended by no more than 150,000 from the US
and Filipino armies under the command of American General Douglas Macarthur who
was a Lieutenant General at that time.

General Macarthur’s mistake of abandoning the previously made defense plan


called WPO3 or War Plan Orange, a plan to concentrate troops at Manila Bay and
deploy troops along the entire coastline of the Archipelago, jeopardized the whole
Philippine Archipelago allowing the Japanese 14 th Army to capture most of the country
by the end of December. As the US and Filipino Army facing imminent defeat, the
troops withdrew to the area of Bataan peninsula that extended into Manila Bay and the
battle of Bataan began of the first week of January 1942. Bataan defenders showed
fierce resistance against the enemy forces but it wasn’t enough, the defense was
prepared hastily and the allied forces were extremely low on supplies. February 1942,
as Japanese forces tightened their grip on the Philippines, President Roosevelt ordered
MacArthur to relocate to Australia. On 13 th of March 1942, General Douglas Macarthur
promised his troops that “I shall Return” and repeated this afterwards. Exceeding their
expectations, the Japanese captured a total of 76,000 which caused multiple logistical
problems for the Japanese. With this the horrifying journey of US and Filipino Prisoners
of War starts to unfold.

The past of human civilization is plague with wars, centuries of bloodshed and
turmoil in every region of the globe. World War II is a war of greed and misfortune
caused by the powerful nations that want to expand their influence and power. Millions
of people lost their lives trying to survive the disaster of war. Our veteran’s fierce
resistance against their adversaries is proof of their dedication to protect the freedom of
our people but even soldiers have their limits. The subsequent surrender of the US and
Filipino Army is understandable, it is to give them another opportunity to live and fight
another day when the time comes. However, the war crimes committed by the Imperial
Japanese pushed them to their breaking point. I was shocked and dismayed knowing
how the Japanese inhumanely treated the prisoners of war. 10 Days the Japanese
Army tormented the soldiers as if they were living in Hell. The reality of war is gruesome
and should not be romanticized, the hardships our veterans experienced were not in
vain as we are the living proof of their sacrifice.
REFERENCE

The Bataan Death March (1942). (2021, January 21). [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OFH1Mglr-c&ab_channel=SimpleHistory
Wikipedia contributors. (2021d, March 28). Douglas MacArthur. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_MacArthur
Wikipedia contributors. (2021b, January 19). Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic-Pacific_Theater#:%7E:text=The%20Asiatic
%2DPacific%20Theater%20was,operational%20commands%20in%20the%20Pacific.

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