'Bataan: The March Of Death' by Stanley L. Falk
Mar 10, 2021 11:04:28 GMT 8
Karl Welteke, chadhill, and 1 more like this
Post by beirutvet on Mar 10, 2021 11:04:28 GMT 8
'Bataan: The March Of Death' by Stanley L. Falk
Written and published in 1962, when accounts and memories were still fairly fresh in the minds of the survivors who were interviewed, this is a quick read and an interesting primer for the subject. It does not go into the kind of detail that we have come to expect from books on this subject, but it does have some interesting qualities. It tries to give an account not only from the USAFFE point of view but also from the Japanese side. Without making excuses it gives explanations as to the psychology of the average Japanese soldier and why absolute cruelty would easily surface in his dealings with an enemy.
The book examines many aspects of The March and even attempts to give the benefit of the doubt to both sides in that examination to try and construct a true account of the events and the reasons why.
It tells the story of unbelievable barbarism and accounts of Japanese soldiers treating their captives with respect as well. It just comes down to the command structure of each unit involved with conducting The March. And even then the dichotomy of behavior within the same unit defies description. One account is of the unit believed to have committed the Pantingan River Massacre, the Japanese 65th Brigade slaughtered 350 to 400 Philippine officers and NCOs of the 91st Philippine Army Division. Yet there is no other accounts of any mass murders such as this ever occurring on The March. They went on to guard other marchers with a fair degree of respect.
As I said the book does not make excuses for what the Japanese did. Appendix A even Quotes Japanese army regulations for treating prisoners of war. In Article 2 it states: "Prisoners of war shall be treated with a spirit of goodwill and shall never be subjected to cruelties or humiliation."
The Japanese had ample opportunity to correct everything that went wrong during this period but seemed unwilling to do so. There was even a suggestion by General King, who surrendered the force on Bataan. He wanted to use what was left of his rolling stock to transport the prisoners to wherever the Japanese directed. Without question the first ones transported would have been the most ill and incapable of walking that great distance. In the end his proposal was not even considered.
The book concludes as follows:
"For the Americans and Filipinos of the Luzon Force who suffered through the difficult fighting on Bataan, April was indeed "the cruelest month." Sick, Starving, exhausted, they entered the vale of captivity and met a horror they never foresaw.
The agony they endured, the death they often welcomed were not deviously and maliciously planned. Instead they were the result of four tragic conditions.
The first was the incredibly low physical state to which the the Bataan defenders had sunk by April 9, 1942.
The second was the Japanese unpreparedness to receive so many prisoners in such a weakened condition, their inability to do much to improve this condition, and their unwillingness to accept General King's solution.
The third was the cruelty and callousness of the individual Japanese soldier, whose training, instinct, and experience stifled the Western virtues of mercy and understanding.
The fourth, and perhaps the most important, was the failure of Japanese leadership.
Taken alone, any of these conditions might have been overcome. Together they produced the brutal, disorganized movement that has come to be known as the Death March."
So even after examining the situation from both sides, I was glad to see the author place the blame for the corpus delicti squarely at the feet of the Japanese, which is exactly where it belongs. The book kept coming back to that central theme of a failure of leadership of the Japanese army.
This used book also had an inscription, it reads; "To Ed - from Dad - Christmas 1962". Another mystery, this man and his son, Ed. Makes you wonder.
Written and published in 1962, when accounts and memories were still fairly fresh in the minds of the survivors who were interviewed, this is a quick read and an interesting primer for the subject. It does not go into the kind of detail that we have come to expect from books on this subject, but it does have some interesting qualities. It tries to give an account not only from the USAFFE point of view but also from the Japanese side. Without making excuses it gives explanations as to the psychology of the average Japanese soldier and why absolute cruelty would easily surface in his dealings with an enemy.
The book examines many aspects of The March and even attempts to give the benefit of the doubt to both sides in that examination to try and construct a true account of the events and the reasons why.
It tells the story of unbelievable barbarism and accounts of Japanese soldiers treating their captives with respect as well. It just comes down to the command structure of each unit involved with conducting The March. And even then the dichotomy of behavior within the same unit defies description. One account is of the unit believed to have committed the Pantingan River Massacre, the Japanese 65th Brigade slaughtered 350 to 400 Philippine officers and NCOs of the 91st Philippine Army Division. Yet there is no other accounts of any mass murders such as this ever occurring on The March. They went on to guard other marchers with a fair degree of respect.
As I said the book does not make excuses for what the Japanese did. Appendix A even Quotes Japanese army regulations for treating prisoners of war. In Article 2 it states: "Prisoners of war shall be treated with a spirit of goodwill and shall never be subjected to cruelties or humiliation."
The Japanese had ample opportunity to correct everything that went wrong during this period but seemed unwilling to do so. There was even a suggestion by General King, who surrendered the force on Bataan. He wanted to use what was left of his rolling stock to transport the prisoners to wherever the Japanese directed. Without question the first ones transported would have been the most ill and incapable of walking that great distance. In the end his proposal was not even considered.
The book concludes as follows:
"For the Americans and Filipinos of the Luzon Force who suffered through the difficult fighting on Bataan, April was indeed "the cruelest month." Sick, Starving, exhausted, they entered the vale of captivity and met a horror they never foresaw.
The agony they endured, the death they often welcomed were not deviously and maliciously planned. Instead they were the result of four tragic conditions.
The first was the incredibly low physical state to which the the Bataan defenders had sunk by April 9, 1942.
The second was the Japanese unpreparedness to receive so many prisoners in such a weakened condition, their inability to do much to improve this condition, and their unwillingness to accept General King's solution.
The third was the cruelty and callousness of the individual Japanese soldier, whose training, instinct, and experience stifled the Western virtues of mercy and understanding.
The fourth, and perhaps the most important, was the failure of Japanese leadership.
Taken alone, any of these conditions might have been overcome. Together they produced the brutal, disorganized movement that has come to be known as the Death March."
So even after examining the situation from both sides, I was glad to see the author place the blame for the corpus delicti squarely at the feet of the Japanese, which is exactly where it belongs. The book kept coming back to that central theme of a failure of leadership of the Japanese army.
This used book also had an inscription, it reads; "To Ed - from Dad - Christmas 1962". Another mystery, this man and his son, Ed. Makes you wonder.