In the Bataan Peninsula of the Philippines, 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers surrendered to Japan during World War II. After this, the Japanese soldiers put these soldiers on foot for 65 miles (about 100 km).
Soldiers on foot (File Photo)
The wounds of the Second World War are such, which have not been healed till date. Millions of people died in this war. One such tragic incident started on this day in the Philippines. Indeed, in the Bataan Peninsula of the Philippines, 75,000 Filipino and American soldiers surrendered to Japan during World War II. After this, the Japanese soldiers walked 65 miles (about 100 km) to take these soldiers to the prison. During this, more than 10 thousand soldiers were killed on the way.
On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the US Navy base Pearl Harbor and destroyed it. A day later, Japan started infiltrating the Philippines. Within a month, the Japanese captured Manila, the capital of the Philippines. During this time, American and Filipino troops were pushed towards the Bataan peninsula. For the next three months, American and Philippine soldiers were held here without the help of the Air Force and Navy. Things got so bad that the soldiers had to face starvation and disease.
Soldiers dared and general surrendered
Without any help, these soldiers were stranded here for months and now their courage was starting to answer. Seeing this, American General Edward King Jr. surrendered with his 75,000 soldiers on 9 April 1942 to Japan on the Bataan peninsula. After the surrender, Filipino and American soldiers were surrounded by Japanese soldiers. Now these detained jawans were forced to complete the 65-mile walk from the Batan Peninsula Marivals to San Fernando. During this time, the heat and humidity was at its peak and the condition of these hostages worsened by hunger and thirst became worse.
On the way there were atrocities on the detainees
The detainees were divided into contingents of 100 by the Japanese army. Each group had to complete this dangerous distance within five days. During this, the command of each group was given in the hands of a soldier on the way. On this way, this soldier made a lot of atrocities on the prisoners. Troubled by hunger and thirst, these soldiers were beaten on the way and the captives were weakened. He was stabbed. Those who survived in this dangerous journey were taken from San Fernando to the captives by train. During this, thousands of other soldiers died due to illness and hunger.
More than 10 thousand prisoners died
This incident is remembered as Bataan March. Thousands of prisoners died in this entire march. When information was shared about the death on the way, it was very shocking. More than 10,000 prisoners died in this entire journey. Fueled by this defeat, the American, in revenge in October 1944, infiltrated the island of Leyte. In February 1945, the American army once again occupied the Bataan peninsula and in the beginning of March, Manila was liberated from the clutches of Japan.
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