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An extremely sad day in history and a sad day in my family's history. My GrandDad became a stat in the Bataan Death March.
On this day in 1942, Major General Edward P. King Jr. surrenders at Bataan, Philippines–against General Douglas MacArthur’s orders–and 78,000 troops (66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans), the largest contingent of U.S. soldiers ever to surrender, are taken captive by the Japanese.
The prisoners were at once led 55 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan peninsula, to San Fernando, on what became known as the “Bataan Death March.” At least 600 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos died because of the extreme brutality of their captors, who starved, beat, and kicked them on the way; those who became too weak to walk were bayoneted. Those who survived were taken by rail from San Fernando to POW camps, where another 16,000 Filipinos and at least 1,000 Americans died from disease, mistreatment, and starvation.
After the war, the International Military Tribunal, established by MacArthur, tried Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the Philippines. He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
On this day in 1942, Major General Edward P. King Jr. surrenders at Bataan, Philippines–against General Douglas MacArthur’s orders–and 78,000 troops (66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans), the largest contingent of U.S. soldiers ever to surrender, are taken captive by the Japanese.
The prisoners were at once led 55 miles from Mariveles, on the southern end of the Bataan peninsula, to San Fernando, on what became known as the “Bataan Death March.” At least 600 Americans and 5,000 Filipinos died because of the extreme brutality of their captors, who starved, beat, and kicked them on the way; those who became too weak to walk were bayoneted. Those who survived were taken by rail from San Fernando to POW camps, where another 16,000 Filipinos and at least 1,000 Americans died from disease, mistreatment, and starvation.
After the war, the International Military Tribunal, established by MacArthur, tried Lieutenant General Homma Masaharu, commander of the Japanese invasion forces in the Philippines. He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.
U.S. surrenders in Bataan - Apr 09, 1942 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.comPosted in these groups: 
WWII World War Two
POW/MIA
WWII World War Two POW/MIA
Posted >1 y ago
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Thanks for reminding us TSgt Joe C. of the extremely sad day when the US forces in the Philippines on Bataan surrendered to the viciously brutal Japanese who despised any who would surrender.
I am sorry to learn that your grandfather perished on the death march, my friend.
Images: 1942 Action on Bataan, January-April 1942; 1942 Bataan Death March; 1942-04 American soldiers line up as they surrender their arms to the Japanese at the naval base of Mariveles on Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines; 1942-04 Bataan Death March
"The Bataan Death March begins.
Japan had targeted many places, but another target for them was the American-held Philippines. On April 9, 1942 the American and Filipino soldiers had decided they would not last much longer in the fight with the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula on West Luzon island in the Philippines. They were low on food, ammunition, and men were dying from a lack of nourishment. On April 10, 1942 78,000 prisoners began marching up to the East Coast of Bataan, and the destination camp was the O’Donnell, which was north of Peninsula. This march was 70 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. And because there was so many men, they had to walk those 70 miles.
During the long journey.
The men were already so weak from the battle and they had to march in tropical heat, with lack of food/water, and brutal violence from their captors had killed 6000 American and up to 10,000 Filipino prisoners in the marching. The men were feed only a few cups of rice, little water and food and when they had stopped in front of clean wells they could not drink it. Some of the soldier were even killed if they had asked for water. The Japanese also committed beatings at random and also random killings. 65 miles over a course of 6 days when they reached San Fernando, and when they got there, 115 men were loaded into box cars, which had caused more deaths because of heat exhaustion and suffocating in the tiny cars.
From Capas to Camp O’Donnell.
When those box cars had made it to Capas, the prisoners were unloaded and forced to walk seven more miles. When they got to the camp, the were told to lay out any possessions that they had and if anyone had any Japanese made items, or money was killed on the spot of the entrance of camp O’Donnell."
https://freckerwwiiteam15.wikispaces.com/Apr+1942+Allies+Surrender+in+Philippines%3B+Bataan+Death+March
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 Charlie Poulton SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright Maj Marty Hogan PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio SPC Margaret Higgins
I am sorry to learn that your grandfather perished on the death march, my friend.
Images: 1942 Action on Bataan, January-April 1942; 1942 Bataan Death March; 1942-04 American soldiers line up as they surrender their arms to the Japanese at the naval base of Mariveles on Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines; 1942-04 Bataan Death March
"The Bataan Death March begins.
Japan had targeted many places, but another target for them was the American-held Philippines. On April 9, 1942 the American and Filipino soldiers had decided they would not last much longer in the fight with the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula on West Luzon island in the Philippines. They were low on food, ammunition, and men were dying from a lack of nourishment. On April 10, 1942 78,000 prisoners began marching up to the East Coast of Bataan, and the destination camp was the O’Donnell, which was north of Peninsula. This march was 70 miles from Mariveles to San Fernando. And because there was so many men, they had to walk those 70 miles.
During the long journey.
The men were already so weak from the battle and they had to march in tropical heat, with lack of food/water, and brutal violence from their captors had killed 6000 American and up to 10,000 Filipino prisoners in the marching. The men were feed only a few cups of rice, little water and food and when they had stopped in front of clean wells they could not drink it. Some of the soldier were even killed if they had asked for water. The Japanese also committed beatings at random and also random killings. 65 miles over a course of 6 days when they reached San Fernando, and when they got there, 115 men were loaded into box cars, which had caused more deaths because of heat exhaustion and suffocating in the tiny cars.
From Capas to Camp O’Donnell.
When those box cars had made it to Capas, the prisoners were unloaded and forced to walk seven more miles. When they got to the camp, the were told to lay out any possessions that they had and if anyone had any Japanese made items, or money was killed on the spot of the entrance of camp O’Donnell."
https://freckerwwiiteam15.wikispaces.com/Apr+1942+Allies+Surrender+in+Philippines%3B+Bataan+Death+March
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 Charlie Poulton SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright Maj Marty Hogan PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio SPC Margaret Higgins
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The Bataan surrender along with the war crime of the Bataan death march were some of the saddest days of American history. The worst part of the affair had been that the American plan to defend the Philippine Islands, Plan Orange, had been studied out and plans had been made to provision the Bataan peninsula with both food & ammunition stores. Gen. MacArthur literally sat on his hands to build up reserves during peace time so that when the enemy invaded the stores were mostly lost to the Japanese. The fighting men for months that held the line on Bataan had their rations slashed to the point where the minimal number of calories to preserve life were all the men received. The men who surrendered on April 9, 1942 were emaciated sick men on the verge of starvation. They were to a man too weak to be forced to march the many miles to the prisons the Japanese contained them for the war. The Japanese treated all of the men with murderous actions, never fed them adequately and so the majority did not live to see the end of the war.
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bads day in history... Thanks for the memory and the Honoring of those Lost at Bataan and on the brutal March to the POW Camps that followed...
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