The Bataan Death March: Forced March Of American And Filipino Prisoners

The Bataan Death March was a forced march of American and Filipino prisoners by the Japanese in World War II. The name precisely describes the conditions of those who took place in it. This 63-mile march began with 72,000 prisoners from the southern Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines. The cruel treatment of the prisoners during the Bataan Death March was accountable for about 8,000 deaths. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7 held the key to unleashing the savage and malicious happenings to occur.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese struck air bases in the American-held Philippines. This was only a few hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. New Mexico’s 200th Coast Artillery (anti-aircraft) was the “first to fire” on the Japanese. The same night, the Regiment split, forming the 515th Coast Artillery. This was the first battle-born unit of World War II. The Japanese attack destroyed numerous amounts of military aircraft. In contrast to Hawaii, the Japanese would follow this airstrike with a ground invasion. The Japanese targeted the capital of Manila. Japanese forces began landing at Legaspi in southern Luzon on December 12, followed by a larger effort in the north at Lingayen

The camp featured both physical and emotional punishment for the U.S. and Filipino inmates. Brutal beatings were common, and fear over whether or not friends may die in the Camp had created great distress. To make matters worse, both food and water was scarce. Japanese soldiers did not provide any containers to carry water, exacerbating the circumstances. Water shortage became the leading cause of deaths at Camp O’Donnell. Another source of distress was the sanitation. Sanitation was a problem up until prisoners installed better water pumps. This kind of labor was also existent at the camp; prisoners built a variety of other things as well to benefit the