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Sandakan
The brilliantly told but harrowing story of the Borneo Death Marches of 1944-5.
After the fall of Singapore in 1942, the conquering Japanese Army transferred some 2500 British and Australian prisoners to a jungle camp at Sandakan, on the east coast of North Borneo. There they were beaten, broken, worked to death, thrown into bamboo cages on the slightest pretext and subjected to tortures so ingenious and hideous that the victims were driven to the brink of madness.
But it was only to be the beginning of the nightmare. In late 1944 when Allied aircraft began bombing the coastal towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, the Japanese resolved to abandon the prison camp and move the prisoners 250 miles inland to Ranau. The journey there became known as the Sandakan Death marches. Of the thousand plus prisoners who set out on the epic marches, only six survived. This is both their story and the story of the fallen.
After the fall of Singapore in 1942, the conquering Japanese Army transferred some 2500 British and Australian prisoners to a jungle camp at Sandakan, on the east coast of North Borneo. There they were beaten, broken, worked to death, thrown into bamboo cages on the slightest pretext and subjected to tortures so ingenious and hideous that the victims were driven to the brink of madness.
But it was only to be the beginning of the nightmare. In late 1944 when Allied aircraft began bombing the coastal towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, the Japanese resolved to abandon the prison camp and move the prisoners 250 miles inland to Ranau. The journey there became known as the Sandakan Death marches. Of the thousand plus prisoners who set out on the epic marches, only six survived. This is both their story and the story of the fallen.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2012
About the author
Paul Ham
31 books154 followersPAUL HAM is a historian specialising in 20th century conflict, war and politics. Born and raised in Sydney, Paul has spent his working life in London, Sydney and Paris. He teaches narrative non-fiction at SciencesPo in Reims and English at l'École de guerre in Paris. His books have been published to critical acclaim in Australia, Britain and the United States, and include: 'Hiroshima Nagasaki', a controversial new history of the atomic bombings (HarperCollins Australia 2010, Penguin Random House UK 2011, & Pan Macmillan USA 2014-15); '1914: The Year The World Ended' (Penguin Random House 2013); 'Sandakan' (Penguin Random House 2011); 'Vietnam: The Australian War' and 'Kokoda' (both published by HarperCollins, 2007 and 2004). Paul has co-written two ABC documentaries based on his work: 'Kokoda' (2010), a 2-part series on the defeat of the Japanese army in Papua in 1942 (shortlisted for the New York Documentary prize); and 'All the Way' (2012), about Australia's difficult alliance with America during the Vietnam War, which he also narrated and presented (it won the UN's Media Peace prize). Paul is the founding director of Hampress, an independent ebook publisher, and a regular contributor to Kindle Single, Amazon's new 'short book' publishing platform, for which he has written '1913: The Eve of War' and 'Young Hitler', co-written 'Honey, We Forgot the Kids', and published several titles by other authors. Hampress welcomes your ideas! A former Australia correspondent for The Sunday Times (1998-2012), Paul has a Masters degree in Economic History from London School of Economics. He lives in Sydney and Paris, and takes time off now and then to organise the Big Fat Poetry Pig-Out, an annual poetry recital, for charity.
Some relevant links:
http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Ham/e/B001...
https://www.hampress.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ham
http://us.macmillan.com/hiroshimanaga...
http://lareviewofbooks.org/review/hir...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...
http://www.amazon.com/Sandakan-Paul-H...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42...
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/authors...
http://www.harpercollins.com.au/97807...
Some relevant links:
http://www.amazon.com/Paul-Ham/e/B001...
https://www.hampress.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ham
http://us.macmillan.com/hiroshimanaga...
http://lareviewofbooks.org/review/hir...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...
http://www.amazon.com/Sandakan-Paul-H...
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42...
http://www.randomhouse.com.au/authors...
http://www.harpercollins.com.au/97807...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 20, 2023
A very good, yet tough read about probably the most horrendous acts committed against prisoners-of-war during World War 2, worse than anything that happened in Europe that I have read of. It follows the terrible journey towards a slow death through starvation, sickness and human brutality displayed by the Japanese guards in British Borneo of almost 2500 Australian and British POW's.
Initially the men were taken there to build an aerodrome for the Japanese and the death rate was not very high in the first years of their imprisonment there, and eight men even managed to escape during this time. But after Allied bombing in the end of 1944 laid to waste the area the Japanese decided to start exterminating them by giving them almost no food, no medicine and taking them on marches through the jungle into central Borneo where they were beaten daily and stragglers executed. Only six men (yes SIX) out of the almost 2500 survived by escaping, and each of these escapees barely made it to tell the tale.
After all the depravations suffered by these men, miraculously some survived till August 1945 after the Japanese decided to surrender, but they were then murdered by the Japanese so as to get rid of all the evidence. This book is filled with all the best of human nature in the ranks of the prisoners, and also all the worst there is in humans in the ranks of the guards. The book also highlights the role played by prisoners and civilians alike in the resistance on the island against the Japanese and how cruelly these men and women were dealt with when captured.
There are many great individual stories in this book that form part of the whole saga of the Snadakan Death Marches, and this is a very important part of history and the story is well told by the author. But it still is not an easy read to see what these men went through and how they met their end. After reading this I again struggle to comprehend why the Allies were not as harsh on the Japanese as on the Germans, as they did things to other humans just as bad, if not worse than the Germans, and yet there is still a deniability of these atrocities among the Japanese populace to this day. Still highly recommended reading.
Initially the men were taken there to build an aerodrome for the Japanese and the death rate was not very high in the first years of their imprisonment there, and eight men even managed to escape during this time. But after Allied bombing in the end of 1944 laid to waste the area the Japanese decided to start exterminating them by giving them almost no food, no medicine and taking them on marches through the jungle into central Borneo where they were beaten daily and stragglers executed. Only six men (yes SIX) out of the almost 2500 survived by escaping, and each of these escapees barely made it to tell the tale.
After all the depravations suffered by these men, miraculously some survived till August 1945 after the Japanese decided to surrender, but they were then murdered by the Japanese so as to get rid of all the evidence. This book is filled with all the best of human nature in the ranks of the prisoners, and also all the worst there is in humans in the ranks of the guards. The book also highlights the role played by prisoners and civilians alike in the resistance on the island against the Japanese and how cruelly these men and women were dealt with when captured.
There are many great individual stories in this book that form part of the whole saga of the Snadakan Death Marches, and this is a very important part of history and the story is well told by the author. But it still is not an easy read to see what these men went through and how they met their end. After reading this I again struggle to comprehend why the Allies were not as harsh on the Japanese as on the Germans, as they did things to other humans just as bad, if not worse than the Germans, and yet there is still a deniability of these atrocities among the Japanese populace to this day. Still highly recommended reading.
October 26, 2020
"The end of days confounds any conventional Western appreciation of 'motive'. The horror that now descends on the remaining Australian and British prisoners is near impossible to put down. But we must persevere, for the sake of history and the truth we hold read, In order to enter in the record the story of one of the grisliest atrocities of the twentieth century."
Not an easy read, in terms of the horrific subject matter, but the story of the extended agony of Australian (and, eventually, British) Prisoners of War unlucky enough to be transported to North Borneo during the Second World War deserves to be told, as a warning and as a reminder in microcosm of the hell that befell so many, Australians, New Zealanders, British, American, Dutch, Javanese, Chinese, Canadians...
Subjected to inhuman treatment in inverse proportion to the Imperial Japanese fortunes in the course of the conflict, by the last six months of the war the Japanese policy towards those under their "care" was one of deliberate extermination from which only six men survived.
We're treat to uplifting stories of men giving their all to help their mates, and some uncommon valour, both amongst the PoWs and the civilians caught up in the war, who form an effective resistance and are able to provide limited help to the incarcerated troops, until their unfortunate betrayal, at which point the leaders are the victims of Japanese "justice" themselves.
In the final terrible acts, the courage of the local population of North Borneo in providing such aid as they were able to the men suffering on the Death Marches, as well as hiding the few prisoners capable of escape. The subsequent trials of those guilty of the worst excesses (in the main) are covered in some detail and there's a quiet amount of satisfaction to be had from the resultant guilty verdicts and punishments.
Paul Ham's book is well written (hard to say enjoyable) and as exhaustive as the available evidence allows. As important as any of the numerous works on the European Holocaust, and a timely and necessary work on the odious Japanese activities in World War Two.
"Human history is the last depository of the truth, or truths, about the end of days. It's all we have left when the last human trace disappears from our age, or era. This we must persevere... And yet, what happened here in Borneo seems at times behind the imagination of mankind, outside the acceptable remit even of the realm of fiction. For who among our novelists would dare subject the world to a story that ends with the image of sick and starving men being clubbed, shot or bayoneted to death where they lie, amid the naked corpses of their friends? The measurelessly awful reality that descends on these poor men is near-impossible to write down. But I must persevere, fit the sake of historic truth, and in the hope of conferring some sense of justice on behalf of the victims of one of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century."
Not an easy read, in terms of the horrific subject matter, but the story of the extended agony of Australian (and, eventually, British) Prisoners of War unlucky enough to be transported to North Borneo during the Second World War deserves to be told, as a warning and as a reminder in microcosm of the hell that befell so many, Australians, New Zealanders, British, American, Dutch, Javanese, Chinese, Canadians...
Subjected to inhuman treatment in inverse proportion to the Imperial Japanese fortunes in the course of the conflict, by the last six months of the war the Japanese policy towards those under their "care" was one of deliberate extermination from which only six men survived.
We're treat to uplifting stories of men giving their all to help their mates, and some uncommon valour, both amongst the PoWs and the civilians caught up in the war, who form an effective resistance and are able to provide limited help to the incarcerated troops, until their unfortunate betrayal, at which point the leaders are the victims of Japanese "justice" themselves.
In the final terrible acts, the courage of the local population of North Borneo in providing such aid as they were able to the men suffering on the Death Marches, as well as hiding the few prisoners capable of escape. The subsequent trials of those guilty of the worst excesses (in the main) are covered in some detail and there's a quiet amount of satisfaction to be had from the resultant guilty verdicts and punishments.
Paul Ham's book is well written (hard to say enjoyable) and as exhaustive as the available evidence allows. As important as any of the numerous works on the European Holocaust, and a timely and necessary work on the odious Japanese activities in World War Two.
"Human history is the last depository of the truth, or truths, about the end of days. It's all we have left when the last human trace disappears from our age, or era. This we must persevere... And yet, what happened here in Borneo seems at times behind the imagination of mankind, outside the acceptable remit even of the realm of fiction. For who among our novelists would dare subject the world to a story that ends with the image of sick and starving men being clubbed, shot or bayoneted to death where they lie, amid the naked corpses of their friends? The measurelessly awful reality that descends on these poor men is near-impossible to write down. But I must persevere, fit the sake of historic truth, and in the hope of conferring some sense of justice on behalf of the victims of one of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century."
May 3, 2013
Paul Ham delivers yet again with Sandakan and shows why he is one of Australia's best military historians. Sandakan tells the story of Australian and British soldiers taken prisoners by the Japanese in Borneo and the horrors they faced as POW's. Paul Ham as usual serves up a well-balanced book covering all aspects of the Sandakan POW camp and the prisoners final death march. Out of 2700 POW's only 6 were to survive the horror that was Sandakan.
This book gives a human face to the prisoners and those who imprisoned them. It shows the sadistic and brutal psyche of the Japanese Imperial army but tempers this with the kindness shown by some of the guards. I was truly humbled by the fortitude and braveness shown by the POW's despite the brutality and deprivation that was bought upon them. The true spirit of mateship shines through in the stories told on these pages. Each one of those who died should be remembered and to serve as a reminder never to let humanity sink to these depths again. Also highlighted in this book was the risk and sacrifices made by the locals to help the POW's were possible and to give them a sense of hope.
Books such as this in my opinion are very important. Yes they are hard to read and make us face the evil humans are capable of. But they also show some of the best aspects of humanity that of, hope, compassion, self-sacrifice and one of forgiveness. Why we should never condone the evil shown in books like this. But we need to forgive so we can learn and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the right reason and not as a reason to hate.
This book gives a human face to the prisoners and those who imprisoned them. It shows the sadistic and brutal psyche of the Japanese Imperial army but tempers this with the kindness shown by some of the guards. I was truly humbled by the fortitude and braveness shown by the POW's despite the brutality and deprivation that was bought upon them. The true spirit of mateship shines through in the stories told on these pages. Each one of those who died should be remembered and to serve as a reminder never to let humanity sink to these depths again. Also highlighted in this book was the risk and sacrifices made by the locals to help the POW's were possible and to give them a sense of hope.
Books such as this in my opinion are very important. Yes they are hard to read and make us face the evil humans are capable of. But they also show some of the best aspects of humanity that of, hope, compassion, self-sacrifice and one of forgiveness. Why we should never condone the evil shown in books like this. But we need to forgive so we can learn and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the right reason and not as a reason to hate.
July 30, 2023
Inside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is a small, dimly lit room. Measuring about 5ft by 8ft, the only piece of furniture is a low, cushioned bench. What light falls from the ceiling is directed at the service photos (or a space if no photo exists) of the Australian servicemen who died at Sandakan and on the marches, which cover three walls of the room. In a very small grouping of their own are photos of the survivors.
I have visited the Australian War Memorial dozens of times. Each and every time I walked into that room, I would make my way slowly along the walls and look at their faces, and be completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of them. I never left that room in the same state of mind in which I entered it.
This is a difficult book to read. I cannot imagine how difficult it was to research and to write.
This is not a simple telling of the death marches from Sandakan camp. This is the story of the fall of Singapore, the journeys to Borneo, the camps, and the marches whose sole purpose was to kill as many men as possible.
This is also the story of the civilians who smuggled food, radios, and medications into the camps, and who hid the men who escaped. It is also about the people who turned in to the Japanese army the members of the Sandakan underground, and who sold information either because they supported the Japanese, or simply to protect their families and villages from reprisals.
It is a reminder to Australians of the debt that is owed to the people of Borneo.
I take my hat off to Mr Ham, for not just telling the story of the Australian and British personnel, but for also telling the story of the civilians - Australian, British and the local people of Borneo who did so much, and suffered so greatly as a result.
I have visited the Australian War Memorial dozens of times. Each and every time I walked into that room, I would make my way slowly along the walls and look at their faces, and be completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of them. I never left that room in the same state of mind in which I entered it.
This is a difficult book to read. I cannot imagine how difficult it was to research and to write.
This is not a simple telling of the death marches from Sandakan camp. This is the story of the fall of Singapore, the journeys to Borneo, the camps, and the marches whose sole purpose was to kill as many men as possible.
This is also the story of the civilians who smuggled food, radios, and medications into the camps, and who hid the men who escaped. It is also about the people who turned in to the Japanese army the members of the Sandakan underground, and who sold information either because they supported the Japanese, or simply to protect their families and villages from reprisals.
It is a reminder to Australians of the debt that is owed to the people of Borneo.
I take my hat off to Mr Ham, for not just telling the story of the Australian and British personnel, but for also telling the story of the civilians - Australian, British and the local people of Borneo who did so much, and suffered so greatly as a result.
January 3, 2013
When I first picked up this book, I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to 600 pages of what I knew to be a harrowing, terrible story. But having visited the Sandakan memorial, I felt compelled to get to know more about this awful part of history. This book told a difficult story well. The author's strong belief in his duty to tell this story was admirable. He also found ways to make some of the more terrible parts of the story a little easier to stomach.
Unfortunately the author's decided to write the book in present tense. I struggled with this, as it didn't feel like it flowed well. I also didn't like the use of quotations at the beginning of each chapter: normally quotations aren't excerpts from the chapter itself! In the end I stopped reading the quotations because the repetition was annoying me.
But overall, a worthwhile read.
Unfortunately the author's decided to write the book in present tense. I struggled with this, as it didn't feel like it flowed well. I also didn't like the use of quotations at the beginning of each chapter: normally quotations aren't excerpts from the chapter itself! In the end I stopped reading the quotations because the repetition was annoying me.
But overall, a worthwhile read.
July 10, 2020
I found this hard to read. Too many atrocities got to me
January 19, 2020
A horrific story of the Second World War crimes committed by Japanese in Borneo. The monstrous acts of continuous beatings, starvation, torture, even crucifixion and cannibalism show Japanese barbarism at its worst.
The book starts with a copy of the letter sent by the author to the Japanese emperor to acknowledge the crimes of his soldiers. There is no information if any response has been provided.
At the end of the book, the author discusses an impact of nuclear attacks on the Japanese decision to give up their arms. Apparently, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not force the army to seek peace. The Allies had carpet-bombed and destroyed over sixty towns beforehand. Two more did not make any difference for them. Only after Americans promised not to prosecute the emperor and his family, only then they agreed to an "unconditional" surrender.
The story covers a group of 2434 British and Australian Prisoners of War captured in Singapore, and transported to Sandakan, to build an airstrip. The prisoners were forced to work hard, were mistreated and deprived of proper food and medical care. In 1943, Japanese moved most of the officers to an another camp in Kuching. The remaining prisoners are given even smalled food rations and are mistreated and tortured for the slightest trespasses.
In January 1945, with only 1,900 prisoners still alive, and the airfield destroyed by the advancing Allies, the camp commandant Captain Hoshijima decided to use the prisoners as porters to carry food and ammunition to relocate them to Jesselton, at the western coast of Borneo.
The first group of 470 prisoners, where the fittest men had been selected, left the camp and tracked through the jungle interior of the island. Those who could not march, due to exhaustion were killed en route. When they reached Ranau, the survivors were ordered to construct a temporary camp. By end of June only five Australians and one British soldier were still alive.
At the end of May, a new commandant Captain Takakuwa ordered the second march with around 536 prisoners. Approximately 250 people were left at Sandakan. Out of the second group only 183 prisoners managed to reach Ranau.
In June the third group of 75 men were sent on a final march. They were so weak that none survived beyond 50 km. All the remaining prisoners left at Sandakan either died of starvation or were killed before Japanese surrendered.
By the end of July only 38 prisoners were left alive at Ranau. They were killed by the guards in August, up to 12 days after the end of the war.
Only six Australians managed to escape. Four of them gave evidence at war crimes trials after the war.
The book starts with a copy of the letter sent by the author to the Japanese emperor to acknowledge the crimes of his soldiers. There is no information if any response has been provided.
At the end of the book, the author discusses an impact of nuclear attacks on the Japanese decision to give up their arms. Apparently, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not force the army to seek peace. The Allies had carpet-bombed and destroyed over sixty towns beforehand. Two more did not make any difference for them. Only after Americans promised not to prosecute the emperor and his family, only then they agreed to an "unconditional" surrender.
The story covers a group of 2434 British and Australian Prisoners of War captured in Singapore, and transported to Sandakan, to build an airstrip. The prisoners were forced to work hard, were mistreated and deprived of proper food and medical care. In 1943, Japanese moved most of the officers to an another camp in Kuching. The remaining prisoners are given even smalled food rations and are mistreated and tortured for the slightest trespasses.
In January 1945, with only 1,900 prisoners still alive, and the airfield destroyed by the advancing Allies, the camp commandant Captain Hoshijima decided to use the prisoners as porters to carry food and ammunition to relocate them to Jesselton, at the western coast of Borneo.
The first group of 470 prisoners, where the fittest men had been selected, left the camp and tracked through the jungle interior of the island. Those who could not march, due to exhaustion were killed en route. When they reached Ranau, the survivors were ordered to construct a temporary camp. By end of June only five Australians and one British soldier were still alive.
At the end of May, a new commandant Captain Takakuwa ordered the second march with around 536 prisoners. Approximately 250 people were left at Sandakan. Out of the second group only 183 prisoners managed to reach Ranau.
In June the third group of 75 men were sent on a final march. They were so weak that none survived beyond 50 km. All the remaining prisoners left at Sandakan either died of starvation or were killed before Japanese surrendered.
By the end of July only 38 prisoners were left alive at Ranau. They were killed by the guards in August, up to 12 days after the end of the war.
Only six Australians managed to escape. Four of them gave evidence at war crimes trials after the war.
November 4, 2012
I cannot say that I enjoyed this book. How can anyone enjoy this catalogue of horrors? But then it is not a book to be enjoyed. It is a story of extreme violence and inhumanity and should be read by as wide a readership as possible.
I can't imagine the story will appeal to many military history enthusiasts because there is nothing thrilling or inspirational within its pages. There are staggering accounts of self-sacrifice and endurance, but the outcome is so bleak that I found myself relieved the book was finished.
Paul Ham should be commended for writing a history on so appalling an atrocity, as should those pioneering historians like Lynette Silver who brought the story to a nation left in the dark. It can't have been easy.
I can't imagine the story will appeal to many military history enthusiasts because there is nothing thrilling or inspirational within its pages. There are staggering accounts of self-sacrifice and endurance, but the outcome is so bleak that I found myself relieved the book was finished.
Paul Ham should be commended for writing a history on so appalling an atrocity, as should those pioneering historians like Lynette Silver who brought the story to a nation left in the dark. It can't have been easy.
January 8, 2017
I read this over a year ago and found it outstanding so much so I bought a copy. As easy reading as a topic of this depth and tragedy can be.
February 7, 2026
If you want to discover little known events in the PTO in WW2 you have to go to either the CBI or the Southwest Pacific. The early war and the Central Pacific drive are extremely well trodden territory but the other stuff -- not so much in the popular mind. And so I hoped this book would expand my knowledge of what has been a gray area to me for many, many years.
Paul Ham's Australian and has made most of his career about bringing Australia's war to greater light amongst the vast literature of the Second World War -- breaking it apart to just the Pacific Theater he still has a large barrier to overcome against American historiography -- struggling to make its significance known, its overall part in the war known and putting this ally's sacrifices in context against those of Britain and the US. Pretty tall order, I think most would agree. I've previously read his Kokoda book, an impressive recounting of the Australian effort to stop the Japanese overland assault against Port Moresby in 1942. This defensive campaign's success allowed MacArthur to take the offensive with his American divisions and eventually secure the first significant gains against the Japanese in New Guinea.
Here, he's going after something completely different -- relating the story of POW's at the mercy of the whims of the Japanese Army. While the Bataan Death March is a staple of the tale of the Pacific War and the Burma Death Railway has come to light as a tragically epic episode of the war, something so far afield as a death march in the jungles of Borneo has yet to gain its fair due. Beginning with the fall of Singapore and the comparatively civilized imprisonment there of surrendering British and Australian soldiers, thousands are later shipped via hell ships to Borneo and a camp at Kuching. Forced labor on an airstrip followed with worsening conditions for the POWs which were the standard lot throughout the PTO/CBI for Allied men -- little medicine, little food, savage beatings and interrogations, senseless punishments, arbitrary executions, sham trials, withholding of Red Cross packages, no word from the outside world, disease, exposure, filth, privation, degradation.
As the war worsened for the Japanese so the welfare of the prisoners slipped lower and lower on the rung of desirability for the Japanese until late in the conflict, the officers already separated from the other ranks, the decision is made by the 37th Army HQ to proceed with the elimination of these enlisted men by means of forced death marches into the remote areas of Borneo along jungle tracks, ostensibly to move these forced slave laborers to other sites that needed workers but in reality, to eventually kill them off by privation and suffering and starvation. It remains a mystery why they simply were not all executed at once, by firing squads or other means, but as Ham relates, consistent policies regarding the treatment and usage of POWs was simply not the Japanese way.
Of approximately 2,700 men in the Sandakan camp, all who were ambulatory were marched out and over a course of several months, until a few weeks after the official Japanese surrender on Sep. 2, '45, POW's were murdered or died of starvation/privation/beatings/torture in at least 3 and some accounts say 4 of these death marches. 6 men survived. Those left behind at Sandakan due to extreme illness were eventually murdered as well.
Civilians were murdered by the Japanese, too, for aiding the prisoners in camp and for conspiring to rebel and carrying out an uprising, poorly informed of Allied intentions and capabilities, that was extremely bold and brave and utterly foolhardy. Though not a focus of the book, in scale it seems a smaller version of the Warsaw uprising of '44.
Some justice was meted out postwar, more than perhaps was given to officers in the Japanese military in Japan itself in the war crimes trials there.
I only give it 2 knocks. A -- Ham is of the school of thought that the atomic bombs were unneeded and served only as weapons of crimes against humanity, having no bearing on the outcome of the war. As he sees things, Japan had clearly lost and was simply holding out until the Emperor's life could be guaranteed. Thus, the bombs had no effect. And B, his epilogue in which he condescends to a savage moment of pedantry in which he describes to his readers how they are to think about the history he had just related, properly, according to his thoughts on the matter.
That 2nd issue I feel is a slap across the nose with a newspaper, making us into little puppies who have not listened to our master's commands. It's utterly crude and irresponsible, arrogant and sneering, wrapped up in a disguise of pondering philosophy. It is not to be borne by the reader at all.
The first issue of the bombs and their utility at the midnight hour of the war, their direct and indirect effects concerning Hirohito's decision to end the conflict, the morality of using them upon a nearly defeated enemy and the deliberate targeting of civilians using a weapon that, to put it in fantasy role playing games terminology (and I don't mean this sarcastically but the allusion seems apt) an area of effect weapon (AOE) -- is truly beyond the scope of the book's subject. Shoehorning his big bugaboo of the war into this narrative is another act of arrogance and a blatant attempt to sway the reader to his viewpoint on the matter, what in fiction is termed author intrusion and in nonfiction is termed editorializing. Whatever the word used, he's guilty of it while at the same time laying the blame at our feet for falling prey to pro nuclear weapon propaganda of the postwar era (clearly implied is the idea that only Americans are considered in this grouping).
Were not the story of the Australians and the significant numbers of British imprisoned along with them such a monstrosity of the war an imperative to bring to light I would be sorely tempted to put this tome to the flames for its deliberate misinterpretations of the events of the final weeks of the war and the use of the Bombs. Paul Ham has done a mostly flawless and very impressive feat in illuminating this little known atrocity to the world, marred as it is by his personal axe he wants to grind into our faces. Well worth the read despite such blemishes, I recommend Sandakan with only those caveats.
Paul Ham's Australian and has made most of his career about bringing Australia's war to greater light amongst the vast literature of the Second World War -- breaking it apart to just the Pacific Theater he still has a large barrier to overcome against American historiography -- struggling to make its significance known, its overall part in the war known and putting this ally's sacrifices in context against those of Britain and the US. Pretty tall order, I think most would agree. I've previously read his Kokoda book, an impressive recounting of the Australian effort to stop the Japanese overland assault against Port Moresby in 1942. This defensive campaign's success allowed MacArthur to take the offensive with his American divisions and eventually secure the first significant gains against the Japanese in New Guinea.
Here, he's going after something completely different -- relating the story of POW's at the mercy of the whims of the Japanese Army. While the Bataan Death March is a staple of the tale of the Pacific War and the Burma Death Railway has come to light as a tragically epic episode of the war, something so far afield as a death march in the jungles of Borneo has yet to gain its fair due. Beginning with the fall of Singapore and the comparatively civilized imprisonment there of surrendering British and Australian soldiers, thousands are later shipped via hell ships to Borneo and a camp at Kuching. Forced labor on an airstrip followed with worsening conditions for the POWs which were the standard lot throughout the PTO/CBI for Allied men -- little medicine, little food, savage beatings and interrogations, senseless punishments, arbitrary executions, sham trials, withholding of Red Cross packages, no word from the outside world, disease, exposure, filth, privation, degradation.
As the war worsened for the Japanese so the welfare of the prisoners slipped lower and lower on the rung of desirability for the Japanese until late in the conflict, the officers already separated from the other ranks, the decision is made by the 37th Army HQ to proceed with the elimination of these enlisted men by means of forced death marches into the remote areas of Borneo along jungle tracks, ostensibly to move these forced slave laborers to other sites that needed workers but in reality, to eventually kill them off by privation and suffering and starvation. It remains a mystery why they simply were not all executed at once, by firing squads or other means, but as Ham relates, consistent policies regarding the treatment and usage of POWs was simply not the Japanese way.
Of approximately 2,700 men in the Sandakan camp, all who were ambulatory were marched out and over a course of several months, until a few weeks after the official Japanese surrender on Sep. 2, '45, POW's were murdered or died of starvation/privation/beatings/torture in at least 3 and some accounts say 4 of these death marches. 6 men survived. Those left behind at Sandakan due to extreme illness were eventually murdered as well.
Civilians were murdered by the Japanese, too, for aiding the prisoners in camp and for conspiring to rebel and carrying out an uprising, poorly informed of Allied intentions and capabilities, that was extremely bold and brave and utterly foolhardy. Though not a focus of the book, in scale it seems a smaller version of the Warsaw uprising of '44.
Some justice was meted out postwar, more than perhaps was given to officers in the Japanese military in Japan itself in the war crimes trials there.
I only give it 2 knocks. A -- Ham is of the school of thought that the atomic bombs were unneeded and served only as weapons of crimes against humanity, having no bearing on the outcome of the war. As he sees things, Japan had clearly lost and was simply holding out until the Emperor's life could be guaranteed. Thus, the bombs had no effect. And B, his epilogue in which he condescends to a savage moment of pedantry in which he describes to his readers how they are to think about the history he had just related, properly, according to his thoughts on the matter.
That 2nd issue I feel is a slap across the nose with a newspaper, making us into little puppies who have not listened to our master's commands. It's utterly crude and irresponsible, arrogant and sneering, wrapped up in a disguise of pondering philosophy. It is not to be borne by the reader at all.
The first issue of the bombs and their utility at the midnight hour of the war, their direct and indirect effects concerning Hirohito's decision to end the conflict, the morality of using them upon a nearly defeated enemy and the deliberate targeting of civilians using a weapon that, to put it in fantasy role playing games terminology (and I don't mean this sarcastically but the allusion seems apt) an area of effect weapon (AOE) -- is truly beyond the scope of the book's subject. Shoehorning his big bugaboo of the war into this narrative is another act of arrogance and a blatant attempt to sway the reader to his viewpoint on the matter, what in fiction is termed author intrusion and in nonfiction is termed editorializing. Whatever the word used, he's guilty of it while at the same time laying the blame at our feet for falling prey to pro nuclear weapon propaganda of the postwar era (clearly implied is the idea that only Americans are considered in this grouping).
Were not the story of the Australians and the significant numbers of British imprisoned along with them such a monstrosity of the war an imperative to bring to light I would be sorely tempted to put this tome to the flames for its deliberate misinterpretations of the events of the final weeks of the war and the use of the Bombs. Paul Ham has done a mostly flawless and very impressive feat in illuminating this little known atrocity to the world, marred as it is by his personal axe he wants to grind into our faces. Well worth the read despite such blemishes, I recommend Sandakan with only those caveats.
September 6, 2019
It's been a little while since I finished reading this book. I also read Hiroshima/ Nagasaki by the same journalist. As other of the reviewers have pointed out Paul Ham is an astonishingly good writer, author, long form journalist, and I don't have adequate superlatives to describe this book. The thing itself, you finish reading it and you say to yourself "This is why this is important." I find myself in my pride looking through the small phonebook of names at the end to see if my surname is represented on the list. They were different times then. Men from the Australian war graves commission spent a year and a half walking the Sandakan route, exhuming graves, collecting information to return to relatives. How did these men cope in normal life? I don't know. But I do know that this is a monumental work of long form journalism, equal I would say in significance to "Lost Lives, the stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Island troubles."
Sorry for the gushing.
Sorry for the gushing.
Read
October 12, 2022Started: 05-10-22
This is the story of the three-year ordeal of the Sandakan prisoners of war, a barely known episode of unimaginable horror.
Finished: 09-26-22
📚this was a lot of intriguing information.
a very long read but it doesn't miss the mark
It's an important read to understand humanity in the darkest moments
This is the story of the three-year ordeal of the Sandakan prisoners of war, a barely known episode of unimaginable horror.
Finished: 09-26-22
📚this was a lot of intriguing information.
a very long read but it doesn't miss the mark
It's an important read to understand humanity in the darkest moments
April 23, 2013
It is graphic. It is frightening. It is a story that must be told and those involved must be remembered.
March 2, 2026
Paul Ham Author
This book had me in tears thinking about the Atrocities of war , the fall of Singapore ,those bloody exhausted and weary men , starved , beaten , executed for meaningless crimes other than the Japanese Paranoia.those long Marches to nowhere I felt every bit of this book it really exposes truths that had been I suppose not told , or skipped because it didn’t fit the narrative at the time.
I’m forever grateful i read this book but warning if your not prepared to cry out of sheer sadness for what these men went through this book isn’t for you but it does make you feel proud that these men Served the Ultimate sacrifice so we may be here today.
So bloody glad I read this book Thanks Paul ham for your dedication and perseverance to write such a detailed book.
This book had me in tears thinking about the Atrocities of war , the fall of Singapore ,those bloody exhausted and weary men , starved , beaten , executed for meaningless crimes other than the Japanese Paranoia.those long Marches to nowhere I felt every bit of this book it really exposes truths that had been I suppose not told , or skipped because it didn’t fit the narrative at the time.
I’m forever grateful i read this book but warning if your not prepared to cry out of sheer sadness for what these men went through this book isn’t for you but it does make you feel proud that these men Served the Ultimate sacrifice so we may be here today.
So bloody glad I read this book Thanks Paul ham for your dedication and perseverance to write such a detailed book.
February 22, 2022
Ham delivers a well researched book into life in the Sandakan Prisoner of War Camp and the eventual death marches the prisoners were forced to endure as the war went badly for the Japanese in which on 6 Australians would return.
I’ve only heard of it in name only and it was interesting to find out why little is known about the marches and how it would affect the lives of the families whose loved one perished and the efforts made by others who were determined to uncover the truth about what really happened.
I’ve only heard of it in name only and it was interesting to find out why little is known about the marches and how it would affect the lives of the families whose loved one perished and the efforts made by others who were determined to uncover the truth about what really happened.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2020
Our Grandfather's cousin was Private Nelson Short one of the six survivors of the Sandakan Death Marches. This made for very hard reading, never knowing the whole story of what our Cousin went through. It took me a long time to read this book. It is all I can say really, this account leaves me speechless.
October 25, 2024
Don’t be put off by the size of this book; it is a page-turner. Paul Ham is a fantastic writer. I appreciated the depth of details adjacent the march: the underground resistance, dissemination of news, plans of escape and prisoner uprise, specials ops, guerrilla forces, and more.
I highly recommend and plan to read again after lending to friends.
I highly recommend and plan to read again after lending to friends.
January 10, 2024
Excellent book !
There are very few World War 2 books written on North Borneo or Malaya, this is one of those.
And war in this part of the world received less attention to others as well
A must read for anyone interested to know more about Japanese atrocity in Borneo during WWII
There are very few World War 2 books written on North Borneo or Malaya, this is one of those.
And war in this part of the world received less attention to others as well
A must read for anyone interested to know more about Japanese atrocity in Borneo during WWII
March 18, 2026
Incredibly well researched book that tells the grotesque and true story of the Sandakan death marches. The forgotten atrocity of the Pacific War. As Paul Keating put it ‘It was a war between human decency and human depravity’. We should never forget this side of Japans WW2 sadism and death cult.
February 18, 2018
Don’t think this is a light read. Toughest book I ever read.
February 23, 2020
My great uncle was at Sandakan, reading this book provided a whole different perspective on how he lived and most likely died at Sandakan.
August 24, 2021
Very informative and heart felt
March 12, 2017
Americans may not be as knowledgeable about this atrocity as the Australians and British, whose service members were directly affected. Paul Ham has done a tremendous job gathering the available information and telling the story of prisoners of war whose suffering was unimaginable at the hands of their captors, the Japanese. The horror of this story is even worse than the Bataan Death March, and is necessary to be told, so we can do everything possible to prevent further atrocities. I applaud Mr Ham for all his hard work.
May 27, 2016
This is another of Paul Ham's excellent war history books, and arguably his most disturbing. His accounts of major military campaigns and battles are always extensively researched and presented in an engaging and accessible manner.
The facts are there, and where those facts are contentious or in dispute, Ham will acknowledge such. He is aware that there is often more than one view of history.
And yet, far from presenting an avalanche of dry historical data, he is always able to provide a personal, human touch to his writing, reminding us that the men who fought were real people, who endured severe conditions, and often gave their lives in support of a cause, leaving behind many who loved them.
Sandakan is not so much an account of a major campaign in World War II, although it reflects the progress of the war in the South Pacific between the Japanese and Allied forces between 1942 and 1945.
This is an even more horrific tale about the treatment of prisoners, mostly Australian and British, after the fall of Singapore to Japanese forces in 1942.
Many thousands of prisoners (POW) were incarcerated by the Japanese in Sandakan, in what was British North Borneo, and used systematically as slave labour by their captors, in clear contravention of the Geneva Convention.
Deprived of adequate food and medical care, and subjected to the harshest of physical abuses for the merest infractions of camp rules, or even at the random whim of a guard, they were forced to undergo tough physical work to build airstrips and other infrastructure required for the Japanese war effort.
As the war began to turn against the Japanese, with increased bombing of their positions by Allied aircraft, and an Allied invasion becoming increasingly inevitable, the Japanese force-marched more than 2500 severely ill and malnourished prisoners east across Borneo. The prisoners were used as mere pack horses.
To reduce the potential exposure in any post-war trials for war crimes, the Japanese military hierarchy issued orders to ensure that no prisoners survived to tell the tales.
Those who did not die from illness, starvation or overwork were killed remorselessly, shot, bayoneted, bashed, or decapitated. This was sheer bloody murder on an enormous scale.
Only 6 of more than 2500 prisoners (who managed to escape), all Australians, survived the Sandakan marches.
War, by its very nature, is always horrific, and it is acknowledged that war crimes and actions inconsistent with the accepted "rules" of war are committed by all sides from time to time.
But it is clear that the methodically cruel and inhuman behaviours of Japanese officers and soldiers during WWII exceeded in both scale and ferocity anything that can be imagined.
This record was sickeningly graphic at times, and it is difficult to comprehend such behaviour, even in times of war. Authorities in Australia and Britain suppressed many of the details of the treatment of these POW for a very long time, and it is really important that the full story should be told, and the relatives of these men know the real story.
Japan is now a peaceful nation and friend of the west, but I can certainly understand the long-held hatred felt towards Japan in the post-war period. It is essential that such barbarity not be easily forgotten
The facts are there, and where those facts are contentious or in dispute, Ham will acknowledge such. He is aware that there is often more than one view of history.
And yet, far from presenting an avalanche of dry historical data, he is always able to provide a personal, human touch to his writing, reminding us that the men who fought were real people, who endured severe conditions, and often gave their lives in support of a cause, leaving behind many who loved them.
Sandakan is not so much an account of a major campaign in World War II, although it reflects the progress of the war in the South Pacific between the Japanese and Allied forces between 1942 and 1945.
This is an even more horrific tale about the treatment of prisoners, mostly Australian and British, after the fall of Singapore to Japanese forces in 1942.
Many thousands of prisoners (POW) were incarcerated by the Japanese in Sandakan, in what was British North Borneo, and used systematically as slave labour by their captors, in clear contravention of the Geneva Convention.
Deprived of adequate food and medical care, and subjected to the harshest of physical abuses for the merest infractions of camp rules, or even at the random whim of a guard, they were forced to undergo tough physical work to build airstrips and other infrastructure required for the Japanese war effort.
As the war began to turn against the Japanese, with increased bombing of their positions by Allied aircraft, and an Allied invasion becoming increasingly inevitable, the Japanese force-marched more than 2500 severely ill and malnourished prisoners east across Borneo. The prisoners were used as mere pack horses.
To reduce the potential exposure in any post-war trials for war crimes, the Japanese military hierarchy issued orders to ensure that no prisoners survived to tell the tales.
Those who did not die from illness, starvation or overwork were killed remorselessly, shot, bayoneted, bashed, or decapitated. This was sheer bloody murder on an enormous scale.
Only 6 of more than 2500 prisoners (who managed to escape), all Australians, survived the Sandakan marches.
War, by its very nature, is always horrific, and it is acknowledged that war crimes and actions inconsistent with the accepted "rules" of war are committed by all sides from time to time.
But it is clear that the methodically cruel and inhuman behaviours of Japanese officers and soldiers during WWII exceeded in both scale and ferocity anything that can be imagined.
This record was sickeningly graphic at times, and it is difficult to comprehend such behaviour, even in times of war. Authorities in Australia and Britain suppressed many of the details of the treatment of these POW for a very long time, and it is really important that the full story should be told, and the relatives of these men know the real story.
Japan is now a peaceful nation and friend of the west, but I can certainly understand the long-held hatred felt towards Japan in the post-war period. It is essential that such barbarity not be easily forgotten
November 20, 2012
This book details a horrible episode with in both war and human history. The Sandakan Death Marches were truly horrific!
This book is well written, informative and interesting. Perhaps my star rating is a bit harsh. It really could be a 4 star book. So why 3? This could be controversial, but this book is clearly very biased. That is understandable given that it is written by an Australian primarily for Australians. That said, the book could have done with a chapter or two contextualising why the Japanese acted the way that they did. What was it culturally about their society at that time that caused them to act the way that they did.
This can be done without excusing or accepting the behaviour of the Japanese in anyway. It would have, however, added another level to the complexity of the book that I thought was missing.
This book is well written, informative and interesting. Perhaps my star rating is a bit harsh. It really could be a 4 star book. So why 3? This could be controversial, but this book is clearly very biased. That is understandable given that it is written by an Australian primarily for Australians. That said, the book could have done with a chapter or two contextualising why the Japanese acted the way that they did. What was it culturally about their society at that time that caused them to act the way that they did.
This can be done without excusing or accepting the behaviour of the Japanese in anyway. It would have, however, added another level to the complexity of the book that I thought was missing.
June 5, 2016
Great book. I've managed to learn something that I don't have the opportunity to understand during my teenage years the struggle of Allied forces during Imperial Japanese Forces occupation in North Borneo and Malaya. I've said teenage years because it was not really emphasised clearly in high schools or it was probably not that important. Nevertheless, I really appreciate Paul Ham's effort on preparing this book especially for those who have wished to know what's really happening with those death march yellow signages that are many displayed along side of the main if one travel towards inwards of Sabah.
March 23, 2016
This is a sad story of the Australian and English POWs at Sandakan. It covers the entire period from the fall of Singapore to the war crime trials and what happened to the very few men to survive.
Paul Ham writes in an easy style but does not hide any details of the torture, treatment and enforced starvation of the POWs.
It is a book that looks at how man can be so cruel, at the resilience of people in traumatic situations and the bravery of the local people in trying to provide some help to the POWs.
Paul Ham writes in an easy style but does not hide any details of the torture, treatment and enforced starvation of the POWs.
It is a book that looks at how man can be so cruel, at the resilience of people in traumatic situations and the bravery of the local people in trying to provide some help to the POWs.
March 20, 2014
I couldn't get enough of this book. It is so readable, despite the horrors of the subject matter, and the author manages to convey those horrors without getting too dramatic. There is also a nice amount of personal stories and backgrounds of enough soldiers that you feel connected to them, without getting bogged down in detail or getting the names and characters confused. Every Aussie should read this. Such an important part of our history.
March 21, 2014
Interesting story which is well told. Sometimes I felt the authors anger intruded too much. I think the reader won 't have any trouble being morally outraged by the many heinous acts. The great raid in the Philippines got the attention of Hollywood, these are the others who didn't get rescued. I also felt the author ascribed motive to senior Army leadership without providing proof. Still worth reading despite these concerns.
April 24, 2013
This account of the Sandakan Death Marches has to be one of the most harrowing stories I have ever read.I was deeply affected by the depravity and brutality that these prisoners of war had to endure. The only uplifting aspect of the book is the miraculous escape of a few-how anyone could survive such horrors is unimaginable. It is a story that should never be forgotten.
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