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SS Wotan #29
Bataan: The March of Death
In the spring of 1942, the Japanese 14th Army overran Bataan Peninsula on the island of Luzon in the Philippines and captured 78,100 American and Filipino troops. Almost immediately, a curtain of silence settled over Bataan, concealing from the rest of the world the fate of the prisoners. It was not util more than a year and a half later that the terrible story of the ... more »evacuation of the Filipino and American captives from Bataan became te most publicized episode of the entire Phillipine campaign. Although a few survivors have written about their experiences, this is the first book to tell the whole story of the Death March, of what happened on the Japanese side as well as the plight of the Americans and Filipinos. Mr. Falk not only describes the march- and corrects several mistaken impressions about it- but also explains the conditions and causes that led to it. To do this the author made a careful study of American and Japanese Army records, letters and diaries, the war crimes of Lt. General Masaharu Homma, and interviews with survivors. Stanley Falk is a historian with the Office, Chief of Military History, Department of the Army
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2014
Screaming at the top of my lungs, "I AM FINISHED!" Though the book was really exciting and interesting at the beginning, there were times in the middle that I get lost and just get bored because Falk repeats the same things.
This portrait of the terrible Japanese brutality should be Steve McQueen's, the director of 2014's Best Picture winner Twelve Years a Slave, new project. It is terrifyingly enough to break the hearts of many.
This portrait of the terrible Japanese brutality should be Steve McQueen's, the director of 2014's Best Picture winner Twelve Years a Slave, new project. It is terrifyingly enough to break the hearts of many.
January 30, 2016
Japan’s strike at Pearl Harbor was not a solitary military move, but the opening play in a Pacific strategy. Having disabled the American Pacific Fleet, Japanese forces would be free to sweep down on Anglo-American holdings in southeast Asia and create its own empire. The plan went into effect with such rapidity that the Philippines, seized from Spain in the late 19th century, fell under attack on the very day of Pearl Harbor. The Rising Sun found stiffer resistance in the Philippines than it met at Wake Island and Guam, however, and not until early spring 1942 did American forces there surrender. They survived a siege, the weeks of bombardment and short rations, but the most hellish hours were yet to come.
The defense found endurance in retreating to the rocky Bataan peninsula, where for months they held without support or supplies. Increasingly ravaged by disease and malnutrition, however, eventually they had to accept the inevitable. Even in defeat, however, they remained a nuisance to the Japanese: Bataan was the ideal site to launch an attack on the Pacific Gilbralter, the little island fortress of Corregidor whose guns barred Manila Harbor. The defeated needed to be moved out, immediately, and so began a hike of the damned. Though the siege offered plenty of time to plan for dealing with P.O.W.s, Japan’s itinerary of short hikes and feeding/rest areas fell apart almost immediately, overwhelmed by both the sheer number of prisoners and their deteriorated status. The two factors worsened the effect: food and supplies were simultaneously much reduced and much more needed. Every mile of the march saw physically exhausted and disease-ravaged men fall out, and those who did not succumb to injury or infirmity were dispatched with indifferent bayonets . Though the Death March is regarded in propagandized history as an act of cold malice by the Japanese empire, intent on humiliating and destroying those who surrender instead of fighting to the last and dying honorably, Falk here builds a case that the atrocity was more a symptom of the chaos and hell of war aggravated but not initiated by Japan’s severe militarism. The Japanese commanders remained ignorant of both the amount and condition of prisoners headed their way, possibly through errors in translation but also owing to the confused state of American defense: as at Dunkirk, few units were intact; the massed body of ailing defenders were a confused patchwork of commands. Outright murder by the Japanese happened
All this is not to say that Bataan was merely a tragic accident. It was the stage of many a war crime, some casual and others more deliberate. Early on, an entire division was beheaded for reasons still obscure. Individual Japanese soldiers practiced chronic and petty acts of cruelty that further bled an already wasted body of men, like the man who amused himself by knocking off the helmets of prisoners who marched by him. Unable to slow down or stop on pain of beating or death, the troops had to leave their precious headgear behind, further exposing them to the roasting tropical sun. Prisoners were robbed not just of equipment and personal items, expected losses in war, but of what little food they had retained or were given. The Japanese were despairingly inconsistent; the food given to men by one command might be taken from them by another. Some Imperials dispensed cooked rice; others forced the prisoners to be content with raw grain. The dehumanization of Japanese military training – in which beatings for small infractions were commonplace – manifested itself in their treatment of the Filipino and American soldiers under their power, but the Japanese government deserves direct scrutiny and condemnation for the “rest areas”, which would have been dangerously overcrowded and wholly unsanitary even if the men shoved into them not been desperately ill with dysentery, constantly soiling themselves and the environment. Campsites were open latrines in which men were forced to lay in a miasma of rotting bodies and feces. The quarter of men who were allowed to ride in trains to the final camp instead of march found it a more torturous alternative, for the cars were nearly completely sealed, permitted standing room only, and collected such heat that the men inside could not touch the walls for fear of scalding themselves.
In a war of genocide, fire-bombings, and mass starvation, the competition for horror is fierce. Though much less severe than the wholesale murder at Dachau and Auschwitz, Bataan is no less grim in its own right. Here are men as the detritus of war, cut off from every resource, given nothing but abuse and mockery, and left ot die. Some 20,000 men perished from disease, execution, exhaustion, live burial, or hunger in the sixty-five mile march. Stanley Falk’s history is admirable, neither softening the blows nor attempting to propagandize them. He diligently seeks for the causes of the catastrophe, and finds it a bad situation merely made worst by martial brutishness, instead of being an act of deliberate evil. Bataan is invaluable not just for its information, but for its measured tone.
The defense found endurance in retreating to the rocky Bataan peninsula, where for months they held without support or supplies. Increasingly ravaged by disease and malnutrition, however, eventually they had to accept the inevitable. Even in defeat, however, they remained a nuisance to the Japanese: Bataan was the ideal site to launch an attack on the Pacific Gilbralter, the little island fortress of Corregidor whose guns barred Manila Harbor. The defeated needed to be moved out, immediately, and so began a hike of the damned. Though the siege offered plenty of time to plan for dealing with P.O.W.s, Japan’s itinerary of short hikes and feeding/rest areas fell apart almost immediately, overwhelmed by both the sheer number of prisoners and their deteriorated status. The two factors worsened the effect: food and supplies were simultaneously much reduced and much more needed. Every mile of the march saw physically exhausted and disease-ravaged men fall out, and those who did not succumb to injury or infirmity were dispatched with indifferent bayonets . Though the Death March is regarded in propagandized history as an act of cold malice by the Japanese empire, intent on humiliating and destroying those who surrender instead of fighting to the last and dying honorably, Falk here builds a case that the atrocity was more a symptom of the chaos and hell of war aggravated but not initiated by Japan’s severe militarism. The Japanese commanders remained ignorant of both the amount and condition of prisoners headed their way, possibly through errors in translation but also owing to the confused state of American defense: as at Dunkirk, few units were intact; the massed body of ailing defenders were a confused patchwork of commands. Outright murder by the Japanese happened
All this is not to say that Bataan was merely a tragic accident. It was the stage of many a war crime, some casual and others more deliberate. Early on, an entire division was beheaded for reasons still obscure. Individual Japanese soldiers practiced chronic and petty acts of cruelty that further bled an already wasted body of men, like the man who amused himself by knocking off the helmets of prisoners who marched by him. Unable to slow down or stop on pain of beating or death, the troops had to leave their precious headgear behind, further exposing them to the roasting tropical sun. Prisoners were robbed not just of equipment and personal items, expected losses in war, but of what little food they had retained or were given. The Japanese were despairingly inconsistent; the food given to men by one command might be taken from them by another. Some Imperials dispensed cooked rice; others forced the prisoners to be content with raw grain. The dehumanization of Japanese military training – in which beatings for small infractions were commonplace – manifested itself in their treatment of the Filipino and American soldiers under their power, but the Japanese government deserves direct scrutiny and condemnation for the “rest areas”, which would have been dangerously overcrowded and wholly unsanitary even if the men shoved into them not been desperately ill with dysentery, constantly soiling themselves and the environment. Campsites were open latrines in which men were forced to lay in a miasma of rotting bodies and feces. The quarter of men who were allowed to ride in trains to the final camp instead of march found it a more torturous alternative, for the cars were nearly completely sealed, permitted standing room only, and collected such heat that the men inside could not touch the walls for fear of scalding themselves.
In a war of genocide, fire-bombings, and mass starvation, the competition for horror is fierce. Though much less severe than the wholesale murder at Dachau and Auschwitz, Bataan is no less grim in its own right. Here are men as the detritus of war, cut off from every resource, given nothing but abuse and mockery, and left ot die. Some 20,000 men perished from disease, execution, exhaustion, live burial, or hunger in the sixty-five mile march. Stanley Falk’s history is admirable, neither softening the blows nor attempting to propagandize them. He diligently seeks for the causes of the catastrophe, and finds it a bad situation merely made worst by martial brutishness, instead of being an act of deliberate evil. Bataan is invaluable not just for its information, but for its measured tone.
September 7, 2020
Excellent account of the Bataan Death March by an eminent American military historian. While every bit as grisly as we have generally accepted in the US, contrary to popular belief the gruesomeness of this incident was not the result of a deliberate policy carried out by the Japanese army. Rather, it resulted more from inaccurate information, refusal to revise plans, and a failure of leadership by the Japanese 14th Army commander and staff. While this doesn’t lessen the tragedy of the event, it caused me, at least, to rethink what I understood about Japanese military policy in the Philippines campaign.
August 24, 2023
I would give this a 2.5 or 5/10. Falk writes well for a academic and historical book, but he seems to repeat himself over and over again. He provides complete depth in this very interesting event in history, but the chapters are in a weird order. It will constantly repeat information in different chapters, which is nice at some points but also results in this book being longer than it should. I have read about half of it, and then skipped to the chapter about the march itself. Very informative about the event, but the fact it reads like a textbook really hinders the experience. I would only recommend to hear about this important event, but it seems a wikipedia skim would be more efficient.
March 23, 2019
Probably not the definitive account of the tragic events on Bataan but a good overview in a concise well written form.
July 17, 2019
Fascinating account of the various perspectives on what occurred. Comprehensive and helps to understand why the Japanese guards behaved the way they did.
June 15, 2021
Amazing!!!
March 24, 2025
This is a rather cold-blooded almost "academic" study of the infamous Japanese atrocity that killed approximately 600-1000 Americans and 6000-10,000 Filipinos in April 1942. Its a good "starter" book - but no more than that.
After the Bataan surrender in early April 1942, approximately 10,000 US and 50,000 Filipino sick/starving military personnel were forced to march for days without adequate food and water. Japanese Guards were given carte blanche to kill whoever they wished and anyone who couldn't keep up was "Polished off". No attempt was made to reduce the pace of the march or to provide for the sick and wounded.
Falk lays out all the facts, but seems more interested in excusing the Japanese behavior than condemning it. General Homma's war crime trial EXCUSES for the death march are presented as facts. Contrary to Falk, there is no evidence that the Japanese were "surprised" by the number of POW's or at their condition. Homma simply wanted the POW's off the Bataan Peninsula and didn't care how many died marching to Camp McDonnell. In any case, Homma did nothing to ensure the POW's were treated properly or punish the Japanese who committed atrocities.
Finally, there's little eye-witness testimony from the survivors, instead its all described from a very high level. Further Falk doesn't go into the 2,000 American or 20,000 Filipino deaths at Camp McDonnell that occurred immediately after the Death march. Also due to General Homma.
After the Bataan surrender in early April 1942, approximately 10,000 US and 50,000 Filipino sick/starving military personnel were forced to march for days without adequate food and water. Japanese Guards were given carte blanche to kill whoever they wished and anyone who couldn't keep up was "Polished off". No attempt was made to reduce the pace of the march or to provide for the sick and wounded.
Falk lays out all the facts, but seems more interested in excusing the Japanese behavior than condemning it. General Homma's war crime trial EXCUSES for the death march are presented as facts. Contrary to Falk, there is no evidence that the Japanese were "surprised" by the number of POW's or at their condition. Homma simply wanted the POW's off the Bataan Peninsula and didn't care how many died marching to Camp McDonnell. In any case, Homma did nothing to ensure the POW's were treated properly or punish the Japanese who committed atrocities.
Finally, there's little eye-witness testimony from the survivors, instead its all described from a very high level. Further Falk doesn't go into the 2,000 American or 20,000 Filipino deaths at Camp McDonnell that occurred immediately after the Death march. Also due to General Homma.
November 28, 2009
I am quite hooked on books from Leo Kessler and those are very hard to get in my country. That is huge pain, but I managed to find another in the book store. Part of Wotan is trapped on the outskirts of Charkov and Kuno von Dodenburg (I wonder if it is OK for SS officer to be such honorable and cool man) was facing total annihilation of his unit from Russians. He decided to move with his men from the pocket and to join the rest of Wotan. There was huge but...he had to pass the area, which was in hands of Russians. The catastrophe happened and he was forced to surrender. The catch is that official propaganda said that SS Wafen never surrendered. The rescue mission was lead despite orders from superiors by Shultze who was with his friend fucking some female lice infested flesh, while their unit was taken.
The book is thick with action and with some desperate knowledge that everybody must end badly in next books. The heroism of those men and women of both sides was very well showed in this book.
Oh yes and author has very yucky sexual scenes. That stay.
The book is thick with action and with some desperate knowledge that everybody must end badly in next books. The heroism of those men and women of both sides was very well showed in this book.
Oh yes and author has very yucky sexual scenes. That stay.
September 1, 2017
Ani nevím jak jsem se k tomu dostal, mám rád válečný, toto ale ne.
Want to read
April 26, 2020Man's inhumanity to man. Where is God in all this? Did the Old Testament defend wars? I was horrified by this book but I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews