During World War II (1939–45), the United States had to fight battles
in two parts of the world. German troops were aggressively taking over
Europe while Japanese troops were seizing control of the Pacific Islands
and China. As a result, American troops and resources were spread between the two places. Most American attention, however, was focused
first in Europe. U.S. troops in the Pacific faced battles with fewer resources and little backup.
U.S. troops trapped
Soon after the attack on the Pearl Harbor naval station in Hawaii in
December 1941, American troops were fighting to defend an airfield in
the Philippines. By the end of December, the American and Filipino forces
were forced to retreat to the Bataan peninsula. By February, the Japanese
attack had been defeated. The Japanese, however, had cornered the
American troops with their backs to the sea. A large blockade isolated the
Philippine Islands, preventing the Americans from escaping and receiving
supplies. As a result, food, medicine, and ammunition ran dangerously
low. Soldiers were starving and suffering from malaria and dysentery.
After four months of holding the Japanese back without additional
resources, the American troops were seriously weakened. On April 3,
1942, the Japanese attacked again. This time they easily cut through
American defenses. On April 9, more than seventy thousand American
and Filipino soldiers surrendered. It was the largest American army ever
to surrender.
Prosecuted for war crimes
The Japanese brutality that followed was eventually judged a war crime.
The starving and sick troops were forced to walk over sixty miles to the
prisoner of war camp. It is now known as the Bataan Death March, because it is estimated that between five thousand and ten thousand men
did not survive the march. Intense heat, little food or water, and random
acts of violence caused their deaths. Some managed to escape, but for the
fifty-four thousand who made it to Camp O’Donnell, the brutality of
the march was only the beginning.