death march
The Death March (det marts) refers to the forced march of approximately 76,000 captive Filipino and American soldiers some 100 kilometers from Bataan to Capas, Tarlac. The soldiers were the Bataan defenders who surrendered to the Japanese on 9 April 1942. The prisoners were marched for days without food or water until they received abuse at the hands of the Japanese soldiers. More than 10,000 Filipinos and 1,200 Americans were killed in hunger, apprehension, and torture, calling the March Death incident recognized as one of the most vicious examples of atrocities during World War II. Upon arriving in San Fernando, the remaining marines were transported by train until they reached the O'Donnell Camp in Tarlac to be detained.
It is said that the Japanese were not ready to accept such a large number of prisoners, but perhaps also because of their cruelty was their low opinion of the surrendering soldiers. In addition to killing soldiers who tried to drink water near their canal and not providing water and food, the marchers repeatedly experienced the following: (1) beating their heads with Afternoon for no reason, (2) deliberately exposing them to the heat of the day for hours, (3) the sudden assault of them by trucks and tanks, and (4) the shooting and cutting of the head of the captives who were not keep up the march.