Question

What events led up to the Bataan Death March?

Answer 1

Hint: The Bataan Death March began after Imperial Japanese forces won the Battle of Baton against US soldiers during World War II, and March began on April 9th. The troops who were kidnapped were forced to mark an 85-mile distance. Many perished from a shortage of food and water, as well as infections caused by inadequate hygiene.

Complete answer:
The 75,000 Filipino and American troops took on the Bataan Peninsula to begin a forced march to a prison camp in Cabanatuan the day after the main Philippine island of Luzon surrenders to the Japanese. The captives were forced to march 85 kilometres in six days during the infamous "Bataan Death March," with only one meal of rice during the entire journey.

The events leading up to the “Bataan Death March”: Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japan moved quickly to annex much of Southeast Asia. General Douglas MacArthur of the United States deployed his soldiers from Manila to the Bataan Peninsula as Japanese troops approached the Philippines. He did this intending to spare the city of Manila from destruction.

After three months of hard warfare, the Japanese destroyed the U.S. and Filipino army on Bataan at the Battle of Bataan. On April 9, 1942, General Edward King, Jr. surrendered to the Japanese. Around 76,000 Filipino and American forces surrendered to the Japanese, including around 12,000 Americans.

Note: Interesting facts about the Bataan Death March include the following:
- General MacArthur wanted to stay and battle at Bataan, but President Roosevelt ordered him to go.
- Around 400 Filipino officers who had surrendered were executed by the Japanese when they first captured the army.
- The Japanese sought to conceal the incident by claiming that the inmates were properly treated in the local newspaper. When escaped convicts revealed their stories about the march, the truth came out.