Bataan Death March: What was the cause of the Bataan Death March?

The Bataan Death March was the Imperial Japanese Army’s involuntary transfer of 60,000–80,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan, and Mariveles to Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, via San Fernando, Pampanga, with many Captives dying along the way.

After the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II, the move began on April 9, 1942.

The overall distance marched from Mariveles to San Fernando and from the Capas Train Station to Camp O’Donnell is claimed to be between 60 and 69.6 miles by various sources (96.6 and 112.0 km).

Before arriving at Camp O’Donnell, sources describe a wide range of prisoner of war casualties, ranging from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 American deaths.

The march was marked by severe physical abuse and indiscriminate killings. Following the war, the Japanese commander, General Masaharu Homma, and two of his officers, Major General Yoshitaka Kawane and Colonel Kurataro Hirano, were tried for war crimes and sentenced to death by the United States military commissions on charges of failing to prevent their subordinates from committing war crimes.