| Item title: | The Palawan massacre |
| Title (kanji) |  |
| Location: | Australian War Memorial (AWM55 12/104) View information about obtaining a copy of this document |
AJRP details | |
| AJRP module: | Australian War Memorial official records |
| AJRP series: | Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) publications |
| AJRP sub-series: | ATIS research reports |
| AJRP folder: | |
Location details | |
| Institution: | Australian War Memorial |
| Call number: | AWM55 12/104 |
| Inst. series: | AWM55 |
| Inst. sub-series: | AWM55 12/- |
| Item: | RR-133 |
Item qualities | |
| Quantity / desc: | 20 pages |
| Access: | Open |
| Item type: | Unpublished, Official |
| Category: | Information report |
Item content | |
| Creation date (d/m/y): | 15/5/1946 |
| Conflict code: | Pacific War (1941-1945) |
| Keywords: | MASSACRES, PRISONERS OF WAR, PRISON-CAMPS, ESCAPEES, AIRFIELD CONSTRUCTION, MILITARY ORDERS, MILITARY OPERATIONS |
| Australian unit names: | |
| Allied unit names: | |
| Japanese unit names: | 131st Airfield Bn |
| Names: | |
| Languages: | English |
| Area: | Palawan [Philippines] Puerto Princesa [Philippines, Palawan] |
| Content: | This is an Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) research report issued on 15 May 1946 on the Palawan massacre in the Philippines on 14 December 1944. From 13 December 1944 Japanese forces in the southern Philippines were alerted against an invasion of US troops. Erroneously predicting that the destination was Palawan Island, Japanese commanders of the Palawan prison camp (131st Airfield Battalion) herded 150 American prisoners into three covered trenches which were then set on fire. Prisoners who tried to escape were shot and those who managed to flee over a cliff were later discovered and executed. Eleven escaped the massacre. This report contains documentary evidence of the massacre, including a historical overview of the Japanese presence on Palawan, details of the responsibility for the construction of the airfield at Puerto Princesa, the organisation and chain of command for the 131st Airfield Battalion, diary entries about the killings and information about the treatment and attitude of the prisoners prior to the massacre. It also contains a chart showing Japanese units on Palawan on 2 September 1944. |
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Other information | |
| Notes: | |
| Last modified: | 03/05/2009 09:06:01 AM |
| Source: | AJRP staff |
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