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Reward for Capture of Japanese POW


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Interesting document (dated April 1944) that offers a reward for bringing in a Japanese POW. It doesn't specify dead or alive, but it's probably safe to assume they would want a live POW since they were so hard to come by during the war.

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Just a guess but if they are dead I don't think they could be a POW.

 

Weren't POW's alive ?

 

Not only did the Japanese take their own lives to avoid being a POW but many POW's were just shot.

 

I had an Army Signals film once that was called " Find the Japanese Kill The Japanese "

 

They didn't take any prisoners they just shot everyone...to pieces.

 

A cash incentive might bring in a live one to interrogate.

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Interesting document (dated April 1944) that offers a reward for bringing in a Japanese POW. It doesn't specify dead or alive, but it's probably safe to assume they would want a live POW since they were so hard to come by during the war.

Well a Dead POW isn't a POW just a Enemy KIA.....
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This is a really interesting document and meshes very nicely with the story told to me by a local 5th Cav veteran many years ago (his unit happens to be the same as the document above- note checkmark). He once told me that his unit never took prisoners as they were impossible to handle because none of the Japanese soldiers surrendered willingly. One day, a message came down from HQ that any man who captured a Japanese soldier would receive a cash reward and be removed from combat to go on a furlough to Australia. The vet and his buddies all argued over who was going to be the first one to bring one back alive and collect the reward. According to this fellow, in a matter of hours, several guys in his unit had managed to capture a Japanese soldier. One of the guys in the 5th Cav had been a professional boxer and had knocked out his prisoner and would "punch his lights out" every time he came to while the bruiser carried his quarry back to the rear.

 

My vet buddy said that there were so many Japanese POW's taken that the cash prize and furlough were soon recinded. At that point, the taking of POW's ceased.

 

Allan

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