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@WeHaveWaysPod Just finished listening to the latest episode. Thought @almurray & @James1940 did very well, but have a few issues. First, Len Siffleet (along with Ptes Pattiwahl & Reharin of the NEI who are often forgotten sadly) were captured by local pro-Japanese locals...
...who in turn handed them over to the IJA. They were murdered a full 2 weeks after that, so definitely not a 'heat of the moment' frontline event. Also, mention was made of the docile nature of Japanese PWs after capture; in US camps, yes...but not elsewhere. Not....
...in Featherston (NZ, 48 PWs killed, 70 wounded in 1943) and certainly not at Cowra (231 PWs killed, 4 Australians) Which gets me to my main gripe..that the discussion totally ignored the PW experience in the South West Pacific. Unlike Korea/Japan/Burma-Malaya camps it was not..
...a matter of hunkering down in 1945 and waiting for liberation. In Borneo, New Britain, Ambon and a dozen other locations the tempo of violence actually increased. Mass murders (2,400 PWs killed at Sandakan alone) which continued even AFTER the surrender...
...the last tranche of PW killings in Northern Borneo happened on the morning of the 26th of August. The omission of the SWP also meant the experience of Indian PWs wasn't addressed, particularly the systematic use of them as a 'food source' by isolated Japanese garrisons. A pity
However, as I said, I think @almurray & @James1940 put in a blinder as per usual & I don't want anyone to think the episode was not a great contribution to the ever expanding MA course that is #WeHaveWays....(It totally is 
) There's always next time I suppose. Cheers lads!
) There's always next time I suppose. Cheers lads!
