The World's 25 Highest-Paid Musicians

[Highlander]

My dad's brigade had no option but to take no prisoners; they also had to execute their own wounded at one point to stop them falling into Japanese hands...

[Freuds_Cat]

My dad's brigade had no option but to take no prisoners; they also had to execute their own wounded at one point to stop them falling into Japanese hands...

After the Australian effort in WW1 on the western front I believe from my reading and conversations with WW2 diggers that a strong message was made to the troops about keeping prisoners alive.

[uwe]

In the heat/stress/utter desperation of battle most Western armies shot freshly made POWs - it happened on D-Day (especially during the first few hours of frenzy - hats off to Spielberg for being honest about it in Private Ryan) and during the Island Hopping in the Pacific theater too. It happened at the Ostfront from both sides. And while no doubt vile and wrong as well as against international law, I see a difference between that and the shooting of POWs behind enemy lines after they have been disarmed, rounded uo and there is no current battle fire. I'm not aware of an incident where that actually happened to German or Japanese POWs under Allied custody. It certainly wasn't standard or even tolerated procedure.

[Freuds_Cat]

I'm not aware of an incident where that actually happened to German or Japanese POWs under Allied custody. It certainly wasn't standard or even tolerated procedure.

Sadly there are a couple of documented cases of Australians doing this in Borneo and New Guinea in WWII.

[Chaser001]

My father said almost nothing about his experiences in World War II.  There were a few exceptions.  I do remember him talking about an isolated Japanese soldier that they captured.  He spoke some English and may have even been a doctor.  The Japanese was terrified and convinced he was going to be shot.  He had to be reassured over and over again that he wasn't going to be killed.  I'm not really sure how directly involved my father was in this incident.  However, he was an MP for a while and MPs were involved in managing POWs.  Whatever negative stuff happened, he just didn't talk about it.  Mostly what I know is that he fought at Guadalcanal and in the liberation of the Philippines.  The only positive thing I remember my father saying about World War II is that he really admired the Filipino people.  However, I don't want this to sound too Pollyannaish.  He was clearly very weary from fighting the Japanese in the jungles for so long.  Also, he didn't seem to be particularly impressed with the character of some of his comrades. 

[dadagoboi]

My dad was 'lucky' enough to be drafted before Pearl Harbor at the age of 28.  Saw 'action' with a hospital unit composed mostly of Italian Americans from New York.  They were bombed 5 times from North Africa thru Italy, France and Germany.   Spent a good amount of time in England pre D Day, called the English barbarians but did love Monty Python.

He liked to compare his service to 'MASH'.  He and his buddies sold sheets to the Bedouins in North Africa, ate pasta as regularly as possible and generally were involved in the shenanigans you might expect from a bunch of first generation New Yorkers.   I think the bordellos of Paris were a particular high point, sure looked like it from the pictures.  Never really talked about the bad things, but enjoyed many reunions with lifelong friends made during 54 months of service, most overseas.  There was talk of sending them to the Pacific after VE Day and it probably would have happened except for the A bomb.

[Chaser001]

My dad's brigade had no option but to take no prisoners; they also had to execute their own wounded at one point to stop them falling into Japanese hands...

I really can't comprehend having to go through such bloody hell as that. 

[Highlander]

I really can't comprehend having to go through such bloody hell as that. 

Documented from the fall of "Blackpool" - they were all unlikely to have made it but the Japanese had already overrun their positions - fixed courtesy of Gen Stillwell...

... a strong message was made to the troops about keeping prisoners alive.

But not behind the lines when their is almost no way of getting them (prisoners) out - there were thousands of Allied personnel that died as POW's in Japanese hands but there was an utter rout as things went wrong for them and there was very little will to do anything else...

[Freuds_Cat]

But not behind the lines when their is almost no way of getting them (prisoners) out -

True, but when you read about the war in sub equitarial Sth East Asia you get a clear understanding that the "lines" were constantly very blured.

[Highlander]

Dig out John "Jack" Masters book, "The Road Past Mandalay" for a decent primer on the situation they went through and if that interests you check out Brigadier Michael "Mad Mike" Calverts book, "Prisoners Of Hope" for the two "groups" most associated with what I'm researching...