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World War II : Japanese war crimes and attrocities occupied Oceania civilians
World War II: Japanese War Crimes and Attrocities--Civilians in Occupied Oceanias
Figure 1.-- The Amerivans mounted major amphibious operations to seize the Marianas atbthe same time as D-Day in Europe (June 1944). The Japanese had heavily garisoned the islands, relaizing that they would bring the Home Oslands within range of American bombers. The decisive defeat of Japanese air and naval forces in the Battle of the Philippines Sea doomed the unsupported Japanese garrisons. The native people of the Marianas were the Chommoros. The Japanese dseported mot on Saipan, but many ewnained in Guam which had been an American island. The Chomoros were peaceful, but remained loyal to the Americans which infuriated the Japanese. Retreating Japanese soldiers sought vengeance on the peaceful natives with all too typical brutal actions. Here are the bodies of innoicent Chamorros britalized by the Japanese. They had hands tied behind their backs, driven into the jungle, bayoneted and beheaded. One war correspondent counted 42 bodies of Chamarros who had been disposed of in this fashion. Having failed in 2 years of occupation to gain the respect and loyalty of the Chamarros, the Japanese killed as many as they could before the island was liberated by the Americans. Almost the entire Japanese garrison fought to the death.
Oceania except for Indonesia (Dutch East Indies--DEI) and the Philippines was different than Southeast Asia. Actulaly the DEI is often condidered oaty of Southeast Asia. DEI Nationalists vooperated with the Japanese seeing path to independence. Of course indeoendenve did not come. Whay did come was a terrible famine, resulting from a combination og Jpanese mismanagemen and food seizures. Indpnesian nationalists like Sukarno made out alright, bit millions of Indonesians starved. The Uninted States was in the process of granting indeppendence to the Philippones. Thus Filipoino natiinlists were mistly loyal, although there werecsime prominent vollanirators. Japanese misamangement cauysed food sgirtages abd infkatiin. Thus the Japanese resprted yo forced seizures which only caused farmers to limit planting futher trducing th food supply. The small Pacific Islands were different. Thet had very small and primitive populations. Natives in New Guinea simply withdrew into the jungle. Japanese policy was not to supply theur military forces, but for them to live off the land. Thus soldiers had to seize labd from farmers and iun the pricesscrape women. So where possiblr natives simply disappeare into the jungle, leaving many Japanese garisons straving, especially after the United States sinmarines destroyed the Japnese Maru fleet. Disappearing into the jungle was, however, not possible on small islands. One group mistreated by the Japnese were the Chamorosm especially on Guam because they were seen as pro-Americam. The same occurred in the Philippines.
