Reason for a Massacre

                                

After reading accounts from various books, and survivors accounts, I ask myself what would drive
a capturing force, to take POW's to a isolated spot, and execute them in a manner,that can only be
considered as Murder.

Many Historians have looked at this Massacre and clearly point a finger at Lieutenant General
Homma, who just after the fall of Corregidor on the orders of the Army Chief of staff Hajime
Sugiyama, was replaced by General Yamashita, and from then Homma was in charge of the 14th
Division in Name only, retiring in 1943.

Late 1942 General Yamashita was transferred to Manchuria, and it was after the war the down fall
of Homma and Yamashita, was accredited, to a Staff Officer Colonel Masanobu Tsuji, who clearly
had friends in High places, one being the wartime Premier Tojo Hideki, and with these men on his
side he could get away with Murder, and he did, as he was never tried for his many war crimes.

There are many pages written on Colonel Masanobu Tsuji and the atrocities associated to him,
but going back to the Pantingan Massacre, it is said that it was carried out by the Japanese 65th
Brigade, commanded by Lt General Akira Nara, who was later Identified by Lt Moriyama
another Japanese officer, placed at the scene.

So was the Massacre carried out as revenge for the losses the Japanese suffered during the second battle, and the actions of the 41st on the 5th April, or was there another reason?by going over
accounts it points to Tsuji again and accounts after the war, that he was the master mind of the
Bataan Death March, and also has been stated to say that all Prisoners should be Executed.

On recorded verbal accounts and documents which seem to have disappeared, a Divisional staff
officer convinced by Tsuji regarding the treatment of prisioners, called Colonel Imai and told him
to kill all prisoners and those who offered surrender, Imai already had a thousand prisoners and
demanded the orders to be put into writing, there are accounts that he released these prisoners into
the rain forest. The staff officer then rang Major General Torac Ikuta who was told his own
division was already executing prisoners, he also asked for a written order, no orders were given
in writing so accounts say.

With the above taken into consideration Many officers did follow these verbal orders, as they
also believed Tsuji was correct, and also feared him, and Nara was one of these officers, so he
executed those orders at the Pantingan River, and the same as Tsuji he was never tried for
war crimes, as he left before the execution started.

We still have so much research to do before we go and find the fallen hero's and give them the
grave markers they so deserve, also to ensure their story is told correctly.

Col Masanobu Tsuji