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What happened to prisoners who tried to get water during the Bataan Death March?
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Bataan Death March
Prisoners during the Bataan Death March, 1942.
During the Bataan Death March, Japanese soldiers treated prisoners of war with extreme brutality, viewing them as little more than chattel. The captives were forced to endure a grueling pace in tropical heat with very little water.
If a prisoner broke ranks to attempt to fetch water, or if they fell behind due to exhaustion or sickness, they were summarily executed by being bayoneted, shot, or beheaded by the Japanese guards.1