War stories

A nephew of mine, born in the former Dutch East Indies, returned, to Japanese-occupied Taiwan with his Taiwanese parents just before the Pacific War broke out in 1941.

When my nephew arrived in Taiwan the country was feverishly preparing for war and all healthy young males were immediately conscripted into the Japanese army. The Japanese army was very harsh. The drills included combat training.

My nephew was soon sent to Southeast Asia. Crack Japanese troops, the Kantoo gun veterans of the Manchu and China wars, conquered a city a pillaged it for three days. There was virtually no law until the city came under the jurisdiction of the city civil administration.

A friend of mine saw action in the Philippines. Six months of endless marching without pulling off his army boots resulted in an incurable eczema on his feet. The young soldiers did not lose their libido and the Japanese high command of the army provided a group of "comfort women".

The men lined up in front of the barracks and harassed anyone who took too long. Many a Kamikaze pilot's last wish was a night with a comfort woman.

My nephew recalled that while living in the jungle he would catch fish by throwing hand grenades into rivers and then eat the stunned fish raw. He also ate available fruit to keep alive.

I was on the same ship with soldiers being repatriated from the Pacific Islands. Their tales made my flesh creep. Platoons marching through the dense jungles of New Guinea and the Hebrides Islands had to war against malarial mosquitoes, snakes and assorted of insects. They had to march day in and day out with sweat-drenched shirts, when humidity was at its highest. Only the fittest among them survived.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta