War stories

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