Sandakan

Discover the harrowing history of the Sandakan Death Marches through this compelling trade paperback, published by Random House Australia in 2013. Within its 672 pages, this historical account unfolds the untold story of the Sandakan prisoners of war during World War II. This gripping narrative highlights the unimaginable horrors endured by over 2500 British and Australian POWs after the capture of Singapore in February 1942. Relive their struggles as they faced extreme brutality in a jungle camp near Sandakan, Borneo. This book delves deep into the painful reality of starvation, torture, and the resilience of the human spirit amidst adversity. As the Japanese military made the fateful decision to transfer prisoners in late 1944, readers will explore the true accounts of the horrific Sandakan Death Marches. Only six men survived this brutal ordeal, and their stories remain a testament to courage and endurance. Whether you are a history enthusiast or a student of war narratives, this book offers critical insights into a significant yet overlooked chapter of World War II history. Each copy is brand new and shipped free from Smartfox NZ, ensuring you receive this essential documentary work promptly. Don't miss out on adding this significant piece of literature to your collection.

Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781864711417
Format: Trade paperback (UK)
Year: 2013
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE AUSTRALIA
Pages: 672


Description:
The untold story of the Sandakan Death Marches of the Second World War.

This is the story of the three-year ordeal of the Sandakan prisoners of war - a barely known episode of unimaginable horror. After the fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese conquerors transferred 2500 British and Australian prisoners to a jungle camp some eight miles inland of Sandakan, on the east coast of North Borneo. For decades after the Second World War, the Australian and British governments would refuse to divulge the truth of what happened there, for fear of traumatising the families of the victims and enraging the people.

The prisoners were broken, beaten, worked to death, thrown into bamboo cages on the slightest pretext, starved and subjected to tortures so ingenious and hideous that none survived the onslaught with their minds intact, and only an incredibly resilient few managed to withstand the pain without yielding to the hated Kempei-tai, the Japanese military police.

But this was only the beginning of the nightmare. In late 1944, Allied aircraft were attacking the coastal towns of Sandakan and Jesselton. To escape the bombardment, the Japanese resolved to abandon the Sandakan Prison Camp and move 250 miles inland to Ranau, taking the prisoners with them as slave labour, carriers and draught horses. Their journey became known as the Sandakan Death Marches. Of the 1000-plus prisoners sent on the Death Marches, only six - all of them Australians - survived

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