17-6-23 Garand Picture of the Day - More red arrow

[Paul S.]

I take it that it's a Japanese soldier taken prisoner by the Americans rather than a Allied soldier that had been held by the Japanese that's just been released? It's amazing how thin the man is but the awful truth is that the Japs expected British, American, Australian and other allied prisoners of war to do slave labour in this condition. It's little wonder that so many died in Japanese hands as prisoners of war and never saw their families again.

As memory serves from my readings years ago, the Japanese forces at Buna - and elsewhere in PNG - were so short of rations that some at least resorted to cannibalism and ate Allied dead. As I recall, they weren't above killing, butchering and eating Allied wounded as well.