The Bataan Death March

The Bataan Death March, 1942 Handout with student activities, questions and video link.

Text Overview

Student Questions Page

Source Analysis Template – can be used for pictures or used to work with the overview text

Timeline

2 KWL Templates

Scroll/Coin/Stamp/Book cover template pages

Coloring page

Brain Break Activity

Word Search Template

Extension Task Template

The Bataan Death March, which began on April 9, 1942, was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan in the Philippines during World War II. All told, approximately 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100–650 American prisoners of war died before they could reach their destination at Camp O’Donnell.The reported death tolls vary, especially amongst Filipino POWs, because historians cannot determine how many prisoners blended in with the civilian population and escaped. The march went from Mariveles, Bataan, to San Fernando, Pampanga. From San Fernando, survivors were loaded to a box train and were brought to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.

The 60 mi (97 km) march was characterized by occasional severe physical abuse and resulted in some fatalities inflicted upon prisoners and civilians alike by the Japanese Army. It was later judged by an Allied military commission to be a Japanese war crime.