Customer Reviews

Death on the Hellships: Prisoners at Sea in the Pacific War

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gregory Michno's "Death on the Hellships: Prisoners at Sea in the Pacific War" is a harrowing account of one of the nearly forgotten stories of World War Two - the experiences of Allied POW's aboard Japanese transport ships. These prisoners, most of them captured during the early months of the war in the Pacific, passed through nearly unimaginable horrors, brutally mistreated by their captors, subjected to starvation, beatings, and deprivation of water, and held in crowded, grossly unsanitary conditions. And they often fell victim to Allied torpedoes and bombs. More than 20,000 Allied POW's died at sea, most of them when the transport ships carrying them were attacked by U.S. submarines and aircraft. Although Allied headquarters often knew of the presence of POW's aboard vessels targeted for attack through radio interception and code breaking, the general policy was to sink the ships anyway, evidently on the basis that the interdiction of critical strategic materials was more important in the long run than the deaths of prisoners-of-war.

"Death on the Hellships" is a veritable Dante's Inferno at sea, the tragedies chronicled month by month. Michno's research into previously classified records and with survivor first-hand accounts far surpasses that of anyone who has touched upon this topic before, and he deserves great credit for rescuing this important story before it was lost forever in the fog of the past. It is not a tale for the faint-hearted. Although the subject covers too broad a time and geographical area to permit in-depth narratives of every prison ship voyage, Michno does provide a wealth of survivor stories illustrating the experiences of these unfortunate men and women. Anyone who reads the history of this tragic episode of modern war will not soon forget it.

"Death on the Hellships" is a classic in research and documentation. Cross referencing from American records at the National Archives, interviews with Allied POWs who survived these nightmarish voyages, and the convoy records of the Japanese, Michno reveals a picture of depravity and horror. The sad truth is that the American Intelligence knew of almost convoy and merchant ship movement through spies and code breaking. Military intelligence even knew the cargo, including ships containing POWS. It was a "dirty little secret" that is only now available from the declassified records. A deliberate decision was made to withhold the fact from submarine commanders that specific ships and convoys contained prisoners. The decision was made "to sink them all" rather than take a chance the Japanese would realize their codes were broken. Submarine commanders, pledged to lifelong secrecy, knew the location and course of almost every Japanese ship. Many jokingly complained that, "The Japanese ship was ten minutes late.," before he was sunk. Michno masterfully documents and relates the experiences of those who suffered in the Hellships as they were carried to serve as slaves for Japanese industrial companies who now snub any thought of an apology or compensation. A compelling and well written classic for the bookshelf of any historian.

Death On The Hellships: Prisoners At Sea In The Pacific War is a sobering, comprehensive, superly written and accurate survey of life and death as an Allied prisoner of war aboard the Japanese submarines, under conditions as hellish as any concentration camp. More that 126,000 prisoners were transported on these hellships with more than 21,000 fatalities, due to beatings, starvation, disease, and worst of all, friendly fire. The statistics lead author Gregory Michno to conclude that it was more dangerous to be a prisoner on Japanese hellships than to be an active U.S. marine in the campaign. Disturbing in its detail, Death On The Hellships is a vivid and unforgettable reminder of the horrors of war and an invaluable contribution to 20th Century military history collections.

Author Michno covers a subject that has been neglected in World War II history, namely prisoners of war held on Japanese ships on the Pacific Ocean. The book is over 300 pages of the depressing conditions that POW's faced at the hands of the Japanese on their hellships. Prisoners who were deprived of water, food, and sanitary conditions and subjected to executions by their captors make for a very hellish read. It appears that those who survived were those who developed an intense hatred for their captors. Those who felt sorry for themselves were not among the survivors. This is a subject that has apparently been neglected in World War II history and the author says the Japanese continue to deny or cover up their atrocities. I found it difficult to continue reading such horrific treatment of human beings for over 300 pages, but, nevertheless, this is a story that has been needed to be told.

Mr Michno's "Death on the Hellships" is thorough. I have a special interest in such history because my father Frederick A Stadtmiller of the 803rd Aviation Engineering Battalion was taken prisoner on Bataan. Although he is never nmentioned by name in the book, and I could never expect every POW's name to be listed, my dad was on the hellship Nissyo Maru that left Manila 17 July 1944 for Kyushu. He was in POW camp Fukuoka-23 Keisen working in coal mines. He only told us, his kids, a very watered down version of his experiences. I suspect he suffered what we now call post-traumatic stress and didn't want to remember his ordeal as a "Nip POW" as he used to call it.
I was able to fill in many blanks by reading Mr Michno's account. Interestingly, I have several Japanese acquaintances whose parents were involved in the war and they were told even less that I was. The Japanese definitely wanted to forget this nightmare in their history. Unfortunately for them, it was their own people who brought it on themselves. I would hope more children of ex-POWs might add what they were told about their fathers' experiences as a "Nip POW".

Tom Stadtmiller- 4 August 2011

Gregory Michno has written what will surely become the reference work on hell ship voyages. Impeccably referenced throughout, with a bibliographic section that will keep me busy for years chasing up articles referred to in his research notes. Gregory draws on recently declassified American and Japanese records of their combined activities and inhumanities committed during desperate times - A master of his topic, with objective analysis revealing that neither side was truly innocent in creating hell on the high seas. At times a harrowing, poignant read. This is a 'must have' book for anyone interested in WWII history.