The Real Story of WW2 Prisoners Trapped Inside a Cannibal Camp

Summary

This script recounts the harrowing tales of cannibalism among Japanese soldiers during World War II. It details incidents on Chichijima Island, where captured American POWs were tortured, killed, and eaten, reflecting the extreme brutality of war. The narrative also explores the psychological and survival-driven cannibalism across the Pacific theater, challenging the notion of inhumanity in the face of desperation. The script serves as a stark reminder of the dark side of human nature and the atrocities committed in the name of war.

Takeaways

• 🌿 POWs in World War II faced extreme conditions, including starvation, disease, and forced labor in jungles.
• 🗣️ The script describes the horrifying reality of cannibalism among soldiers, suggesting it was a darker side of human nature during war.
• 🌐 Cannibalism was not limited to one theater of war; it occurred in Europe and the Pacific, indicating a widespread, though not universal, phenomenon.
• 🔥 The script recounts specific instances of cannibalism, such as on Chichijima Island, where American POWs were killed and eaten by Japanese soldiers.
• 👨‍✈️ Future U.S. President George H.W. Bush narrowly escaped a similar fate when his plane was shot down, but he was rescued by a submarine.
• 🏥 Japanese military conducted gruesome medical experiments on POWs, sometimes followed by cannibalism of the victims' bodies.
• 🗡️ Cannibalism was sometimes rationalized as a source of protein or as a ritual to absorb the enemy's strength, particularly with the consumption of livers.
• 🌴 In the Pacific, Japanese soldiers resorted to cannibalism out of desperation when cut off from supplies, as seen with the Suzuki Unit in the Philippines.
• 🌍 The script also mentions cannibalism by other nations, such as the Siege of Leningrad and POW camps in Siberia, showing it was not exclusive to the Japanese military.
• ⚖️ Post-war trials and the uncovering of secret orders reveal the complexity of cannibalism during WWII, with some Japanese soldiers being executed for their actions.

Q & A

What was the situation of the POWs in the dense, wet jungle as described in the script?

The POWs were in a dire situation, huddling for warmth, having not eaten in days, suffering from disease, and forced to work 12-hour shifts by their Japanese captors. They were also at risk of being taken and possibly eaten by cannibals each night.

How did the Japanese soldiers treat the American POWs during World War II as mentioned in the script?

The script describes the Japanese soldiers as torturing the American POWs with methods such as stabbing with bamboo spikes, waterboarding, and beating them mercilessly. They were also killed and, in some cases, their bodies were butchered and eaten.

What was the mission of the American bomber crew that was shot down near Chichijima Island?

The mission of the American bomber crew was to fly towards Chichijima Island, south of the main island of Japan, and drop their payload. Their mission was complete before they were shot down.

Who was the pilot that was rescued by the USS Finback after his plane was shot down near Chichijima Island?

The pilot rescued by the USS Finback was George H.W. Bush, who later became the 41st president of the United States.

What was the fate of the American soldiers who were captured after their plane crashed on Chichijima Island?

The captured American soldiers were tortured for information, then killed when they did not cooperate. Their bodies were butchered and eaten by the Japanese soldiers, as evidenced by knife marks on the bones and testimonies of Japanese personnel.

What was the role of the Suzuki Unit in the Philippines during World War II?

The Suzuki Unit was deployed in the Philippines to combat American and Filipino resistance forces. They resorted to cannibalism to survive, eating the bodies of prisoners who died from illness or injuries, and even capturing and killing locals for food.

Why did some Japanese soldiers turn to cannibalism during World War II?

Some Japanese soldiers turned to cannibalism out of desperation for survival, as they were cut off from supply lines and faced extreme conditions such as starvation and disease.

What was the Japanese Imperial Army's stance on cannibalism according to a secret order from November 18, 1944?

The secret Imperial Army order stated that cannibalism was punishable by death, but with a caveat that eating enemy soldiers was not considered a crime, indicating a selective condemnation of the act.

How did the Japanese government handle the historical accounts of cannibalism by its soldiers during World War II?

The Japanese government does not allow the teaching or public discussion of these events due to their sensitivity. Scholars who wish to publish information about these atrocities often have to leave Japan to do so.

What were some of the other instances of cannibalism mentioned in the script outside of Japan during World War II?

The script mentions instances of cannibalism at the Siege of Leningrad, where starving people ate the dead, and in Soviet POW camps where German soldiers resorted to cannibalism. It also references the Ustasha organization's ritualistic acts in the Independent State of Croatia.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Harrowing Tales of WWII POWs and Cannibalism

This paragraph delves into the grim realities faced by World War II prisoners of war (POWs) in the Pacific theater, focusing on their mistreatment and the shocking discovery of cannibalism among captors. It describes a scene where POWs, already suffering from disease and malnutrition, are subjected to forced labor and the horror of witnessing fellow prisoners being taken and eaten by cannibals. The narrative then broadens to discuss the broader context of war crimes in both the European and Pacific fronts, setting the stage for an exploration of specific incidents of cannibalism. A poignant account is given of an American bomber crew's mission over Chichijima Island, where the crew is shot down, captured, and ultimately tortured and killed by Japanese forces. The paragraph culminates in the revelation of the crew's fate, their bodies butchered and consumed, and the subsequent testimony from a Japanese admiral about the preparation and consumption of the POWs' livers.

05:04

🛬 Survival and Sacrifice: George H.W. Bush and the Rescue of a Future President

Paragraph two shifts focus to a personal narrative of survival and heroism. It recounts the story of a pilot, later revealed to be George H.W. Bush, who is adrift at sea after his plane is shot down. The paragraph vividly describes the pilot's rescue by the USS Finback submarine, which was on a mission to find survivors of downed aircraft. The narrative then contrasts the future president's survival with the grim fate of his crew, who were captured and subjected to torture and cannibalism by the Japanese. The paragraph also touches on other instances of cannibalism and war crimes, including the铃木部队 in the Philippines and the horrors they inflicted on both local populations and POWs. It discusses the铃木部队's descent into cannibalism as a means of survival, driven by a brutal environment and a lack of resources, leading to the consumption of both local villagers and POWs.

10:09

🌍 Desperation and Depravation: Cannibalism Across WWII Battlegrounds

Paragraph three expands the geographical scope to discuss instances of cannibalism across various WWII battlegrounds. It begins with the Japanese forces in Papua New Guinea, detailing their retreat into the jungle, the cutting off of supply lines, and the subsequent turn to cannibalism as a means of survival. The paragraph provides a harrowing account of prisoners being killed and eaten, with specific mention of a Pakistani corporal's testimony about the daily consumption of prisoners. It also touches on the psychological aspects, suggesting that some acts of cannibalism were driven by hatred as much as by hunger. The narrative then moves to the experiences of Australian and other Allied forces as they discovered the aftermath of these acts, including the remains of their own soldiers. The paragraph concludes with a broader reflection on the desperation that led to such acts, acknowledging the complex motivations behind them.

15:11

📜 The Dark Legacy of WWII Cannibalism and Its Aftermath

The final paragraph delves into the aftermath and the legacy of the cannibalistic acts committed during WWII. It discusses the Japanese government's stance on these events, the existence of a secret Imperial Army order that addressed cannibalism, and the subsequent trials and executions of those found guilty of such acts. The paragraph also touches on the cultural and historical implications, emphasizing that cannibalism was not a part of Japanese society or culture but rather an extreme measure taken by some in desperate circumstances. It highlights the challenges faced by historians seeking to research and publish on this sensitive topic, often having to leave Japan to do so. The narrative concludes with a reminder that while cannibalism occurred, it was not the norm and that most soldiers engaged in it as a last resort for survival.

Keywords

💡POWs

POWs stands for 'Prisoners of War,' referring to members of an armed force who have been captured by an enemy during a war. In the context of the video, it highlights the brutal treatment and atrocities faced by captured soldiers during World War II, emphasizing the inhumane conditions they were subjected to, including torture and, in some cases, cannibalism.

💡Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act of consuming the flesh or organs of another individual of the same species. The video script delves into the dark history of cannibalism during World War II, particularly focusing on instances where Japanese soldiers engaged in this practice with captured Allied soldiers, reflecting the extreme measures taken for survival or ritualistic purposes in the face of war's horrors.

💡Chichijima Island

Chichijima Island is a location mentioned in the script where a group of American airmen were captured and later subjected to cannibalism by Japanese soldiers. This keyword is significant as it serves as a specific historical site where the atrocities of war, including cannibalism, were committed, adding a layer of geographical context to the narrative.

💡George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, is mentioned as a pilot who narrowly escaped capture and likely cannibalism after his plane was shot down. His rescue by the USS Finback is a poignant part of the story, illustrating the personal and historical significance of individual survival amidst the broader context of war.

💡Pacific Theater

The Pacific Theater refers to the region of the Pacific Ocean where many of the battles between the Allies and the Axis powers took place during World War II. The script uses this term to set the stage for the war crimes and acts of cannibalism committed by Japanese soldiers, emphasizing the geographical scope of the conflict and its impact.

💡Suzuki Unit

The Suzuki Unit was a Japanese military unit stationed in the Philippines during World War II. The script mentions this unit in relation to the discovery of cannibalism among its soldiers, highlighting the extreme conditions that led to such acts and the broader implications for the conduct of war in the Pacific region.

💡Medical Experiments

Medical experiments, as mentioned in the script, refer to the unethical and inhumane procedures performed on prisoners of war by Axis forces, including the Japanese. These experiments often involved inflicting harm or death for the sake of research, showcasing the depravity of war and the lengths to which some soldiers would go to inflict suffering.

💡Survival Cannibalism

Survival cannibalism is the act of consuming human flesh out of necessity to stay alive, often in extreme situations such as being stranded or cut off from supplies. The script discusses this concept in the context of Japanese soldiers resorting to cannibalism due to lack of food, presenting a complex moral dilemma and the desperate measures taken to survive in war.

💡Ritualistic Cannibalism

Ritualistic cannibalism implies the consumption of human flesh as part of a cultural or religious ritual. The video suggests that some Japanese military leaders may have engaged in cannibalism not just for survival but also as a ritual to absorb the courage and power of their enemies, reflecting a darker and more sinister aspect of the war's impact on human behavior.

💡Imperial Army Order

The Imperial Army Order mentioned in the script refers to a directive from the Japanese government during World War II that addressed the issue of cannibalism among its troops. The order's nuanced stance on the practice—condemning it as a crime unless it involved enemy soldiers—provides insight into the complex moral and ethical landscape of the war and the attitudes of the time.

Highlights

POWs endured extreme conditions in the Pacific theater, including disease and forced labor.

Japanese captors engaged in acts of cannibalism against POWs, reflecting the brutality of war.

An American bomber crew faced a harrowing ordeal, with the island of Chichijima becoming central to their story.

The Japanese torture methods on Chichijima included bamboo spikes and waterboarding.

Allied forces discovered evidence of cannibalism among Japanese soldiers after the war.

Japanese Admiral Kinizo Mori testified about the consumption of American soldiers' livers.

Cannibalism was not isolated to Chichijima; it occurred across the Pacific theater.

The Suzuki Unit in the Philippines resorted to cannibalism to survive, targeting local villagers.

Japanese soldiers in Papua New Guinea ate prisoners to sustain themselves during the war.

Surviving Japanese soldiers from Papua New Guinea recounted the daily consumption of prisoners.

Cannibalism was also reported among German soldiers in Soviet POW camps.

The Japanese military's secret order of November 18, 1944, addressed the issue of cannibalism.

Japanese soldiers who engaged in cannibalism were tried for war crimes post-war.

The Japanese government restricts the teaching of WWII cannibalism incidents within the country.

Cannibalism during WWII was not a norm in Japanese society but a desperate act by some soldiers.

Transcripts

A group of POWs huddles for warmth in a  dense, wet jungle. They haven’t eaten in days,  

are dying from disease, and are still forced to  work 12-hour shifts by their Japanese captors. As  

they try to get some rest before another grueling  day begins, they hear the screams of one of their  

comrades. They close their eyes and pray that the  soldiers don’t come for them next. Every night  

someone is taken, and the smell of burnt flesh  fills the air. The fire where the meat is cooked  

casts long, dark shadows through the trees of the  jungle as another human is eaten by cannibals.

War can turn men into monsters. Perhaps there  is no better example of this than World War  

II. In Europe, the Nazis were murdering Jews  and people who didn’t fit into their ideology  

by the millions. In the Pacific theater,  countless war crimes were committed by both sides.  

And it was here that a gruesome secret would  be uncovered after the war ended. Not only were  

POWs being mistreated and tortured, but in some  cases, they were being eaten by other humans.

We are about to investigate several  cases of cannibalism during World War  

II. You might want to prepare  yourself to be shocked and appalled  

because there are no happy  endings to these stories.

On September 2, 1944, an American bomber flew  towards Chichijima Island, located south of  

the main island of Japan. The aircraft carried  a crew of nine. As they approached the island,  

anti-aircraft guns let loose. Explosions filled  the sky as shrapnel flew in every direction.

A heroic pilot tried to evade the Japanese  countermeasures, but the wing of his plane  

was struck by an enemy shell. There was a jolt  through the aircraft as the engines began to fail.  

The pilot shouted back to the rest of the crew  that they were going down. Before the plane went  

into a nose dive, the crew was able to drop  their payload. Their mission was complete,  

and now they needed to evacuate the  aircraft, or they would be killed on impact.  

The turquoise waters of the ocean could be seen  on the horizon as the plane fell from the sky.

There was no time to think. The crew strapped on  their parachutes and jumped out of the aircraft  

while they were still over the island. The  pilot kept the plane as level as possible  

so his crew had the best chance of making it out  and deploying their chutes safely. Once the last  

crew member was out, the pilot could bail. He was  now over the ocean, but he had no other choice.

In a split-second decision that would save his  life, the pilot opened the cockpit and jumped.  

He landed in the waves of the ocean  and engaged his life preserve.  

The plane continued gliding for a few more  seconds, smoke streaming from its engines,  

and then crashed into the waters of the Pacific  Ocean. The pilot looked to the sky and watched as  

his crew’s parachutes descended toward the island  of Chichijima and disappeared into its jungle.

When the crew of the aircraft landed, they  unclipped themselves from their parachutes and  

slowly made their way through the thick foliage.  Unfortunately, the island was controlled by the  

Japanese, and enemy soldiers quickly located them.  They held the American soldiers at gunpoint and  

led them to their encampment. It was there  that the POWs were tied up and held captive.

As the sun rose the next day, the Japanese  soldiers began to torture the Americans for  

information. The war in the Pacific had  been raging on for almost three years,  

and both sides were looking for any advantage  they could get. Throughout the war, POWs had  

been mistreated by Allied and Axis powers in  an attempt to uncover valuable information,  

but this Japanese regiment would  take things to a whole new level.

The American airmen were stabbed with bamboo  spikes, waterboarded, and beaten mercilessly. They  

didn’t give up any information and refused to help  the Japanese, which would cost them their lives.  

When the Japanese soldiers realized they would  never get the information they wanted out of  

the Americans, they cut off their heads. The  American soldiers' heroic actions would not  

become known until their remains were later  found and their terrible fate was discovered.

It’s unknown how much food the  Japanese soldiers had on the island,  

but many claim that they were by no  means starving as there were plenty  

of resources available. This makes what  happened next difficult to comprehend.

When Allied forces took the island, the Japanese  were forced to surrender. When the island was  

scouted and secured, the Allies found the remains  of American soldiers that had been butchered and  

eaten. It was clear that the flesh had been cut  from their bodies due to knife marks on the bones.  

Japanese Admiral Kinizo Mori would later testify  that their chef had pierced the livers of the  

American soldiers with bamboo sticks and  cooked them with soy sauce and vegetables.

It’s been hypothesized by some that in certain  Japanese belief systems, the liver is the part  

of the body where courage and power come  from. By eating the liver of enemy soldiers,  

some Japanese military leaders believed that  they would be given the power to defeat their  

adversaries. However, the liver was not  the only part of the POWs that was eaten.  

Other Japanese soldiers stated that their  commanding officer, Lt. Gen. Yoshio Tachibana,  

ordered them to consume the flesh of four  American soldiers who had landed on the island.

The most disturbing part of all was  that this was not an isolated incident.  

It’s not totally clear what the motives behind  the cannibalism on Chichijima were. Some of the  

soldiers who ate the human flesh may have been  starving. But several accounts do suggest that the  

Japanese officers planned this human sacrifice on  the island. Either way, the eight men who crashed  

on Chichijima were all killed, and at least  four of them were consumed by Japanese soldiers.

The day the plane went down over Chichijima,  the pilot who bailed out just before the  

aircraft hit the ocean watched his crew  land on the hostile island. When their  

parachutes disappeared into the jungle canopy,  he began looking around for any form of rescue.  

There appeared to be nothing else around but  waves and the debris from crashed aircraft  

as far as the eye could see. The current  dragged him further and further out to sea.  

Suddenly, something started to bubble from below;  the ocean's waters began to swirl all around him.  

It was as if a giant creature were ascending from  the depths to eat him. The pilot tried desperately  

to swim away just as the top of a submarine broke  the water’s surface. It was the USS Finback. The  

submarine had been dispatched to find survivors  from planes that had crashed during the air raid.

Filled with joy, the pilot began swimming  towards the Finback. He was worried about  

his crew, but there was nothing he  could do for them at the moment.  

As the sailors aboard the submarine  pulled the pilot onto their vessel,  

they asked what his name was. “George H.W. Bush,”  the man replied. Unknown to everyone on board,  

they had just rescued the future 41st  president of the United States of America.

George Bush continued on with the crew of  the USS Finback to rescue more downed airmen,  

but the fate of the men aboard his plane  wouldn’t be known until years later.  

It wasn’t until a researcher put all  of the pieces together and presented  

them to the former president in 2003 that  Bush found out the gruesome fate he was  

saved from the day his plane crashed  just off of the island of Chichijima.

This wasn’t the only time that American soldiers  would be tortured and eaten by the enemy.  

In another true horror story, two members  of a downed B-29 bomber were captured and  

brought to a medical facility where they  would undergo medical experiments. One  

medical student who was stationed at the  facility recounted later that the men  

were brought into the lab blindfolded. They  had been injured when their bomber crashed  

and were led to believe that they were at  the hospital to have their wounds treated.

However, nothing could have  been further from the truth.  

One of the U.S. soldiers was injected  with salt water to see what effects  

it would have on the body. The other had  his chest cut open and a lung removed. The  

doctors wanted to know how the respiratory  system would respond with only one lung.  

These were only two of many medical experiments  that were done on prisoners of war at that time.

The most disgusting part is that some of  the organs and body parts that were removed  

may have then been eaten by hungry  Japanese soldiers. The war had taken  

a psychological and physical toll on many.  Cannibalism was not an isolated incident,  

and it did not just happen on one island. In  fact, there were accounts of cannibalism across  

the entire Pacific theater during this time. And  each instance was more terrifying than the last.

After the war, the atrocities of the Japanese  Suzuki Unit stationed in the Philippines  

were uncovered. The Suzuki Unit was  deployed into the Bukidnon Region  

in the southern Philippines  at the beginning of the war.  

Their mission was to combat any American or  Filipino resistance forces in the region.

Every day was hot and humid. The  Japanese soldiers hiding in the  

jungles of the Philippine mountains would  lose large amounts of water through sweat  

each day and expend vast amounts of  energy just trying to hold their position.  

It was a brutal environment and one  that likely drove many soldiers crazy.  

The bugs would constantly be biting, and  diseases would make life absolutely miserable.

When the Suzuki Unit had been deployed,  they had enough rations and resources to  

last them several weeks. But as the fighting  continued and, supply routes were cut off,  

they found themselves foraging for food and  stealing from local villages in the mountains.  

As they continued to fight Allied forces,  

more and more Japanese soldiers started dying  from malaria and dehydration from diarrhea.

It was determined by doctors in the  unit that the only way the men could  

stay healthy enough to keep fighting was  if they had a constant source of protein.  

Unfortunately, this was hard to come  by in the dense jungles of Bukidnon.  

The Japanese had killed and eaten local farmers’  pigs, livestock, and chickens, and now the only  

sources of protein left were bugs and other  humans. The Japanese started to eat the bodies  

of prisoners who died from illness or injuries.  There were also cases of POWs being executed  

for trying to escape and then immediately being  flayed and cooked to feed the Japanese troops.

In testimonies by Japanese soldiers, they  described in detail how they would sometimes  

have to sneak into nearby Filipino villages in  order to find victims to cannibalize. In the  

cover of night, Japanese soldiers would enter  a village. If there was someone out alone,  

they would come up behind them and render  them unconscious with the butt of their gun  

before they could alert others in the  village that something was wrong. The  

soldiers would then bring their victim back  to camp, where they would cut meat from their  

skeleton and eat it to obtain the protein  they needed. The human flesh would often  

be boiled with vegetables. Other times it  would be left out in the sun to be curred.

The Suzuki Unit’s cannibalistic activity  was likely done exclusively to stay alive.  

Although surrendering might have  been a better option in hindsight.  

When American forces captured the  Suzuki Unit and entered their camp,  

they were horrified at what they found. There was  human flesh still in the process of being cooked,  

and human skeletal remains littered the ground.  It became clear very quickly that the Japanese  

soldiers had been surviving off of human meat  for some time. When the remains were examined,  

it appeared that many of the humans  who had been consumed were Filipinos.

Nine members of the Japanese unit were  sentenced to death for their actions.  

However, many more likely ate human flesh  at that time to keep from starving to death.  

Surrender was not an option for the  Japanese, as they would rather fight  

to the death than surrender to the  Americans and dishonor their country.  

This was true even if it meant hiding in the  jungle and living off of human flesh for years.

Before World War II officially broke out in the  Pacific, Japanese forces had been securing as  

many strategic points as possible. One of these  places was Papua New Guinea. Japanese troops  

were sent to the region relatively early on in  the conflict to establish airfields and naval  

ports to make attacking Australia possible.  The Japanese captured soldiers from India,  

Singapore, and other parts of Asia who  were aiding the Allied forces, many of  

which were then forced to build the wartime  infrastructure Japan needed in Papua New Guinea.

As Allied forces started gaining ground in  the region, Japanese forces retreated further  

and further into the dense jungles. They  would take their prisoners with them to aid  

in building new encampments. Again, surrender  was not an option for these Japanese soldiers,  

so they continued to fight even  though the territory was all but lost.

They eventually became cut off from supply lines,  and no reinforcements would be able to reach them.  

As food ran out, the Japanese soldiers looked  for other sources of protein. They originally  

tried hunting the aboriginal people of Papua  New Guinea but quickly found out that they  

were too hard to capture since they knew the  land better than anyone. They also tried killing  

Australian soldiers as a source of sustenance,  but this proved to be too difficult as well. So,  

they turned to the prisoners under their control.  The Japanese needed them for manual labor,  

but the intense hunger pains began  to overpower any rational thoughts.

One Pakistani corporal who survived being a  prisoner in Papua New Guinea recounted that  

towards the end of the war, Japanese soldiers  were killing and eating one prisoner a day. The  

horrifying thing was that this lasted for  around 100 days. It’s highly likely that  

over 100 people were eaten by Japanese soldiers  in Papua New Guinea alone. But it gets worse.

The other prisoners would watch each night as  one of them was selected to be sacrificed so  

their Japanese captors could satisfy their hunger.  The survivors said that whoever was chosen would  

be taken to a small hut where their screams  could be heard echoing through the jungle. It  

appeared that they would be fleyed alive. Those  who survived having parts of their legs and arms  

cut off would then be thrown into a ditch where  they would bleed out as they prayed for death.

When Japanese soldiers were questioned about their  decisions, some startling information came forth.  

The cannibalism was most often done  for survival reasons but not always.  

During one soldier’s trial, he said that when  he had killed and eaten an Australian soldier,  

it was for two reasons. The first was  because he was starving. But the second  

and more sinister reason was that he  had an “intense hatred” for the enemy.

As horrendous and vile as these accounts are,  it’s important to remember that not every  

Japanese soldier was engaged in cannibalism.  These were isolated incidents. On top of that,  

most would never have eaten another human  if they were not dying from starvation.

Early on in the war, intense bombings and  fighting occurred within Australia and the  

surrounding region. The Japanese first attacked  the mainland of Australia in February of 1942 when  

they bombed Darwin and Broome. By the next year,  the Japanese had conducted 97 different air raids  

on the country. During this time, Japanese midget  submarines were also entering Sydney Harbour  

and shelling the suburbs surrounding the city.  The Australian military would capture the midget  

subs every once in a while, but whenever  they opened the hatch, the two Japanese  

soldiers inside would be dead from self-inflicted  gunshot wounds to keep them from being captured.

It was when the Australians started pushing the  Japanese back toward Asia that they uncovered  

the cannibalism of their own people. Australian  troops would advance from one island to the next,  

making sure they were clear of any enemy  presence. When they came to the larger  

islands of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia,  they were met by heavier resistance.  

It was also here that they would come across  abandoned Japanese encampments with human  

remains scattered around. Oftentimes the  bones showed signs of being butchered.

Towards the end of the war, the  Japanese soldiers that were left  

to fend for themselves became desperate.  It’s in the camps of these soldiers that  

more signs of cannibalism were found.  As Australian soldiers and other Allied  

forces worked their way through the Pacific  islands and came across Japanese camps,  

they noted that several contained the remains  of captured Australian soldiers. However,  

the only thing left of them were their hands  and feet; everything else had been eaten.

So, it would appear that cannibalism was  happening all throughout the Pacific theater  

by groups of Japanese soldiers. It wasn’t  done by everyone, but some soldiers who were  

desperate to survive turned to cannibalism  as a means to an end. As crazy as it sounds,  

eating another human was a better option than  surrendering to some Japanese soldiers. That  

being said, the Japanese were not the only ones  who engaged in cannibalism during World War II.

When it comes to survival or death, people  will do almost anything to stay alive.  

At the Siege of Leningrad, starving people  were seen eating the remains of the dead.  

It was cold, nothing would grow, and no supplies  could enter the city. The only way to survive at  

that point was to eat anything that contained  nutrients, including humans. There were even  

accounts of people cutting off their own flesh and  consuming it as hunger overcame rational thought.

Another example happened after the Battle  of Stalingrad when around 100,000 German  

soldiers were captured. They were  sent to Siberia and Central Asia,  

where they were held in POW camps. The Soviets  had very little sympathy for the Germans and  

didn’t provide them with enough food or water.  This led to the Germans resorting to cannibalism  

of their fallen comrades in order to make it  through the brutal winters while locked up  

in the Soviet camps. To paint a picture of  how dire the situation was for the Germans,  

out of the 100,000 that were captured, only  around 5,000 survived until the end of the war.

In the Independent State of Croatia, which  was set up and ruled as a Nazi puppet state,  

a number of concentration and death camps were  established to carry out Hitler’s Final Solution.  

It was here that the fascist Ustasha organization  committed genocide against the Serbs and countless  

Jews to advance the Nazi agenda. It was recorded  that when the Ustashas would slash the throats  

of their victims, they would hold a cup up to  their neck to collect blood as it flowed out  

of the wound. The members of the Ustashas would  then drink the blood in a ritualistic fashion.

This brings us back to the point that  not all cannibalism during World War  

II was for survival purposes. There are  some that believe there may have been  

a cannibalistic cult-like understanding  between certain officers in the Japanese  

military. There are several accounts  given by different Japanese soldiers  

that said they were forced to consume human  flesh and liver by their superior officers.

In these situations, the men were not  starving, and if they refused to eat the  

flesh of their enemy, they would be chastised  by their superiors. In extreme circumstances,  

soldiers were even physically forced to eat the  human meat. It was said that officers who made  

their soldiers eat human flesh connected it back  to the Sino-Japanese war that had taken place  

years earlier. Many of the Imperial troops  would regularly consume the flesh of their  

enemies to make them invincible in battle. Some  of the higher-ups who were forcing their men to  

eat human meat in World War II had fought in the  Second Sino-Japanese war, which had begun in 1937.

And if you don’t believe the Japanese  and Allied soldier’s accounts of events,  

there is a very blatant line of evidence  that makes it clear cannibalism was a problem  

during World War II in the Pacific. A secret  Imperial Army order was given on November 18,  

1944, that directly addressed the problem  of Japanese troops engaging in cannibalism.  

You might think it would directly condemn  them, but that’s not quite the case.

In the address, the Imperial government of Japan  informed the troops that cannibalization was  

punishable by death. The caveat here was that  cannibalizing an enemy was completely fine.  

The government was not promoting cannibalization  as the order mentioned eating humans as being the  

″worst human crime″ and that it was due to  a ″lack of thoroughness in moral training.″  

However, as long as it was the enemy being  eaten, it was not punished as a crime.

At the end of the war, many Japanese soldiers  and officers who were found to have engaged in  

cannibalism were tried for war  crimes and sentenced to death.  

The Japanese government does not allow  this part of Japanese history to be taught  

or discussed in public as it’s deemed as  ″too sensitive.″ Scholars who wish to publish  

information about the atrocities that happened  during World War II have to leave Japan to do  

so. This is why several Japanese historians  have sought jobs in Australia and at other  

universities around the world so that they can  accurately write about this time in history.

It also can not be overstated that cannibalism by  Japanese troops was not the norm. There may have  

been a cult among certain military leaders that  incorporated the ritualistic eating of the liver,  

but that has not been proven. Most soldiers who  did engage in cannibalism did so to stay alive,  

just like many people have done  throughout history in dire situations.  

The Japanese people were  never a society of cannibals,  

and the atrocities that happened in World War  II were never part of the Japanese culture.

Now watch “Insane Story of Cannibal  Clan that Terrorized Europe.”  

Or check out “Cannibal Island:  The Real Battle Royale.”