On Thu, 08 Jan 2004 15:34:19 GMT, "Matt Wiser"
wrote:


Are you sure about that?

Pretty positive, I believe it was one of the charges used to dangle the
japanese brass in charge of that region post war. FWIR Mountbatten put the
figure at close to 300,000 POWs and internees saved as a consequence of
zipper not happening.

I've heard similar stories, but that the kill order
was to go into effect once the invasion of Japan began.

That was for the POWs/internees held in Japan. They had already started to
butcher POWs in places as far away as Wake and Borneo. Prisoners held in
Rangoon were saved only because the officer detailed to do it disobeyed
orders.

ISTR that OSS, SOE,
etc had parachute teams on standby to jump on the camps when they picked
up that order via COMINT. Local guerillas in contact with the allies were
also going to hit the camps.

On mainland japan though there wouldn't have been much hope for the poor
buggers being used as slave labour there.


At least the parties who issued that order were
tried postwar (it came from Tokyo) and were executed. (They weren't class
A war criminals, but B-level. That didn't save their necks, which were stretched
at Sugamo Prison)

As they were in trials across the region.


greg

--
You do a lot less thundering in the pulpit against the Harlot
after she marches right down the aisle and kicks you in the nuts.