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(Copyright. i#44. by Unitfd Prew i Stories of the two sinkings are and the stinking Japanese work I It is now possible to disclose similar in one grim respect. In! camps in the Philippines. FromI that nearly 1,800 Allied prisoners both instances the Japanese at sea the time the ship put out to sea—mostly American — apparently matched the bestiality of Japanese he was to experience new andperished when a rat-trap Japanese ashore. In the sinking off Min- j worse horrors,j prison ship wras sunk by a sub- danao, Japanese aboard other Date Marked Manila Raid,marine last Oct. 24. vessels machine gunned unlucky As the ship got underway, sirensOnly five survivors have been I Americans who floated their way. began to scream out the news ofaccounted for in the months since Wilber tells of similar horrors, the second American air raid onthe tragedy occurred in the China in the interview which follows. Manila. The date was Oct 11,sea. - ___ 1944.j It was the second Japanese LEONARD C. SCHUBERT The ship, believed to have been. shipload of prisoners to suffer a APPLETON. Wis.—(U.R) — The part of a Jap convoy, hid outdoom unwittingly inflicted by a past two months have been heaven among some islands for several friendly submarine. In the two for Sgt. Avery E. Wilber. They days and then struck out across tragedies, a total of nearly 2,500 almost make up for the 30 months the China sr :Americans, many of them already of hell he endured as a prisoner Three or four days out of port near death after months in Phil- of the Japanese. some 600 prisoners were trans-ippine prison camps, apparently The 32-year-old mechanic son ferred from the No. 2 hold to No.were drowned or killed. of a Navarino, Wis., farmer is 1 hold, which was partly filledThe first sinking, previously re- back among his family and friends with coal. Wilber remained with ported, occurred Sept. 7 off the because he was one of five pris- j the main group. The only ones northwestern coast of Mindanao, oners — out of 1,800—known to brought on deck were the cooks Of 750 American prisoners being have survived the sinking of a and five men who died below, j transferred from the Philippines. Japanese prison ship in the China The dead men were disposed of 83 survived. They got ashore and sea last Oct. 24 by an Allied sub- by the Japanese crew, were hidden by Filipino guerrillas marine. j Each prisoner was fed aboutuntil U. S. forces could rescue Nearly 30 months after he was one teacup of cooked rice twice them. captured in the surrender of Cor- daily and given a canteen full of jThe story of the second sinking rigedor, Wilber and the 1,800 were dirty water once a day. Sanitary was told to the United Press by J Jammed into one filthy hold facilities were grossly inadequate. Sgt Avery E. Wilber, 32, of Nav- aboard a small Japanese transport The heat was stifling, the stench j arino, Wis. There were 1,800 pris- Nearly all were Americans, he unbearable.oners jammed in the prison ship’s said: a few were British. Hundreds went out of theirstinking holds. Five — including; Wilber had lived through the minds. There was room to lieWilber—managed to reach China.. horrors of Cabanatuatuand Bilibid i (Tarn is Page t, CsL 1) * 1
Newspaper Details
Racine Journal Times
Racine, Wisconsin, US
Fri, Feb 16, 1945
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Outagamie W.
WI, USA 07 Nov 2019
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