"They called it a 'death march' because of the way they died. If you stopped on the road, you were killed. If you had a malaria attack, they killed you. If you had to stop to defecate, they killed you. If you just couldn't take another step, they killed you."
After nearly 80,000 American and Filipino soldiers surrendered to the Japanese following the excruciating three-month Battle of Bataan, there were even greater horrors in store for them.
The prisoners were forced to march more than 60 miles through the tropical heat of the Philippines with almost no water and just one bowl of rice for the entire week. And those who survived the marching were treated to worse brutality by their captors.
The luckier victims were shot to death, while others were disemboweled, emasculated, decapitated, or even crucified. In the end, as many as 18,000 prisoners were dead within the span of just ten days. Learn the full story of the Bataan Death March