BRUTAL BUTCHERY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 April 1943, Page 3

BRUTAL BUTCHERY

OF BRITISH & INDIAN PRISONERS MORE JAPANESE ATROCITIES IN BURMA. BERLIN & ROME APPLAUD MURDER OF AIRMEN. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) ,LONDON, April 25. The Japanese brutally butchered with the bayonet British and Indian prisoners captured on the Arakan front in Burma, who were unable to work for them, while the Japanese used others to carry supplies to forward bases, states an official report issued from New Guinea.

Eye-witness evidence of this latest Japanese barbarism was obtained from a few prisoners who managed to get back to our lines, said an official spokesman. The Japanese, these men said, used the bayonet instead of the more humane bullet so as to conserve ammunition. One officer was forced to watch 25 of his men being bayoneted; he was then shot in the head and left for dead, but he recovered and got away.

The Rome radio quoted a Japanese Government spokesman as saying that Japan was prepared to treat uniformed enemy nationals in accordance with the rules of “bushido” provided that the nationals were not guilty of attempts against the unarmed civil population. The radio claimed that Allied airmen had been dropping explosive pencils over Italy, and it said that Japan’s example in executing Americans who deliberately killed and wounded Japanese children should be followed when enemy airmen were captured after raids in which explosive pencils were used.

The Berlin radio last night said that the German people would approve of the Japanese precedent in executing airmen who deliberately bombed nonmilitary objectives. Mr Churchill, in a message to the chief of the United States air forces, General Arnold, expressing the British indignation at the execution of the American airmen who raided Tokio, stated that the R.A.F. was resolved to participate to the fullest in the destruction of the Japanese war machine. General Arnold replied stating that this determination advanced the day when the combined air strength would remove the opportunities for evil froili all the enemies of freedom. He also stated that the time would come when round-the-clock bombing would apply io Japan.