Kalagong massacre
On 7 July 1945, the Kalagong massacre was committed against inhabitants of Kalagong, Burma (present-day Myanmar), by members of the 3rd Battalion, 215th Regiment and the OC Moulmein Kempeitai of the Imperial Japanese Army. These units had been ordered by Major General Seiei Yamamoto, chief of staff of the 33rd Army, to sweep the area for guerrillas reportedly teamed with British paratroops.
| Kalagong massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Burma Campaign of World War II | |
| Location | Kalagong, Burma |
| Coordinates | 16°32′57″N 97°43′46″E |
| Target | Villagers of Kalagong |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Deaths | 600–1,000 |
| Perpetrators | Imperial Japanese Army |
The Japanese occupied the village and rounded up all the inhabitants for questioning. Women and children were raped and beaten but no information was forthcoming. The Kempeitai therefore ordered the entire village massacred. The inhabitants were taken in groups of five to ten persons to nearby wells, blindfolded, and bayoneted, and their bodies were dumped in the wells. An estimated 600 to 1,000 villagers died in the massacre.
Gallery
Japanese prisoners in the dock during the first war crimes trial to be held in Rangoon, Burma. These men were charged with the murder of 637 civilians in the village of Kalagon.
Mugshot of Sergeant Major Kawasaki Kinjiro, who was sentenced to three years in Rangoon jail for his participation in the massacre.
See also
References
- Raymond Lamont-Brown, 1998, Kempeitai: Japan's Dreaded Military Police, Sutton Publishing, Phoenix Mill, England. ISBN 0-7509-2806-9.
- Christine Sherman, 2001, War Crimes: Japan's World War II Atrocities, Turner Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-56311-728-2.