Time as a POW
Over 75,000 Fil-Am soldiers had been taken as POWs by the Japanese at Bataan; Granberry was among those taken. Because of the unexpectedly large number of prisoners and the fact that the Japanese considered them captives, not POWs, the conditions in which the POWs were kept was brutal.[1] On the way to Camp O’Donnell, the first of many POW camps Granberry would be taken to, nearly 12,000 of the POWs died in what would later be called the Bataan Death March. While at Camp O’Donnell, over 26,000 Filipinos and 1565 Americans died; about half of the 57th Infantry had lost their lives during WWII.[2]
Lieutenant Colonel Granberry survived the battle, the death march, and his time in Camp O’ Donnell. Little is known of the time that he spent in POW camps, but it is known that, at some point before the end of 1942, he was taken to the POW camp at Cabanatuan, which was known as Philippine Military Prison Camp #1. Granberry sent an undated letter from Cabanatuan before December 1942 stating that he was still alive and in good health.[3] Another card was not received until January 19, 1945, eight days before Lt. Col. Granberry died; it was dated July 22, 1944.[4]
POW Hell Ships
At some point while Granberry was still at Cabanatuan, the Japanese decided to gather about 1600 prisoners who were still in good health and transport them to Japan for slave labor; Granberry was among those chosen. The POWs deemed healthy were first transported to Bilibid Prison in Manila and then loaded onto the Oryoku Maru to be transported to Japan.[5] Due to the Japanese refusal to label their POW ships as such, the Oryoku Maru was attacked twice be planes from a nearby American aircraft carrier and sunk in the Subic Bay. Granberry, along with some of the other prisoners, was able to swim to the beach of the Philippine island of Luzon. There, the remaining prisoners were kept caged in an old tennis court with barely any food or water.[6]
Granberry and the other surviving POWs were loaded onto the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru to continue their trip to Japan. On January 9th the two ships were once again attacked by American air forces; the Enoura Maru was disabled and Lt. Colonel Granberry received injuries in this attack. All the remaining prisoners were once again transferred, this time to the Brazil Maru. Although the Brazil Maru reached Japan with the majority of the remaining POWs on January 29, 1945, Granberry had died at sea on January 27, 1945. His body was thrown overboard with the rest of those who died that day.[7]
[1] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 30.
[2] J. Michael Houlahan, “The Philippine Scouts in Bataan: Their Finest Hour,” Philippine Defenders, http://philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us/html/philippine_scouts_bataan_article.html
[3] “Lt. Col. Granberry Prisoner of War in Philippines,” (Boulder, CO). December 8, 1942. Stored in Lauderdale County Archives. Newspaper
[4] “Lieut. Col. Granberry Well In Prison Camp of Japanese,” (Boulder, CO). December 8, 1942. Stored in Lauderdale County Archives. Newspaper
[5] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 31.
[6] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 31.
[7] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 31.
Over 75,000 Fil-Am soldiers had been taken as POWs by the Japanese at Bataan; Granberry was among those taken. Because of the unexpectedly large number of prisoners and the fact that the Japanese considered them captives, not POWs, the conditions in which the POWs were kept was brutal.[1] On the way to Camp O’Donnell, the first of many POW camps Granberry would be taken to, nearly 12,000 of the POWs died in what would later be called the Bataan Death March. While at Camp O’Donnell, over 26,000 Filipinos and 1565 Americans died; about half of the 57th Infantry had lost their lives during WWII.[2]
Lieutenant Colonel Granberry survived the battle, the death march, and his time in Camp O’ Donnell. Little is known of the time that he spent in POW camps, but it is known that, at some point before the end of 1942, he was taken to the POW camp at Cabanatuan, which was known as Philippine Military Prison Camp #1. Granberry sent an undated letter from Cabanatuan before December 1942 stating that he was still alive and in good health.[3] Another card was not received until January 19, 1945, eight days before Lt. Col. Granberry died; it was dated July 22, 1944.[4]
POW Hell Ships
At some point while Granberry was still at Cabanatuan, the Japanese decided to gather about 1600 prisoners who were still in good health and transport them to Japan for slave labor; Granberry was among those chosen. The POWs deemed healthy were first transported to Bilibid Prison in Manila and then loaded onto the Oryoku Maru to be transported to Japan.[5] Due to the Japanese refusal to label their POW ships as such, the Oryoku Maru was attacked twice be planes from a nearby American aircraft carrier and sunk in the Subic Bay. Granberry, along with some of the other prisoners, was able to swim to the beach of the Philippine island of Luzon. There, the remaining prisoners were kept caged in an old tennis court with barely any food or water.[6]
Granberry and the other surviving POWs were loaded onto the Enoura Maru and the Brazil Maru to continue their trip to Japan. On January 9th the two ships were once again attacked by American air forces; the Enoura Maru was disabled and Lt. Colonel Granberry received injuries in this attack. All the remaining prisoners were once again transferred, this time to the Brazil Maru. Although the Brazil Maru reached Japan with the majority of the remaining POWs on January 29, 1945, Granberry had died at sea on January 27, 1945. His body was thrown overboard with the rest of those who died that day.[7]
[1] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 30.
[2] J. Michael Houlahan, “The Philippine Scouts in Bataan: Their Finest Hour,” Philippine Defenders, http://philippine-defenders.lib.wv.us/html/philippine_scouts_bataan_article.html
[3] “Lt. Col. Granberry Prisoner of War in Philippines,” (Boulder, CO). December 8, 1942. Stored in Lauderdale County Archives. Newspaper
[4] “Lieut. Col. Granberry Well In Prison Camp of Japanese,” (Boulder, CO). December 8, 1942. Stored in Lauderdale County Archives. Newspaper
[5] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 31.
[6] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 31.
[7] Ward Calhoun, Duty, Honor, and Country: The Long Gray Line in the Pacific (Meridian, MS: Lauderdale Country Department of Archives and History, Inc., 2012), Page 31.