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A number of American airmen remain in Palau as MIA (although
administratively listed as killed-in-Action (KIA)), Body Not Recovered
(BNR). The problems in even identifying who the specific individuals are
is difficult because 1) they were shot down (which is where the American
record ends) and captured behind enemy lines many months before the war
ended, 2) they stayed within Palau because the enemy was isolated, courtesy
of the U. S. Navy and U. S. Marines, 3) the Japanese military (IJA, IJN)
reportedly burned/destroyed all records before surrendering, 4) Palauan
geography and 5) passage of time. Nonetheless, accounts of American POWs
in Palau continue to come from interviews of Palauan elders, American
and Japanese veterans and archival research.
This component of the P-MAN V expedition was an ongoing
part of a joint effort with Professor Donald Shuster, University of Guam,
the U. S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) and the
BentProp project, which began at least three years ago (please see reports
sent to NHC and CILHI as well as my public P-MAN II, P-MAN III and P-MAN
IV reports on this Web site for sequential updates). Professor Shuster
and I had independently arrived at similar conclusions that a number of
civilians (Professor Shuster) and Americans (several AAF, Marine and possibly
Navy air crewmen shot down over Yap and Palau and up to 3 Navy UDT frogmen
captured on Yap and brought to Palau) were captured and imprisoned in
various places throughout Babeldaob and Koror - all as Prisoners-of-War
(POWs). Post-war Japanese records to the contrary, a growing body of evidence
now exists that these POWs were not shipped off-island, as claimed, but
were executed without trial on the order of LT GEN Inoue, Commanding General
of all Japanese military forces in Palau. CILHI has made two trips to
Palau (2000, 2001 - both while P-MAN teams were in Palau) to search for
one grave site of three American airmen and several priests/missionary
families, all executed in SEP 44 around the Peleliu invasion. The efforts
resulted in identification of one probable site (not explored) in Ngatpang
State but no further efforts have been made, pending additional information.
Since 2000, I have sought out and interviewed, with the help of Prof.
Shuster and several Palauans, elder Palauans in Koror and Babeldaob who
remember seeing captured Americans either in Koror (original HQ area)
or Babeldaob (jungle HQ area after bombing started). I have also flown
to Japan, and with the help of Prof. Shuster's wife as translator, interviewed
two former Imperial Japanese officers who were in Palau during the war.
One, Mr. Katsuyama, had been convicted of the one known beheading - that
of LT Wallace Kaufman, an American 7th AAF navigator (member of the Custer
crew, see above). The other former officer, Mr. Sakamoto, told me of at
least two previously unreported executions of American airmen in the jungles
of Babeldaob, near Inoue's HQ. These interviews were filmed and are available
for review, courtesy of PostStar Productions.
On P-MAN V, we continued following up with Palauan elders
in an effort to assemble several small pieces into a more cohesive picture
concerning sightings of various airmen. We did learn considerable amounts
of new information - all interviews are documented and co-translated on
videotape (PostStar Productions). I will briefly summarize each interview
(names specifically not referenced in this report although forwarded to
appropriate agencies) and will consolidate them in a summary below.
Koror Elder 1: I interviewed
this gentleman last year and again this year. He stated on both occasions
that, while working for the Japanese, he saw at least two "frogmen"
(his words) brought from Yap marched through Koror in late AUG 44 and
taken to the headquarters in Ngatpang State. He believed they were subsequently
executed but did not witness it. He also saw one B-24 shot down (we were
able to narrow it down to most likely being B-24 '453 shot down on 01
SEP 44, with up to three airmen captured after parachuting out). These
three airmen are believed to have been the airmen executed with the Catholic
priest/missionary families.) He did not witness these executions either.
Koror Elder 2: I interviewed
this 87 year-old gentleman on two occasions. He recalled seeing three
"frogmen" (his words) at the jungle HQ in Ngatpang State. He
stated that he saw them brought before an officer "with one star
on each shoulder" and then saw them driven off to the southeast at
dusk. He did not know what happened to the POW's but he thought they might
have been executed. He did not recall seeing any other POW's.
Koror Elder Lady: the team
visited this remarkable woman again during P-MAN V. She had been instrumental
in 2001 in guiding the CILHI and the P-MAN III teams to the one probable
execution site in Ngatpang State. She confirmed her belief to the P-MAN
V team that that site was the execution site. (NOTE: War Crimes Trials
records after WWII provide testimony that this execution did occur, that
the bodies of the three airman and priests/missionary families were buried
in a common grave, and that near the end of the war, their remains were
exhumed, cremated and reburied "nearby" to hide the evidence.
It is this second site that CILHI believes it located in 2001.)
Ibabong Elder: The son of
Koror Elder 2 knew of an elder (also his uncle) in this village on Babeldaob
who had some recollections. This elder did not work for the Japanese and
during the war avoided them as much as possible. He stated that he had
heard of the frogmen and had been told where they had been buried after
their execution. He agreed to show us where he was shown they were buried.
Surprisingly, he took us by 4-wheel drive vehicles directly to the vicinity
where Katarina had taken us in 2001 near Ngatpang Hill (near the Police
(Kempeitei) Station) and pointed to the same general area that she had.
He also pointed out that the Japanese had a cemetery nearby. He stated
that the Japanese expressly did not bury non-Japanese in their cemeteries
but rather off to one side (e. g., to where he pointed). He said this
cemetery belonged to the hospital, which had been located on the other
side of the river from the Police Station.
Palauan Elder pointing to location southeast of his village where he was
told
the "frogmen" had been buried after their execution. Clockwise
from Elder:
Joe (translating), Elder's granddaughter (flirting with cameraman), Dan,
Val's arm (photographing), and Pat (conducting interview). © Flip
Colmer Mar 2003
Finally, the son of the Ibabong Elder,
also a hunter and guide, knew about the locations of at least four sites
of potential importance: three cemeteries and a site referred to as "the
General's House". One of these cemetery sites (in general area of
Ngatpang Hill) was the hospital cemetery that his father had pointed out
(see Ibabong Elder, above) to the east of which he had heard the frogmen
had been buried (NOTE: the grave area pointed
out for the frogmen is very near the burial site that Katarina showed
us in 2001 for the civilians/airmen during P-MAN III).
A Palauan guide then showed us three other sites (two abandoned
graveyards and one area called by them the "General's House"),
all of which he said belonged to the Japanese military:
- The second cemetery was in the jungle and adjacent to a bunker. This
cemetery appears to still contain human remains. I counted six undisturbed
grave mounds in an area of 40X60 feet. This formal plot has a border
of stones around it and each grave likewise was delineated by stones.
The role of the bunker (Fig 5-2), placed into the side of a small hill
about 100 feet SSW of the cemetery, is uncertain. It measures approximately
8X10 feet with walls two feet thick, is empty inside and may have been
a bomb shelter as the only opening is a doorway (door missing) facing
north toward the cemetery . Flip found evidence of a light rail system
that appeared dismantled but heading in a westward direction. The Palauan
guides told us this is one of two areas said to have had a Japanese
flag pole made of solid gold (never found). Needless to say, this area
has been exhaustively searched by Palauans, although only one grave
appears to have been disturbed.
Japanese bunker near Japanese military cemetery.
© Val Thal 2003
- From this cemetery, our guide took us deeper into the jungle to what
he called the "General's House" which was situated on a hilltop
above a bend in a river. We found on the hill top several stacked Japanese
helmets and part of a foundation (guide said the building had been stripped
and burned after the war) and other debris. On the hillside down to
the river, many deep pits (? fox holes or post war searches for loot)
were seen. This site is in the general vicinity of a site a former Japanese
IJA officer in 2001 pointed to me on a map - only he referred to it
as the "Command Post". I believe the two may be the same.
This area may be of importance as the possibility exists that at least
one set of executions may have taken place here (see P-MAN III summary).
The Palauans said that it is believed that the Japanese officers buried
all their valuables in this area before surrendering - accordingly,
this area has been heavily searched in the past (with no success).
Stack Of Japanese helmets, each with a star in front
(red arrow) on top of hill, near former location of
the "General's House." © Flip Colmer 2003
- The third cemetery was on a hilltop along an east-west road. It appears
to be abandoned and possibly exhumed. The Palauans believe some graves
may still be present in the encroaching jungle. They pointed to an area
and suggested that if the cemetery had been exhumed, the non-Japanese
graves would have been left behind.
With these discoveries, I have attempted to tie together
these observations with possible POWs. A part of this has included additional
archival research. Most recently, through the great help of Mr. Tripp
Wiles (Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office), I have uncovered the long-buried
testimony of Julius Hamano, a former IJA officer who in 1947 provided
testimony which confirms much of what we have painfully pieced together.
This is summarized from my brief summary (previously sent to CILHI) as
follows:
I. "New" File from Box 1366: Testimony
of Julius Hamano, formerly an IJA intelligence officer and English translator
in LTGEN Inoue's HQ.
This is a most interesting file for several reasons but most interestingly
to me, the testimony of Julius Hamano (pp4-7, especially top of page
5) is the first admission I have seen in writing by a Japanese officer
that multiple Americans were captured and interrogated at Inoue's Babeldaob
HQ. This fits amazingly well with interviews we have been progressively
collecting over the past four years (and which culminated in my April
03 report on the subject, which you have seen). That is, Hamano admits
to the presence of at least 1) two sailors whom he interrogated (referred
to as "frogmen" by the Palauans: CG Howard L. Roeder plus
at least one unknown), 2) three airmen shot down in August 44 (could
be the Arnett B-24 '453 crew lost 01SEP44 or the Rea B-24 '596 crew
lost 25AUG44, most likely the former) and 3) LT Kaufman whom he interrogated.
He specifically does not mention the civilians or any other individuals
BUT he cleverly and precisely answered what he was asked: "How
many prisoners of war were captured in the vicinity of Babelthuap Island
and interrogated at the headquarters of the Inoue-butai?". Notably,
later in his testimony (page 7) he refers to "the Naval Headquarters
on Babeldaob Island" (30th Naval base) as another site presumably
separate from the Inoue-butai. This leaves open the possibility that
USN aviators shot down before the invasion of Peleliu (Operations DESECRATE
ONE and SNAPSHOT) might have been captured and interrogated elsewhere.
He also avoids admitting to the fate of the other POW's besides LT Kaufman
when asked if they were sent "out of the Palau Island area to prisoner-of-war
camps" by answering all but LT Kaufman "...were sent out of
the area" (Page 5).
In summary, Hamano confirms the composite summary of our Palauan interviews
that these Americans were in the Babeldaob area after being captured.
To this extent, the Palauans have proven to be credible sources - this
leads me to believe that the Palauan claims we heard during P-MAN V
in MAR03 that the frogmen were executed near where the three American
airmen were executed (subject of CILHI searches in 2000-2001) on Ngatpang
Hill also have merit.
In order to attempt to analyze the above information, all
relating to the disappearance of several known POW's, I have assembled
the following working summary:
- The only remains found of executed Americans to date are those of
LT Wallace Kaufman.
- At least two living Palauans independently saw, or were told of, at
least two different groups of POW's. One group of POW's, the airmen
executed with the civilians in SEP 44 (AC/POW), was seen by the Koror
Elder Lady and was heard of by the Ibabong Elder. This execution is
also well documented in the War Crimes Records. The second group of
POW's (frogmen, FM/POW) was seen by two additional Palauans and was
heard of by a third (Ibabong Elder). According to the U. S. Navy Seals
magazine, Blast, the capture and shipment to Palau of CG Howard Roeder
and one or two other UDT frogmen are well-documented.
- Each of these two groups of POW's, based on independent Palauan recollections,
were taken to the same killing vicinity (near "Police (Kempeitei)
station") and their remains buried in roughly the same quadrant
in the field below the Police Station, to the west of the nearby Japanese
hospital cemetery.
- AC/POW was the subject of a preliminary field search in 2000 and 2001
(no excavations). To date, FM/POW has not been the subject of an investigation
due to lack of information (NOTE: to the best of my knowledge, while
the airmen/civilian POW's were the subject of War Crimes hearings, the
frogmen POW's were not).
- As related to me by a former IJA officer in Japan, a third set of
two POW's may have been executed at the "Command Post" or
somewhere nearby but this is less certain. (NOTE: This gentleman was
potentially agreeable to returning to Palau if that would be helpful).
This area may now have been identified by the P-MAN V team as the General's
House.
- As related to me by a former U. S. N. clerk typist in Palau just after
WWII, he was told by Palauans that one Naval aviator (by name) was captured
and executed.
- A Palauan chief has related on two occasions to seeing a dead American
airman with a tattoo on his left chest that he saw in the area of Inoue's
jungle HQ.
- As it appears to have been the custom of the IJA to bury executed
POW's not in, but somewhat adjacent to, their own cemeteries (e.g.,
LT Wallace Kaufman and the airmen/civilian POW's were both reported
to be buried near Japanese cemeteries, respectively, in Koror and Ngatpang),
the location of two new cemeteries in the Ngatpang/Ngaremlengui area
and the confirmation of the third (near Police Station and hospital)
offer additional specific search areas. In addition, in 2000, the P-MAN
II team, working with Ngatpang chiefs and a guide, located and obtained
GPS readings of what is believed to be the jungle headquarters of LTGEN
Inoue. This is another site where executions may have occurred. At least
one area there appeared to be a small (7X15 feet) grave site.
- From recently uncovered documents, Julius Hamano, former IJA officer
provided testimony in 1947 supporting our findings that at least three
American airmen (reported to have been executed mid-September 1944),
2 sailors (fates unknown) and LT Kaufman (known to have been executed
approximately 20MAY45) were all brought to LTGEN Inoue's Babeldaob Headquarters
for at least interrogation.
- Our efforts so far continue to support our belief that a number of
POW's, at least 6 and possibly more American military, some who were
reported by post-war Japanese officials as having been shipped off-island
to the Philippines (and sunk by American submarines), were in fact executed
by the Kempeitei (of the IJA) within the Palau Islands during the war.
As we were leaving Palau, we became aware of at least one more elder
who may have added information. We plan to interview him on our next
trip. Our master guide, Joe Maldangesang, continues to network for additional
witnesses.
The BentProp team feels, based on this composite of information,
that consideration be given for further efforts to search for the remains
of these POW's, particularly in the Ngatpang/Ngaremlengui areas. A particular
area of interest remains near the Police Station on Ngatpang Hill.
Jennifer prepares to cool off after a day of searching
on Ngatpang Hill (about 1.5 miles to the east of this photo).
This waterfall, according to Palauans, is near one of the
Japanese headquarters and barracks. © Val Thal, 2003
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