21 September 2020

Allied Prisoners of War in China

Allied Prisoners of War in China tells the story of the men who were incarcerated at the Mukden POW camp in northeast China, which was designated for prisoners with special technical skills and high-ranking officers. 

They included troops from British and Dutch territories and Australia, but the majority were Americans who had been captured in the Philippines and taken part in the infamous Bataan Death March.

Based on extensive field research and interviews with former POWs, Yang Jing’s harrowing account of life in the Mukden camp provides detailed evidence of the crimes perpetrated by the Japanese during the Second World War, as well as a Chinese perspective on a fascinating period of history. 

Compared to the volume of work considering the imprisonment of POWs in Thailand and Burma during WW2, the camp at Mukden is little known. However, Yang Jing comprehensively details the experiences of the men held captive in the extreme coniditions of northeast China until 1945. Drawing on research from personal interviews and material in English and Chinese, this is a fascinating insight into the experiences of Allied POWs in China. 

Table of contents:

To Live or Die
The Death March
Hell Ships
The Bell Tolls at Mukden
Free Labour
A Deadly Prison Break
Secret Friendships
Resistance
The Angry Bull
A Secret Contest
The Wind Changes
Bloody Mukden
A Gathering of Generals
Liberation
The Final Stop
The Search for Sergeant Lynch
The Post-War Trials

About the Author:
In 1993, Yang Jing received an enquiry from a survivor of the Mukden POW camp. He felt compelled to tell the story of the camp and began his research, which has continued for more than 20 years and become internationally recognised. In 2003, Yang’s Mukden Nirvana was the first book about the Mukden POW camp to be published in China. He is currently director of the Mukden Allied POW Camp Research Institute at Shenyang University.

Thanks to Alain Charles Asia Publishing for the review copy

Available from:
ACA Publishing
Amazon