| rdfs:comment | - The Cowra breakout occurred on August 5, 1944, when at least 545 Japanese prisoners of war escaped from a camp near Cowra, in New South Wales, Australia. It was one of the largest prison escapes of World War II, as well as one of the bloodiest. During the ensuing manhunt, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers were killed. The remaining escapees were captured and sent back to prison.
- Cowra is a small town in New South Wales, Australia that housed World War Two POW's. Situated three hundred and thirty kilometres south-west of Sydney, the Cowra of the 1940s was a typical middle-sized Australian town, with a population of around three thousand people. At the time, Cowra held one of the largest POW's camps in Australia. The camp mostly held Italian and Japanese POW's. The Italians captured we're fighting in North Africa. The Japanese soldiers that were captured were fighting North of Australia. mpound that the breakout erupted.
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| abstract | - The Cowra breakout occurred on August 5, 1944, when at least 545 Japanese prisoners of war escaped from a camp near Cowra, in New South Wales, Australia. It was one of the largest prison escapes of World War II, as well as one of the bloodiest. During the ensuing manhunt, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers were killed. The remaining escapees were captured and sent back to prison.
- Cowra is a small town in New South Wales, Australia that housed World War Two POW's. Situated three hundred and thirty kilometres south-west of Sydney, the Cowra of the 1940s was a typical middle-sized Australian town, with a population of around three thousand people. At the time, Cowra held one of the largest POW's camps in Australia. The camp mostly held Italian and Japanese POW's. The Italians captured we're fighting in North Africa. The Japanese soldiers that were captured were fighting North of Australia. The prisoner of war camp was huge, covering an area of over thirty hectares. It was almost circular in shape and divided into four separate compounds by two, seven-hundred-metre long thoroughfares, known respectively as ‘No Man’s Land’ (which ran approximately east-west) and ‘Broadway’. Broadway, so called because of its bright lights at night, was used as an access road, as it ran in a north-south direction. Approximately half the prisoners in the camp were Italians, who occupied A and C compounds, while D compound housed Japanese officers, Korean and Formosan prisoners. B compound contained Japanese non-commissioned officers and junior ranks. It was from within the confines of this co mpound that the breakout erupted. The Italians had fought tenaciously during the war, but finally had been forced to surrender. Like the soldiers of most armies they saw no lasting disgrace in their surrender, but accepted it as a necessary part of the fortunes of war. They were aware of their rights under the Geneva C onvention, and were content to see out the war as prisoners on foreign soil. The Japanese, however, found the act of surrendering a deeply humiliating experience. Many adopted false names when they were captured so that their brothers-in-arms and families would presume them dead. The Australian guards were aware of the deep-seated unhappiness of the Japanese in B compound, but held no fears of an outbreak. The camp adhered very closely to the Geneva Convention and the guards treated their prisoners well. Furthermore, they believed that it was clear to the inmates themselves that any attempt at escape would be suicidal, and was therefore unlikely. The prisoners had no real weapons and no means to obtain arms. Furthermore, any attempted escape would involve negotiating the three barbed wire perimeter fences and metres of entangled barbed wire, which lay between them. The camp perimeter was dominated by six guard towers, each about nine metres high, and regularly patrolled by armed guards. This sense of security changed in June 1944 after a Korean prisoner leaked information about a mass breakout. By this time, the camp was becoming overcrowded, and nervous Army officials in Sydney took the leak seriously. Two Vickers machine guns, extra Owen and Bren guns, rifles and ammunition were obtained. In addition, a sentry team was permanently positioned in the centre of Broadway at night. There was, however, no increase in the number of guards (due to the risk of crossfire), nor in the number of hut searches. Although some loose signs of an escape existed, the Japanese made no firm plans for a mass breakout until early August. In fact, the plans were made only after camp officials began to separate the B compound inmates by relocating the junior ranks to a camp at Hay in western New South Wales. On the 4th of August, shortly after being informed of the prisoner transfer, the Japanese commander of B compound, Sergeant Major Kanazawa, called a meeting of the twenty hut leaders. They were told to explain the transfer situation to their men and, by ballot, gauge the level of support for a mass outbreak. In an atmosphere of harried debate and strong argument, a decision was reached, but it was far from unanimous and, at times, misrepresented by the hut leaders. The decision was final, however: the compound would launch a mass escape. Under the terms of the escape plan, the prisoners of war agreed that injured and incapacitated prisoners could restore their honour by committing suicide prior to the escape and that no civilian would be harmed. The escape would commence with a bugle blast at 2.00 am the following morning, when the huts would be set alight. Armed with their rudimentary weapons of filed-down cutlery and baseball bats, and protected against the barbed wire by baseball mitts and blankets, the prisoners planned to ‘hit’ the wire in four groups. Two groups would scale the outer three fences and negotiate the ten metres of entangled and concertina barbed wire which lay there. The other two groups would break into Broadway. One of these would attempt to link up with the Japanese officers in D compound, while the other would attack the outer gates and the Australian garrison, which lay beyond.
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