| Tokyo
#2B POW Camp Kawasaki AKA: Mitsui Camp #2 "Mitsui Madhouse" |
| Tokyo 2-B Kawasaki (Mitsui Camp #2) Location: KAWASAKI-shi, OGI-machi Satellite View Tokyo area map of camps Timeline: Oct 1942: Established and first known as TOKYO POW CAMP No. 1-B WHARF SUB-CAMP (or WHARF BILLET) (FUTO SHISHO) 13 Nov 1942 - 312 Americans arrive from Philippines- a number of Guam men were already present per Carney diary. 1 Aug 1943: Renamed TOKYO POW CAMP No. 2-B 13 Nov 1943: Carney diary notes one year anniversary- 18 have died and only 108 of original 312 men remain at this camp 14 Nov 1953: Carney notes sudden passing of Dutch soldier "Geerartus" on this day- [Geeraths, Johannes died of acute pneumonia] 9 Dec 1943: Carney notes only 236 in camp 25 July 1945: Barracks destroyed in B-29 raid. Pows moved to Nisshin Flour Mill. 27 July 1945: Transfer to Nisshin completed after all bodies dug out of ruins. September 1945: Rescue effected This was one of four camps in Kawasaki: Kawasaki Main No.1 Bunsho, Kawasaki Dispatch No. 5 and Kawasaki Sub-camp No. 5. Tokyo Command, Kanagawa Prefecture Tokyo Area Commanding Officers: Col. Sekuba and Col. Susuki (Source: NARA, RG331, Box 1321, File 17) Camp 2-B is located in the former boarding house of the Mitsui Shipping Company in the center of the industrial section of Kawasaki. Building covers approx. 900 sq. meters. One source reports two Allied POW stockades in the vicinity surrounded by a six-foot fence with no barbed wire. POWs work in iron works and docks. (Source: Report to Gen. MacArthur, 14 Aug 1945, in preparation for surrender.) Report in Japanese (click on PDF link found under 川崎扇町分所) Japanese Camp Staff: List of Japanese staff at date of surrender. Camp officials originally acknowledged by Japanese were: C.O.- Lt. J Hayashi C.O.- Lt. B. Kanatsuna (This is probably the same as "Lt. Ryugo Kanetsuna," convicted and sentenced to nine years' hard labor in the case of the deaths of the 23 POWs on 25 July 1945,) C.O.- Lt Tasurnia? C.O.- Lt. S. Washimi Med Cpl- (Pvt) Wata Pvt M. Shiozawa Instone Diary: The following is courtesy of Heather Atcheson, daughter of Graham Brodrick Instone from Sydney, Australia: My
father was one of many who spent 3 years in Nisshin and Mitsui camp in
Japan during 1942-1945. He was on the SS Nankin when it was captured
and sent to the POW camp. He kept a diary with the names of many others
that were with him and some anecdotes of his time in the camp. He has
drawings of when the camp was bombed and who was killed. He died in
1991. These are just a couple of pages of my Father’s diary whilst he
spent time at this camp. He has lists of many men with him, names,
addresses and phone numbers – of course many of these men are dead.
Diary Extract - PDF |
Primary
Slave Labor Use: Employer: Mitsui Corporation Stevedore and steel mill labor for the Mitsui Corporation. Called the "Mitsui Madhouse" by some prisoners. Dolder Report: Report by Rescue Team #56 on the Kawasaki #2B POW Camp by team leader, 2 Lt Robert H. Dolder Camp Photographs & Sketches: Sketch of actual camp and aerial view after destruction in raid. Asst. Nisshin Mills photos More pictures: External link and lots of group photographs. Worth the time to read every article and see the group photos of the men before the camp was destroyed in the firebombing. Created by son of POW Al "Blackie" Young who has created an excellent website, My Father's Captivity. Aerial Pictures of Camp: Illustrates the destruction in B-29 raid of 25 July 1945. Important sites are noted. Picture and description courtesy of Ed Jackfert, ADBC. Camp Rosters USMC known to have been at this camp Full American Roster with a few Dutch & British -compiled from various sources- includes men who died at Tokyo #2B. Roster per Al Young Combined Roster of known deceased for POW Camps #1 & #2 Original rosters (RG 24 Box 6 Folders 13,15) - American, British, Dutch, Australian, etc. Story of Ensign Carney's death during 25 Jul 45 air raid. (Source: note from Frank Carney's nephew). Guam man, WO Snater, also killed in this raid. Carney Diary- covers partial period Nov 1943 to Aug 1944. Courtesy of nephew and namesake. Books about Kawasaki 2B: Edward Jackfert Presentations - many links here for presentations created by Jackfert, including notebooks kept from 1941-1945. Jackfert also wrote Service to My Country (also here). Well illustrated and excellent details. Mitsui Madhouse Memoir of a U.S. Air Corps POW in World War II by Herbert Zincke (2005). Thought to be very accurate. Roster has numerous errors and we will post corrected roster later. Al Young's son massive research; many documents and rosters. "My Father's Captivity" John Kelly Collection - Per grandson, Adam Read: My grandfather John Kelly
(from my mother's side) was a Scottish sailor with the Norwegian
merchant navy. His ship was sunk by the Germans and he was sent to
Tokyo.
https://www.krigsseilerregisteret.no/ sjofolk/222863 https://www.warsailors.com/POWs/ pows2.html My mother gave me newspaper pages by a Scottish newspaper from when he was released. I also have letters he received in Camp #1-B Kawasaki and a letter he sent from the camp. In the newspaper article it says that on 31 August his mother received a telegram from him saying that he was safe in Australia. Newspaper is dated 1 Sept 1945. |