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Tokyo #8B Hitachi also known as Motoyama formerly numbered Tokyo 12-D |
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Hitachi
POW Camp AKA Motoyama Location: Miyata-cho, IBARAKI-ken, HITACHI-shi Timeline: 5 Mar 1944: Established as Tokyo # 12-D 14 Aug 1944: 230 Americans depart, replaced by 150 Dutch and 80 British Aug 1945: Renamed Tokyo POW Camp # 8-B 5 Sep 1945: Rescue effected MAP of Tokyo POW Camps ----- Satellite View Camp was located on the southwest side of a valley. A second camp, a smelting plant, apparently was located below this mine. Across the valley was another mine that used Chinese as slaves. Lt Col Christensen's description: "Camp located approximately eight to ten kilometers west of the town of Hitachi (on the east coast of Honshu, about 20 miles north of the town of Mito), Ibaraki Prefecture. I believe the small settlement at the site of the camp was known as Motoyama." Present day name: "It's way up in the hills and it looks like there is now a memorial there, called "Nikko Kinen-kan," which means "Hitachi Mining Memorial Hall." The KO of KOGYO (HITACHI KOGYO) is the same Japanese character for the KO of NIKKO." (Wes Injerd) Photographs: Location Map:Sequence of area maps- Map #1, #2, #3 (slow loading) Japanese Staff: Nemoto - Capt, Camp CO Kurita (Gunso) Sgt - Asst CO Mizuno, (Gocho) Corp- Asst CO Civilian (veteran) employes of the Army: Dono - relative rank of Sgt Yuag - relative rank of Sgt Matsuda - relative rank of Pvt Kikuchi - relative rank of Pvt Interpreters: Mr. Kakei Kenji Kuni - formerly an American citizen- "Frank Queenie" Guards: Miamoto Fujimoto Office Clerks: Tanaka Susuki Hokei Toyahara Medical Attendant: Mr. Nakamura Cook for Japanese: Mr. Ishizaiki Camp Photographs & Sketches Camp flag is at theTruman Presidential Museum & Library. The flag's plaque reads: This flag was made by Luther Bass, an American serviceman held captive in Tokyo Prisoner of war Camp # 8 during World War II. Bass made the flag from parachutes carrying food and clothing dropped to the camp from a U.S. B-29 bomber on August 26, 1945. In 1973, Earl R. Short, another Camp # 8 survivor, donated the flag to the Truman Library. |
Primary
Labor Use: Slave labor as miners for the Hitachi Copper
Mine. [Nippon Mining Company] Hell Ship: Americans arrived on the Taikoku Maru. Affidavit of Lt COL (Inf) Arthur G. Christensen- describes trip in detail
Group 1: Jose M. Baldonado #25; McCall #40; Combs? #10; Wilkinson #11; Krick #62; Guiraud? #59; Zull? #58; Schultz #71 Books about Hitachi Tokyo 8-B: List of deceased: Death list - 5 Dutch (PDF - slow loading) External site Camp Rosters at Liberation: 302 combined English, Dutch and American POWS. (Rescue roster not located yet) 145 Dutch, 80 British & 68 Americans. (see partial roster of 176 Americans known to have been in this camp courtesy of Adriane Zambrana, grand daughter of POW Major Earl Short- POW 3773) Dutch: Known to be here at rescue: Rundberg, Henry L., Sgt, NEI Navy Deurloo, Hendrick E., Sgt, NEI Navy Scheijen, Dirk van, Korp, NEI Navy Peeters, Pieter, Mat, NEI Navy Sip, Johan E., Mat, NEI Navy  Major Short (#2 in this group of POWs) Detail of POW Movements POWS known to be here at rescue: Bahrenburg, James H., Lt Col, O&281569, USA (MC) Christie, Martin, Cpl,272081,USMC Nealsom, William Robert, Maj, O&367089. USA Renka, John I. Jr., 1st Lt, O&416595, USA Robinson, Donald W., Maj, O&380999, USA (MC) Short, Earl R., Maj, O&311554, USA Underwood, Charles C., MAj, O&378597, USA POWS known to have been sent to Zentsuji and rescued at Rokuroshi: Christensen, Arthur George, Lt Col, O&20871, USA (INF) Conrad, Eugene B., Maj, O&394417, USA Evans, Robley D., Capt, O&399426, USA Camp Layout |
