Encyclopedia

Cowra Breakout

The prison break

By August 1944, there were 2,223 Japanese prisoners of war in Australia, including 544 merchant seamen. There were also 14,720 Italian prisoners and 1,585 Germans. At this time, 1,104 Japanese prisoners were in No. 12 Prisoner of War Compound near Cowra, in the central west of New South Wales.

On Friday 4 August, notice was given of a transfer of all Japanese prisoners below the rank of Lance Corporal from Cowra to the Hay Prisoner of War Camp. Information was received that the Japanese were discussing a mass outbreak from Camp B. About 2 am on Saturday 5 August 1944 a prisoner ran shouting to the camp gates, and soon after an unauthorized bugle was heard. Sentries fired as prisoners rushed from their huts and began breaking through the wire fences of the camp. The Australians on guard began firing into the groups of prisoners, while a group of some 400 prisoners broke through the wire and escaped into open country.

During the ensuing nine days 334 prisoners were retaken. In all, 234 Japanese POW's were killed and 108 wounded. One Australian Officer was killed along with three of other ranks, while four others were wounded. Privates B.G. Hardy and R. Jones, who were killed while attempting to thwart the escape, were awarded the George Cross.

Japanese prisoners of war playing baseball on the playing area outside their living quarters at the 12th POW Camp Cowra NSW, 1 July 1944.
AWM 067189

Source

Gavin Long, The Final Campaigns, Australia in the war of 1939-1945, Series 1 (Army), vol. VII (Canberra: 1963): 623-24

More About:

Document: The prison break at Cowra, August 1944
A brief account of the prison break.
Cowra reading list
A select reading list of sources available at the Australian War Memorial.
Cowra outbreak, 1944 - National Archives of Australian Fact Sheet 198