History Essay: Prisoners of War During World War II, many Australians were captured to be known as prisoners of war. The Japanese, in particular, mistreated Australian prisoners of war during the ongoing conflict of World War II. Australian prisoners of war went through terrible conditions when held in concentration camps. They received poor food rations and the mortality rate was shocking. Prisoners of war were used for many purposes when captured by war. The Japanese used POWs for many circumstances beyond the situation. The Burma Railway is an event that depicts the conditions that Australian prisoners of war faced during their time in concentration camps. The Sandakan Death March was the worst event for POWs in terms of mortality rates. Australian prisoners of war went through terrifying conditions during their time in Japanese concentration camps. POWs battled disease, starvation, grueling work, and the brutality of their captors. These Australians were subject to many deadly diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea, beriberi and cholera. Australian prisoners of war were generally undernourished and food rations were low. Without basic proteins and vitamins, starvation was the leading cause of death for POWs. More than 30,000 Australians became prisoners of war between 1940 and 1945. During this period approximately a third of these prisoners died. The Japanese mistreated Australian prisoners during the ongoing conflict of World War II. Australian POWs were used for many purposes during World War II and were mistreated due to Japanese culture. Japanese treatment of prisoners of war was brutal. Australian prisoners of war were usually forced to live in uninhabitable jungles and endure hours of physical labor. They received no medical care and were taunted, starved and abused....... half of the document... 203 survived this march. At the end of July only 30 prisoners of war survived in Ranau. Those who remained were shot on August 1. Of the original 3,000, only six Sandakan POWs survived. Seven had escaped into the jungle and the villagers took care of them, but one died before being rescued. The Japanese mistreated Australian prisoners of war during World War II. Australian prisoners of war went through terrifying conditions when held in concentration camps. They received poor food rations and the mortality rate was shocking. Prisoners of war were used for many purposes when captured by war. The Japanese used POWs for many circumstances beyond the situation. The Burma Railway is an event that depicts the conditions that Australian prisoners of war faced during their time in concentration camps. The Sandakan Death March was the worst event for POWs in terms of mortality rates.