Men, about to be executed by Japanese soldiers, kneel before their open graves, Guam, 1941

Description: 

Photograph. Two or three unidentified men, about to be executed by Japanese soldiers, kneeling before their open graves outdoors; palm trees in background. Official Caption: "Rome, 7/4/45--Japanese Execution--Three men about to be executed by Japanese Occupation Forces on Guam kneel before their open graves. This Japanese picture was made shortly after the Japanese invasion of the Pacific island in 1941. The trio were beheaded for some offense against Japanese military. The photo was taken from captured Japanese soldiers who said it was circulated among them for 'morale'”purposes. Guam was liberated by U.S. forces in August, 1944, and now is advance headquarters for U.S. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander of Allied Naval Forces in the Pacific.--Navy photo through Rome OWI--Approved by appropriate military authority--(list A out) 6992."”Guam. 1941

Image Information

Donor: 
Dylan Utley
Accession Number: 
2012.019.341
Date: 
1941
Location: 
Hometown: 
Branch: 
Theater of Service: 
Unit: 
Campaign / Event: 
Guam (1941-1942)
POW / KIA: 
Topical Subjects: 
Executions--Guam
Soldiers--Japanese--Guam
Graves--Guam
Collection Level: 
Items from the service of Isaac "Ike" Bethel Utley, who was born in Smith Mills, Kentucky on 3 March 1920. Ike enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 19 January 1942. He was shipped overseas to the European Theatre and worked with a supply division based out of the city of Naples with an office set up in a residential villa. Utley worked with the Office of War Information and used their photographs in news articles to inform soldiers of the progress of the war. At war's end, Utley returned stateside. A trunk full of over 800 photographs from the O.W.I. arrived on his doorstep from his office in Italy, sender unknown. This collection consists of those photographs.
Geography: 
Guam
Latitude: 
13.467
Longitude: 
144.833
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials: 
Executions--Guam
Soldiers--Japanese--Guam
Graves--Guam