Prisoners of the Rising Sun

Monday, December 8 at 3 a.m. ET
Hosted by Oliver North

Their story is one that the world has forgotten.

During World War II, more than 130,000 American, British, Australian and Dutch troops were taken prisoner by the Japanese. Forced to work as slave laborers, disease, starvation and brutal treatment made their world a living hell.

Few sacrifice more in the cause of freedom then those who lose liberty as prisoners of war. But as you’ll see in this stirring episode of “War Stories with Oliver North,” these “Prisoners of the Rising Sun” share a powerful message: there is hope in the bleakest of times.

You will hear harrowing tales from two of the thousands of POWs forced to build what became known as “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” In an exclusive, “War Stories” sat down with the granddaughter of POW Philip Toosey, the British colonel who was in charge of building the bridge. His ordeal inspired the role Sir Alec Guinness played in the 1957 Oscar winning film about its construction.

You’ll also meet a survivor of the infamous Japanese “Hell Ships,” where thousands of men were crammed into stifling holds for long, brutal journeys to be used as slave labor for some of Japan’s biggest corporations. Often, more died at sea than in the factories and mines they were sent to work in.

“War Stories” will also introduce you to Glenn McDole, one of the eleven survivors of the infamous Palawan massacre. On a direct order from Tokyo to “kill all prisoners,” the Japanese burned unsuspecting POWs alive in the closing days of the war.

Theirs is a war story that deserves to be told.

Staff for this episode:

Executive producer: Pamela K. Browne

Produced and written by: Steven Tierney

Senior producers: Martin Hinton and Cyd Upson

Editor: Eddie Montague

Designer: Yong Kim