On August 5, 1944, the Cowra breakout marked a significant event in Australian military history. Over 1,100 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from the prisoner of war camp in Cowra, New South Wales, resulting in the largest prison break in Australian history. The breakout led to a violent confrontation between the prisoners and Australian guards, resulting in the deaths of 231 Japanese prisoners and four Australian soldiers, with many more wounded. The incident highlighted the challenges of managing prisoners of war during wartime and left a lasting impact on both Australian and Japanese societies. The Cowra breakout has since been commemorated through various memorials and remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of war.


TW: Suicide.

Sources used: 

• 900 Jap Prisoners Mutiny | The Daily News | 8 Sep 1944 | Page 1 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78522978
• Banzai Charge at Cowra | History.net | https://www.historynet.com/banzai-charge-at-cowra/
• Blankets on the Wire (2006), Steven Bullard, Australian War Memorial, ISBN: 9780975190470
• Cowra breakout, 1944 | National Archives of Australia | https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/fact-sheets/cowra-breakout-1944
• Cowra Camp. Prisoners of war-Japanese escapees. Prime Minister's statement and diary entries | Nathional Archives of Australia | NAA: SP112/1, M 57 Page 14 of 17 1944 https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=267552&S=14&N=17&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=267552&T=P&S=14
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• Prisoners Of War Break From Camp At Cowra | The Sun | 5 Aug 1944 | Page 3 | https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231692065
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• The Bugle and the Breakout | Claire Hunter | Australian War Memorial | 30 Jul 2019 | https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/the-bugle-and-the-breakout
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