John naber louis zamperini the bird

Japanese officer, war criminal, 1918-2003

Mutsuhiro Watanabe (Japanese: 渡邊睦裕, 18 January 1918 – 1 April 2003), nicknamed "the Bird" by his prisoners was an Imperial Japanese Army soldier in World War II who served in multiple military internment camps.

He was infamous for his extremely cruel and evil mistreatment of allied POWs. After Japan's defeat, the US Occupation authorities classified Watanabe as a criminal for his mistreatment and torture of prisoners of war (POWs), but he managed to elude arrest and was never tried in court.

World War II

Watanabe served at POW camps in Omori, Naoetsu (present-day Jōetsu), Niigata, Mitsushima (present-day Hiraoka) and at a civilian POW Camp in Yamakita.

John naber louis zamperini the bird interview

While in the military, Watanabe allegedly ordered one man who reported to him to be punched in the face every night for three weeks and practiced judo on an appendectomy patient. One of his prisoners was American track star and Olympian Louis Zamperini.

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