C12 - Murder of 3 RAAF airmen - Hann, Walters, King

On 13 January 1945, Flight Lieutenant L. Hann, Warrant Officer P. Walters and Flight Sergeant L. N. King of the Royal Australian Air Force were flying P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft on a ferry flight from Noemfoor to Morotai when they failed to reach their destination. The three Australians, together with an American airman, were captured by Japanese forces on the Talaud Islands and became prisoners of war.

The prisoners were held by members of the 211 Infantry Regiment of the 32 Japanese Division. On 23 March 1945, during a ceremonial parade at Karakallan, Beo, in the Talaud Islands, the prisoners were subjected to a ritual bayonet execution in conjunction with the presentation of the regimental colours. The killings formed part of a deliberate ceremonial act rather than a lawful military proceeding.

As captured members of the Allied armed forces, the four airmen were protected by the laws and customs of war. They were executed without trial or any judicial process, making their deaths unlawful under international law.

Following Japan's surrender, Australian investigators reconstructed the events through witness testimony and documentary evidence. The investigation resulted in a series of Australian war crimes trials (M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M12, M13, M26 and M38), in which members of the 211 Infantry Regiment were prosecuted for their involvement in the capture, custody and murder of the three Australian airmen and their American companion. The case remains one of the most striking examples of the ceremonial execution of Allied prisoners of war in the South-West Pacific during the final months of the war.