Kafer

Born: June 1917 - Eureka, South Dakota

Parents: Karl & Caroline Kafer

- mother remarried: Caroline Schiermiester

- resided: Hazelton, South Dakota

Siblings: 3 sisters, 2 brothers

Home: Eureka, South Dakota

Inducted:

- U. S. Army

- Unknown

Training:

- Fort Lewis, Washington

Units:

- 194th Tank Battalion

Overseas Duty:

- Philippine Islands

Engagements:

- Battle of Luzon

- Battle of Bataan

Prisoner of War:

- 9 April 1942

- Death March

            - Mariveles - POWs start march at southern tip of Bataan
            - ran past Japanesee artillery firing at Corregidor
                - Americans on Corregidor returned fire
            - San Fernando - POWs put into small wooden boxcars
                - each boxcar could hold eight horses or forty men
                - 100 POWs packed into each car
                - POWs who died remained standing
            - Capas - dead fell to floor as living left boxcars
            - POWs walked last ten miles to Camp O'Donnell POW Camps:

- Philippine Islands:

- Camp O'Donnell

- unfinished Filipino training camp pressed into use by Japanese as POW camp

- one water faucet for entire camp

- as many as 50 POWs died each day

- Otto suffered from an infection

- reported to have died

- Scrap Metal Detail

- POWs drove disabled vehicles to San Fernando

- vehicles were tied together by rope

- Cabanatuan

- Camp Murphy

- POWs built runways Nichols Airfield

- Cabanatuan

Japan:

- Mukashima

Hell Ship:

- Noto Maru

- Sailed: Manila - 27 August 1944

- Arrived: Takao, Formosa - 31 August 1944

- Sailed: 1 September 1944

- Arrived: Moji, Japan - 7 September 1944

Liberated:

- 12 September 1945

Promoted: Staff Sergeant