Pfc. Albin M. Milsten


Born: 4 September 1914 - Fossum, Minnesota

Parents: Alfred J. Milsten & Maybell Paulsberg-Milsten

Siblings: 2 sisters, 7 brothers

Hometown: Pembina, Minnesota

Inducted:

    - U. S. Army - 1941

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
            - POWs 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 base
            - Japanese put camp into use as POW Camp
            - only one water spigot for entire camp
            - as many as 50 POWs died each day
            - Japanese opened new POW camp to lower death rate
 

        - Camp Olivas

            - reported to have died of malaria 

        - Cabanatuan

        - Port Area Detail

             - POW worked on Manila docks

    - Japan

        - Nagoya #7B

            - Milsten arrived at camp -  3 August 1944

            - Camp also known as Kamioka POW Camp

                - POWs worked in zinc and lead mines

                - POWs had to climb 340 steps to leave mine

            - POW barracks were unheated

Hell Ship:

    - Nissyo Maru

        - Sailed: Manila - 17 July 1944

        - Arrived: Tako, Formosa - 27 July 1944

        - Sailed: Takao - unknown

        - Arrived: Moji, Japan - 3 August 1944

Died:

    - 14 April 1945 - pneumonia

Buried:

    - First Lutheran Cemetery - Mahnomen, Minnesota


 

 

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