Jack H. Heinzel transcript
Scope and Contents
Oral history of U.S. Army Air Corps B-17 Co-Pilot Colonel Jack H. Heinzel, an American prisoner of war who survived the Bataan death march and subsequent "Hell Ships" starting in April of 1942. The collection contains one folder with fifteen pages detailing this airman's experience of these atrocities.
Dates
- Created: 1941-2000
- Other: Majority of material found in 1941-1945
- Other: Date acquired: 03/27/2000
Creator
- Heinzel, Jack H. (Family)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to all researchers.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Biographical or Historical Information
Jack H. Heinzel served in the Philippines as a Second Lieutenant B-17 co-pilot in the 93rd Bomber Squadron, 19th Bomb Group. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and simultaneous invasion of the Philippines in December of 1941, Jack and his bombing group flew to bombard the invading Japanese. After initial bombings, his group became grounded due to thunderstorms and were ordered to withdraw to the Bataan peninsula with Japanese forces overwhelming the American garrison. Jack and his unit became POWs on April 9, 1942. Jack's unit would endure the infamous 60 mile "Bataan Death March" where incarcerated people were denied adequate food and water along with horrific mistreatment by Japanese soldiers. Jack's experience is further documented as he became imprisoned on a Japanese "Hell Ship" which housed POWs in dismal conditions. Jack's internment lasted three "Hell Ships", after the first sunk due to American bombing, the second brought them to Takao Harbor in present-day Taiwan, while the third arrived in Moji, Japan on January 30, 1945. Jack became ill multiple times throughout his internment. However, while on his final "Hell Ship", Jack fell ill with dysentery, but Japanese officials deemed him healthy enough to be transferred to Mukden POW Camp in Hoten, Manchuria. Liberation for Jack came following the Russian invasion of Manchuria in mid-August 1945.
Extent
1.00 folders
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Jack H. Heinzel
Method of Acquisition
Donated to the Institute
Other Descriptive Information
Condensed and transcribed by Navy Captain Edward Cox following a discussion with Jack H. Heinzel.
- B-17 bomber Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Bataan Death March, Philippines, 1942 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. Army Air Forces
- United States. Army--History--World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, American Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Ocean Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Japan Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Pacific Area Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Philippines Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945--Prisoners and prisons, American Subject Source: Local sources
- Title
- Jack H. Heinzel transcript
- Author
- Jared Smith
- Date
- 09/25/2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the FSU Special Collections & Archives Repository
116 Honors Way
PO Box 3062047
Tallahassee FL 32306-2047 US
850-644-3271
lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu
