West Point Speech
The Raider crew claimed that the Sawokla was spotted the afternoon before her sinking. The Michel trailed the Sawokla until dark, then sank her.
In Singapore, the Germans turned us over the Japanese. We passed through Raffles Square and saw several nude, decomposed, hanging female bodies. Our captors told us that they were a warning to other females not to refuse to sleep with the Japanese.
We were taken to Changi Jail on the outskirts of Singapore. Changi was a maximum security prison built to hold about 800 hardened criminals. The Japanese managed to cram over 10,000 P.O.Ws. Fortunately, we were put in outside huts.
During my first muster in Changi, the British interpreter asked if we had any questions. I handed him a letter from the German doctor. The interpreter handed it to the Japanese sergeant who tore it up and then hit me with a rifle butt. It was then I knew we were in for a hard time.
Looking back, the time we spent in Changi was not too bad. The British, Australians, Dutch and Americans had all of their gear: clothing, utensils, etc. However, food was scarce. The brutality was moderate.
