Unit 113 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research unit of the Imperial Japanese Army, established in Burma in 1941 during the Second World War.[1]
Unit 113's first major success came in summer of 1941, when it dropped by bomber porcelain bomb casings full of cholera baccili and rodents infected with plague into Yunnan Province, in China, which received some supplies from the British in India.[2] This plan continued throughout the year, earning the camp a special comendation from the War Ministry.[3]
After the initial success in Yunnan, the camp's commandant, Major Hataba proposed similar attacks on India. However, the Japanese military rejected the plan, and the idea was quietly let go.[4]
Even for battle-hardened soldiers, the humidity of Burma was nearly intolerable for the men at Unit 113. Uniforms were prone to rot, and several soldiers began wearing only loinclothes and zoris. Corporal Hideki Fujita, who'd been transferred to Burma in the summer of 1941, was soon among them.[5]
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