Forbidden Diary: True WWII Prison Survival Story
Audio-drama based on a WWII diary written by Natalie Crouter during her internment in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines.
Three weeks after the first bombings of the Philippines on December 8, 1941, Natalie, her family, and 500 civilians were marched at gunpoint to a deserted U.S. military post (Season One: 1941). Thus began their survival of body and mind from 1942 to 1945. Natalie’s story is a fascinating, real-life view of wartime captivity and a gripping tale of courage, tenacity, and hope.
Included are interviews with Jim Zobel, historian and archivist at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, VA, and Curt Brooks who was interned in a civilian prison in Manila during WWII.
The cover art incorporates a sketch entitled, "The Double Fence," by Fern Harrington Miles. To read about Fern and other prison artists interned with Natalie, go to www.storiestovoice.com/fd-artist-credits.
To see Natalie's original diary entry, artifacts and prison art, go to www.storiestovoice.com/fd-listen and click on See Pictures.
To see the cast, go to www.storiestovoice.com/fd-cast.
Forbidden Diary: True WWII Prison Survival Story
1942 - Episode 13 Epilogue: Interview with MacArthur Memorial Archivist
In this last interview, Jim Zobel shares fascinating insights about MacArthur’s first steps to liberate the Philippines—from the campaign in Papua New Guinea to making early radio contact with guerrillas in the Philippines. Zobel shares true, but unbelievable stories about guerrilla heroes and discusses the brutal Kempeitai, Imperial Japan’s military police. Larger-than-life stories, fascinating WWII history.
On September 30, 2023 the MacArthur Memorial Museum, in Norfolk, VA, will open a military and civilian POW exhibit entitled, The Price of Unpreparedness: POWs in the Philippines during World War II. For more information go to www.macarthurmemorial.org.