Death March

I knew about the Bataan Death March before the class but I always thought it was a lot longer then it really was. I thought the march was hundreds of miles, that is not to say that 65 miles is not a long way on foot with no food or water. It just makes the death toll even more astounding in my mind. With the thousands of American and Filipino soldiers that died along the march I wonder if America would have abandoned the Philippines like they did or if the American forces would have held out longer if the knew the fate the awaited them? In addition, since Japan did not take part in the Geneva conventions what war crimes were the Japanese leaders charged with?