There was a little known General on Iwo Jima named Tadamichi Kuribayashi who was incharge of the defense and after the months of battle he was force to commitee hari carrie er somthing and no one knows who he is.
He wasn’t really forced by anyone. He was compelled to do so because he felt he was responsible for the loss of the battle. His body was never found.
Kuribayashi was a true product of Bushido. Even in his last letter home, he told his wife not to expect his return and he will die as a soldier.
Here’s what I have on WW2DB on him:
If you dont want to do all the work of clicking the link i copied it:)
Lt. General Kuribayashi was a brilliant man who bravely fought for his country even though he knew he and his army weren’t likely to win. He was selected by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo to lead the Japanese forces at Iwo Jima. Kuribayashi was a samurai and a veteran of thirty years. He was assigned to investigate the US and Canada. He assessed the industrial strength and people of America with uncanny accuracy, in fact he once wrote to Japan and said “The US is the last country in the world we should fight” But when he learned that the two countries would go to war anyway he decided to fight the best fight he could. He ordered that every soldier take out ten Americans before allowing themselves to be taken by death. For this strategy he and his soldiers are considered heroes.
In a correspondence from Kuribayashi to his wife, he wrote “you must not expect my survival”. It was a reflection of his unquestioned dedication for Japan despite the seemingly impossibility of victory, a virtue honored by the Samurai.
*Info from http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=21
Thanks mate.
Henk
If you dont want to do all the work of clicking the link i copied it:)
Lt. General Kuribayashi was a brilliant man who bravely fought for his country even though he knew he and his army weren’t likely to win. He was selected by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo to lead the Japanese forces at Iwo Jima. Kuribayashi was a samurai and a veteran of thirty years. He was assigned to investigate the US and Canada. He assessed the industrial strength and people of America with uncanny accuracy, in fact he once wrote to Japan and said “The US is the last country in the world we should fight” But when he learned that the two countries would go to war anyway he decided to fight the best fight he could. He ordered that every soldier take out ten Americans before allowing themselves to be taken by death. For this strategy he and his soldiers are considered heroes.
In a correspondence from Kuribayashi to his wife, he wrote “you must not expect my survival”. It was a reflection of his unquestioned dedication for Japan despite the seemingly impossibility of victory, a virtue honored by the Samurai.
*Info from http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=21[/quote]
Sounds like he was one of the few Japanese senior officers that truly understood Bushido…